Las Vegas - January 2011

I has been a while since my last post so I will get right to it.

This trip to Las Vegas was for 8 days. We stayed at four different resorts, The Stratosphere, Mandalay Bay (The Hotel), Monte Carlo, and The Orleans.

RESORT REVIEW

The Stratosphere - Played craps for a while at a $25 average, but because the room was already comped they could only cover some of our food purchases. Fellini’s is a great Italian restaurant located in the Stratosphere. We first ate the in 1998 after we walked from Luxor to the Stratosphere and back, but that was when we were younger. Also featured here is CRAPSLESS CRAPS, although the odds are not as great as a regular game of craps, it may be worth playing if a controlled shooter where playing.

Mandalay Bay (The Hotel) - Simply amazing!!! I approached the check in counter and upon arriving asked if there were any upgrades available. The man behind the counter checked the computer and said that we could be upgraded to "The Hotel" for $10 a night. After thinking about it for a while we figured why not. It was the best $20 upgrade I ever had in Las Vegas. . The room had a living room with a mini bar, a desk, a sofa, and a lounge chair. There were two bathrooms (one even had a TV in it), a tub, and shower. The bed was very comfortable as well. Also the “Do Not Disturb” / Housekeeping sign was digital versus having a hanging piece of paper from the handle.

Monte Carlo - I have stayed at the Monte Carlo a number of times and I was again pleasantly surprised. Upon check-in I was informed that since I had stayed at the Monte Carlo before there may be an upgrade available. Sure enough I was upgraded to a room with a view of the Strip. The morning craps crew (around 8 AM - 10 AM) was great and the pit boss runs a great game while making sure your "action" is credited to your account for comps. The Dragon Noodle and Diablo's are the restaurants I frequent at the Monte Carlo. Another great stay.

The Orleans - This is an off strip resort casino with very large rooms and a good number of local residents patronizing the casino. This was the first time we stayed here and I would stay again. I also had a $50 food credit which could be used at ANY, yes ANY restaurant on the property. This is different than most strip casinos. Again we had a view of the strip from our large room.

During this trip I was able to play craps 42 times, winning 38 times and losing only 4 times. For the most part meals were comped, as long as you asked for the comp after you were done playing.