Royally Flushed

A stunning view of Paris Las Vegas as seen from our 25th floor room at the Bellagio.

“Where to stay in Las Vegas” — Hotel Review — The Bellagio:

After our recent three-night stay at the Bellagio, we’re happy to report that the resort remains one of the best hotels in Las Vegas. From the perfect center-Strip location to the recently-remodeled rooms; the posh selection of shops and restaurants and the sophisticated casino; the Bellagio is a worthwhile splurge for Las Vegas visitors.

We’d recently heard rumors that the Bellagio – open since 1998 — was showing its age but if so, we certainly didn’t see it in the maintenance of the hotel or the room we were given. Our room was luscious and restful: sage green, soft golds and creamy ivory tones in the bedding and upholstery were set off by the dark woods used for the furniture and bath vanity. Adding immensely to our enjoyment of the resort was the magnificent view of the Strip and the Bellagio fountains which we had from our 25th floor front-and-center perch. The biggest complaint we had about the room was the small outdated TV but since we don’t spend much time on vacation watching the tube, it wasn’t a huge issue for us.

Bellagio restaurants

We love the restaurant selection at the Bellagio: Olives by Todd English (read our review of Olives here); Palio for a quick breakfast; the decadent Jean-Philippe Maury patisserie; the Bellagio’s own buffet plus the sunny Café Bellagio overlooking the pool and the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens are a few of our favorites when in town.

The pool complex is perfect for a sunny summer day and offers lots of shady spots courtesy of the many trees and well-placed umbrellas.  Pool aficionados may want to reserve one of the large cabanas ringing the main pool.

A “Best Bet” on the Strip

With its great location, plush surroundings plus all the amenities of a AAA Five Diamond Award Las Vegas hotel we can confidently recommend the Bellagio to our readers looking for a posh Vegas getaway. Take a Virtual Tour of Bellagio here.

The new CityCenter construction provides a back-drop to the Bellagio's pool complex.

A comfy king-sized bed plus soft colors make for a restful stay at the luxurious Bellagio Las Vegas.

Simply magical. The Bellagio gardens shine after the sun goes down. (Photos & all content property of www.royallyflushed.com)

No matter how busy we are during our trips to Las Vegas, we still never miss the chance to see what gorgeous seasonal display the Bellagio has in store for visitors to their remarkable Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. We definitely consider it to be one of the top free things to do on the Las Vegas Strip.

For some reason, we always seem to be at the Bellagio during the day but because we spent two fabulous nights there this trip, we were able to visit the famed Bellagio garden at night and see it in all its evening finery. If you have never seen the garden at night, you really should make a point of going because it truly is a different experience once the sun goes down.  You can see from the photos how the ambiance changes day to night.

This summer the display features some popular design elements used in the past including colorful hot air balloons floating overhead and a pair of father and son bears made entirely from greenery. New this year: a brilliantly-lit Ferris wheel with cars brimming with sunflowers; a glass “green house” with aviaries featuring flocks of rainbow-colored birds like lorikeets and parakeets; and whimsical over-sized tin cans pouring forth glowing cascades of water.

The current display will be on view until September 14 when the theme changes to one featuring autumn leaves and harvest time colors.

Daytime reveals colorful balloons and a green house filled with exotic birds.

Dancing waters accented with LED lights put on a show at night at the Bellagio gardens.

The adults-only GO pool at Flamingo Las Vegas is a tropical oasis in the summer.

It may be hot outside but Las Vegas offers lots of great attractions all summer long and you don’t have to break a sweat to enjoy them.

1.  Tour Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino.  Cruising through the more than 1 million gallons of seawater can’t help but make you feel a whole lot cooler.

2.  Order TWO scoops of super-rich, intensely-flavored ice cream at Sugar & Ice at Wynn Las Vegas.

3.  Enjoy a frozen, fruity concoction while lying poolside at any of the city’s fabulous “ultra-pools.” We enjoy the surprisingly hidden tropical gardens and pool complex at Flamingo Las Vegas — complete with real pink flamingos.

