myVegas Baby! Day 2: Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay Wave Pool

Waking up way too early (still on Philly time) we make good use of the big shower and then lounge around until restaurants start to open for breakfast. (Sadly, the era of 24 hour cafes in Las Vegas seems to be coming to an end.) The in-room WiFi works well and I use the Photon Browser on my iPad to collect our myVegas daily spins and send gifts.

Eventually 7:00 AM rolls around and we wander out to find something to eat. Since it's convenient we decide to hit Raffles, Mandalay Bay's formerly 24 hour cafe that's now open less than a third of the day:  7:00 AM - 2:30 PM. I have the French Toast and Beth goes with Eggs Benedict. And of course coffee. Service is excellent and the food is fine but Raffles is a bit pricey - if we were paying for more than a few meals this trip I think we'd make an effort to locate something a bit cheaper.

After topping up our gambling funds (our bank refunds ATM fees so we can ignore the $5.99 fee the casino ATMs charge) we look around the Mandalay Bay casino for some less than ruinous video poker pay tables. Finding none, we decide to make our way toward Bellagio and Mirage where we'll be redeeming our lunch buffet and Love rewards.

The MB-Luxor-Excal tram wasn't running yet so we strolled through the retail area to Luxor where to our surprise we find some quarter 9-5 Jacks or Better VP (98.45 %) just in front of the steakhouse we'd be eating Wednesday. So we sit down to play a bit, lose pretty quickly and decide to move on through to Excalibur (which is already busy). We make it up to Monte Carlo and hop on the tram to Bellagio

There's no line at the MLife desk and we have our buffet pass in a couple minutes. We wander through Bellagio and cross over to Caesars Palace. Window shopping in the Forum Shoppes slows the journey, but it doesn't take too long to get to the Mirage.

Redeeming show tickets is like the hotel room rewards. You make a reservation by phone and instead of the check-in desk you go to the box office to pick up your tickets. Once again, no line (hey, it's still early) and no problems.

At this point we have three or four hours before we can reasonably eat lunch so we decide to walk the east side of the strip. As you may be aware, Caesars has a couple big construction projects  going on.

The Imperial Palace has been renamed "The Quad" and is getting a full makeover of the public spaces. Unfortunately, the rooms are still pretty shabby and are not scheduled for renovation at this time. The exterior is being re-skinned and the main entrance has been moved to the north side of the building, facing Carnival Court:

Standing in front of the Carnival Court Bar looking South West

The Quad's casino was a big mess with new machines still going in. It does look pretty nice and obviously it's way cleaner than it used to be.

New Machines in The Quad

The main part of the construction is happening in an area that will be a pedestrian mall called "Linq". The left side of the picture is what used to be O'Sheas (apparently there will be a new O'Sheas somewhere in the Linq). In the far background you can make out the legs of the big observation wheel.

The Linq

The other big construction project is a gut rehab of Bill's. They say it will re-open early next year as Gansevoort Las Vegas.

Bill's Gut Rehab

Eventually Beth suggests it might be time to maybe start drifting in the direction of lunch so we cross back over LVB and stroll up to Bellagio. The Buffet reward includes a line pass, so we skip a depressingly small line and head in. 

The Asian Plate

Assorted Asian style items. The sushi rolls were better than average for a buffet but that rice takes up a lot of valuable stomach space. The spring roll was tasty but drippingly wet and a mess to eat. The pork bun had a rather leathery exterior and too little filling. The best of the batch was the noodle salad though it could have been a bit spicier.

The Meat Plate

Chicken, pork ribs, flank steak, mushrooms, and creamed spinach. You'll get better ribs over at Ellis Island's barbeque. Though meaty, they had an odd dry texture I didn't care for. The chicken was much better, well cooked and juicy. The flank steak was also nicely done. Both sides were good.

Dessert Plate

The only disappointment on this plate was the little pecan pie at the top left; the filling had nearly hardened into pecan brittle. For some reason the standout was the oatmeal raisin cookie.

After lunch we, well, went back to the room to take a nap.





Cirque du Soleil Love. What can I say? We're of the age that makes us suckers for anything Beatles. It was, in fact, the first CdS show we saw in Las Vegas and to be perfectly honest we were planning to see it again even if we had to pay. It's great and probably the only CdS show that has a coherent plot. See it if you can.

