This is our Third Las Vegas Trip Report Blog
This June 2014 tour of our 15 day stay starts with
Part 1 - 8 nights at the Aria Hotel & Casino
on the Las Vegas Strip
Here we go again, booked through Finn at Dial-a-flight, as usual he gave us the best price for the package we wanted.
Saturday 31st May - To the Airport
Simon
in his taxi arrived 9.28, spot on time, we had a good drive up to Gatwick
airport, it is a shame that no transatlantic flights leave from the south west.
Good banter on the trip, counted the strawberry sellers on the road side.
As a
bit of a game we each tried to guess how many there would be. The trip is approx. 4 hours but this includes a short stop enroute at a nice watering hole Simon knows and uses regularly for this run.
Arrived safely
at the Premier Inn North Terminal, checked in, chilled down, watched TV -
Lewis, well Lesley did, I checked out the 30 minutes free wifi. We had 2 rooms,
so the boys did their own thing. [See previous Blog for pics and details of Premier Inn Gatwick]
Virgin
Atlantic, have a twilight check in at Gatwick, which starts at 5pm, for flights
the following day, this is great to get rid of the bags and get the boarding
passes. Hence, in the morning, all we need to do is go through security and head to
the gate, so need to arrive at the airport only about 1 hour before the flight is
due to leave. It takes the strain away from the morning. However, on this
occasion the process of check in took over an hour and there was no queue!
{The
funny thing is our bags got upgraded to Premium economy, but unfortunately not us. I did think this was
odd, but it was great to see our bags waiting for us as they came off the
baggage carousel first at Las Vegas}
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| Wetherspoons for our pit stop and refuelling. |
All
done, so off to the Beehive. On arrival at Wetherspoons we all had either Erdinger or London Pride
beers. Ollie and Lesley had the chicken breast burger in Bar -B- Q sauce, Simon
had the Tennessee beef burger, all doubled up, well may as well start as we
mean to go on for the next 2 weeks, I
had the beer battered cod and chips.
Few
more beers later back to the Premier Inn for sleep. However this did not go to
plan as the room was like an oven, this made sleep difficult, but no worries,
too excited about getting to Vegas...
Sunday
1st June - Flight and arrival at the Aria, Las Vegas
Up
at about 7am, had muffin and coffee for breakfast, which we brought with us.
The
Premier Inn is a good reasonably priced hotel with in the airport complex, so
nice and easy. As was the checkout. Headed
back to the airport, plane on time whoopee.
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| Oh dear, screen malfunction... |
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| Phew! disaster averted back in business |
Ollie's
TV screen was not working, but the flight attendant, did manage to get it going
shortly after takeoff. Flight was okay
for a long haul, 10 hours, food, okay not much of it though (Cock au van, mash
and broccoli - drinks were good, but would be nice to have Jack Daniels, but
made do with the scotch whiskey they had) Slice of pizza and an ice lolly was a nice touch
during the flight, then an egg sandwich and cookie before landing.
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| Menu Options |
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| Yep the wing is still firmly attached complete with engine... |
At
last arrived, very friendly from the authorities in Las Vegas, this is always
nice.
We
got through the airport very quickly, as a result the limo was not there,
however another driver from Presidential (our very reliable and excellent VFM service provider) was waiting for another party, he kindly checked
with the office (as we were not hooked up yet phone wise) and said Brittani was on
her way, and sure enough a few minutes later she arrived, needless to say a
great ride to the Aria.
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Aria
check in quick and easy, we can still use invited guests, not sure how long we
will be able to do this as the "M Life" rewards loyalty programme has changed a lot.
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| Aria reception - looking up! |
Allocated
rooms - 18082 and 18084 nice city view,
adjoining and with turndown service, can't wait for the chocolates.
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| View from our room at the Aria. |
Before doing anything else we celebrated our arrival with the complimentary bottle of Champagne from (Presidential) the Limo...
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| Ker-ching - Champagne from the Limo to toast our arrival! |
Lesley
and I hit the casino before unpacking, to play 5 to 7 spins on a $5 machine to
see if we get lucky, on the final spin we got our money back, so not a loss.
Lady Swan Slot Bonus win - Aria Las Vegas
Back to unpack and shower, then back down to the Aria casino.
Amulet & The Charm Slot Win - Monte Carlo Las Vegas
Popped next door to the Monte carlo for a few spins that evening, before returning back to the Aria.
