This June 2013 tour of our 14 day stay continues with Part 3 - The Cosmopolitan & NewYork NewYork
Hot stuff! nice day for a stroll...
Continued from Part 2.......
Monday 10th June 2013 - Check out Aria... Check In Cosmopolitan Monday
10th June...day 9 of our 14 night stay in Fabulous Las Vegas and the
fun continues..... This is our first day at the Cosmopolitan in a
stunning Suite overlooking Bellagio Fountains and Las Vegas Strip...I
think we will be coming here again....
Aria reception - Checking out...farewell Aria
We have hangovers, can’t think why? Heavy day in front of us, as we are
checking out of the Aria and into the Cosmopolitan. We had a great stay in the
Aria and would recommend this hotel.
And we thought it (CSI) was just a TV programme!
All packing, we had a late check out which
was good, this enables us to leisurely transfer ourselves, check out was smooth.
We are in the Cosmo' "line" see reflection in mirror'd ceiling
We decided to walk over to the Cosmopolitan, as its just through Crystals,
(Mega high-end shopping Mall - we don’t shop here), then over a walkway, then hey
presto the Cosmo - we would still be waiting for the taxi if we had decided to go that route.
The Cosmo' Reception Pillars have these fascinating moving picture murals
which are also on the back wall behind the reception staff
At check in we tried the $20 trick - putting the "note"
in your passport as a tip for good service. Lesley and I were upgraded to a 1
bedroom suite with a view of the Bellagio fountains, from a 1 bed apartment,
room 4333.
Magnificent view of the strip and Bellagio fountains from our Veranda
It was simply amazing: 2 bathrooms, 1 with Jacuzzi bath, bathrooms
enormous, all marble, kitchen area, with washing machine and dryer, a real
bonus! Had a huge veranda/balcony, I think technically it’s a veranda as it has
a roof; 2 very comfy loungers and a magnificent view of the strip and Bellagio fountains.
Our suite at the Cosmo - looking towards the kitchen area
Our Cosmo suite - Bedroom showing access to the Veranda
OJ making himself comfortable on the veranda - Lesley trying out the bedroom connecting door
Yes, I think we could get used to this!
Spud agrees - I think we are going to be coming here again!
The boy’s room was not ready yet, so they dumped their
bags in our suite, then we went off for food at Holsteins; this is a high end burger joint
that does a great range of beers /Ales as well as milkshakes with or without alcohol .
OJ tests the "to-die-for" milkshake of choice - I think that's a Yes!
What more can you ask for. Ollie
had the Carbonara Burger with strawberry milk shake which was enormous.
We, of course, needed to sample a selection of their finest Ale's and then settled on one or two.... check out the mini sampling glasses.
Lesley
had the longhorn burger on slow cooked brisket, in a whiskey BBQ sauce; Simon
and I had the Gold standard burger I had blue cheese on mine as an extra, obviously
all with fries and a fried egg on top, what a great feast.
Excellent Wow factor view again, from OJ & Spud's Veranda
The boys' room was now ready. Room 4617 a studio terrace
with 2 queen beds, with fountain view of the Bellagio and strip. They were
about 3 floors above us, again a great room with super kitchen area; great to have a
usable fridge - not just a standard mini bar arrangement; veranda; this outside
space is really a lovely touch.
Spud - Ready to hit the Casino floor!
Check how the home made "fast freeze" (beer cooling) facility is doing before the off.....
Lesley refused to leave the suite as the wow factor has captivated her so much. So the rest of us,
headed down to the casino, just for a while. I hit the Casino floor starting with the $WOF and 2 spins
in had this rather tasty Hit! What a nice welcome for us....
$Wheel Of Fortune - Double 3x 4x 5x Times Pay slot machine
Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Nice start on the Colossal reels for Spud!
Wolf Run win keeping the momentum going...
Bier Haus - 1st of 3 nice wins in succession for Spud!
2nd of 3 on the Bier Haus
3rd of 3 nice wins on the Bier Haus
Another tidy sum for Spud - this time on the "Gigantic" slot
Simon won $180 on the "Bier Haus",
I won nicely $240 on the wheel of fortune (see video above), so after a few cocktails and coffee, we
headed back to the suite.
Evening starting to draw in...and the view is captivating
It's early evening now, the 4 of us spent hours on the
veranda, chatting, watching the fountains and admiring the view, along with a
couple of bottles of champagne, this really is the life, ah heaven!