Being a Monday night it's not a packed house and after we locate our seats I head back out to the lobby to grab a couple of adult beverages: a Here Comes the Sun (Captain Morgan Rum, mango, orange and pineapple juice) and a Can't Buy Me Love (Absolute Citron, lemonade, and cranberry juice). Yes, they're expensive but we just cashed in $341 worth of free tickets. They're also delicious and large. The big ones have three shots (or more - tip the bartender when you place your order) so the price isn't really outrageous by LV standards.

After the show we gamble a bit in Mirage and come across these:

Silver Strikes in The Mirage

Those slot machines are "ancient" Silver Strike machines. They're quarter machines with a 3 coin bet. The cool thing is that if you hit certain combinations you get a  "Silver Strike" token like this:

Silver Strike from The Palms

You can collect 'em or cash 'em in at the cage like any other chip. There are less than a dozen of these mechanical machines left in Las Vegas and the manufacturer no longer supplies parts so it's another part of somewhat "old" Vegas to check out if you can.

Since I have to drive back to Mandalay Bay we wrap up the evening early (we're finally on Las Vegas Time) and head back "home".

Day 1
Day 3
Days 4 & 5

myVegas Baby! Day 1: Mandalay Bay

As we usually do, we took US Airways Flight 1797 from PHL to LAS Sunday morning. And as usual we got to LAS about half an hour early. That turned out to be a good thing because there was a lengthy line at Budget car rental. There were no lines at the other rental agencies so that's a lesson learned: pay a few bucks more and skip the 45 minute line.

Our first hotel this trip was Mandalay Bay a short drive up Las Vegas Boulevard. We turn the car over to the valet and head to check-in where, miraculously, our room is ready. Very nice room as you can see. The "playpen couch" (yes, that's what Mandalay Bay calls the odd square couch partly visible in the foreground) is sort of odd. The backs at the seating corners are too low to be comfortable for reading and get in the way of other activities.

The bathroom is plenty large with a double vanity, shower, and spa tub. The toilet has it's own little room, complete with telephone.

The spa tub easily fits two somewhat chubby middle aged folks like ourselves. It takes about 8 minutes to fill, so factor that into your planning.

Still being on Philadelphia time we were pretty hungry so we wandered around Mandalay Bay looking for something light. Lo and behold! Red Square had just opened for Happy Hour!

Smoked Salmon "Pizza"

Siberian "Nachos"

Most of the small plates were $9, bottled beer $4, and cocktails $6. We polished off the two plates above with a couple beers - just enough to make it to our 7:00 dinner reservation. (And yes, the place is really dark and I was "that guy" who fired off the flash.)

The Steakhouse at Camelot

Sunday dinner was the first of our myVegas food rewards: a $150 credit at Excalibur's Steakhouse at Camelot. The picture makes it look pretty snazzy, but it's definitely not a fancy place.


Service was very good and the meat arrived as ordered. The sides were just OK - there's not much you can do to screw up asparagus but why would you slice the mushrooms?  Since the beef is roughly on par with what you can get at any large grocery store (USDA "choice" according to the menu) and the atmosphere is "family" this isn't a place I'd seek out a second time.

As we left the restaurant we decided to hang out in the casino a while - after all, we were using a couple thousand dollars worth of comps. I must say, the contrast between Mandalay Bay's casino and the Excalibur was night and day. Mandalay Bay was quiet, with an empty feeling. Excalibur was packed with people having a good time. So we gambled a while, lost about $80 and were ready to head off to bed (still on Philadelphia time).

On the way out, we came across the first of a number of Viva myVegas QR codes on a sign outside Dick's Last Resort restaurant. These codes are scattered around several of the MGM resorts International casinos. You scan 'em with the the iOS Viva My Vegas app to wine small prizes, mostly game chips for the myVegas Facebook game.

Coming Soon: Day 2 Mandalay Bay, Bellagio Buffet, and Love!

