The wife and I were back in Vegas last week and for the first time we
took our 1 year old daughter. This was going to be a slightly
different trip than normal.
After checking the internet and reading Frommers for Kids we decided
to stay at GVR and Caesars for two nights each. These two places had
the right mix of VP and kid friendliness that we needed.
GREEN VALLEY RANCH
I called the casino to enquiry about a suite (need more room with
little one). I had never gambled there but the host set me up in a
suite at casino rate and also organized a limo for pickup at the
airport. Nice.
Our flights arrive on time and our limo was waiting when we arrived.
Good start. We arrived at 11am and were told our room would be ready
at 1pm. This gave us a chance to check out the place. We really like
the feel of the hotel and casino. Very Mediterranean in feel and
style. A class joint. While waiting we had lunch at the Grand Cafe
which I also thought was very good. Good food, prices and atmosphere.
We checked out the pool which was nice with a great view of the strip.
The "Pond" looked like a great area to go without kids as well.
Our room was ready at 1pm and we checked in. They had a crib all
setup and they included some baby wipes and baby oil. They also had a
plate of cookies waiting. Nice touch. The room was very nice with a
great view of the strip (particularly at night). Beds were wonderful.
We took turns gaming over the next two days using one card. Our game
was FPDW. We gave them 12 hours of action over two days. Hit deuces
twice, no royals. Ended up $400 down.
Really enjoyed the District and all restaurants (Il Forniao was our
favorite). I liked the little touches like free paper and coffee in
reception. This is a great place to take kids.
Overall, this was a top hotel, great rooms, good restaurants. It had
a quiet calmness to it (which was both good and bad). The only
downside is the Players club (boarding pass) which is just horrible.
No cash back and less than .1% comps. Yuck! This might work for
locals but it's not a good program for visitors. I am hoping that
marketing offers are better.
CAESARS PALACE
We took a taxi from GVR to Caesars ($25) early on the third day. We
had two connecting rooms at Caesars. One was comped and the other was
casino rate (our 1 year old gets her own room!). We checked in at 9am
and they were so helpful. We upgraded to Augustus tower with view of
Bellagio fountains for an extra $50 a night on second room only. This
was really worth it. Great rooms with awesome views (because of our
daughter we are in our rooms every night by 8pm so the room is
important). They also got us a room at 9am so our daughter could have
a nap. Plus they gave us a gold room key which allowed us to enter
the VIP lounge and VIP restaurant access. Excellent service.
Gambling we played 25c 9/6 Jacks Multistrike and 3-Play Super Times
Pay. These are great games. Over two days we gave Caesars about 12
hours worth of action again. We earned $64 in cash back and $165 in
comps. What a huge difference from GVR (our action was double at
Caesars). Cash back was at the posted 0.22% so that means comps were
about 0.6%. Great deal! We even managed to end up $100 before cash back.
We ate at Mesa Grill which is one of our favorites and is not be
missed. Also enjoyed the Augustus cafe for lunch and breakfast. Room
service breakfast is a much as well. One night we had dinner at Isla
in TI which has now become our favorite Mexican in LV.
Overall we ended up gambling much less than normal but still had a
great time. Looking forward to the next trip sans kids...