My Stay at Planet Hollywood

Took a bit of a break, but will try to post a bit more.  I'm working on it.

I stayed at Planet Hollywood July 2-5, on the first leg of my trip out to the Desert Paradise.
I got in the cab at McCarran Airport, told the driver my route (you have to do this in Vegas, or they will screw you.)  The driver, who was hopped up on caffeine it seems (or at least I hope it was caffeine) was nice enough to offer to take me to the best strip club and the best massage parlor in town.  When you are a single guy in your forties riding a cab in Vegas, this is quite common. No thanks dude.  He then proceeded to tell me the various troubles he has undergone lately, I don't know if this is a way to get a better tip or if he was just talkative or if he thought I'd care.  I really didn't, but he got overtipped anyway, as he got me to the hotel quickly and with minimal hassle.  I pretty much overtip everywhere.  It's an east coast thing, I'm told.

Check in at Planet Hollywood was quick, although there was a woman there who didn't seem to understand that there was a line, and she was expected to get in it.  She had a lot of bags, so apparently she thought this should let her bypass.  Um, no, deary.

The rooms at PH are themed, every one is tied to a movie in some lame-o but kind of cool way.  I was in the Good Will Hunting room, perhaps the desk guy heard my Boston accent and thought I'd be more comfortable there.  They had Robin Williams' shirt hanging up there.  Thankfully, it was under a thick plate of glass.  Otherwise the room itself was a standard king.  I took a picture, didn't come out great.

The bathroom, however, was pretty cool.  Stand-up shower stall, toilet was in a tiny little water closet, and I had a big-assed bathtub.  Under a picture of Matt Damon.  I have no idea if looking up at Matt Damon is supposed to enhance your bathing experience, but there it is.  Actually it was pretty cool having a tub there, even though I never actually found the time to use it.  As always in Vegas, there just isn't enough time.

I'll post a bit about the casino, restaurants and bars later, but I suppose I should mention the pool two.  I wonder how all the architects and designers and everyone else who built a big, beautiful multi-million dollar hotel could have come up with the design for such a crappy pool area.  There are actually two pools at PH, with a large lounging area between them.  And boy do those pools suck.  They are way too small and are so completely surrounded by the cabanas that you can barely get to them without stepping on some big spender.  I assume smart people designed this place, but boy did they screw up here.  Let me say it plain - the lounging area is OK, the pools suck, and I think if you pay big money for a cabana or a day lounger you will really, really feel ripped off.  There, you are warned.  Also, although there was a bar at the pool, there was no cocktail service.  What?  Yeah, no cocktail service at the pool, at least when I was there in the afternoon.  Maybe they didn't want me lingering.


BTW, I'm way to cheap to pay extra for a nice view, but I was kind of high up, so here's the view from room 2494.  Not terribly exciting, but it worked for me.

Overall, it's a very nice place, and aside from the crappy pool, I had no complaints about the room or the service.  Check out was quick, bill was accurate, and the guys who hailed the cabs were nice and quick. 

Would I stay there again?  Maybe, if the price were right, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there again.

Anyway, thanks for reading, fell free to ask any questions, and stop by again sometime.  I promise I will post some more of my semi-salacious details as my booze soaked memory allows.

And have a good day.

Bags are Packed!!!

Getting on the plane in a little while, hopefully the thunderstorms in the midwest won't slow me down.

Because I'm way too cheap to pay a resort fee or pay for my internet at the hotel, you will have to wait until I get home for all of the salacious details of my trip.  If you are truly interested (and I can't believe you would be), you can stalk me on twitter - @seanbeh3

Wish me some luck. 

And, as always, thanks for reading.

I Want to See What's Up at the D

In downtown Las Vegas there is a hotel and casino that used to be Fitzgerald's, now it's "The D."  Kind of a lousy name for a hotel/casino, but apparently it's now a "resort".  As in "The D Resort".  Still a lousy name.

I liked the old place just fine, it had a fake/creepy Irish theme and a nice balcony bar upstairs that looked out on the Fremont Street Experience.  It was a fun enough place, good dealers at least.  I stayed there once years ago, the rooms were fine enough in a Howard Johnson-type way.

Last year, Fitzgeralds was bought out by the guys that own the Golden Gate.  I haven't been there since, but these guys did a great job fixing up the old Golden Gate, so I'm optimistic here.  They built the Long Bar, supposedly the longest bar in Nevada (and who am I to argue), which looks like a pretty cool place to hang out in the pictures.  I'm also excited about Sigma Derby and "vintage" gaming on the second floor (Vegaschatter.com  tell you what sigma derby is).  If nothing else, the news coming out of the place makes me damn curious.

