We LOVE Las Vegas!

I Love LV - Steve is now the proud owner of a keychain with this sentiment on it. Is it because he loves Las Vegas… or because those are my initials? 😉

Well we have another trip to Vegas under our belt! The King absolutely loves Vegas, and I am willing to go anywhere as long as I get to be on vacation.

Our main reason for going was so that the King could play in one of the WSOP events. I’m happy to say that he cashed again, his best finish so far! I’ve discovered that it’s surprisingly stressful for me when he plays in tournaments… not only does he not sleep because his brain is going 100 mph, but I don’t sleep either! Anyway, he ended up 178 out of about 2800 which is pretty awesome! For those of you that are curious I didn’t choose a pair of trophy designer shoes this time. Instead I decided that we would go for a couples massage and spend the day at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel pool when we get home!

We’ve been to Vegas many times now, so I thought I would give some tips for you if you decide to visit this vibrant city.

Vegas Tip #1: Use Smarter Vegas to get the best room rate!

This time we stayed at the Monte Carlo. (When I think back we’ve tried out a lot of different hotels over the years!) I used Smarter Vegas for the first time, which basically gives you a web page link to get a reduced rate on your hotel room. After we found the room we wanted and the best price on Smarter Vegas, Steve phoned the hotel directly to see if they would beat the price. They said they couldn’t even come close… so we booked it online.

We didn’t stay in a regular suite, we stayed in one of their spa suites, which had a huge double jacuzzi tub right in front of the window. At night we could see the New York New York roller coaster, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay all lit up from the tub. On the 4^th of July we could even watch the fireworks at Mandalay and beyond from our tub! The room also had a bar, a mini fridge, couch area, large shower, and nice big king size bed (the pillows were amazing!). 

We also really enjoyed the pool. There were lots of chairs (mostly in the sun, a few in the shade) lots of cabanas for rent and a regular pool, lazy river and wave pool. They had a DJ playing sometimes and even had a beach volleyball court over in the corner. Of course there were plenty of waitresses in skimpy outfits and many opportunities to get slushy drinks… we did enjoy one…but only one because the drink was $15! We noticed they had a private party cabana, which we are planning to rent when Steve cashes big at the next WSOP. Who’s with us???

On previous trips I hadn’t really even noticed the Monte Carlo (I think we always walked on the MGM side on this part of the strip), but we found this hotel to be very convenient. It was an easy walk to New York, New York where you can easily connect to MGM or down to Excalibur/Luxor/Mandalay. You can also take a tram the other way to connect to Aria/Vdara and Bellagio. The location is great, and we would definitely stay here again.

Vegas Tip #2: Use MyVegas on Facebook to get free stuff!

Now normally I don’t waste my time with this kind of stuff. But really you get good rewards on here for just spinning free slots on their Facebook game. It’s easy to do while you are watching TV, folding laundry or cooking dinner. I know people who play other slot games just for fun… why not get real rewards for doing it? Steve and I both have an account. This time we got two free MGM dinner buffets, 2 free premium tickets to Zumanity, 2 tickets to Luxor’s showgirls show Fantasy, and free entry to the ice bar. Yes, free! There are a million things I could say about this… so if you’re interested ask me. If you are going to Vegas even once it’s worth it. Since we go at least once a year it’s definitely worth it for us.

Vegas Tip #3: Do not bother going to see Fantasy at Luxor (unless it’s free…)

This was billed as the best showgirls in Vegas in 2012 or 2013… really???? Maybe my expectations are too high, but this was really terrible. I actually felt embarrassed for the girls at some points. Dancing, choreography, the whole flow of the show in general was not good. This is only my opinion of course (and the King agrees with me), but feel free to go and make your own decision!

Vegas Tip #4: Buffets are not worth it for regular eaters… unless they’re free of course!

We got free dinner buffet passes to MGM with our MyVegas points. This was the equivalent of $40 per person. The buffet was diverse and had lots of food… but $40 is pretty pricey for buffet food. Keep in mind that you feel like you are eating in a buffet. If the King and I were going to spend $80 on food we’d like a little ambience… like at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris hotel. They have lots of ambience, and the food works out to be roughly the same price. That being said, we enjoyed the food, and it was free, so all in all it was a good time 😁

Vegas Tip #5: Smith and Wollensky is an excellent restaurant to have a celebratory dinner!

We were introduced to this restaurant by friends a few years ago, to celebrate the Handsome Man’s first cash in a WSOP event. Since then I have been dreaming about their truffled mac and cheese side dish. Seriously… it’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. You know when you take a bite, sigh, and chew slowly to enjoy it? It’s that good!

We enjoyed another celebratory dinner here this year, with the King’s brother who agreed the truffled mac and cheese was very good even though he doesn’t like pasta. The steaks are also seriously delicious. The food is expensive but definitely worth it for a celebration!

Vegas Tip #6: You should go see Zumanity!

Warning: It’s a bit … well more than a bit racy. So if that bothers you this is not the show for you! This show has it all. The theatre is cozy, but feels classy. There were acrobats and feats of strength. The music was sensational. Each act was different but interesting in its own way. There was lots of humour (off color humour for sure) but it was definitely funny! The King and I had seen the show years ago, but I had mostly forgotten it (that’s the advantage of getting older…everything seems new and exciting!). I would definitely recommend this as a show to see in Vegas. (Did I mention we got tickets for free with MyVegas… 3^rd row centre?!?)

Vegas Tip #7: You can spend hours just people watching.

There are so many interesting places to sit down in Vegas and have a drink or snack and just watch people.

One year the King and I had a contest to see who could find the most outrageous outfit. That was an action-packed and amusing game!

Sometimes we eavesdrop and hear the most fascinating and sometimes shocking conversations (Did we ever tell you about the couple having dinner in the Strip House? It’s too racy a conversation to share here. Let’s just say Steve and I both froze in disbelief…if you’d like to hear the whole story, ask Steve, he loves telling the story)

Sometimes we just make up the back-stories of the people we are watching to amuse ourselves. Even if you aren’t interested in any of these fun games there are plenty of things to look at in Vegas!

Vegas Tip #8: You can’t see it all in one trip… or even 10 trips!

There are countless things to see and do on the strip. You can walk and walk and walk and not see it all. There are plenty of places to stop and hydrate or have something to eat while you marvel at the things you are seeing. I’ll just tell you three of my favourites.

* Bellagio – the glass sculptures on the ceiling, and the flowers in the conservatory are absolutely beautiful. It is not necessarily peaceful here (Why does everyone feel the need to take a picture of everything?!?), but beautiful to look at. And don’t forget the fountain. The fountains are choreographed to music, and play every half hour or 15 minutes depending on the time of day. I read somewhere recently that it costs them $10K every time the fountain goes off!!!!

* The Venetian – this is as close to St. Mark’s Square in Venice as you are going to get without actually going to Venice. It looks strikingly like the real thing and is a fun place to hang out and look around. You can go on a gondola ride if you like, but I don’t think it compares to the real thing. The other good thing is that right beside the canal is Barney’s New York where you can marvel at the beautiful (outrageously expensive) designer shoes!

* New York, New York has a whole maze of restaurants and bars that are designed to look like you are actually in New York. Having never been to the real New York myself (yet!), I’m assuming it is at least close to what the actual New York feels like. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoy the ambience and of course the people watching!

I left wishing I had gone back to the Wine Cellar at the Rio, had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi while enjoying the view of the Bellagio fountains, and made a trip to visit the Neon Graveyard. That will have to wait until next time. So many places to go, so many things to do… I don’t think we’ll ever run out of things to do in Las Vegas.