The seed for my Mid-July Las Vegas adventure germinated with a
mailed offer received from the Wynn. A "Resort Room" could be mine,
during selected dates in July, for a mere $119.00 (plus tax) per
night. Additionally, I would receive a "credit" of $100 with this
offer. I called Wynn marketing and inquired if the $100 could be
used to offset the room charges. I was told that it could only be
used as free play. Still, since the $100 would enhance my bankroll
by that amount, I reasoned that I would be staying at ultra-luxe
Wynn for a tab of only $19.00 for the day (plus tax).
If I needed further inducement, I also had two luscious Wynn buffets
left in my Red Card account from the one and only prior time that I
had played at Wynn, during the glory days of the "Positive Bank". So
my nourishment for the one day that I would be at The Wynn, would
also be "free". This was an offer I could not refuse. I immediately
booked a room for one night.
In order to be eligible for the most competitive airfare, non-stop,
from ORD to LAS, it was not only necessary to travel on the lightest
flying days (Tues, Weds, Sat.) but also to fly West VERY early and
back East quite late. Therefore I booked a 7:25am flight out and a
5:15pm flight back. Not exactly choice times, but not too terrible
either, during these days of sky-rocketing airfares, for a non-stop
fare of $300 round trip.
When I checked in to Wynn, early on a mid-week morning, the casino
wasalmost deserted. There was no one else waiting to check in at
the elegant Reception Desk, so in minutes, I was on the way to my
homefor that day.
The room that I was given proved to be very spacious and contained
elegant furnishings, coordinated in exquisite taste. The palette was
in soft pastels and beige tones. The furnishings included a love
seat, coffee table, end tables, desk and chair, lounge chairs,
armoire, flat screen HD TV, two Queen beds with lovely linens and a
refrigerator/bar set into a cabinet.
I was rather surprised to read the signage on the cabinet, which
stated that "a guest had 60 seconds to hold and view the contents of
the bar offerings (which had been displayed atop the cabinet) but if
an item was not put back within that time frame, or if the bar was
opened, that a charge would be made to the occupant's bill". I had
some trouble deciding if I found this to be more hilarious or more
rude considering the 5* status of the facility.
The bathroom was magnificent. I have stayed in other 5*
establishments but have never had a more luxurious bathroom than the
one that Wynn provides. The bathroom area is as large as most hotel
bedrooms. It contained a long vanity with a sink at both ends, and
a well lit dressing table and chair in the middle. It contained
every possible bathroom amenity and an abundance of wonderful thick,
soft towels. There was a large Spa tub in addition to a glass
enclosed rain-forest shower, and a separate toilet room. It was
contained granite counter tops, marble floors and crystal and brass
fittings. Truly, nothing that a hotel guest could desire, had been
overlooked by the Wynn bathroom designers.
In the casino, I perused the VP offerings, and found several 9/6 JOB
and some full pay NSUD at the dollar level. There were also a
preponderance of short pay dollar banks as well. One particular
Ugly Ducks pay table, was abundant, and seemed very popular with the
unknowledgeable tourists-in-residence. Among other horrors, 5OAK
paid 60 coins, and a WRF paid 100 coins!
I decided to take a break from playing, and do some sight-seeing in
the beautiful Wynn. For the next couple of hours I wandered into
their high-end stores, perused the very pricey menus in their eating
establishments, and generally did the touristy stuff that I almost
always eschew. At least I was conserving bankroll as I wasn't even
tempted to purchase anything or even to eat lunch. I wanted to leave
plenty of tummy space in which to indulge in one of my fave buffet
meals later in the day.
A Las Vegas friend and I had a very satisfactory and filling repast
at the Wynn buffet. Though I've read some controversial reviews on
another board, stating that the buffet had been "downgraded", we did
not feel that the posts were accurate. IMO, anyone who can't put
together a lovely meal at this buffet, may be just a tad picky.
I particularly enjoyed a couple of the interesting composed salads,
devised by the creative Wynn chef. These salads are presented in
small cocktail glasses, and contain a variety of ingredients,
including, but not limited to seafood. I particularly relished the
marinated mushroom concoction.
Every type of entree that one could desire is offered, including the
usual ethnic stations. There is also a good selection of veggies,
fruits, breads and side dishes. The Sushi/Sashimi selections. are
very fresh and varied.
If anything on the buffet took a minor hit, since my last visit, it
might have been the "dedicated dessert room". I didn't think that
the assortment of sweet stuff was quite as extensive as the last
time I ate there. IMO, however, the desserts provided were still
delicious, plentiful and more than adequate.
Before retiring for the evening, I greatly enjoyed the view of the
Strip from the wall to wall window in my room. Neon gleaming from
every possible edifice, made for breathtaking sight.
While I truly appreciated the opulence of the Wynn, and enjoyed
staying there, I was not sorry to be leaving early the next
morning. There is not
enough good Video Poker at the Wynn to keep me happy for more than a
very limited period of time.
I learned a couple of facts regarding Wynn buffets, from a helpful
attendant at the Red Card desk. Additional earned buffets, after
the initial two earned by new card club sign-ups (which only require
75 earned points) come with a valuable buffet line-pass. During
peak times, line waits can reach an hour or even longer. I was also
informed that a single buffet cannot be requested. Once one buffet
is requested, the second one must be used at the same time, or it
will be lost.
I did "earn" four additional buffets while at the Wynn. When I was
there (and I understand that the parameters are constantly changing)
each time that I earned 500 points ($9 coin-in = one point) two
more buffets were added to my "Red Card" account. I'm sure that
I'll be back; I wouldn't want those luscious buffets to go to
waste!
If a gorgeous hotel, elegant rooms and uber-expensive gourmet
restaurants are of prime importance to you, you will love staying at
the Wynn.
~Babe~