We booked our trip through Expedia and got the best deal. I searched and searched the for best deal. Also, when booking Vegas check out Fat Wallet.
We left Vegas the next day. We did a little more gambling and shopping before we left. It was a fantastic trip! I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. I'm really glad me and my bestie got to spend this vacation time together. We have so much fun with each other.
Sunday, January 3 2010
The Mirage (here is my quickie overview of our hotel):
I liked that the hotel is so close to everything (The Venetian and Caesar's Palace/Forum Shops are REALLY close by). It's centrally located, so we walked everywhere we wanted to go (except Stratosphere and MGM, much too far to walk). Every person I encountered in the hotel was friendly and helpful. Our room was fantastic, the view was amazing and the decor of the room was fresh and new. We had a flat screen TV and an iPod dock to play music. The bed and bedding was SUPER comfy. They also had security at the elevators after 10pm checking your room key to make sure only guests used the elevators. I'm not sure if other hotels do this (it's the only one I've been to that did it consistently) but it made us (2 young girls traveling alone) feel much safer at night.
The things I didn't like about the hotel were few. The internet was difficult to connect to (there is free WiFi but I couldn't get it to work) and I ended up paying $10 for an ethernet cord to connect. It worked perfectly after that. The room was a little stuffy and it wouldn't cool off. We had it set on 60-62 and it probably cooled to about 72 at the lowest. We didn't call anyone to check it out because it wasn't that bad. Had it been summer, I would have called someone to look at it. The hotel casino is a little small, but that didn't bother us much because we didn't do a ton of gambling.
I loved the Mirage and I will stay there again.
I had planned and planned to do the $20 trick. We got there to check in and it WORKED. Basically, I hid a $20 bill in between the credit card and driver's license at check in. As I handed it over I said, "We were wondering if you have any complimentary upgrades available?" I know she saw the $20 because it was sitting on her keyboard with the CC and DL. She clicked around for a minute and said, "We have a higher floor (19th) with a volcano/strip view, how is that?" PERFECT. Trisha and I were so pumped it actually worked. The view was awesome. I'm so spoiled to a room with a view now, it really completes the Vegas experience.
We checked out "Tix 4 Tonight." They sell day of tickets for most of the shows on the strip. I didn't know what shows they'd have available, or if they'd even be that good of a deal... but we checked it out anyway. We got some AMAZING deals. We saved $40 off each of our Blue Man tickets, saved almost $100 each on Phantom tickets AND 25% off our fancy pants dinner at "Top of the World." Granted, we were there at a slow time of the year so they probably had more tickets available then usual, but I will definitely be buying my tickets from this place for future shows.
We decided to grab a quick dinner before Blue Man. We went to Carnegie Deli in the Mirage. Food is always pricer in Vegas, so we decided to split one sandwich. It was a $12 turkey sandwich which only included meat and bread. Everything else was extra. So, by the time we got lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, pickle and fries.... it was $25. For a freakin sandwich. But, it was HUGE, so I guess it was semi-worth it.
Blue Man was great! Our seats turned out to be really good. We were SO tired (got up at 5:30a CST and the show ended around 2:00a CST) so it was hard to fully enjoy it because we were sleepy. I've seen the show once before, and it was as good as I remember it. It's very unique. The music was AWESOME.
Monday, January 4 2010
I always try to visit The Rainforest Cafe at MGM when I go to Vegas. It's yummy, inexpensive and fun. Trisha and I have our own tradition of visiting the Rainforest in Dallas when we go to shop. We always take a picture in the bar on the cute animal bar stools. Here is us in 2005 in Dallas.
And in 2010 (holy crap, 5 years later!) in Vegas.
Holy crap, too bad I've gained a ton of weight. Yeesh. Anyway....
We played a few slots that morning and I won back the money I spent on breakfast. I'm pretty sure that was the only time I won on a slot machine the whole trip.
We walked back towards the Mirage from MGM that day and stopped to visit the M&M Factory, NYNY and the new City Center. While in the City Center we found the most amazing dessert shop....