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| OJ getting things warmed up with his mainly VP winnings. |
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| Morning has broken at the Aria |
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Monday
2nd June, Day 2 at the Aria: Visits to Monte Carlo; NYNY and Cosmoploitan
Chaps
already to go by 7am and the advance party headed off down to the casino floor. Lesley did a spot of washing, she arrived in the casino
around 8.30 am.
Gorilla Chief Mega Big Win slot Bonus - Aria Las Vegas
All
had a few spins in the Aria, Lesley won her money back from the previous
evening. Then we headed over to the Monte Carlo for a 2 - 4 - 1 buffet, using our MY
Vegas points.
For those not already familiar, on Facebook there is an app you can access from MLife called My Vegas, which when you play (for free) you can collect the gold coins and trade in for a whole host of different rewards. We tend to go for the shows and Buffets. Normally the 2 for 1 's offer the best value at the time of writing.
A great breakfast for $10 a head and is one of our favourites. However, the jet lag got us, we decided 11am was a little early for bed, so popped next door to the New York New York. Generally we were down only a few dollars each at the NYNY. Lesley brought a dress, so also had something to show for this brief visit.
Strolled through the new Reece's/Hershey shop, with a giant Reece and the Statue of Liberty, over to the ABC store to stock up on water, snacks, (Ruffles, donut holes, Reece's, bugles), beer and fizzy (American version of champagne).
Simon off to bed at 1pm, Lesley and Ollie, headed to the pool for a chill, which was lovely, both in the pools and hot tubs, it was very warm, but always great to see the sun shine. I went back to the casino in the Aria and hit on the Red Hot 7,s.
For those not already familiar, on Facebook there is an app you can access from MLife called My Vegas, which when you play (for free) you can collect the gold coins and trade in for a whole host of different rewards. We tend to go for the shows and Buffets. Normally the 2 for 1 's offer the best value at the time of writing.
A great breakfast for $10 a head and is one of our favourites. However, the jet lag got us, we decided 11am was a little early for bed, so popped next door to the New York New York. Generally we were down only a few dollars each at the NYNY. Lesley brought a dress, so also had something to show for this brief visit.
Strolled through the new Reece's/Hershey shop, with a giant Reece and the Statue of Liberty, over to the ABC store to stock up on water, snacks, (Ruffles, donut holes, Reece's, bugles), beer and fizzy (American version of champagne).
Simon off to bed at 1pm, Lesley and Ollie, headed to the pool for a chill, which was lovely, both in the pools and hot tubs, it was very warm, but always great to see the sun shine. I went back to the casino in the Aria and hit on the Red Hot 7,s.
Triple Red Hot 7's slot win - Aria Las Vegas
This was a nice hit straight in with 3 x 3 x double 7's on max bet 25c denomination.
All in bed by 6pm what a waste of a Vegas night, so got up at 8pm to party!
Da Vinci Diamonds 25c Denom slot win - Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Decided to try a few spins at 25c denom max lines - and hit a nice sizeable win, straight in.
First spin on the 25c Davinci Diamonds won $160, 4 hours later still up by around $50, we had many many cocktails, mainly chocolate martinis or cosmopolitans, so getting a bit tipsy. Bumped into the boys, who also had a good service and no significant losses.
$ WoF Slot bonus spin win - Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
The
last bit got chopped off somehow (cocktails were very good) but this was only a 20 credit win - but still a win.
By now we were geting a bit peckish, so Lesley and I headed off to the secret pizza place, for a 28inch pepperoni pizza with chilli sprinkles and parmesan cheese, then we hot footed it back to our room, with pizza and two rum runner cocktails from the Cosmopolitan.
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Tuesday
3rd June Day 3 at Aria: Visit to Bellagio and taking in the Zarkhana Show
I
went down to Jean Philippe Patisserie to get coffee for all of us, leisurely
got up and met up with the others in the
Aria casino...
We left Aria a little up on the dollar front, so a good start...
Next we headed over to the Bellagio, we all clubbed in $20 a piece for a a bit of fun.taking it in turns to decide either a favourite machine or just one you fancy having a go at. This lasted from 10.30 am to 1.30pm.
Super Times Pay Hot Roll slot win - Aria Las Vegas
Not massive but good for a 40c bet and feeds the budget for some higher rolling spins later, on higher denom machines.
We left Aria a little up on the dollar front, so a good start...
