Just back. Near perfect trip.

Just returned this morning from 6 fabulous nights, and couldn%26#39;t wait to say thank you to all who helped make our 4th trip near perfect. A special thanks to those who reccomended Caesars Palace. I had not intended on writing a trip report, but after I started it seems to have morphed, so here you go...

Hotels...

LV Hilton-

Friday and Saturday were at the LV Hilton. Arrived very late, and was granted an upgrade to renovated room in the North tower. Very nicely remodeled with plasma TV and Bose radio. Most comfortabledbeds I have ever slept in (although Caesar%26#39;s was close 2nd). Small bathroom, but adequate. Nice view of golf course and mountains in background. I would not hesitate to stay here again.. Monorail would have provided convenient strip access had we not had a rental vehicle. Access to the momorail is very convenient to the North tower rooms, without having to walk through the casino. Excellent rate of $119 for both nights with Santa Anita package. (That%26#39;s less than $60 per weeekend night, including 2 very decent champagne brunch buffets.)

Caesars--

Checked in on Sunday around 1pm. Entered the beautiful lobby to find a short line at the counter. I had considered the $20 trick, but I always get nervous and chicken out. We were greeted by a young female clerk, who put me immediately at ease. Here%26#39;s how it went down.

Her: '; Welcome to Caesars. Checking in?';

Me: ';(While handing her our ID) ';Yes we are.';

Her: Is this your first trip to our hotel?';

Me: ';Yes. And we%26#39;re very excited to be here.';

Her: ';Are you celebrating any special occassions? An anniversary? Birthday?';

Me: ';Yes. We are celebrating my husband%26#39;s birthday. (True. His lisence verified this.) I was wondering if you could possibly help us out with an upgrade to the Augustus tower.';

Her: ';Let me see where they have you booked. (After a few seconds...) I think I may be able to help you out with that. Only problem is the room is being cleaned and won%26#39;t be ready for 30-45 mintutes.';

Me: ';That%26#39;s great. We don%26#39;t mind waiting at all. Thank you so much.';

We walked around a bit and sat out by the pools. (Very beautiful weather all week.} Back to check-in to pick up the room keys. I ask the girl at the counter if there are any hot tubs open She says that the hot tubs are closed due to construction in that area, but that we have a very nice jacuzzi tub in our room. Hmmm...

We are given the keys to rrom 4166. Opening the door, we first checked out he bathroom. Wow... separate glass-enclosed shower, large jetted tub., doulble sink and vanity., plasma TV, small room with toilet and telephone. The bedroom is huge with two double beds, plasma TV, armoire, desk and chair, sofa, coffee table, table and four chairs, and mini-bar. I draw back the curtains, and can%26#39;t believe my eyes. All I can say is NO WAY, The view is full center on the Bellagio hotel and fountains. To the left is the Eiffel tower and Paris balloon, Planet Hollywood, MGM, and all the way down the south strip. Right on cue, the fountains begin to erupt. I am in awe. Will post more later...

Just back. Near perfect trip.

Awww, I%26#39;m so envious, sounds like a wonderful start to your holiday, cant wait for the rest..

Just back. Near perfect trip.

Wow, that sounds fabulous! Good job with the upgrade...I want to hear more.

Isn%26#39;t it nice having a great room?

I know many are in the ';how much are you in your room'; ';all i need is a clean rom and a bed'; camp - i am decidely in the ';have the best room you can camp';.

Yes, I%26#39;ve slept in everything from the back of pick-up truck for days, on the ground and in motel 6. In the peace Corps a motel 6 would have been luxurious!

A HUGE difference in your trip when you have a great room and a great property. I%26#39;m glad you guys a nice birthday upgrade - I hope the rest of your trip was fabulous

My best Vegas memories are when we stayed in the nices hotels. They help create the embience that is Vegas.

Shows and activities--

Star Trek Experience - Had BOGO from Entertainment (you can print these out from their trial membership deal), plus $20 off 3rd ticket for being a hotel guest. at Hilton. For me, it was just okay. I am not that big of a fan, so if you are I%26#39;m sure the museum area would be cool. One of the rides is similar to Back to the Future at Universal Orlando. However, I did think that Quark%26#39;s bar was lots of fun. (You can do this without paying a price for admission). Used the restaurant.com certificate for $25 off, but you can also get a coupon for free mini-warp corp breach (mixed drink with dry ice smoking effect) in the coupon books at the adjacent monorail station. Characters come around and interact with guests. Food was average to good.

