Will post the TR in the reply, but here%26#39;s some background info on me. Mid 30s male, traveling to Vegas solo. My 16th trip to Vegas, but first time staying at the MGM Grand (or any MGM/Mirage property). Moderately-low roller, gambling budget of $300-500 per day.
After a recent visit to Biloxi, where I dropped a decent amount of money at the Beau Rivage, I noticed my offers from MGM/Mirage were improving. So I decided to book a 3-night stay at the Jolly Green Giant.....
TR, 9/14-9/17: MGM Grand; in praise of honest housekeepers!!
....oh, and we%26#39;ll get to the part about the honest housekeepers. Don%26#39;t worry!
SUNDAY, SEPT 14
My Southwest flight arrived in LAS about 20 minutes early. This would be surprising for any other airline, but for SWA, it seems to be a fairly regular occurrence. We were so early, in fact, that there wasn%26#39;t a gate ready for us. So we parked at the tarmac for 5-10 minutes and then pulled up to the jetway.
Heading down to the lower level, I stopped at the MGM desk to check-in. I had booked a special offer (';Ultimate Escape';) which included one comp night, and nice rates on the other two nights. In addition, I got $25 food/dining credit and two free drinks at the West Wing Bar.
I waited in line behind a couple of people and it was quickly my turn. The reservation agent got me checked in, telling me they had a room ready for me. I was pleased by this, as it was only about 11:30AM, and I know it can be hard to get a room that early sometimes. I wanted to head straight to the pool, so it was nice to know I%26#39;d have somewhere to change clothes!!
The agent told me that my room was ';pre-assigned'; because I was booked on the promo. Didn%26#39;t ask about the view or about any upgrades.
Off to the baggage carousel to grab my suitcase, then caught the shuttle to the rental car center.
Whether or not to rent a car is an oft-discussed topic on these boards. I almost always do, just to have the freedom to go somewhere off-strip if I feel like it. Sometimes -- as on this trip -- I only use the car to go from and to the airport. But, for three days with a coupon from Alamo, the rental was only $75. I consider that worth it just to have the option.
(I was planning to hit some off-strip properties like South Point, Sam%26#39;s Town, Eastside Cannery this trip. But I decided to save my daytime hours for the pool. I%26#39;ll be back in Vegas in January, and since the pool won%26#39;t be an option then, I might do some exploring off the Strip.)
Anyway, I got to the rental car center, and it was PACKED. The line at Alamo probably had 30 people in it. Fortunately, the automated self-service kiosks were free and available. Not sure why people stand in those lines when they don%26#39;t have to, but bad for them, good for me!!!
(Someone told me later that Sunday is the biggest day in Vegas for international visitors to arrive; perhaps you can%26#39;t use the kiosk without a US drivers%26#39; license? Not sure.)
Printed my ticket from the kiosk and headed out to the garage. I%26#39;d rented a midsize, and that lane was empty, as was the fullsize. Asked the garage attendant what I should do, and he said, ';Take an SUV or minivan.'; Last time this happened, Alamo gave me no choice and stuck me with a minivan. So this time, I took a Chevy TrailBlazer. Leather seats, sunroof, very nice!!
Traffic was light on the Strip, and I was at the MGM in under 10 minutes. Valet parked the car, and headed upstairs to my room.
I was on the 15th floor, room 15225. The room itself was clean and very nice, super-comfy king size bed, nice big bathroom. Standard (non-flat screen) TV, but that was OK. Small chaise lounge and coffee table in front of the window, and a desk/chair.
I opened the drapes, and saw that the view was pretty non-spectacular.
The MGM is arranged in four wings; when seen from above, it looks like a giant plus sign. I was in the eastern branch of this plus sign, facing north. So I could see the roof of the casino/Studio Walk, the arena and the conference center, and the tops of the palm trees at the pool area.
I had a great view of the Signature towers, and looking to the north I could see Polo Towers, the new PH Towers being built, the LV Hilton, and bits and pieces of a few other properties. No view of the Strip at all, as it was blocked by the north tower to my left.
No big deal. I%26#39;ve had Strip views before, and although I like to see the Strip, it%26#39;s not make-or-break for me.
I quickly changed clothes and headed down to the pool area. The pool was a 10-12 minute walk from my room. As is often stated on this forum, the MGM is BIG.
I got out to the pool area and wandered around to get my bearings and a feel for the area. All of the pools were open except for the ';Talent Pool.';
The Backlot River Pool was open, and going by the information on the MGM website, I expected that Sunday would be the only day I%26#39;d get to enjoy it. The website said that the Backlot River was open only Fri-Sun this time of year. As it turns out, the River was open Monday and Tuesday as well, probably due to the number of people at the MGM, I suppose.
