Honeymoon in Vegas

Why Vegas???

I thought the same thing as we were trying to decide where to go on our honeymoon. My first choice was Hawaii, but my wife, Stefany, only had 1 week of vacation to work with, hardly enough to truly enjoy a trip to Hawaii. We then started looking at cruises, and found a perfect one through Royal Caribbean that would have perfectly fit our timeframe of departing on Monday, March 29, 2004 and returning by Sunday, April 4, 2004. However, once we decided that was the cruise we wanted to take, it was SOLD OUT, and this was in November, so my word to the wise, book spring cruises early! We both thought about Las Vegas, but were a little worried that it would not be romantic enough for a honeymoon. We also worried that we would do what we do on all of our trips, which is to run ourselves so ragged that we need a vacation from our vacation when we get back. We finally succumbed to the bright lights and dreams of hitting it big, and decided to start booking our trip. Stefany had been to Las Vegas a couple of times before, but I had only stopped there on a layover on the way back from Los Angeles last year. We relied a lot on the Travel Channel Las Vegas specials and internet reviews to decide on our accommodations.

Las Vegas can be a really complicated place to book a trip to, and there are so many “specials” and “deals” that you really cannot tell which one is the best. We settled on USAir for our transportation, and in doing so gained the advantage of the potential First Class upgrades because my father is a USAir frequent flier. We decided that we were going to spend more money then we normally do on this vacation since it was our honeymoon. After a lot of searching we found an awesome deal for THEhotel at Mandalay Bay which is the newest hotel on the strip. The weekday rates were $169 per night for a 700 square foot suite. We had contemplated staying in one of the honeymoon suites in the Mandalay Bay, but the pictures of the THEhotel suites made it look more appealing for only $10 more a night. However, the weekend rates were far more than we were willing to spend at $279 per night for Friday and Saturday nights, so we started scouring the deals for something that would be less than $150 per night, but there was nothing that met our requirements. We finally found this special deal through Fairfield Resorts (yes, those crazy timeshare people) that gave us 2 nights and 3 days in Las Vegas along with a buffet and show tickets in exchange for sitting through a 2 hour presentation and a minimal booking fee. Normally this package is $99, but we found a package on SkyAuction for $70 for the same thing. We were both a little worried about doing a timeshare deal on our honeymoon! After much deliberation, we felt that it was worth the slight inconvenience to save a lot of money on the trip, not to mention we would have already had 4 days in Las Vegas before we would have to deal with it. We then reserved a rental car through Dollar Rent-A-Car for about $145 for the six days for an “economy” car (Dodge Neon). We also started to plan our itinerary, and what we planned ahead of time ended up being very close to what we ended up doing.

After getting to sleep about 12:30 a.m. after a great night of partying at our wedding, it was time to get moving at 4:00 a.m., as our flight was departing at 5:50 a.m. from BWI airport. I’m all for maximizing time, but this was probably not the best decision. However, the First Class upgrade for our first segment to Charlotte was greatly appreciated as we were able to catch up on some much needed sleep. Unfortunately the flight from Charlotte to Las Vegas was very full, and we weren’t privileged enough to get the upgrade. We knew we weren’t going to be able to check into our hotel until after 4:00 p.m., so when our plane landed around 11:00 a.m., we grabbed our bags and rental car, and drove to Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam is quite an engineering achievement, and there are plenty of exhibits and things to do to fill a few hours. We took the tour to the generators, walked around and gazed in awe at this monumental piece of human accomplishment. After a couple of hours, we drove back towards Las Vegas, and checked out the Ethel M chocolate factory on the way. While it’s no Hershey’s World of Chocolate or Ghirardelli Factory, the factory and cactus garden was a welcome diversion, and probably a great place to take the kids. After that, it was time to check into THEhotel. I usually economize on accommodations, since on most trips the hotel room is just a place to sleep. Since it was my honeymoon though, it was worth a splurge, and THEhotel was definitely worth it! The suite consisted of one main “living room” with a couch, chair, coffee table and end tables along with a writing desk and chair, fax machine, wet bar, plasma TV, and DVD player. The bedroom had an amazingly comfortable bed, two sitting chairs, his & hers terrycloth robes, slippers, and armoires. Then there was the bathroom! In addition to the half bathroom near the entrance to the suite, there was a main bathroom adjacent to the bedroom with a HUGE bathtub (no Jacuzzi unfortunately) and a glassed in shower. All of the walls around the bathtub and shower were black marble and the dual sinks were in beige granite. There were four sets of towels provided, and some of the best bath products I have ever used (shampoo, hair masque/conditioner, dental elixir/mouthwash, body balm/hand lotion, three different kinds of soap, and a shoe polish kit). After staring at our suite in awe for a few minutes we took some time to unpack and unwind.