The Comedy Festival at Caesars - We went to the outdoor staging area on Saturday afternoon, and my son scored some free tickets to the Lucky 21 finals that evening., Some hilarious short performances from 8 or so up and coming comics. Lots of fun.

Le Reve - LOVED it. Have seen 3 Cirque shows. Mystere and kA in Vegas, and one on tour. This was by far my favorite ';Cirque-type'; show. The theater is amazing, theater in the round. with only 18 or so rows, so all seats provide excellent views. Amazing acrobatics and visually stunning throughout. I found the comedic clown interludes to be a bit odd, but they were quite humorous and provided a nice contrast to the dramatic dream sequences.

Mac King --Entertaining show for the price of a drink. Very family friendly afternoon show.

Spamalot -- Funny show with a talented cast. Not as much ';wow'; factor as Le Reve, but totally different type of entertainment, so unfair to make a comparison. At half price, it was certainly money well-spent.

Big Elvis - a ';must-see'; for every trip. A great free afteroon show. Got our free drinks with LVA to enjoy during show.

Purple Reign at Monte Carlo Brew Pub. - Very talented performers. Great band. Really gets the crowd involved. Lots of folks dancing and having a great time. Highly reccomended. (BTW - our friends stayed at Monte Carlo, and although they had specifically called and asked to be located away from the construction, that request was not granted, and they were awakened by construction noise. They were offered a $50 room upgrade, but declined. Felt kind of bad since we got such great upgrades.)

Phantom - We didn%26#39;t go to this, but our friends did. They loved it. Also enjoyed their gondola ride at Venetian which we passed on.

Red Rock Canyon - We had done this before, but our friends hadn%26#39;t and we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Easy side trip and a nice diversion to break up your days on the strip.

Valley of Fire/Hoover Dam - Did this on Thanksgiving day, and it was awesome. Left the strip around 11:30am and returned around 6:30pm. Spent some time at the visitors center, made a short hike on Mouse%26#39;s tank trail, but mostly just mareled at the views along the scenic drives. Took the scenic route from there to Hoover Dam, and arrived just at dusk. Our friends did not rent a car, so we doubled up. Even with all 6 of us crammed into an Impala (and none of us are petite by any means) trip was well worth the effort. I could have spent days exploring V of F.

Romance bar at the top of the Stratosphere - very nice lounge with an amazing view. I%26#39;m surprised it doesn%26#39;t get more attention here. No cover, and the drinks are reasonably priced. Had a glass of champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries. No entertainment when we werer there, but there is a jazz combo I thnk that performs some nights. You can take the elevator up to the indoor and outdoor viewing areas and on up to the rides (which much to my disappointment were no longer selling tickets by the time we got up. I really was looking forward to riding Insanity and X-scream. Had done Big Shot before and loved it.)

Cleopatra%26#39;s Barge at Caesars -- walked through here on Saturday night, but it was packed and no tables available. Dance floor was full, so we just left. Looked like a fun place though.

Qua spa -- spent an afternoon here alone, and loved it. Had planned on having a massage, but prices had gone up since I looked at the website a week or so earlier, so I opted for the $75 bath treatment. It was really nice, but mostly just a gllorified hot tub soak. Milk in the water, and you get to choose from 3 scents. There is an attendant that adjusts the jets, and wipes your face with icy cloth at intervals. At the end, they douse you with an ice bath (ouch) to prevent overheating. The arctic ice room was no big deal. ';Snow'; was barely visibile, but it was a nice cool down afer soaking in the tubs which range from cool to super hot. I took a nap on the hot stone lounger. Could have spent more hours here, but didn%26#39;t want to spend too much time away from others. Great facilities, especially since I am a relative spa ';newbie';.

We really packed alot into a week, but there is just as much that I wanted to get to, but didn%26#39;t due to lack of time. Guess I%26#39;ll just have to start planning the next trip, huh?

Sorry to be so long winded. Still one more installment to come regarding food and (very little) gambling.

Thank you for posting this very infromative TR. It was a pleasure to read it

Bingoduchess - MacKing for the price of a drink - how did you do that - dont you need to buy a ticket - let me know and Purple Reign - what time and days of the week. Your help is much appreciated.

very nice,

six in an Impala - bet you had a lot of laughs being together. I can recall some fun trips in cramped quarters, good memories.

thanks for the tip on Romance Lounge.

Very nice trip report so far! Bonus room upgrade and you fit a LOT of activities into your trip! Sounds like a great trip!

Looking forward for more.

Wonderful TR so far. Room upgrade-sweet! You mentioned some of my favorite things-Spamalot, Big Elvis, Purple Reign, RRC and VOF!

Looking forward to the next part- food!