Anyway, I settled in for a relaxing afternoon at the pools. Finding a single chair, even one with shade, was no problem, although the pools were fairly crowded. I sat by the Backlot River at first, making a few laps; later in the afternoon I moved over to the ';Academy Pool.'; Drink service was quick and friendly; drink prices were painful, of course. But no worse than other Vegas pools.
Around 5:00, I left the pool area and headed up to the room to clean up. I wanted to go somewhere to watch the Sunday night NFL game; but I didn%26#39;t want to go too far, as I knew it would be an early night for me. I%26#39;d been awake since 6:00AM central time (so the equivalent of 4AM in Vegas) and I knew the day of traveling, sunshine, and drinking would get to me!!
I decided to head over to the Monte Carlo and watch the game at the Brew Pub there. I%26#39;d been there a few times before, and knew they had good food and lots of TVs. (No more brewing their own beers though, unfortunately.)
I had no problem finding a seat at the bar, and I had a few beers and the open-faced pot roast sandwich while I watched about 3/4 of the PIT/CLE game. It was not a particularly exciting game though, so I wandered away before it was over.
Played a little Rapid Roulette at the MC, but the table was dull; only a single dealer, and he wasn%26#39;t doing anything to perk up people%26#39;s interest. So I left there and headed next door into NYNY for a bit. Played some video poker and slots, before making my way back to the MGM.
I found a $1 ';Cash Time'; slot at the MGM that was VERY good to me, and also happened to be a frequent stop for the cocktail waitresses. I played there for a couple of hours, and by the time I called it quits, I%26#39;d turned my $100 into over $350. Nice.
Bleary-eyed, I stumbled upstairs around 10:30 and quickly crashed out.
MONDAY, SEPT 15
I actually slept in this morning, until about 9:00. Didn%26#39;t think I still had that ability after becoming a parent. Who knew??
I cleaned up, left a tip for the housekeepers, and headed downstairs around 10:00. I was going to grab a muffin or something from Starbucks, but the smells coming from the sandwich shop ';wichcraft'; tempted me over there. I had an excellent breakfast sandwich (fried egg, bacon, blue cheese and greens) before heading out to the pool.
I spent the next 8 hours or so in tropical bliss. It was HOT out there and perhaps slightly less-crowded than the day before. I moved chairs about 5 times throughout the day, trying to chase the shade and save my skin. I stayed at the Academy Pool most of the day, though I did make a few quick runs over to the Backlot River, surprised to find it open. In the afternoon, I found an innertube that had been abandoned, and I happily floated around.
I briefly checked out the Producer%26#39;s Pool, but there wasn%26#39;t a lot of shade there. I forgot to ever go over and check out the Director%26#39;s Pool, which is tucked in the corner.
And, like the previous day, plenty of people were heading into Wet Republic. I didn%26#39;t want to pay their admission charge, but the music drifted over the walls, especially at the Backlot River.
Again, drink service was quick and frequent. I had a grilled cheese and fries from the ';Cabana Grill'; at lunch; nothing fancy but it did the trick.
I headed back upstairs around 4:30 or so, planning to shower, change clothes, and head downtown. I%26#39;d always wanted to check out the brewpub at Main Street Station, and I figured it would be a good place to watch Monday Night Football.
I got back to the room, and immediately noticed a couple of odd things. First, the TV was on, and tuned to a network, rather than the generic ';hotel information'; channel that comes on first. I%26#39;ve seen this happen in hotel rooms before, sometimes your neighbor%26#39;s remote will work your TV. No big deal.
A bigger deal, though, were the two envelopes sitting on the end of the bed. Two envelopes labeled ';Monday'; and ';Tuesday'; in my own handwriting. These two envelopes contained the rest of my gambling budget for the trip. I quickly looked through them, confirming that no cash was missing.
I%26#39;m still at a loss as to how and where I left those envelopes. I%26#39;d fully intended for them to be locked away in the safe, along with my laptop, wallet, and other valuables. The safe was still locked, and all of my other items still in there. All I can figure is that when I was putting things in the safe, somehow I left those two envelopes on the dresser, or next to the TV, or something.
I am INCREDIBLY grateful that the housekeeper(s) were so honest. They could have easily taken that several hundred dollars, and I%26#39;d have had no recourse.