Super Times Pay Hot Roll slot win (2) - Aria Las Vegas
The
same machine hits similarly a few spins later - again not massive but
good for a 40c bet and feeds the budget for some higher rolling spins
later on higher denom machines.Next we headed over to the Bellagio, we all clubbed in $20 a piece for a a bit of fun.taking it in turns to decide either a favourite machine or just one you fancy having a go at. This lasted from 10.30 am to 1.30pm.
Wheel of Fortune 8 segment Bonus wheel spin win - Bellagio Las Vegas
When
the progressive lit up I thought it was one of the higher ones
initially - so for an 8 segment winning spin this was quite
disappointing and goes to show that paying $4 a spin does not guarantee
more than many of the wins I get when low rolling @ only 40c.
Wheel of Fortune slot win - Bellagio Las Vegas
Spud did the winning press of the buttom here for a nice 2 x 5 x 7's hit - playing a 9 credit max bet on the 25c wheel of fortune. I think the mixed Bars also won a few credits on the line above too. We cashed out $80, money back. Hooray, a result for the Bellagio. we all had a strawberry daiquiri or two, Bellagio do make these really well, probably the best on the strip.
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| Crystals front entrance which you can see when walking outside from Aria front entrance to wards the Tram |
Boys
played a little video poker, small loss, back at the Aria. Note the Tram stop which stops this side of the Aria reception is also the one for Crystals. You could walk the other end of the Aria casino and effectively get off at the Monte Carlo end stop.
Getting
hungry, so off to the Aria buffet, we had 2-4-1 lunch voucher from playing My
Vegas on Facebook. This was very good for the price. A good selection of carved
meats, fish, Asian, Greek foods and much more, Lesley and Ollie really like the
lentil soup. (See previous Blog on Aria for more detail / pics etc)
3.30pm
back to the room to chill and prepare for the show Zarkana tonight .
Zarkana
was a really good show, which actually was surprising, I wasn't expecting it to
be that good. We did the 2 - 4 -1 on My Vegas again, so a very good price and really good
seats at the front on the right hand side.
Triple Red Hot 7's Bonus Spins
Warning - Dont watch if you are of a nervous disposition!
Warning - Dont watch if you are of a nervous disposition!
I am only showing this slot Free Games Bonus win, as one machine to potentially avoid due to the absence of payout? Worst ever I think....? but lots of flashing lights.... This was probably just bad luck and that others have had some decent payouts on this machine before.
Bier Haus slot win Free Spins - Aria Las Vegas
Low rolling on Bier Haus is always fun but even more so when hitting into some free bonus spins which was nice following after some small hits I had on the Megabucks.
...by by 10 pm ish, we
were hitting a wall, so off to bed, bit early, but needs must. Slept until 6am,
so a result, getting used to the time zone.Low rolling on Bier Haus is always fun but even more so when hitting into some free bonus spins which was nice following after some small hits I had on the Megabucks.
Wednesday
4th June - Palms Casino (Off strip) visit & Lemongrass at Aria
We
decided to check out the Palms casino, this one is off the strip, we did
consider getting a bus, but with 4 of us thought a taxi, would be best, as it
would be a lot quicker, we just hoped that we did not get the driver from hell,
(we have had a few of these unscrupulous drivers who will take you the longest
route and hence double the cost, this is the main reason we will mostly walk or
take a bus). Our fears were not founded, the taxi driver for both ways was
honest and took us the quickest way, so we were happy to have some faith put
back and nice to meet some honest good Las Vegas taxi drivers, a good tip was
in order.
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| Palms Casino - a quick visit |
Anyway
the boys went their separate ways, Lesley and I stayed together, chipped in $20
each, started on the $4 a push wheel of fortune, hit for $67 dollars, not great
for $4 a push, but at least we did not lose our dosh. It took us a few hours to
lose this, we did have a couple of cocktails, ended up on the 9c machines, which are always
good fun, if you want to play the slots but not lose much cash, another
cocktail later, Ollie was up $17, Lesley and I had lost about $40 each, Simon
down about $160, ouch, also when he went to the Club Palms - reward promotion
desk, they told him he had not played enough for a shot glass, even though he
played more than any of us, we think they got his name mixed up with Lesley,
maybe it was a good thing, as he might not want a reminder of his loss, a shame
though, their loss, I don't think he
will return. Overall we did have a good time and can tick the Palms off the
list to visit on this trip.