Day 2
Day 3
Days 4 & 5

MyVegas Baby! Part 1

It's gonna be free baby! (almost)

So late last year we took a short vacation in Las Vegas and got some free food courtesy a Facebook game called myVegas. We got more free stuff this time... a lot more. Here's how it went down:

November 2012

We get back from our vacation and Beth signs up for Facebook and starts playing myVegas. We both become daily players to maximize the number of "loyalty points" (the myVegas equivalent of cash) we'd be able to accumulate.

December 2012

Over the holiday break (I had to use up a week of vacation time) I get bored and buy some chips with real money. $39 worth. You can play for free - there's no requirement to spend money. This would have an interesting side effect a soon.

January 2013

By the 15th (remember the date) I've accumulated enough loyalty points to purchase three nights in a Mirage Tower Suite. I "purchase" them (in the form of two rewards: a 2 night and a 1 night stay) using up almost all my accumulated loyalty points and we begin to plan our vacation. Our usual trip runs five nights, so we want two more nights.

February 2013

I finally accumulate enough points to purchase two nights in a Mandalay Bay Spa Suite and do so. Meanwhile MGM Resorts International has realized people have become myVegas maniacs and they begin to make it more difficult to accumulate chips to play the games.

March 2013

Bad News: myVegas makes it even harder to accumulate chips to play the games and announces that for all reward purchases made after January 15 players will only be able to redeem three in any 30 day period. Good News: I can purchase 2 more since I bought my first 2 before the the deadline.

By now Beth has a ton of loyalty points saved up and we decide she'll purchase food. We buy $150 steak house meals at Tender in the Luxor and The Steakhouse at Camelot in Excalibur. I use some of my accumulated points to buy two passes to the Bellagio lunch buffet.

Then:

myVegas introduces another new twist on the game. If you've purchased chips, you can redeem not three but as many as ten rewards in any 30 day period. Now I have two more rewards instead of one and we buy Beth $5 worth of chips so she can purchase two more rewards.

I use my accumulated loyalty points to buy 2 $170.50 tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show Love. I still have one more reward to purchase and Beth has two. I book our hotel reservations by the old fashioned telephone method.

April 2013

We wrap up our reward purchases. Beth buys a $50 dining credit at Nine Fine Irishmen in New York New York and we each buy High Tea (technically afternoon tea, but they didn't ask me when they named it) at the Petrossian Bar in Bellagio. I make restaurant reservations and we're all set.

At this point we've purchased:

3 nights at Mirage	$945
2 nights at Mandalay Bay	$366
2 Steakhouse Dinners	$300
Bellagio High Tea (2)	$70
Dinner at Nine Fine Irishmen	$50
Bellagio Lunch Buffet for 2	$43
2 Tickets to Love	$341
Total	$2115

All for a grand total of $45 in actual money ($39 and $5 chip purchases) and maybe an hour total each day playing the myVegas game.

Coming Soon:

We go to Las Vegas! Cheap Flights! Gambling!  Food! Shows! (and a small bummer)

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Days 4 & 5

Vegas Baby! Bargains

Las Vegas has long been known for bargains, particularly food related bargains. Although most buffets are no longer in that class, we did make use of three good food deals and and a nice spa offering this trip.

The myVegas Facebook Game

MGM Resorts has been running a promotion on Facebook called myVegas. It involves simulated slot machines and other games (currently only blackjack). Ordinarily that wouldn't be very interesting but this game offers actual physical prizes. There's even a support group called MyVegas Friends where the more obsessive users post links to free chips and discuss the best ways to take advantage of the opportunity.

I discovered the game rather late, less than a week before our trip, but I managed to scrounge enough "loyalty points" for $20 worth of food at Jean Philippe Patisserie in Aria. (The prize description says "Signature Pastry" but it's really a $10 comp good for anything at Jean Philippe.)

So Thanksgiving morning we wandered down to Aria and cashed in.

Two large coffees, a cherry tart, a chocolate muffin and a cinnamon bun. The total would have been $19.95 without the game.

Estiatorio Milos

One of the great "hidden values" in Las Vegas is the $20.12 prix fixe lunch at Estiatorio Milos. The menu is pretty straight forward with a few items like lobster and octopus carrying supplements. But given the quality of the standard items, there's no reason to pay extra.