(The next morning, I left a very generous tip and a thank you. Of course, I have no way of knowing if it was the same housekeeper on Monday and Tuesday. I%26#39;ll probably also write a letter to the MGM with my thanks; perhaps they can identify who cleaned the room on that specific date and properly congratulate them.)
So, after recovering from my shock at my own stupidity and carelessness, I cleaned up and headed out. Rather than take a taxi all the way from the MGM to downtown, in 5:00 traffic, I decided to take the monorail all the way to the Sahara, then grab a cab from there.
This worked out well, and cab fare from Sahara down to MSS was only $12.
I got to MSS just about 5 minutes after kickoff of the MNF game. What a gorgeous property this is. Love the Victorian train station theme.
I walked in to the ';Triple 7'; brewpub and looked for a seat at the bar. The place was pretty crowded, and the right-side bar was full. There were about 4-5 seats open at the left-side bar, so I headed over there. When I got there, I noticed a sign that said ';reserved'; in front of those seats. I asked the bartender about it, and he pulled the sign down. Apparently, they will reserve seats for certain people (probably big spenders) but if you don%26#39;t show up by kickoff, you lose your seats. That%26#39;s fair.
What a great place to watch a football game. Good beers, and cheap ($2 pints). Great prices on the food, too. I had a $7.95 prime rib that was excellent and went well with the ';Royal Red'; and ';Highroller Gold'; beers that I was enjoying.
Watched the entire game there, as the Cowboys pulled out a 4-point thriller over the Eagles. Triple 7 staff were drawing raffle tickets for prizes during the commercial breaks; you got a raffle ticket every time you ordered a drink. I did not win a thing, unfortunately.
Once the game was over, I piddled a bit on slots at MSS and next door at the California. Headed out to Fremont Street to see a show on the canopy, then played a little more slots (and won!) at the Fremont Casino.
Left downtown around 10 or so, and caught a cab. Decided to take it back to the Hilton this time; wanted to torture myself with a glimpse at the closed Star Trek area. The place was shuttered, but nothing has been torn down yet.
Caught the monorail and hopped off at Imperial Palace. Wandered through IP, then crossed the street to Caesars, just sort of people-watching and checking out the scenes. Next door to Bellagio for a couple of fountain shows, then crossed back over the Strip to Planet Hollywood.
Walked through the Miracle Mile Shops, which were just closing up. Fortunately, Sin City Brewing Company was still open, so I grabbed an Amber (my fave!) from there and then headed next door to Paris.
Waited a while for a spot on Paris%26#39; Rapid Roulette table to open up. When it did, I lost some money quite rapidly; the RR tables weren%26#39;t nearly as good to me on this trip as they usually are.
After that, I walked back down to the MGM and played on a few more slots before calling it a night.
TUESDAY, SEPT 16
My last full day in Vegas was, in many ways, a repeat of the previous day. (Without the little part about testing the honesty of the staff!)
Out to the pool by 9:30 or so. At 10:00, when wichcraft opened, grabbed a sandwich and coffee and brought it back out to the pool.
Stayed mostly by the Academy Pool, though I did move my stuff and find a seat along the ';inside'; of the Backlot River for a while. Crowds were noticeably smaller today.
Had a burger and fries from the poolside grill for lunch, read my book and people-watched. Again, I was able to find an available innertube in the afternoon without any difficulty.
Made a quick run next door to the M%26amp;M store, and also stopped at the MGM%26#39;s lion gift shop, to pick up a couple presents for my daughter. On the way back in, came in the ';side entrance'; and stopped at the West Wing Bar to get the first of my two free drinks. But it was actually happy hour, so the first free drink was actually two!!!
Two beers in hand, I headed up to the room.
I cleaned up and caught the monorail down to the Flamingo for dinner at Margaritaville. MV is often my first meal in Vegas, especially when I%26#39;m staying at the Flamingo. But I hadn%26#39;t been there yet.
Easily found a spot at the bar and had a few Landsharks and some chicken quesadillas. Afterwards, wandered down through Harrah%26#39;s, then into the Venetian. Played at their Rapid Roulette table for a while; they have $5 minimum per spin, as opposed to the $2.50 at HET properties.
Table had a decent vibe, and I was enjoying chatting with the dealers, but my numbers just weren%26#39;t there, so I left before donating any more money. Crossed the bridge to the Mirage, and wandered about a little bit. I actually can%26#39;t remember if I played any there or not.
Left the Mirage and crossed back over to the Flamingo. Now, I%26#39;ve had some good luck in the past at the Flamingo%26#39;s RR table; but only at the RR table that is near the Garden Bar (Flamingo has 2) and only when I sit in a certain seat at the table. Stupid, I know. But true.
