TR - 15-21 January - Luxor Hotel

Will do the usual, and post below

TR - 15-21 January - Luxor Hotel

As usual, had a wonderful trip. Was a little worried about the Luxor after reading many bad reviews, but was pleasantly surprised, we had a lovely big, clean and fresh room on the 21st floor of the pyramid. I asked politely at check-in for a non-smoking room on a high floor in the pyramid and was offered a choice of 2. The room was kept spotlessly clean for the whole of our stay and the towels and bathroom stuff were plentiful. Would stay here again if there were not so many choices in Vegas. This is our fourth trip and we like to stay somewhere different each time.

Eats- Luxor Steakhouse was fabulous. Cost around $220 for food, wine and Irish Coffees but was a delicious treat.

Mandalay Bay buffet for breakfast was delicious, lots of variety and a really nice room.

The Burger place at Mandalay Place was good too - had read some good reviews and I must agree the burgers are delicious.

Went back to the Brew Pub at Monte Carlo as we had eaten here before and loved it - this time we were disappointed, the food was ok, but the service was poor - won%26#39;t be back there!

Bellagio Buffet was really good - lots of variety and everything was fresh and replenished often.

Victoria Room at Barbary Coast - would give this a miss - nothing to say really - average food in average diner.

House of Blues - delicious ribs - the waitress recommended them and they were great. Really big portion that I didn%26#39;t want to leave cause they were so tender and tasty - really did over eat here! Had great cocktails in this place as well, it has a god vibe and will definitely go back next time we visit.

Had a meal at a diner in Rio (can%26#39;t remember the name) but it was a typical american restaurant with TVs playing sport - we had a nice lunch here - playing keno as we ate - they send someone in to take your bets, and have one screen with the numbers on.

Shows etc. Went to Lance Burton in Monte Carlo - I wasn%26#39;t that keen but hubby has wanted to see him every time we visit so I relented. The show was good, not as cheesy as I thought it would be, he really is a great magician and I came away impressed.

Trent Carlini (Elvis impersonator) at Sahara. This guy really did sound like Elvis, although he looked a bit strange (I think he has had a bit of work done to make him look more like Elvis - it didn%26#39;t work) If you closed your eyes, you were impressed by his voice, but I didn%26#39;t really like his stage presence - got these tickets at the half price place and they were good seats, second row (it said VIP seating on the tickets)

Did the helicopter night flight over the strip and this was great - first time in a helicopter and didn;%26#39;t want it to end - well worth it.

Gambling - I played mostly slots, biggest win was $500 on the giant wheel of fortune, got a buzz from that! Liked playing in Mandalay Bay and NYNY, money seemed to last longer here. Hubby played a couple of poker tournies in Luxor and Imperial Palace - prefered the Imperial Palace. Luxor had unlimited buy-ins, he prefers no buy-in.

We both like roulette, played at Luxor and made a little, and at Barbary Coast where the limits are lower, we doubled our money here.

Bars/Lounges - we really liked the bar at the entrance to MGM - can%26#39;t remember the name (something-age) We played VP at the bar and were comped all our drinks - every now and again the barmaids and waitresses jumped on the bar counter and danced. Not quite Coyote Ugly, but a nicer feel and a mixed crowd - all ages would feel comfortable here. Another nice lounge we found was in Aladdin, right in the middle (I think the high limit slots used to be here). Aladdin isn%26#39;t very nice at the moment with all the construction, but this bar was lovely. The bar in NYNY with the dualling pianos looked like a lot of fun, but was so crowded we didn%26#39;t go in. Really liked the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, they have live music most nights.

Comps - we signed up for the Players Club at Luxor which was good in all the MGM/Mirage properties and used it when we could - as we were on a package our room was already paid for, but we had charged our meal at the steakhouse to the room and they gave us $150 off, not bad for small time gamblers. Its definitely worth signing up.

Flights - we travelled with Virgin from Gatwick, upgraded to Premium Economy on the outbound flight and really enjoyed the extra legroom and attention - we would love to travel this way more often but unfortunately our budget doesn%26#39;t allow it! Had to go home in economy :( The legroom on this flight was awful - I am only 5%26#39;3'; so I don%26#39;t see how anyone of 6%26#39; could ever be comfortable in these seats. We had pre-booked our seats at the back as there are a few rows at the back with only two seats, as it was a full flight this was the best option - I hate it when you are stuck beside a stranger on a night flight who either talks all night or leans on you when they are sleeping. Anyhow, its a long long flight and if you can afford it, premium economy is the way to go. Staff on both journeys were friendly (this has not been the case when we have flown Virgin before).

All in all, it was a great trip - its just a pity Vegas is so far away! We are now planning our next trip back in May 2008 - it seems too far away!

Any questions - just ask.

Barney

TR - 15-21 January - Luxor Hotel

Barney, sounds like you had a good time. I think the bar at MGM is Centrifuge. Do you know how many points you got up to on the players club card. I am going in April and this will be the 1st time using Players Club, so trying to get a feel for likely comps on my gambling $.

Thanks

Andy.

Great trip report...my friend and I are leaving in less than a hour. Driving to Vegas and staying at the Venetian on a comp...should take about five hours for us to get there..Slotto

Thanks for thr report Barney, jolly good!

slotto - have a blast!

Thank you for sharing your TR. Sounds like you had a great time. I%26#39;ll be going in 25 days! (WooHoo!!)

Great TR- $150 off your dinner is fabulous!!! It really pays to sign up for those players cards- Sounds like a wonderful time and thank-you for sharing

Shona :-)

Very nice trip report.

Agree about the Virgin seats,and im over 6 foot.

Sounds like you had a great trip.

May 08 seems like ages,but it will soon arrive.

Cheers.

John

26 days to go for me. I%26#39;m wondering if this is the Elvis I was looking for. Is his hairdo like Elvis%26#39; and did he have sideburns? We are looking fo An elvis that sounded amazing but did not look anything like him, only the voice.

Nice TR. Glad to hear the Luxor was good.

Sounds like you had a nice time... are you planning your next trip out yet???

Slotto!! Good luck, have a blast. The weather is beautiful today and looks to be so for the entire weekend... around 65

Cheers!

MelissaLynn

Excellent TR sound like you had a blast,thats good the Luxor was good to you.6 more months until my time.