Oh, and Vegaschatter also reports that The D is hiring 100 party pit dancers.  Which also makes me curious.

But I think I'll still call the place the Fitz.

Places I'll go in Vegas, part 6

A bit more than a day to go, a long flight, and I'll be in Fabulous Las Vegas, NV.  So today I thought I would make a quick post in my amazingly unpopular series, Places I'll go in Vegas.  

I will take some time during the day and head off the strip to visit the Palms, the Rio, and the Gold Coast.  Why, you probably didn't ask?  Because I have never been there.

The three casinos are clustered a little ways off the strip.  Way too far to walk, but there is a free shuttle bus that leaves from Bally's.  I honestly don't know much about them.  I know the Palms is a classy, upscale joint for the hipsters, I know that Rio has a popular nightclub for the over 40 crowd, and I know that Gold Coast is part of the Boyd group, meaning it's a decent low-roller place.  I've also heard that the buffet at Gold Caost is cheap and pretty good, so maybe I'll do that too.

Oh, and I've heard that the cocktail waitresess at the Rio wear very skimpy outfits.  I will investigate this rumor thoroughly.

So, once again, as a free service to all my stalkers, here is my itinerary thus far:

1. Holsteins at the Cosmopolitan
2. The Mob Museum downtown
3. Margaritaville at the Flamingo
4. Public House at the Venetian
5. Canevale at the Palazzo
6. Rio/Gold Coast/Palms

Well, once again, thanks for reading.  And wish me some luck, eh?

A general plan for the first night....

When I go to Las Vegas, I don't like to overplan.  It's a vacation.  One of the things I like most about Vegas is that it's a 24/7 town, more so than any other place I know.  You can loung at the pool, make a run at a craps table, settle in at a bar, take an afternoon nap, whatever.  And you don't feel like you are missing anything.  It's wonderful.

So, unlike flying into some places, I'm not worried about arriving at ten o'clock at night.  The cabs will be there, the hotel will be ready to check me in.  The town is just barely waking up at ten o'clock.

So I have a general, and very flexible, plan for my first night.  After my long confined flight, I want to do two things when i get off the plane: walk alot and eat.  So I'll settle into my hopefully super-cool room at Planet Hollywood and then run out to eat.  Since I'll be so hungry that a quality meal would be wasted, I'll eat for fuel rather than satisfaction.  I'm thinking that I'll walk over to the brand-spanking new Metro McDonald's on Harmon Ave.  I have my doubts that it's any different than every other McDonald's on earth, but I'll let you know.  When I'm sufficiantly stuffed with greasy fast food, I'll start walking.  Generally, the plan is to cross over to Caesars, move south to the Cosmopolitan, where I'll sit at the Chandelier Bar and watch the beautiful people walk bye for a bit.  Last on my list for night numero one is the Monte Carlo, I like the front bar there.  A few rounds of video poker, a beer or two, by that time the adrenaline will have worn off, and I'll start feeling the long day.  Maybe 1:00 AM, I'll have one (or two) more beverages at a bar at PH, see the club girls and the other cool kids walking by, see if I can spot the working girls.  And then to bed.  Call it a bar crawl if you will, it's more of just a walk.  With beer stops.  Like I said, all plans are flexible, and I'm easily distracted, so there are no guarantees.

Since my body never quite catches up with the time change, I'll probably be up at 6:00 AM or so, looking for that big over-the-top breakfast, one of my favorite things about Vegas.  And then we will go from there.

Thanks for reading.
 
*BTW, spellcheck doesn't seem to be working.  Forgive me.

One week away............

Only one week until I take the long flight out west to my favorite desert paradise.  I've been terribly busy with work, so it hasn't really sunk in yet, but I'm sure that by this weekend it will.
Of course, as my luck tends to run, there is a hurricane moving up.  I'm pretty sure that it will be gone by next week, but just another thing to worry about.
If you've been following, I split my stay for the trip, three days at Planet Hollywood and two days downtown at the California downtown.  It might seem a bit crazy, moving from hotel to hotel, but it makes sense for me, and many of my fellow posters on Tripadvisor do the same thing.  it gives me the sights and restaraunts and such on the strip, and the better gambling downtown.  Same city, but the two areas have different "vibes" to them.

Anyway I've been posting a bit here and there, will be fine tuning the details of my trip in the next week or so.

Thanks for reading!!

Five Hotels in Vegas, Part 4

Hey, I'm back with my totally biased thoughts, impressions, bitching, and random musings on Las Vegas hotels and casinos, five at a time.  I'm working my way north on LV Blvd (The Strip), accompanied by crappy and innacurate maps made by an idiot (me) on google docs drawing, as well as whatever pictures I have laying around.  I will also note the player's club associated with each property.