My ';lucky seat'; was open, so I sat down. While I didn%26#39;t win big money, I stayed in the game for a LONG time. Dealers were fun, and I was having a good time with the couple next to me, who were playing some of the same numbers I was. They were also drinking heavily and quickly, and the cocktail waitress made frequent visits.
My all time favorite number, that I always, always bet, was the ';coldest'; number on the table. Meaning that it hadn%26#39;t been seen in the highest number of spins. I know, that really doesn%26#39;t mean anything.
Still, I kept betting it, kept imploring the dealers to spin it. By the end, I was betting only that number, trying to stay around long enough to see that number hit. It never did, however; and when I left the table, I practically sprinted away, so I wouldn%26#39;t hear if it hit.
I stumbled back out onto the Strip, made a stop again at Sin City Brewing at PH. Fresh glass of Amber in my hand, I walked back down to MGM. I%26#39;d almost finished my beer by the time I got there (it is a long walk, after all), so I popped back in at the West Wing Bar to get my second freebie.
From here, the night gets sort of fuzzy. I know I walked over to NYNY, then Excalibur, and rode the tram down to Mandalay. I played a little at MB, then walked through Mandalay Place into Luxor. Can%26#39;t remember if I played any at Luxor, though I do remember going up to the 4th or 5th floor just to look down from there. Caught the tram back to Excal, then crossed over the skywalks back to the MGM. I think I finished the night on my favorite Cash Time machine, and stumbled upstairs to bed about 1;00.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 17
I had an 8:15 flight on Wed morning, so the alarm went off VERY early. I stumbled out of bed and somehow gathered my stuff together. Dragged it downstairs and out the front door; that%26#39;s always such a sad trip, especially hung over!!!!
Claimed the unused car from valet, turned it back in at the rental center, and got to the airport, my Vegas fun over for at least a few months.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
--MGM: Great hotel, great casino, awesome pool area. HUGE, be prepared to do lots of walking when you stay here. I would definitely return if I could get another good deal. I%26#39;d also consider staying in the West Wing sometime. I know the rooms are smaller, the windows smaller, the views not as good, but I had a lousy view anyway. And it%26#39;s nice that the WW elevators come down and let you right out of the building, practically on the Strip. Saves some walking.
--Main Street Station: gorgeous property. If I were going to stay downtown, this is probably where I%26#39;d stay. Love the beers, love the atmosphere here.
--Crowds: I know everyone says Vegas hasn%26#39;t been as crowded, but it sure seemed the same to me. Of course, MGM was crowded because there%26#39;d been a prize fight in the Arena on Saturday night. But everywhere else I visited seemed packed as well, though by Tuesday, crowds were thinning.
Whew!! As I%26#39;ve said before at the end of my long-winded TRs, you must be bored if you%26#39;ve read this far. But thanks!!!
TR, 9/14-9/17: MGM Grand; in praise of honest housekeepers!!
Not bored at all -- enjoyed your TR! and your incredible luck with finding your $$$ envelopes! That housekeeper deserves a glowing letter for sure. I enjoy the MGM also and find the rooms, amenities, etc. very nice!
Excellent TR! Read all the way through and no boredom. ;-)
Paul, enjoyed your TR. I agree with you on MSS, just love that place. Sin City is that in PH? Need to visit there my next trip.
Thanks for sharing your trip.
Cheers,
Not boring at all. A lot of our TR%26#39;s sound the same ';Breakfast was coffee %26amp; a muffin and we lay around the pool all day drinking Pina Coladas';. Absolutely nothing wrong with that---it%26#39;s called a vacation.
Sounds like the perfect Vegas trip for you. Thanks for the report.
Great TR thanks for posting!!
Glad you enjoyed your trip to MGM and lucky for you that the housekeepers were honest.
Sounds like you had a great time solo!!
I enjoyed your report! Lea :)
Paul thanks for the TR...glad your MGM experience was a good one. It%26#39;s nice to hear hotel staff praised, so often you only hear about them when there is a problem. My experience in vegas generally has been that hotel staff are more conscientious and professional than in some other cities - perhaps because everyone understands that tourism is the lifeblood of the Strip.
Great TR...';I actually slept in this morning, until about 9:00. Didn%26#39;t think I still had that ability after becoming a parent. Who knew??';
I also hope to get that ability back someday!=)
Probably the best and most detailed TR I have ever read.
Thank you.
pc or mac