We
were all hungry, so checked out the food options in the Palms, but the line was
so long, that we hopped back to the Aria in a taxi, this driver was even
quicker and we had some good banter and a laugh with him.
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| When passing through Aria dont forget to rub Buddah's belly for luck! |
We
went directly to our trusted favourite the Lemongrass. This is a great Thai restaurant, got a table straight away. We started with 2 orders of satay
chicken, this is always a success; mains were Simon: chicken chow mein with
crispy noodles, Ollie: chicken yellow curry, on a zero heat scale, which is
still spicy, Lesley: sweet and sour chicken
and I had the seafood yellow curry heat 4, all really happy with our
food and have never been dissappointed.
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| Chicken Chow Mein with crispy noodles & Seafood Yellow Curry |
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| Chicken Yellow Curry |
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| Hmmmm.. Chopsticks or Cutlery? |
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| Sweet & Sour Chicken |
Lesley
and Simon went back to their rooms for a chill, Ollie went off to the pool to
see the sun go down, he was down there from 3pm to 6.30 pm and I stayed in the
casino, for a while, but feeling a bit tired, so joined Lesley, we watched a
few episodes of the Bear Hunters on the survival channel, was good.
Lesley
and I, went back down to the casino early evening after a freshen up, we both
had luck individually. Lesley won $70 on the Davinci
Diamonds. See below for a few examples of some of my play.
Amulet & the Charm free games win (2) - Aria Las Vegas
Quarter Million$ Instant spins win - Aria Las Vegas
Got 3 instant spins of the wheel on this one (Quarter Million$) - as it does not usually hit much I did not video all the instant spins. There are many examples in previous posts on this channel showing the wheel spins but I did a bit better on this occassion.
After our individual play we cashed out our TITO's and went in together. Played the $5 wheel of fortune hit the Wheel Bonus spin on the first spin.
$5 Denom Wheel Of Fortune Spin win Bonus - Aria Las Vegas
Max bet was $10 a spin - we were hoping for greater things on this one....it shows that high/er rolling does not necessarily pay well, good thing we only did 2 spins on this occassion i.e. after hitting this on the first spon we always do a "spin out" just in case.
Note: On our 1st day at Aria we did 7 spins and got our money back on the 7th spin with 3 "bars".
Cash Wheel Spin win Bonus - Aria Las Vegas
This was a 25c denom max bet 125c a push and won 3 free spins of the Cash Wheel Bonus.
We had several smaller hits after this including the Cash Wheel Bonus above. We had a great cocktail service tonight, 4 hours on, still up on the day, so recouped any losses from the Palms, cashed out, off to bed via the Aria "Elements" shop for a snack.
We had several smaller hits after this including the Cash Wheel Bonus above. We had a great cocktail service tonight, 4 hours on, still up on the day, so recouped any losses from the Palms, cashed out, off to bed via the Aria "Elements" shop for a snack.
The Boys
followed us up to bed shortly after; they had a good evening with again good
cocktails.
Thursday
5th June - Day 5 of our 2014 Vegas Tour
Awake again at 6am, my second eldest sister Chris and partner Den are on their
way to celebrate her 60th Birthday in style, poor things stuck on a plane for 10 hours!
A
slow start today, not that the others are particularly hectic. The boys chilling in bed, Simon hung over.
Lesley and I went down to the Aria for a few spins, boys appeared about noon,
so we headed off to Holsteins in the Cosmopolitan, this is a great place to get
a premium burger and beer. Lesley had the Tennessee burger, Ollie had the chicken club,
Simon and I had the Gold Standard, all with fries and a fried egg, what a
feast, along with a craft beer and not forgetting Ollie's super-duper milk shake.(See previous Blog for Pics).
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| Liberace's Grand Piano in the Cosmo, along with some of his other gear |
After
nosh, we all went our separate ways, us chaps stayed in the Cosmo for a few
spins, we all did okay, whilst Lesley
went back to the Aria. She and Ollie took in the delights of the Aria pool, it
was very hot, so they went for the shade, there is also a hot tub in the shade,
which was lovely especially after a swim in the cool pool. Several hours later,
the pool contingency returned to the rooms to find Simon and I chilling out
watching Pawn Stars, this is a good program, it's interesting to see what folks
bring in to sell/pawn - it is also now on the UK TV.