Yummy Grilled Bread

It seems that every restaurant on the planet has some sort of bread service these days. Milos keeps it simple but adds a slightly unusual twist by lightly grilling the crusty slices. Olive oil of course accompanies the bread. Go ahead and eat some but be sure to save enough to soak up the juices from your later courses.

First courses: Tomato Salad and Scallop Skewer w/ cous cous.

Tomato Salad

Scallops

Darn near perfect. If I was a nit-picker I'd suggest the cous cous might possibly had not been made with the steam and fluff method - it was essentially identical with the quick cook technique I use on a weekly basis...

Main courses: Shrimp Saganaki and Lavraki:

Shrimp Saganaki

Lavraki

The mains were just about perfect. The only flaw was in service - the perfectly cooked broccoli was too firm to be cut using the fish knife supplied with the Lavraki. I had to borrow Beth's table knife to divide it into bite sized pieces.

Dessert: Walnut Cake

Very good, if slightly dry. If I had to suggest a change it would be to to warm the Walnut Cake and allow the ice cream to melt a bit.

Walnut Cake

We arrived just before their noon opening time and were seated immediately. However, the dining room filled up very quickly so you probably want to make reservations, particularly if you're dining on a weekend.

Restaurant.Com

Restaurant.Com's M.O. is pretty simple. You pay $10 for a $25 credit at the restaurant of your choice. There are (currently) 104 choices near the Las Vegas "strip". That's not a bad deal, but around the end of the month the powers that be publish (on Twitter and by email) discount codes that reduce that $10 to as little as $2. We're dedicated users of the service and since the certificates never expire and can be easily exchanged, we keep a few in our account for trips.

This time we had lunch at Tacos and Tequila in Luxor. The food is reliably tasty (though of questionable authenticity) and the pricing makes it pretty easy to hit the $35 minimum purchase the $25 Restaurant.Com certificate requires. They also have a particularly delicious margarita made with Los Danzantes Reposado Mezcal. It's the only tequila based drink I indulge in these days.

Groupon

Spa services in Las Vegas are expensive - often twice what you'd pay at a local spa, so we're always on the lookout for some kind of a deal when we're planning a vacation. This year Groupon came through at the right time with $59 for a 50 minute massage (normally $130) at the Golden Nugget on Fremont. There's not really much to say about this (and you wouldn't want to see pictures - trust me).

Vegas Baby! - Tuesday

Once or twice a year Beth and I make a run out to Las Vegas. We're not big time gamblers or anything like that but we like good food and enjoy the occasional Cirque du Soliel show.  Las Vegas is packed with both. We try to schedule our trips in the "down times"since Beth is a nurse and has to work around holidays. This year Thanksgiving weekend met her criteria, and also happened to include "The Game". So without further ado...

Tuesday

On time, completely full flight from Philly to Vegas - pretty much as usual. Grabbed a shuttle to our hotel (the super cheap Imperial Palace, soon to be known as "The Quad"). Check in took about 15 minutes. Caesars joints still hand out a "Fun Book". These days it's a sheet of coupons that looks like this:

After a shower to wash off the airplane funk we wandered down to the casino for some not terrible but not great video poker. (the best low roller VP in Caesars joints is 8/5 JoB).

By about 4:30 (7:30 Philly time) we're getting hungry so we wandered across LVB to Caesars to check out their new buffet. Everything you've read about Bacchanal is true. It is, hands down, the best buffet in Las Vegas. It's also expensive. $42.99 per person for dinner. We got there at 5:00 and there were only a couple people in line ahead of us.

So what's so great about it? Here are some starters:

Dim Sum

Healthy Shit

Charcuterie

 And of course there's lots of other goodies like pasta, and meatball sliders:

And of course meat:

Obviously they have loads of Italian and Asian stuff. They also have a more interesting than usual Mexican area that incorporates a big rotating comal (yeah, it's the same gadget they use in those "Mongolian" grills):

Mongol "Comal"

 Now everyone always wants seafood - specifically shrimp and crab legs:

They also have regular boiled shrimp

Chilled here - just ask and they'll heat 'em up...

And finally desserts... This is where Bacchanal really steps up:

By far the best desserts in a Las Vegas buffet. If you're a first timer to Las Vegas and want to do the buffet thing, Caesars is the buffet to hit.

More tomorrow...