4.  Sip a cold beer inside the Fontana Lounge at the Bellagio while watching the fabulous fountain show taking place just outside.

5.  Wander the wide halls of the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood then stop for lunch at the beach-themed Hawaiian Tropic Zone restaurant (complete with bikini-clad servers!) (more…)

Poker Buddy scores with a double Royal Flush for a cool two grand.

P.B.:  “Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino is announcing their Alaskan cruise contest winners tonight.  Do you want to go out for it?”

Me:  “Not really…I’m kinda’ tired today.”

Three hours later —

Me:  “Okay, I got my second wind.  Let’s go out and see if we won a cruise.”

P.B.:  “Yeah, let’s go but I don’t want to play too much.”

Me:  “Nah, me neither.”

Two hours later –

See above photo!  Poker Buddy hits for $2000 on a quarter Triple Play DDB video poker game.  Dealt four to the Royal Flush, he pulls the queen twice for TWO Royals.  Cha-Ching!

Hmm, maybe we should not “want to play too much” more often?  (No cruise by the way.)

Got any stories you wanna’ share?  We’d love to hear them so tell us about your big wins in the comments section of this post.

Want to practice your video poker strategy for free online?  Just go to videopoker.com to play your favorite games on the ‘net’s largest non-wagering video poker site.

Mother’s Day gift-giving.  ACK!  Just the phrase strikes fear into the hearts of mere mortals.  Well, fear no longer.  Here’s our Mother’s Day gift guide — from women who love to play — featuring the perfect gifts for all the women in your life.

1.  Check out this very cool eBags “Piazza Day Bag.”  We love the summery violet color, all the zippered pockets and compartments (perfect for holding our players club cards!) plus the adjustable shoulder strap makes it very easy to carry.  It’s an eBags award-winner and at $49.99, it’s a great deal for a good-looking organizer bag Mom will love.  (You can check out other colors when you visit the eBags site.)

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Interesting.  The casino offers that have been filling my mailbox the past couple of weeks.  Casinos I haven’t played in for months (and really didn’t even spend much money in when I did visit) are sending me bigger and better players club deals/coupons/promotions seemingly every day. One mailer went as far as saying — in big, bold letters — “We Miss You!”  (Wow, how can you resist such a plaintive appeal?)  To sweeten the deal, a couple of $15 coupons accompanied this particular “love letter.”  And, actually, quite a few of the offers I’ve gotten are enough to get me to visit these casinos.

In addition to great room offers, free shows and merchandise giveaways, I’m also noticing quite a few more tournaments and promotional events for both slot and table game players.  Even the offers recognizing my April birthday have better incentives such as the $25 in bonus birthday play from — thank you, very much — Casino Arizona in Scottsdale.  (A side note:  Casino Arizona’s April giveaway is an umbrella.  These are the same people who gave away mittens and a scarf earlier this year.  Hmmm, someone needs to tell them it rains here just about as often as it gets cold enough for mittens and a scarf….)

Also interesting, a number of the offers are coming to me from the casinos via my email box.  Sending offers through email makes so much sense.  Got rooms to fill in a hurry?  Put together a quick email and send it to thousands of club members within a matter of minutes!

So, what does this all have to do with you?

1. Always, always sign up for a players club card even when you don’t plan on playing a lot.  A casino can’t send you offers if they don’t know who you are and where to find you.
2. Do not throw away the mailers unopened.  Who knows what goodies await inside?
3. Sign up for email notifications from the casinos.  You’ll get some great last-minute offers.
4. If you live somewhere it rains a lot, I’ve got an umbrella you can have….

Hotels.com Spring Sale- Last Week to Save up to 30% at Hotels.com! – Expires by 4/13/09

Came across this players club promotion while doing some research for an article I’m writing for “Casino Player” magazine and just had to share it with you.  Seems Easter Sunday in Australia will be extremely lucky for anyone who loves — make that adores — chocolate.  At the Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns, Queensland, players who enter the casino’s “Easter EGGstravaganza” contest have the chance to WIN THEIR WEIGHT IN ASSORTED CHOCOLATES up to 150 kilograms.  That’s 330 pounds of assorted chocolates!

