Mary ( GF) and I went to LV from JULY 29-Aug.4.
We are rec. players who play in AC and Conn. I play 4-8 days a month in a casino. My game is either dollar Jacks or dollar Bonus. When I go to LV I stay on the Strip because that to me is what LV is all about. My thinking is that if I wanted to spend a lot of time off strip I might as well play in my own localities. We stayed at the Wynn and the Bellagio, not necessarily because of playing opp. but because of good FP offers. We have stayed at the Wynn for the past three summers but haven't stayed at the B for years.
Anyway, here are some impressions..feel free to comment or just skip to the next VPFree message.
CROWDS
I still don't understand why the summer is considered the slow season in LV.? There were tons of people, particularly foreign tourists. Certainly more than last summer.
MACHINES
Although there is no doubt that on the Strip, playable machines at my level have been reduced considerably in the past few years, if one is diligent there are still some opportunities for a 99%+ paytable. I found such machines at more than 6 strip hotels, some of them high end.
RESTAURANTS
Loved Red 8, Olives, Raos. Good meal at Cafe Bellagio.
Terrible Buffet..Spice Market. One of the worst I've ever eaten at. How did it get some good reviews ?
ROOMS
Wynn..very nice. Bellagio, I found to be disappointing. Old like ,dark and somewhat musty. Not that it makes a big difference to me, but TV was rather dated.
ARIA
Much like its name is roomy and airy. However, it felt to me that I was in a mall that had machines. Mary and I both felt that the design of City Center was terrible and when fully occupied would feel just like Manhattan ! BTW when in Crystals ( the mall) we couldn't find the Aria because of poor signage which one suit acknowledged was a problem and also said that they forgot to add benches for people to sit ! Fashion Mall and the PH mall were crowded. Crystals was deserted !
CASINOS
Of course each casino has its own unique personality. We wanted to play some in PH but the noise level was so loud that after twenty minutes, and a headache, we decided to get the hell out of there !
SHOWS
We saw Love and enjoyed it.
Larry F.
BTW I had to keep the extra room in the Wynn but was never charged any resort fees for rooms at either hotel.