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| Cleaning windows Vegas Style! a bit blowy out there today though |
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| You need a good head for heights in this job... |
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| On reflection another Vegas High! |
Lesley
and I headed back down to the casino about 8 pm, played until 1am, we had wins
and losses, we had some luck on the Megabucks, then blew it on the $5 Wheel of
Fortune. By now we were a bit hungry, so brought a slice of pizza from the "Five50" stop, this is a
(relatively new at the time of writing) pizza place on the side lines of the casino, so handy. The mushroom / spinach and
pepperoni slices there were good, but a little pricey at $5.50, but they were no
ordinary pizza slices - Large and top quality.
Off
to bed at about 1am, we only had about 4 cocktails each, but they were well loaded,
so did feel a little tipsy, slept to 7am, so a result! [given the jet lag recovery]
=======================
Friday
6th June - Day 6 of 14 Freemont Experience Downtown
Took
the bus to Fremont street, fell into the Golden Nugget, all ended up as usual
in Main Street Station our all time favourite Downtown Casino.
The boys were already playing video poker at the Boars
Head Bar-top and had built up a good rapport with the bartender, oh dear!
They stayed there from 1pm until 4pm, you can only imagine the state they were in, Ollie was up $100 ish, Both very well oiled, needed food urgently,
Lesley and Simon went for the Triple 7 Pub, they had chicken wings in Thai sauce to start followed by ribs and T bone steak, while Ollie and I went for the Main Street' seafood buffet, both places provide excellent food for a very good price.
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| OJ and Spud with the Boars head Bar in the background - Main Street Station Casino |
Enchanted Unicorn slot win - Main Street Station Downtown Las Vegas.
Just
feeding a 9c slot machine while enjoying a Royal Red micro Brew from
the Triple Seven Brewery on site and hit the 1000 credit row of Kings x
double x doubled with the 2 "wild" Unicorns - our main reason for
visiting the Main Street Station Casino as well as it being the SeaFood
Friday special in their Garden Court Buffet - best value in town on all
fronts.
Enchanted Unicorn slot win (2) - Main Street Station Downtown Las Vegas.
Still
feeding the same 9c slot machine while waiting for another Royal Red
micro Brew from the Triple Seven Brewery on site and hit the 1000 credit
row of Kings x doubled with the "wild" Unicorn a second time - wow! They stayed there from 1pm until 4pm, you can only imagine the state they were in, Ollie was up $100 ish, Both very well oiled, needed food urgently,
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| I just hit the Free Spins nicely on the Great Owl while discussing food Options |
Lesley and Simon went for the Triple 7 Pub, they had chicken wings in Thai sauce to start followed by ribs and T bone steak, while Ollie and I went for the Main Street' seafood buffet, both places provide excellent food for a very good price.
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| Triple 777 Pub at Main Street Station - Craft Beers Sampler - for starters! |
On
the way back to catch the Gold Express we stopped at a character artist in the heart of Freemont Street, the boys were too
inebriated to argue, so sat there patiently.
We thought the bloke did well, what do you think?
We
had to walk a block to get the express bus as on a Friday night they have
events at Fremont Street, so the buses do not get access, this was a pain, as
we were all dehydrated due to alcohol, it was very hot, so we badly needed
water, but could only find alcohol.
However when we did get to the bus, it was a quick trip back to the Aria, lots of iced water had by all, bed by 7.30pm, What a day, we have often considered, staying at the Main Street Station, but I feel it may not be wise? The jury is still out on that one....
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| Boys done now our turn to sit... |
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| Fancy working in that heat with everyone walking by - and produce a skilled work of art |
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| You can watch the screen above their head/s for their respective caricature progress |
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| These Artists are perched at this cross junction opposite "The D" in Freemont St. |
We thought the bloke did well, what do you think?
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| Voila - The End Result! |
However when we did get to the bus, it was a quick trip back to the Aria, lots of iced water had by all, bed by 7.30pm, What a day, we have often considered, staying at the Main Street Station, but I feel it may not be wise? The jury is still out on that one....
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Saturday
7th June - 60th Birthday Celebrations at Bellagio with Chris, Den and crew
Awake
at 6am, Jean Philippe Patisserie to get coffee for all of us this time I could not resist the alure of their cinnamon whirl, what
a great start to the day. Today we are meeting up with my big sis Chris along
with Den, they are in Vegas with some friends to celebrate several big
birthdays this year, they are staying at the Mirage.
Of course I went down to the Aria Casino for a few quick spins while people are still getting ready to roll...while waiting I hit straight in to this tidy win on the Tripple Diamond Strike @ 25c denom, max bet = 50c and , this triple wild on the Green 7's.
Triple Diamond Strike win - Aria Las Vegas
Of course I went down to the Aria Casino for a few quick spins while people are still getting ready to roll...while waiting I hit straight in to this tidy win on the Tripple Diamond Strike @ 25c denom, max bet = 50c and , this triple wild on the Green 7's.
So
Lesley and I headed over to the Bellagio for a few spins before the meet, the
boys were still recovering after the Main Street so will meet us later over
there.
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| A bit cooler today - on our walk across to the Bellagio |
We
were actually doing well on the slots, but realised it was nearly 1pm, so
needed to move quickly to get to the Bellagio foyer (under the ceiling display), saw them straight away,
with all their friends, which was nice, we were a big group now, so thought the
Bellagio Champagne Brunch buffet would be a good option at short notice.
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| Champagne Brunch at the Bellagio - multi Birthday celebration |
We skipped the queue, with the M
Life gold waited a few minutes for the staff to sort out a table for 12. Great
bunch of people, so good banter, the boys had also appeared by now.Some
of us had the unlimited champagne or beer, the service for this was good,
glassed topped up very frequently. We spend over 3 hours eating, drinking and
chatting - great way to spend time on holiday.
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| Chocolate fountain |
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| Jean Phillipe Choc Shop |
After Brunch couples headed off to different casinos/experiences, (Luxor Bodies exhibition, Caesars Forum shops... to name a few). We all stayed with Chris and Den, headed over to the Cosmopolitan (next door), via the enormous chocolate fountain in the Bellagio - courtesy of the genius of Jean Philippe (he gets around this guy).
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| Letting the Bellagio's moving walkway take the strain after our heavy session on our way to the Cosmo |
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| From the right - view (Cosmo) from moving walkway... |
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| Ahead Left view (Paris) from walkway... |
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| From the left and slightly back ourselves...view (Ceasars) from walkway |
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| The end of the line or at least the walkway for Chris and Les...what has captured their eye? |
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| Ah yes - the Paris directly ahead from the end of the wlakway. We take a right to go to the Cosmo... |
We pointed out the huge chandelier in the
Cosmo, it spans 3 floors and has a cocktail bar on each level within the
chandelier, so quite a sight.
We
decided to all put in a few dollars each to see if we were lucky, sadly this
was not the case on this occassion, but we did get a cocktail or two each for our efforts, we do like the chocolate martinis, the dosh
did last a while, so was a good bit of fun.
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| The Cosmo Chandalier... |
Said
farewell to Chris and Den, was good to catch up in such a fun city like Vegas.
Over
to the ABC store to stock up on supplies. On our return to the Aria Lesley and Ollie went off to chill in
their rooms, I stayed with Simon in the Aria for a few spins, after about an
hour the others joined us in the casino.
Lesley won $110 on the Davinci
Diamonds, Ollie headed over to the Monte Carlo, the rest of us put in $20 each,
played for ages on this pool and eventually hit nicely on the "Super Times Pay".
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| Enjoying the Free Spins on the Super Times Pay - while I blog |
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| Super Times Pay Slot - in case you want to try it yourself? |
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| The moment it hit the main amount... |
Super Times Pay Free Games - Aria Las Vegas
Max bet, 25c denom and a couple of spins in bit into this set of bonus free games and racked up some nice credits while having a ball at the Aria.....A short while later the 3 of us cashed the TITO and split the money 3 ways, so a good investment on our $20 and now had $70 each. Simon started to hit a (jet lag) wall, I think the cocktails kicked in, so he headed off to bed. Lesley and I played for a little while longer, then off to bed, via the "Five50" pizza place for a quick slice at about midnight.
===============================
Sunday
8th June - Shopping Day @ South Las Vegas
Outlet Centre
8.15am I shoot off as per to JPP for the usual Latte coffee's, late for us again. Simon having
a bad hair and outfit day, so a good day to check out the South Las Vegas
Outlet Centre. Arrived about 12.30 on the Express Gold,] and all agreed to meet at the entrance
in 2 hours time, then we all went our separate ways. Well Lesley and I stayed
together for a while, then as we go at different speeds, went our own way for a
while.