That evening we wanted to splurge a little and go out for a fancy dinner. We decided to check out "Top of the World" at the Stratosphere. I was a little weary of it at first, because when I think of fancy, expensive and "nice" I don't think of the Stratosphere. But, many people recommended it to us, so we decided to go for it. I was amazing. The view was fantastic. The service was great. Every single person who greeted us polite and courteous. We both ordered the filet, which was probably one of the best steaks I've ever eaten. I would highly recommend this restaurant and I'll likely go there again.
We went up to the observation deck after dinner. I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared. I'm not normally afraid of heights... but we were so high up there. We didn't stay up too long.
After dinner we decided to go check out the Bellagio fountains. It was chilly outside, so we were looking for a bar to get some (as Trisha says) adult hot chocolates. There was a bar inside the Bellagio called the Fontana Bar. There was a hostess stand out front, but the entrance was roped off. We could see the fountains outside and there was a patio. We really wanted to sit out there, but it looked like there was some kind of private party. We decided to ask the hostess anyway.... and it was open to the public after all. We sat right outside in front of the fountains. It was by FAR the best view I've ever had. I had no idea this place existed. We sat out there for at least an hour or two drinking and watching the fountains. It was so much fun. I'll go back there again for sure.
Tuesday, January 5 2010
We visited Le Village Buffet @ the Paris hotel for breakfast. The lines were pretty long (considering we were there during the week right after New Years) but it was worth the wait. The price was good for a buffet ($15.99) and it was SO cute inside. It was like a little village. There were little cottages with tables inside. It was adorable and the food was very good. They had everything you could imagine and they made crepes for you with whatever fruit or whatever you wanted inside. Yum, yum, yum!
After breakfast we went to 'The Price Is Right'. Obviously it wasn't the real Price is Right with Drew Carey (which is filmed in Hollywood) but it was still lots of fun. It was basically a watered down version of the original. The prizes were smaller, you had to pay to get in (we got a deal at the "Tix 4 Tonight" place) and they picked contestants at random. We didn't get picked, but we still had lots of fun yelling out answers and cheering others on. :) I've always wanted to do it when we're in Vegas and I never had before this trip, so I'm glad I tried it out.
We played $5 blackjack at Harrah's for a while after that and then got ready for Phantom of the Opera! Before the show, we stopped at Japonais. They have $7 drinks and $7 apps during happy hour. The drinks and sushi were fantastic! Definitely worth checking out if you're staying at the Mirage (or passing through). The service was also very good (as it was pretty much everywhere we went in Vegas).
Then it was off to PHANTOM! I love Phantom of the Opera. I love the music and the movie. I have every song memorized, so we were really excited about seeing it.
It did not disappoint.
I've seen a lot of shows in Vegas over the years. This was the best show I've ever seen in Vegas. I don't want to give anything away, but it exceeded all my expectations and was better than I could have imagined. I will see this show the next time we're in Vegas. Best show ever. Must see. Also, we were in second to last row in the top of the Mezzanine right in the center. I was worried our seats would be too far away, but I thought they ended up being great seats. I feel like if we'd been on the floor we wouldn't have been able to see everything going on and could have missed a lot. I wouldn't worry about spending a lot of extra money on close seats for this show. Not worth it, IMO.
We weren't supposed to take pictures in the theater, but we snuck this one in..... which is why we look weird.
We left Vegas the next day. We did a little more gambling and shopping before we left. It was a fantastic trip! I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. I'm really glad me and my bestie got to spend this vacation time together. We have so much fun with each other.
Summary: My Vegas Tips
Visit lots of websites to find the best deal. Including the hotels website. Use www.fatwallet.com forums to find good deals on hotels and shows.
Use Tix 4 Tonight to buy show tickets (if available)
See Phantom of the Opera
Try the $20 trick
Bring cute comfy shoes. We were basically walking all 4 days we were there
There are lots of people to tip.... bring $1's
Ask your cab driver not to take the highway (we paid $30 from the airport to the hotel taking the highway, $14 back to the airport taking city streets)
Visit the Fontana Bar @ the Bellagio to watch the fountain show
Take plenty of spending money and decide how much you're going to gamble with before you leave. Use cash for everything. It's so easy to overspend in Vegas.
If you're looking to save money gambling, gamble in the mornings. The table minimums are lower.