Thanks to everyone reading, feel free to say hi and tell me how wrong I am about places.

Some places I have spent a lot of time in, some I've barely walked through, but all are reviewed honestly and without any kind of inducements or compensation offers from the casinos.  Please note I am open to any and all forms of payoffs and general corruption.

1. Caesars Palace - (Total Rewards)  I started with Caesars because, on my crappy map at least, it takes up quite a lot of space.  In real life, too, this place is huge.  Giant.  Vast. It's also rambling and confusing, so be prepared to get lost in here.  Alas, that really isn't a bad thing, at Caesars at least.
   If I had a lot more money to spend on hotels, this is where I would stay every time.  It's absolutely my favorite spot in Vegas.  This place is what Vegas is all about.  It's over the top.  It's kvetchy.  It's where Evel Knevial jumped over the fountains, for chrissakes.  A guy walks around dressed in Roman garb saying "I am Caesar, welcome to my Palace" (I'll guess that the real Caesar didn't have six-pack abs, but lets leave historical accuracy to the side for a now.)  If a terrorist threatened to blow up every casino in Vegas except one, I would shout out "Save Caesars!!"  So yeah, I like the place.
   Have a fruity drink outside at the Spanish Steps and watch the world go by.  It might be the best people-watching spot in the city.  Sit in the big comfy sports books and watch the Red Sox blow it again.  Oogle the best looking go-go girls in Vegas at the Pussycat Dolls party pit, or the maybe-naked dancers behind the screen at the Shadow Bar.  Or do as I do, sit at the bar playing VP and watch the crowd roll by.  The crowd at Caesars is so eclectic, the beautiful people, the filthy rich, the fanny-pack socks-with-sandels crowd, the club girls, and yes, later at night, the working girls.  Be warned (or enticed, depending on your tastes) the hooker count at Caesars is very high.
  There are several specific things that I like about Caesars.  I always make it a point to have a drink at Cleopatra's Barge, which actually sits in water and rocks with the patrons.  In the past, they have had live music here.  People dance, it's a good place for the over thirty crowd that isn't up for the insanity of the club scene.  There is no cover here.  There is, however, a masthead depicting Cleopatra that hangs out over the walkway in front of the bar.  And I mean hangs out.  She has giant bazooms.  A classic and only slightly naughty Vegas picture is someone reaching up and coping a feel from Cleopatra.  Google it, if you don't believe me.
   I don't eat much at Caesars, as the restaurant selection is a bit fancy for my tastes, and tends to be pretty pricy.  I've eaten at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill twice, as I'm a big fan of him on the Food Network.  The food is very good, but I think my expectations are maybe unreasonable.  It's on the cheaper side of Caesars restaurants, which does not mean it is cheap at all.  They do serve lunch, however, which brings it down a few bucks.  I also like that when they designed the place they didn't put the bar into a crappy corner as some high-end places do.  Eat at the bar in some high-end places and you feel like a second-class patron.   This isn't true at Mesa.  Well done, Bobby.
  As to the gambling, I mostly play slots and VP here, as the limits on craps are a bit high for me.  I also like the sportsbook, which is big and comfortable, and open to the casino floor.  One of the best in town.  In the casino, you can really see big money being thrown around.  You can also spot quite a few rolexes here.  Yes, my friends, this is one of the places where the big money is.  Despite that, I have never felt out of place or unwelcome at Caesars.  Bartenders, cocktail waitress, casino staff, cigarrette girls (yes, they still have cigarette girls!!) have always been good to me.
  I've never actually stayed at the hotel, as it's a bit out of my price range, but according to people on the Tripadvisor board, some of the rooms are better than others.  They have a whole bunch of pools, including a European pool, meaning ladies can go topless, if that's your thing.  As a guy, it would be a bit pervy to hang out there, but maybe I'm just not European enough.
  Caesars is also attached to the Forum Shops, which is basically a high-end shopping mall.  There are some good budget(ish) places to eat here, but I don't go shopping in Vegas, so I can't really help you out much here.

So I love Caesars, and I'm pretty sure that's the most I've ever wriiten about a hotel, so let's all move on with our lives, shall we?  Let us cross the street and go cheaper.

2. Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon - (Diamond Club) - Despite being owned by CET, Bill's isn't part of the Total Rewards network, which I suppose makes perfect sense to some marketing excutive.  Personally, I don't get it, as Bill's has nothing to be ashamed of. 
  Bill's is pretty much the opposite of Caesars in many ways.  Bill's is very small, it's affordable, it's unpretentious (notice how they misspelled "gambling" in the name.)  It has two restaraunts, Bill's Steakhouse and the Victorian Cafe, both of which I've eaten at and are very good for the money.  The Victorian Cafe is actually one of my favorites, it's open 24 hours and serves a wonderful steak and eggs.
   Like everything at Bill's, the casino is small and friendly.  They have five-dollar crap games, which are hard to find on the strip.  The big bar in the middle of the palce (I guess that must be the saloon part) has some great bartenders.  There used to be a great (free) lounge show there too, Big Elvis, but I guess he has moved over to Harrah's.  There is a hot nightclub here too (or so they tell me) Drai's After Hours, which doesn't open until 1:00 AM and goes all night.  Since my body is on East Coast time, I wake up early, and it's fun to walk down to Bill's at 6:00 AM and see the worn out club people stumble out into the morning light.
  I've never stayed at Bill's but they send me great offers through the mail, and you can't beat the location for the price.  People say the rooms are small and nice enough.  The place has no pool though (although you can use the one at Flamingo) so staying here in the summer wouldn't work for me.  Maybe I'll consider it for a winter stay.

3. Flamingo (Total Rewards) - Yes, this is the place Bugsy Siegal took two in the hat for.  Sit at Bugsy's Bar and drink a toast to him if you must.  Nowadays, it's the home of Donnie & Marie and Jimmy Buffet.  I think Bugsy would get along fine with Jimmy Buffet, Donnie Osmond maybe not so much. 
  I honestly don't have many impressions about the casino at the Flamingo, I know I've been there a few times, but I guess it's not too memorable.  I do like the Margaritaville restaraunt.  Yes, it's a chain, it's cheesy, it's overpriced, and it's way too cute.  The food is decent, however,(if overpriced), the place is laid back, the crowd is fun, and the outdoor bar is one one of my favorite places to have a drink and look out on the strip.  When people ask me where they should go in Vegas, I send them here for drinks and the view.
  They opened the Margaritaville casino since I've last been out, it's on my Places I'll Go list.  It looks like the kind of place where you can have an adult beverage and shoot some craps at 9:00 in the morning without being judged.  I like that.
  Never stayed at the hotel, but it's moderately priced, and people love the pool.  The buffet also gets pretty good reviews, I might hit it up for breakfast on my next trip.

4. Imperial Palace - (Total Rewards)  The official basement of the CET empire.  You might want to get here soon, because I'm geussing it will be gone, or radically changed, in the next five years.  The IP is consitantly one the cheapest place to stay on the strip and, by all reports, you get what you pay for.  I haven't spent much time here myself, and never stayed here (although I would consider it, cheap bastard that I am), but I'm definately going by next time, if for no other reason than to score a casino chip for my collection.  They also have my coveted five-dollar craps table here, by all reports, so it seems a bit odd that I've never ended up in the place.  Go figure.
  I have been to see the Auto Collection here.  I'm not really a car guy, but it is pretty cool.  It's free and a nice way to get out of the afternoon heat for an hour.  People rave about Hash House a Go Go here, I've never been but might get there.  They say the portions are huge though, so I will wait until I'm hungry enough.
  If you are thinking about booking here (or Harrah's, or Flamingo) be aware that there is construction going on in that area.

5. Harrah's - (Total Rewards)  I always seem to end up at Harrah's, although I can't really place why.  I'm hard pressed to think of a good reason to recommend it.  Like Flamingo and Bally's, it's a pleasent enough place, moderately priced, and has a great location.  The casino is huge, and a bit confusing.  It is also always crowded, and a bit claustraphobic.  I think my Grandma would think this would be a great place to stay (if Grandma didn't think Las Vegas was Satan's lair).  I guess "generic" would be a good way to describe Harrah's.
  They do have a great outdoor bar at Harrah's, the Carnaval Court.  It's a good spot to sit, and they have live bands (often pretty good ones) and a general party atmosphere.  They don't charge a cover and have "flair" bartenders, who are friendly and somewhat impressive.  Personally, I like the friendly but could do without the flair, just bring me my beer.  Unfortunately, to get to the place you have to run a gamut of sidewalk kiosks selling crap, which bugs the hell out of me. There is also a piano bar inside Harrah's, if that's your thing, and the Big Elvis lounge show has moved here from Bill's.  Big Elvis is a fat guy doing a bad Elvis impersonation and telling terrible jokes.  It's a great "Only in Vegas" show.  Really, go see it.  It's in the afternoon, it's free, and I'd pay double that to see it.
  My most treasured memory of Harrah's is that this is the place I won some real money on the dollar wheel.  I always have to play the dollar wheel once, and this is the only time I ever hit.  Maybe that's why i keep coming back.

So that's my five for today, thanks for reading, and have a good day.