2 hours later; Lesley had 2 pairs of trousers, cardigan and a huge Kitchenaid saute pan with lid, (this will be interesting transporting back in the baggage), the pan is a major success at home, will not doubt get the rest of the set on our return next year.
Ollie
2 funky pairs of shorts; Simon
3 pairs of trousers, including a pair for work at last, a selection of shirts
and T shirts. Me
nothing!!! I not really a shopping kind of bloke and 2 hours of this is about my limit.
All
in all a good session at the mall. Back
on the bus, on the way back you need to change buses at the south terminal,
it's a bit of a pain, but does run smoothly. Soon back on the strip, drop the
shopping and head over to the Bellagio 24 hour cafe.
We haven't visited this one for a while, the boys never been here, so a new experience. It is very plush for a cafe, but hey ho it is the Bellagio. Ordered 2 steak and eggs with hash browns and 2 turkey club sandwiches with parmesan cheese fries. Some focaccia bread arrived, not ordered while we wait, it was delicious, as was the mains, so highly recommend this cafe.
We haven't visited this one for a while, the boys never been here, so a new experience. It is very plush for a cafe, but hey ho it is the Bellagio. Ordered 2 steak and eggs with hash browns and 2 turkey club sandwiches with parmesan cheese fries. Some focaccia bread arrived, not ordered while we wait, it was delicious, as was the mains, so highly recommend this cafe.
Back
to our rooms to sort out the shopping then Lesley Ollie and I headed down to
the pool. The pool complex at the Aria is lovely, had a session in the hot tubs
and pools.
Simon
got a handle on his hair and outfit and went in search of the casino.
We
were all in the casino by 8 pm ish.
Triple Double Diamond win - Aria Las Vegas
: Triple Diamonds x 2 on the Red 7 gives 9 x the normal 80 credits as they
are wild for creating 3 Red 7's plus the Triple Cherrys wild with a
single line of Cherrys too on 25c denom @ Max bet.
I had already headed down to the Casino floor 1st and quickly bit into this tidy Triple Diamonds slot win.
 |
| Spud racking up a nice hit on the Pirate Ship... |
 |
| Not bad for a 40c bet! |
Later, Ollie
was up on the video poker by $210, so cashed out; Spud doing quite well bolstered by his nice Pirate Ship win; Lesley lost a few dollars, so
she and I pooled in together, played for ages on our $40, ($20 each)...
Given our luck had been pretty good generally we decided to do a few spins on the Cleopatra (another of our favourites) at $5 each i.e. 25c denom @ max bet 20 lines - 3rd spin in and we hit the pyramid bonus spins, then it retriggered towards the end...
finally ended up on the Cleopatra it hit the free spins and did retriggers. Given it did not hit any combo of note this was not a relatively high payout out for this (this was our best chance of a handpay) - for the uninitiated the multiplier increases by x1 for each bonus spin so a mega multiplier on the re-trigger just needed one decent combo to give a massive payout, but Lesley was not complaining as she had her eye on a new handbag, this was where her winnings were going...
Cleopatra Bonus spins + Re-trigger 25c - Aria Las Vegas
Given our luck had been pretty good generally we decided to do a few spins on the Cleopatra (another of our favourites) at $5 each i.e. 25c denom @ max bet 20 lines - 3rd spin in and we hit the pyramid bonus spins, then it retriggered towards the end...
finally ended up on the Cleopatra it hit the free spins and did retriggers. Given it did not hit any combo of note this was not a relatively high payout out for this (this was our best chance of a handpay) - for the uninitiated the multiplier increases by x1 for each bonus spin so a mega multiplier on the re-trigger just needed one decent combo to give a massive payout, but Lesley was not complaining as she had her eye on a new handbag, this was where her winnings were going...
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| New handbag from Zarkhana shop by the Theatre at Aria - Courtesy of Cleopatra win for Lesley |
Not
sure where the boys are at this point in time; it's very late, so we took our cocktails up to bed, with
a snack or two, to consolidate another very enjoyable and quite successful day and end of of stay at the Aria Resort and Casino for another year..
--------------------------
Continued in Part 2 of this June 2014 trip Blog...
Covering our stays at the Cosmopolitan and then the Palazzo Resort and Casino.
Covering our stays at the Cosmopolitan and then the Palazzo Resort and Casino.
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