Just returned from Vegas, Friday night to Tuesday afternoon (4/18-4/22). Despite my usual strong desire to plan out each day of our trip, this was my husband’s birthday weekend so we did it his way…sleeping late, no reservations, playing it by ear, and as a result missing the beer pong M%26amp;G on 4/21!!!
This forum was very helpful in getting ready for our trip, so I intended to write a full trip report when I returned. Unfortunately, I just can%26#39;t remember all of the details! Here are some highlights…
Back from a Birthday WeekendMGM Grand
- Used the Fatwallet website to find a promo code. The promo rate required my Players Club account, luckily didn’t matter that I had no recent activity on it. Total before tax and fees was just over $500, and included a $25 dining credit and 2 free drinks.
- Airport check-in was super fast and easy, even at 10pm on a Friday night when we arrived. No line at all. As expected, the agent “upgraded” us to the West Wing as there were no King NS rooms in the Grand Tower at that time of night on a busy weekend.
- Turns out the West Wing room worked just fine for us; however, we would not pay extra to stay in this wing – it wasn’t any quieter than the Grand Tower, room lacked bathroom counter space, and had poor bathroom vanity lighting. But the bed was comfy!
- Valet was easy and very fast at all times of the day.
MGM Grand – Concierge
Kudos to the Concierge at MGM for helping me pull off a little b-day surprise for my husband! I had pre-arranged via email with a Concierge there to have a b-day cake, balloons, drinks, etc. waiting in our room upon arrival. I was very impressed to show up at our room and find everything as planned. Honestly, I was surprised that of all the hotels/resorts we’ve been to where we’ve had some special package or arrangements, MGM was the only one to get it right – exactly as I ordered, on time.
Restaurants
Hash House A Go Go – Thanks for the TA tips on this one! The food was great and portions were huge. Only issue was very slow service even though the restaurant wasn’t full.
White Chocolate Grill (Henderson, I-215 %26amp; Eastern Ave) – Technically a chain restaurant, but we really liked it. We went for an early lunch on Sunday and it wasn’t busy at all. Typical American grill fare, unfortunately we didn’t try their dessert specialties. Interesting atmosphere with dim lights, candles, dark wood (guess we expected more casual?). Probably not worth a special trip to visit, we happened to be in the area already.
Freed’s Bakery (Henderson) – We happened to see the new Freed’s location as it’s right across from White Chocolate Grill, and of course we had to stop in for a treat. Definitely recommend it! Also nearby is The Cupcakery, which I also recommend (found on a different trip).
Diego (MGM) – Good Mojito and Mexican coffee! I don’t recall anything spectacular about the food. My husband thought it was a little overpriced but that’s what we expected. We chose it more for the convenience of not having to leave the hotel. At least the chips and salsas were free! :-)
Studio Café (MGM) – Typical hotel 24-hour café but seems to be more expensive than others I’ve been to before. This meal and price I DO remember - $12+ for a chicken Caesar salad that consisted of about 5 leaves of Romaine lettuce, and the taste/quality didn’t make up for the size!
Le Burger Brasserie (Paris) – For some reason, the majority of diners were seated in close quarters in the same section, which made for very slow service by the one waitress. The service was very poor and the burgers just okay. We did get a laugh out of the guy sitting next to us who asked for a burger topped with every protein option listed on the menu.
Gambling
I’m not a big gambler at all, so I don’t have much to share here. I generally choose whatever slots look interesting and give up when I’m ahead. And, for the first time, I played blackjack – luckily my winnings made up for my husband’s poker losses!
Shopping
I AM a big shopper, but still don’t have much to share as I did mostly window shopping this time. I work at the home office of a specialty fashion retailer, so I also look at silly stuff like traffic, visual merchandising, etc. at my stores and others. Anyway, we did hit the Palazzo, Fashion Show, Forum, and Miracle Mile.
Other fun stuff included the Jay-Z / Mary J. Blige show, and cruising around in a convertible Shelby Mustang. Overall, it was a great trip, and my husband really enjoyed his birthday weekend. Hope we will be back in November for my b-day!
Back from a Birthday WeekendSounds like a great time and it was nice to read about some places that rarely get talked about on this forum. How nice that MGM followed your exact directions and did the birtday surprise perfectly!
Sounds like a great trip. Welcome to the world of blackjack :)
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