Check out this excerpt from the “official rules:”
“To enter the promotion, Reef Club Members must earn a minimum of 50 Bonus Points on any day and swipe their membership card at the Entrance Terminal on that same day, to automatically receive 1 entry form….

6. A minor prize draw for 1 Easter Basket will be conducted on Sunday the 29th March at 4:00pm and again on Sunday the 5th April 2009 at 4:00pm. A major prize draw for 150 kilograms of assorted chocolate will take place at approximately 4:00pm on Sunday the 12th April.

7. The major prize winner will win an amount of chocolate equivalent to their body weight up to a maximum of 150 kilograms, or if they do not wish to disclose their body weight, they will automatically win 150 kilograms of assorted chocolate.”

Considering my love for all things chocolate, I would SO BE THERE for the drawing.  Even if I wasn’t chosen, I might be able to talk the lucky winner into sharing the wealth because, as the rules state…

15. Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash, services or other goods.

(Now, I also have you wondering what that magazine article is all about but you just have to wait ’til the May issue release to find out!)

Going to Las Vegas and wondering what to pack?  In addition to your clothes — both casual and some fit for a night on the town — be sure to take these items along for a great travel experience.

Camera and lots of memory cards. I can’t believe how cheap memory cards are these days! I have a Canon PowerShot SD770IS 10MP Digital Camera and buy the Kingston 4 GB SDHC Class 4 Flash Memory Card SD4/4GB ($8.99) which holds hundreds of pics. Everywhere I go, my camera goes with me. You just never know when the perfect Vegas view will happen.

Ladies, you’ve heard me talk about this before but I always take a light Shawl/Wrap
with me. Recently, it really came in handy when we headed over to Botero Steak at Wynn Encore and the doors to the pool area were open and letting in a rather chilly breeze. The fresh air was enjoyable but I was very glad I had my cozy wrap with me. They’re also great on plane trips, much better than those where-have-they-been? cheesy blankets the airlines pass out. Pack a wrap just once and you won’t travel without one. (more…)

Better than a box of chocolates? A stop at Payard Patisserie at Caesars Palace on Valentine's Day.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we were going to run a list of our favorite romantic (read expensive) restaurants in Las Vegas.  However, with all the talk about how Las Vegas has become such a great “frugal” destination for travelers (it is!) plus considering the state of the economy — not to mention our wallets — we’ve decided that in lieu of that list, we’ve come up with this list: Seven inexpensive yet fun and romantic things you and your sweetie can do this coming weekend.  (Lots of these ideas can be used in places other than Las Vegas so take a look even if you won’t be traveling for V-Day.)

1.  One of our favorite stores is Bijoux Terner, otherwise known as the “$10 boutique.”  Everything (and we really mean everything) from purses to watches to bold and brassy necklaces and earrings is just $10.  Why not treat your sweetie to a week’s worth of colorful watches or five new handbags in spring’s brightest shades.  No, not “designer” pieces but who wants to spend a ton on a bright orange watch or a psychedelic pink purse anyways?

2.  Try a “celebrity chef” for less.  Case in point; Tom Colicchio, famous head judge on Bravo TV’s smash-hit “Top Chef” is the brains (and toque) behind ‘wichcraft at MGM Grand.  His fabulous meatloaf sandwich is just $10 and almost as good as the beefy entrees at his high-priced Craftsteak restaurant just down the corridor.  Oh, and make sure you save room for the decadent “Whoopie Pie” — chocolate cake layers filled with vanilla pudding. (more…)

Video poker machines wait for tourney players at Bally's in Las Vegas.

One of the benefits of joining a casino’s players club is getting invitations to free tournaments — slots, video poker, table games, even bingo — along with the free hotel stay and other perks that go with the invite.  (Of course, you have to have past play in the casino to receive these types of invites.)