Late night now and we are still full of the wow factor on our veranda
Tuesday 11th June - "Old School" Strip Day - Riviera & Peppermill! After a good night’s sleep, we had coffee and donuts on the veranda. I
am beginning to wonder if Lesley will ever leave this suite (She did a full
load of washing in the machine and was ecstatic, that it ALL dried in under 15
minutes). So I went down to the casino for a few spins while she decides what she wants to do.....
Sex and the City Slot Bonus - Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Change of a dress bonus....
Nice hit on the "Gorilla Chief"
$Wheel Of Fortune Slot bonus - Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Another reasonable hit on the "Bier Haus"
Well, eventually she did agree to venture out. So we
all caught the deuce (bus), down to the Riviera this is an older casino, but always
friendly. The cocktail service was very good, as usual. Many cocktails later, some
small losses, we decide food is required.
Pepermill - Now that is what I call a "shake"!
Almost next to this casino is a restaurant called the Peppermill, it’s a
great place to visit. Locals and numerous personalities visit this one and has featured on TV frequently.
We had 3 steak and eggs, this comes with a New York steak, 3 eggs, hash
browns, bagel or muffin and the usual condiments. Ollie had a Turkey burger with cheesy fries and a
strawberry milkshake, which again was huge.
Late breakfast over, we decide to walk back to the Cosmo, via the Fashion
show mall - for Hollister, the Tea shop and the Godiva chocolate shop, then back to
the Cosmo for a rest.
Had bit of a sleep, then back down to the casino, it’s
around 9pm, minimal losses (always good). 3 – 5 chocolate martinis later, we decide
to get a pizza from the "secret" (in that it is not advertised / marketed or obvious but a real gem to find) Pizza place, it’s on the 3rd floor,
down a wooden floored walkway next to a Tapas restaurant. We ordered a 18 inch
pepperoni we hurried back to the suite with it, opened champagne, eating pizza
on the veranda. Heaven again, good conversation between the 4 of us, outstanding
view. We all stayed there until around 2am, then off to bed.
Wednesday 12th June - Bellagio, Miracle Mile and Pool Chill Now day
11 of our 14 night stay in Fabulous Las Vegas and the fun
continues..... This is our 3rd day staying at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. After the usual morning Latte's we met up down in the Cosmo casino and had a quick few spins while deciding what the plan for today will broadly be.
Latest Zeus Slot bonus - Bellagio Las Vegas
We decided to Pop over to Bellagio 1st before then going to the Miracle Mile across the strip in the Planet Hollywood. I hit this Zeus Bonus spins win which was quite good for a 40c bet... had few more in the Bellagio,
then shopping in the Miracle Mile.
While Lesley went off to Walgreens and a number of the other mile shops, the rest of us had a couple of spins in the PH.We all agreed on a time to meet up at the ABC store, for a quick suite re-stock of beer, champagne, water
and snacks before heading back to the Cosmo suite.
Spud hitting the Bier Haus again at the Cosmo
After dropping off the supplies Ollie, Lesley and I went off to
the pool. It was a lovely area, good sun, pool and hot tub, enjoyed the chill
out. Back to the room for a freshen up, before checking out the dinner buffet
in the Cosmo.
We all felt it was the best dinner buffet that we had had for a
long time, on balance it was better than
the Wynn and Bellagio for dinner, excellent, Chinese, Thai, prime rib, fried
chicken, steak, sea bass, sushi, salads, veg, etc etc, not forgetting the dessert
station, great ice cream here too.
Few more spins in the casino, before our last night on the
veranda, watching the Bellagio fountains and the strip, with of course
champagne.
Fireworks above Ceasar's as viewed from our suite at the Cosmo
Good banter and what a bonus a firework display, looked like it was
on the top of Caesars Palace, it was quite a WOW factor, especially with the
fountains going at the same time. 3 hours later off to bed, sadly for our last
night in the Cosmo.
Thursday 13th June - Changeover day - Into the NewYork NewYork Checked out by 11am, all smooth, not great on the comps, but we spent
most time in the suite, so not too bothered. Bye Bye to the Cosmo, really sorry
to go!
Our last morning at the Cosmo before Checkout
Decided to walk to the New York New York, so off back
through the Aria, via the Tram through Monte Carlo, then hey presto arrived at New York New York. Easier and quicker than the Taxi and good bit of exercise too.
Thursday 13th June...day 12 of our 14 night stay in Fabulous Las Vegas and the fun continues..... after checking out of the Cosmopolitan, this is our 1st day staying at the New-York New-York Hotel.
Entrance to the NewYork NewYork Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
Rooms were ready, so all good, Lesley and I had a
strip view, the boys had a mountain view, but the windows are so small in this
hotel that you really don’t get the full effect. Bit of a shame, but hey ho.
Not panoramic windows but still great views
View of our room from other end
The rooms were comfy and adequate, we were pleasantly surprised. Unpacked, us
chaps went down to the casino as we had some free play to claim, these rooms
were comped to us, with $75 free play per room, so no complaints from us,
(always great to stay for free).
Pirates of the Deep - Power Spins - New-York New-York Las Vegas
Tried out this Pirates of the deep slot and used a free power spin which gave a nice return for a 50c bet...
This hotel / casino is an older lady than the new
Cosmo or Aria, but it has lots going for it, rooms comfy, staff friendly,
casino good, lots of entertainment going on around you. We hear it also has a great New York Pizza
place which we plan to try out.
Fire Diamonds Slot win - New-York New-York Las Vegas ...moved onto this Fire Diamonds slot and straight in hit this for $1 spin....
We decided to check this place out for the day. Ollie
headed off to the pool, Simon and I went off to the casino, Lesley did pool,
shops and a general walk around to see what it had.
$Top Dollar Slot Bonus - New-York New-York Las Vegas
Wheel of Fortune Slot Bonus - Mandalay Bay Las Vegas
Food was good, boys yes you guessed it overdid the booze again! Boys
headed back to the New York New York, Lesley and I stayed in the Mandalay Bay
for a few spins before heading back to catch up with the boys.
Spud hitting on the Van Helsing
a few more spins in the New York New York,
before hitting the pillow at around midnight early for us, but really tired
now.
Nice strip view from our room at the NY NY
Friday 14th June - Fashion Show Mall / Treasure Island & Palazzo
Up a bit late for us, couldn’t decide what to do, but eventually settled
on the Fashion Show Mall for Lesley and Treasure Island for us chaps, again a
lovely walk, great to see so much sun, TI was quite good to us, no real losses,
mind you Lesley lost her money in the Mall, however she did get a pair of
sandals for her cash, the most expensive sandals she has ever brought at ($140,
just under £100), but they are nice, red patent.
Leaving the Ti
We headed over to the Palazzo for our last meal at the
Grand Lux for this trip, 2 burger melts, 1 enchilada and 1 lunch carbonara with
salad.
On our way over to Palazzo from the Ti
The trip back to the New York New York was not great
it was very hot, the bus was packed, with none or little air con and the
traffic was at a standstill, after nearly an hour, the driver said at the
Bellagio he was going to turn off the strip so miss a few stops, Lesley Simon
and Ollie, decided to get off here and catch the tram to the Monte Carlo, the
New York, is next to the Monte, so this would work, I decided to stay on the
bus.
The Monte Carlo route turned out to be entertaining as
they caught the start of the Blue Man Group show, they do a procession through
the casino, with music etc, and the others enjoyed this, Lesley popped into CVS
to get some Twinkies for Colin, but they do not exist anymore, we have Dreamies
instead!
Eventually all back, had a chill down, then a few
spins at New York New York....
$Wheel of Fortune Slot Bonus - NewYork NewYork Las Vegas
Friday 14th June...day 13 of our 14 night stay 2013 in Fabulous Las Vegas and the fun continues..... this is our 2nd day staying at the New-York New-York Hotel and Casino
Spud taking his TiTo to the cashing m/c before heading back
Lesley and I were in bed at around 11pm, the boys
headed over to the Luxor had a good night arrived back at around 3am, totally
wasted and Simon was over $100 up.
Saturday 15th June Mandalay Bay - Border Grill & Final Night Payback time for the boys they are well hung-over – big time, After their big night at the Luxor they are
not fit for purpose today and needless to say they spend the whole day in bed,
well Ollie did manage a spell down by the pool. They got up around 7pm for
(hair of the dog) pizza and beer!
Border Grill Champagne Brunch Menu
Lesley and I however went over to the Mandalay Bay Border
Grill for yes you guessed it, Champagne all you can eat and drink brunch, this
restaurant is Mexican, that serves all
dishes freshly cooked, so you order 3 at a time, keep ordering until you can’t
manage another bite, this is what we had –
Champagne,
Peach mimosa's and Watermelon Belini's.
Lobster
pancakes
Machaca
chelaquiles Nacho's
What a
feast, lovely, but did have difficulty in walking after.....
Breakfast
enchilada
Crispy Potato
Rajas Taco
Peach Mimosa & Champagne
Egg
Benedict with Yacatan pork
Watermelon Belini
Short rib
hash and egg
Skirt
beef steak and egg
Frittata
tart
Sweet
pototo pancake with maple syrup
Bread
pudding French toast
Churro
tots
Walked
back to the New York New York, Lesley went back to the room for a lay down, I went down to the NY NY Casino for a few more spins...
Sorcerers Gold slot win - 10 free games - NewYork NewYork Las Vegas This bonus features locking wild reels - the more lanterns lit up on each spin increases the number of reels locked....
I
had a few spins then joined Lesley back at the room....
Dia De Muertos slot win - Excalibur Las Vegas
Around 8pm the two of us went over to
Excalibur as Lesley wanted to purchase some face cream in the shops, so I had a
few spins whilst I waited, she appeared with cream, just as I hit $170 on a 40
cent bet a Dia De Muertos which translates to "Day of the Dead". Spanish for Day of the Dead this 2nd spin in, hit win at 40c is one of my best low denom wins to date....we left it in Spanish mode to see if it would bring luck and just for a hoot....i.e. at the time not knowing what it does or meant....I think it is based on the 1988 Mexican film of the same name, directed by Luis Alcoriza.
Simon hits on the Pirate Ship Slot in NY NY while we are at the MGM
We
then wandered over to the MGM grand, lost $40, $20 each, it did take quite a
while to lose it and did get a cocktail.
Back to
the New York New York, which was buzzing, lots of entertainment everywhere....
Straight over here from MGM - to the NY NY. I had stopped originally by a bank of slots as a Cocktail waitress was already taking drinks orders on arrival. I was already headed towards the Beverly Hill Billies slot and after waiting what seemed an inordinate amount of time I gave up waiting and moved on to this machine - only to then see the waitress literally whizz by.... but she did not seem to recognise me so I gave up. Concentrating totally on this slot machine now, as I had read some good reviews from Dianaevoni's You Tube Channel so the anticipation was already loaded. I hit this bonus after a few spins in at 50c a push, so another nice low denom successive win today....
Spud Demolished most of his NY NY 24" Pizza
Once the boys had recovered and fully surfaced they both bought 24" Pizza each. The server asked how many plates and looked surprised when they said just the 2 please!
Another hit for Simon on Pirate Ship
Then they hit the Casino floor for a series of further wins. Sorry no pics of OJ on his Video Poker but compared to the $4,000 handpay earlier in the week I suppose it just did not seem overly worthy....
And another....
And another - Mega Big win - excellent for a 50c bet
And another even bigger - Mega Big Win
And another
And again...
I
had some fun for hours on the Judge Judy slot and hit the Hillbilly slot bonus.
We all (as the boys had appeared now, after beer and pizza), played and had a
few cocktails until around 2am, Ollie had some luck on the video poker, up
around $100, Simon won a few hundred ($327) on the pirate machine, so a good
last night. There was also a great
Michael Jackson impersonator, who actually sounded quite like the real thing!
Sunday 16th June- Checking out of Vegas - The trip back home
Last day
up all tired! Packed, checked out, relatively smoothly, waited outside for the
limo to arrive,
Our Carriage awaits. Care of Presidential Limo's
....this is always a great end to our trips.
Hmmm more luggage going back - must be all the shopping with our winnings!
Getting a bit cooler now than what it hit on the 9th June
I think we need a holiday to let our bodies recover from all the partying...
Checked our bags in
for the long flight home, it left about an hour late, plane was called Hot
Lips.
Hot Lips await for our homeward journey
However
the pilot hit speeds of over 700mph ground speed, Ollie had concerns (as the cabin was shaking well) that this
was too fast for a 747, but we did arrive just about on time (without disintegrating - on this occasion), so made up the hour.
It was quite a bumpy ride home. The Virgin seat pitch for economy seems to be getting
smaller and smaller (since the refurb programme - this must be what they mean by acting on customer feedback), even Lesley who is about 5ft 1 inch had her legs against
the seat in front, and i had someone who was taking over a third of my seat space (no joke!), so not a great flight back to the UK. We need a re-think for our next trip in June 2014.
On
arrival in the UK, Simon (best Taxi service anywhere!) was there reliably on time ready to take us home. This is the best way
to do the last leg of our trip, excellent conversation, makes the last 4 hours
go (between London and Devon) relatively fast.
