Vegas report - October 2013

With only a few days off together along with no other commitments like looking after Olivia, Darlene and I discussed where we should go for a Wednesday to Saturday escape. I had originally suggested Vancouver, but she was concerned that the weather might be less than desirable. For this very reason, she suggested Las Vegas, which is still quite warm at this time of year. So Vegas, here we come.

We booked at The Palazzo, a luxury hotel that is part of the Venetian property. Darlene had stayed there before, but I had yet to experience it. One of the reasons she picked the hotel was that they had provided her with a foam mattress topper on the last visit, a necessity considering that she would not be able to sleep without one due to her neuropathy. She made sure to pre-arrange a topper on several occasions, and they claimed that everything would be taken care of.

Which it was not. There was no topper. None available. Which was a show stopper. She tried to get them motivated to solve the problem, but they didn't seem able or willing to get a topper as she was promised. So we had to leave. They must have thought we were kidding, as they seemed quite surprised to see us checking out a few hours after our arrival. You would think that a hotel charging $300-$700 per night for a room would have their stuff together, but you would be mistaken.

Having also stayed there before, Darlene contacted Treasure Island to see if they had toppers. They did and were holding one for her as we made our way out of our original hotel and across the street to TI. Now, TI is no Palazzo, but the rates were orders of magnitude lower. Our total bill, resort fees included was the same as the cost of one night at Palazzo, before the resort fee. Not only that, they threw in a 2-for-1 buffet coupon. The room was small, but it was functional, comfortable, clean, in good repair, and most importantly - they had a topper. For good measure, the room also had a fridge, so you could stock up on cheap drinks and food from outside the hotel. Bonus!

So enough about the room. Darlene suggested that I finally check out the Cirque du Soleil show 'Love' at The Mirage. You know - the one about The Beatles. I thought that was a great idea. I managed to get a 35% military discount by showing my retirement ID. The show was spectacular. What a feast for the eyes and ears. I really don't want to say too much about it because if you haven't seen it, I don't want to spoil it for you. You really have to see it while it's still running.

Although we chose not to stay at Palazzo, we still went to the Grand Lux Cafe for their 'express breakfast' (buffet). The Palazzo also has what I can only describe as the most modern and well-stocked Walgreen's pharmacy we've seen.

The weather was perfect. The shopping was mediocre. The food was great.