We had made reservations a few weeks in advance for dinner at Prime Steakhouse in the Bellagio. The Prime Steakhouse has very colonial and presidential decor with one giant window that looks out onto the fountains; however, our table location in the restaurant did not provide a view through the window. We were more than occupied by the exquisite meal that we ate, which started off with steak tartar and beef carpaccio. I chose the crusted duck with fresh greens while Stefany chose the filet minion. We also added on a bottle of wine, potatoes, and creamed spinach. The meal was terrific, but pricey. Definitely a place to go for a special occasion, but not a restaurant I would seek out every trip to Las Vegas.

After a long Monday, we decided to take things slow on Tuesday, and chose to walk around the hotels nearby the Mandalay Bay. The Luxor is a truly interesting architectural wonder, and the inside is just as neat as the outside. We chose not to waste any money on the attractions inside, opting to entertain ourselves with gambling and people watching. The Excalibur is another well themed property, but what I enjoyed most was the $1-3 Texas holdem’. We also walked through the MGM Grand, New York, New York, and Tropicana. We chose not to ride Manhattan Express because of the bad reviews and exorbitant price. After a full day of walking, we decided to call it a day.

On Wednesday, we planned our trip to Primm. Primm is a small town about 45 minutes south of Las Vegas at the California/Nevada border. Primm is home to Desperado, and of Arrow Dynamic’s last creations. Desperado is a hypercoaster that is well worth the drive from Las Vegas, and maybe even worth a drive from Los Angeles. The airtime is phenomenal, and the speed is unrelenting. Primm is also home to 3 casinos that are interconnected by monorails, and was one of the few places I found low limit blackjack ($2 per hand). There’s also a very interesting exhibit of Bonnie and Clyde memorabilia, including their “death car”, in the adjacent outlet mall. While Primm may not be where you would want to spend a vacation, it is a great day trip from Las Vegas, and we both had a great time in this quiet little border town. Later in the evening, we decided to check out “old” Las Vegas and the Fremont Street Experience. I wasn’t terribly impressed by the oversized TV canopy and it’s lame rotating shows. The casinos of old Vegas are not themed, and heavily smoke-laden. The prices, while cheaper than on the strip, were still no bargain, and this trip to Fremont Street will probably be my last.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at the Las Vegas Hilton to take in Star Trek: The Experience. I was especially interested in the new Borg Invasion attraction. After buying tickets (which allow one ride on each of the two attractions) and wandering through the very detailed Star Trek timeline/museum, we rode the Klingon Encounter first. I was really impressed with this attraction -- the theming was excellent, and I’m still trying to figure out how they did the big effect in the beginning (don’t want to spoil it for you!). Borg Invasion came next- it was an immersive experience, with excellent use of the 4-D technology. I was a little disappointed to not see some of the rumored features implemented, but still felt that this attraction is the next generation of the 4-D movie. The movie portion is somewhat similar to the T2 attraction at Universal Studios.

Thursday, we had to bid farewell to THEhotel, taking fond memories of our stay (along with a few bottles of their bathroom products), and we hope to find a great deal to stay there the next time we travel to Las Vegas. We then started in the middle of the strip, and got our check-in assignment for the Rio at Harrah’s. Paris was a very lovely property, and I wish we had more time to check it out. Caesar’s Palace is equally impressive, but a large portion of the property was closed due to expansion. However, the talking fountains were still working, and the show was very cool. We didn’t spend much time in Bally’s or Harrah’s. After walking through many of the more intricately themed properties, those two just don’t make the grade in comparison to the newer casinos. We then went over to the Rio and checked into our suite. The Rio is another all suite hotel, but not nearly the quality of THEHotel. However, for the price we paid ($70 for 2 nights, buffet, and show), it makes up for the slightly lower quality accommodations. I was incredibly surprised throughout our stay at the Rio at how packed the casino was. Of every casino we went to throughout our trip, the Rio’s casino was the most crowded, and was consistently so, even at 2:00 am or 12:00 pm. The room was nice with a bed, sectional sofa, table and chairs, refrigerator, and standard hotel bathroom. It was definitely better than a standard hotel room, and was a great deal. We then drove over to the Mirage and Treasure Island to try to catch the Siren of TI. Unfortunately, due to high wind conditions (10 MPH), the show was canceled, and we were never able to get back over to see it. We then took in the high levels of cheeziness at the Wayne Newton show. (can you get any more Las Vegas than Wayne Newton?)

Later that evening, we had made arrangements to be on the VIP list at Rain, which is a modern dance club at the Palms. Rain is a very cool club, but geared to the younger crowd with liquid nitrogen and fire effects along with multiple levels of dance floors.

Friday turned out to be a wet rainy day, which put a kink into our plans, as we were going to go to the Stratosphere on Friday. We spent the morning doing our time share tour, and while not completely painless, it was an experience that did not detract significantly from our honeymoon. Our salesperson read our demeanor very well, and could tell that we were only there to collect the hotel deal, show tickets, and buffet. We decided to eat lunch at the Hard Rock Café, and walked across the street to the Hoffbrau House for a beverage. After perusing the menu, I had wished we had eaten lunch at the Hoffbrau House, but I did get to drink a beer that I had waited nearly 10 years for (long story). I had left the Munich Hoffbrau House empty stomached, but I had triumphantly left the Las Vegas Hoffbrau House with a smile on my face and ein dunkel beir in my tummy!!! We then went back to the Rio for a nap, and went over to Circus Circus to ride Canyon Blaster.

Canyon Blaster is a pretty good little coaster utilizing the generation 2 Arrow trains (the same trains that were employed on Drachen Fire). After driving back to the Rio, we took a bit of a rest, and then went down to the buffet. The buffet was simply awesome with just about every food you could think of available on a display about the length of a football field. After the buffet, we went to our free show, Showgirls. The show was OK, but not quite as cool as I was hoping. The show chronicles the history of showgirls in Las Vegas by having the ladies show off the fashion of the different time periods of the past 80 years.

Saturday was our last day, and after checking out of the Rio, we wanted to try to get on the rides at Stratosphere before we left. However, when we got there, the attractions were still closed because of the rain. We decided to try to get at least one coaster in before we left and drove over to the Sahara to ride Speed: The Ride. Next to Dragster and Volcano, Speed is probably my next favorite launching roller coaster. The launch is very much like every Premier coaster, but after the high-banking left turn and vertical loop, you get a second boost before climbing the tower for some great airtime and reversing your course back to the station. We purchased the all-day ticket, since two rides on Speed was just about the same price. The all-day wristband also included the Las Vegas Speedway (Nascar and Indy car simulators), which were fun diversions. We had tickets for David Copperfield at the MGM Grand, but we then saw Big Shot launch off the Stratosphere, and had a decision to make. Could we get to the top of the Stratosphere and ride X-Scream and Big Shot in 2 hours, or hope that the rain would hold off for us to ride it later? Wisely we decided to go straight to the MGM to watch an amazing magic show. It was very much like his TV specials with a mix of small intimate illusions, and a couple of big illusions. After the show, we headed back to Stratosphere and made it to the top to ride Big Shot and X-Scream (High Roller was still closed from the rain). Big Shot is not the biggest thrust tower, but the sensations of looking down, and watching the tower platform disappear beneath your feet was terrifying. As scary as Big Shot was, it was nothing in comparison to X-Scream. X-Scream is a teeter-totter on steroids, and the closest I’ve ever gotten to soiling myself on a thrill ride. Both rides are a must for any thrill seeker in Vegas, and a great way to punctuate a wonderful trip to Las Vegas. It was time to get back to the airport, and my new home, wife, and job. Thankfully we gave ourselves Sunday to unwind after taking the red eye back to Baltimore. We weren’t sure how Las Vegas would be for a honeymoon destination, but it ended up turning out to be a perfect destination, and truly a week to remember.

I think the Rio was so full because you were there near the weekend. The Rio caters greatly to the LA crowd. Also, the Palms is a "hip" place to hang out, but it isn't much of a place to gamble, so I think the Rio gets a lot of the people from the Palms now too.

For everyone else, I suggest that a week in Vegas is WAY too much. But Russell did a week right. Side trips, like those to Hoover Dam and Primm, are great ways to get away from the constant assault of the casinos. If you do plan on spending a lot of time in Vegas, try to wind down by the pools a couple days. Go to the hotel sites and check out pools. Mandalay Bay has a great pool area, Russell, did you hang out there at all?

Without the trust fund or the jackpot, however, side trips are a must to pad out a week's stay. Of course, my usual Vegas trip is one or two nights. (Sigh...)

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