In a previous post, I mentioned that our last trip to Las Vegas was planned around a video poker tournament that we played in at Bally’s Las Vegas.  The tournament consisted of two 10-minutes sessions (one per day for two days) and it is no exaggeration when I say neither of us could hit anything during the tournament play.  No four-of-a-kinds, no straight flushes and certainly no Royals.  We both held four to the Royal, three aces, three low cards, three high cards — you name it — and still couldn’t hit for anything.  Funny thing though, while playing “for real,” we both did pretty well.  All those hands we couldn’t hit on in the tourney, we did, in several instances, pull off in the casino.

I’m thinking about this because we’re playing later this week in another video poker tournament — this time here in Phoenix — and I’m hoping that our luck will have a change of heart and maybe one of us will end up “in the money” this time out.  But, as always, even if we don’t win it’s always fun to compete, meet and talk with other players and generally just go out and have a good time on the “house’s” dime.

By the way, I’ve been practicing my Double Double Bonus tournament-style “holds” at videopoker.com, a great site for free, non-wagering game play.

Sliced apples atop perfect puff pastry from Jean-Philippe at The Bellagio.

As much as I love the hustle and bustle of the Strip in Las Vegas, it’s kinda’ nice to also find a quiet spot and just kick back, relax and soak in the atmosphere.  If you’ve been reading this blog, you know of my fondness for all things sweet — be it a five-star dessert, a humble cookie or a morning pastry — so it will come as no surprise that this little respite from the action included a visit to Jean-Philippe Patisserie at The Bellagio.

While P.B. was enjoying breakfast and the newspaper back at our hotel’s all-day café, I took a walk over to Bellagio to see the latest transformation of the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, pick up a light breakfast and simply enjoy the morning. (more…)

Morels French Steakhouse at The Palazzo made our list of favorites.

Doing a “Best Restaurants in Las Vegas” list is sort of like doing the “Sexiest Man Alive” issue of People magazine.  We’ve probably missed a couple of hotties; you might think a few are past their prime; and we may even have you shaking your head in a “What-the-hell-were-they-thinking-picking-Zac-Efron?” kind of way but, hey, it’s our list and we’re sticking to it.  (At least until our next trip to Vegas later this month….)

And while you can go to innumerable websites and find scrolls and scrolls of Las Vegas restaurant listings, we’re going to give you a workable, two-page printable list of our favorite Las Vegas restaurants — mostly on the Strip — conveniently arranged into different categories.  We’ve even included the 36 links you need to check them out for hours, phone numbers and all the info you may need.  Also, be sure to check out the most up-to-date Las Vegas dining deals and restaurant coupons at our sister site, BestLasVegasValues.com.

Steakhouses:  SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas     BOA Steakhouse at the Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace     CUT at The Shops at the Palazzo     Morels French Steakhouse at The Palazzo     Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian     Craftsteak at MGM Grand     Strip House at Planet Hollywood     N9NE at The Palms     Prime at The Bellagio     Charlie Palmer Steak at The Four Seasons Las Vegas

Seafood:  RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay (either upstairs or the more casual downstairs)     AquaKnox at the Venetian     Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas     Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand     Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab at The Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace     Michael Mina at The Bellagio     SeaBlue at the MGM Grand

Sushi:  Koi at Planet Hollywood     Social House at Treasure Island     Nobu at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino     Sushi Roku at The Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace     Yellowtail Sushi Restaurant & Bar at The Bellagio     Shibuya at MGM Grand

Chef-Driven, Food-as-High-Art, Titanium Card Preferred Fine Dining: Alex at Wynn Las Vegas     Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace     Bouchon Bistro (Thomas Keller) at The Venetian      L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand     Picasso (Julian Serrano) at The Bellagio

Staff Favorites:  Olives at The Bellagio     Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay     Mon Ami Gabi at Paris     David Burke at The Venetian    Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace     Rosemary’s Restaurant (Off-Strip and completely worth the cab ride!)     The Grill at Valentino at The Venetian     Mix at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay