CA and Vegas Trip Report
Jun 12th, 2004 | 07:55 PM
#1
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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CA and Vegas Trip Report
This is a trip report for our May 26th - June 6th trip to CA and Vegas. I am typing this in WP and will cut and paste so I apologize for any weird symbols that creep in. I think this will be really long ... if you are only interested in the Vegas portion skip down to Monday the 31st. I have photos of a lot of the places we saw and I?m happy to e-mail so just let me know what you?d like to see and I will send them.
I think it helps to know a little about who took the trip so ... I am 36 and my husband, Ed, is 44. We have been married for 2 years and live in CT. We enjoy moderately active vacations with ample opportunity for relaxing as well. Our tastes in food, especially mine, are pretty basic ... nothing beats a great steak ... but we do try and sample new things as well. This vacation was different for us, we tend to cruise for a longer vacation (we love to snorkel) and do occasional shorter trips to a city (say New York) to take in the sights and see a show. This trip we moved around a lot, staying in several different places. We loved this trip but have an even greater appreciation of what we consider the two main benefits of cruising ... seeing several different places without packing, re-packing, or living directly out of your suitcase AND all your meals paid for up front which helps tremendously with budgeting and relaxing about the budget during the trip. The cost of meals, especially in Vegas, was a surprise even with all the research I did (cab driver there said the cost of meals had risen sharply over the last 4-5 years).
A final note before I get to the details ... this trip was made a hundred times better by all the great advice I got from Fodorites ... both in response to my own questions and in the many other posts I read. The many places you all recommended that couldn?t fit in to this trip are saved in my notes for next time around! THANK YOU!
I think it helps to know a little about who took the trip so ... I am 36 and my husband, Ed, is 44. We have been married for 2 years and live in CT. We enjoy moderately active vacations with ample opportunity for relaxing as well. Our tastes in food, especially mine, are pretty basic ... nothing beats a great steak ... but we do try and sample new things as well. This vacation was different for us, we tend to cruise for a longer vacation (we love to snorkel) and do occasional shorter trips to a city (say New York) to take in the sights and see a show. This trip we moved around a lot, staying in several different places. We loved this trip but have an even greater appreciation of what we consider the two main benefits of cruising ... seeing several different places without packing, re-packing, or living directly out of your suitcase AND all your meals paid for up front which helps tremendously with budgeting and relaxing about the budget during the trip. The cost of meals, especially in Vegas, was a surprise even with all the research I did (cab driver there said the cost of meals had risen sharply over the last 4-5 years).
A final note before I get to the details ... this trip was made a hundred times better by all the great advice I got from Fodorites ... both in response to my own questions and in the many other posts I read. The many places you all recommended that couldn?t fit in to this trip are saved in my notes for next time around! THANK YOU!
Jun 12th, 2004 | 07:56 PM
#2
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Wednesday May 26th - Travel & Magic Castle
Left the house at 5:00 am. Had a car service pick us up. Total cost (pick up and return) was a bit more than double the cost of long term parking and totally worth it.
Originally both our Southwest tickets were on the same reservation, but SW customer service kindly split them into two reservations for us so we could use the online check-in. I checked us in at 12:01 am and printed our boarding passes (A 1 and 2). Great system! This was our first Southwest flight and we like the system. Got the row behind the exit row which is missing a seat (all 3 SW planes we were on had one exit row which was missing a window seat). Great leg room and the seats recline. It was a flight to San Diego with 2 stops but no plane changes. This was a little over an hour longer than a flight with 1 stop changing planes would have been but I booked it because we were not staying in San Diego and I wanted to be sure our luggage kept up with us. Got a snack each leg of the flight and was impressed with how fast SW turns the planes around ... about a half hour to land, get people off and on, clean up and possibly change flight crew, and get back in the air.
Landed in San Diego at 12:30 local time. Picked up a Hertz rental. Not a great experience, lines were long and Hertz had 4 trainees working with only one supervisor to help them and she was also trying to serve customers. I was paying in part with AmEx certificates and it took a long time for them figure out what codes to punch in ... but it worked out in the end. Everyone was friendly and apologetic and I did get the feeling this was a bad day for them and not how it usually runs. The car was a Mitsubishi Elentra Spyder convertible. Once we figured out how to stuff in all our luggage it was fantastic. We really enjoyed this car and highly recommend a convertible if you are driving around CA.
The delay at Hertz put us on the road later than we hoped and the drive to LA was not good. Took 4 hours to get from San Diego airport to Hollywood. LA traffic is so weird. We often came to a sudden complete stop on the highway for no apparent reason and then just as suddenly everybody is flying along again. Nerve wracking. I saved money on both the flight and the rental car by flying into San Diego but wouldn?t do it again unless we were going to spend some time there (it is on the to do list). Stopped at an In & Out Burger for lunch, good burger, great fries. (As you will see if you keep reading, we eat a lot of burgers when on vacation, I actually eat very little red meat when not on vacation so it?s a treat).
Checked into the Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood. Very nice place. Nothing fancy but friendly helpful staff and clean functional rooms. We booked a small room as we were just staying one night but most rooms are larger and include kitchenette. Even ours had a microwave, mini-fridge, and coffee maker as well as a good size closet. The water pressure was very good. There is a cute pool in the courtyard that looked good for a cooling plunge. Self parking is free in a garage under the building. There are 3 floors to this place and no elevators so ask for a ground floor room if you have any trouble with stairs.
We stayed here because it is a way for non-members to get into the Magic Castle, a club for magicians which offers dinner and a series of magic shows each evening. You can walk up the driveway from the hotel to the club (ladies, it is a steep walk coming back down in heels). This place is amazing and makes for a really special evening. The magic is performed in smaller rooms than anywhere else I?ve seen and you get a really up close personal experience. There are 5 or 6 different magicians performing in 3 different rooms on one evening. Everyone is dressed up (suits & ties and cocktail dresses and some in evening gowns) and between shows and dinner you can wander around the mansion viewing old memorabilia and enjoying the several bars, including a small room where Irma the ghost plays the piano and takes requests. We really loved this place and enjoyed the evening even though we were completely exhausted from traveling and didn?t get the nap we had hoped for because of the traffic. This was the only night we could fit this in and we are very glad we did it. If you go plan to go early and make an entire evening of it. Dinner itself was excellent, Ed had Filet Mignon and said it was one of the best he can remember having, I had an excellent Beef Wellington, and enjoyed the Raspberry Mousse as well.
website for Magic Castle Hotel (includes a link to the Magic Castle itself which has a menu and performance schedules posted):
http://www.magiccastlehotel.com/mch/mch.html
Left the house at 5:00 am. Had a car service pick us up. Total cost (pick up and return) was a bit more than double the cost of long term parking and totally worth it.
Originally both our Southwest tickets were on the same reservation, but SW customer service kindly split them into two reservations for us so we could use the online check-in. I checked us in at 12:01 am and printed our boarding passes (A 1 and 2). Great system! This was our first Southwest flight and we like the system. Got the row behind the exit row which is missing a seat (all 3 SW planes we were on had one exit row which was missing a window seat). Great leg room and the seats recline. It was a flight to San Diego with 2 stops but no plane changes. This was a little over an hour longer than a flight with 1 stop changing planes would have been but I booked it because we were not staying in San Diego and I wanted to be sure our luggage kept up with us. Got a snack each leg of the flight and was impressed with how fast SW turns the planes around ... about a half hour to land, get people off and on, clean up and possibly change flight crew, and get back in the air.
Landed in San Diego at 12:30 local time. Picked up a Hertz rental. Not a great experience, lines were long and Hertz had 4 trainees working with only one supervisor to help them and she was also trying to serve customers. I was paying in part with AmEx certificates and it took a long time for them figure out what codes to punch in ... but it worked out in the end. Everyone was friendly and apologetic and I did get the feeling this was a bad day for them and not how it usually runs. The car was a Mitsubishi Elentra Spyder convertible. Once we figured out how to stuff in all our luggage it was fantastic. We really enjoyed this car and highly recommend a convertible if you are driving around CA.
The delay at Hertz put us on the road later than we hoped and the drive to LA was not good. Took 4 hours to get from San Diego airport to Hollywood. LA traffic is so weird. We often came to a sudden complete stop on the highway for no apparent reason and then just as suddenly everybody is flying along again. Nerve wracking. I saved money on both the flight and the rental car by flying into San Diego but wouldn?t do it again unless we were going to spend some time there (it is on the to do list). Stopped at an In & Out Burger for lunch, good burger, great fries. (As you will see if you keep reading, we eat a lot of burgers when on vacation, I actually eat very little red meat when not on vacation so it?s a treat).
Checked into the Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood. Very nice place. Nothing fancy but friendly helpful staff and clean functional rooms. We booked a small room as we were just staying one night but most rooms are larger and include kitchenette. Even ours had a microwave, mini-fridge, and coffee maker as well as a good size closet. The water pressure was very good. There is a cute pool in the courtyard that looked good for a cooling plunge. Self parking is free in a garage under the building. There are 3 floors to this place and no elevators so ask for a ground floor room if you have any trouble with stairs.
We stayed here because it is a way for non-members to get into the Magic Castle, a club for magicians which offers dinner and a series of magic shows each evening. You can walk up the driveway from the hotel to the club (ladies, it is a steep walk coming back down in heels). This place is amazing and makes for a really special evening. The magic is performed in smaller rooms than anywhere else I?ve seen and you get a really up close personal experience. There are 5 or 6 different magicians performing in 3 different rooms on one evening. Everyone is dressed up (suits & ties and cocktail dresses and some in evening gowns) and between shows and dinner you can wander around the mansion viewing old memorabilia and enjoying the several bars, including a small room where Irma the ghost plays the piano and takes requests. We really loved this place and enjoyed the evening even though we were completely exhausted from traveling and didn?t get the nap we had hoped for because of the traffic. This was the only night we could fit this in and we are very glad we did it. If you go plan to go early and make an entire evening of it. Dinner itself was excellent, Ed had Filet Mignon and said it was one of the best he can remember having, I had an excellent Beef Wellington, and enjoyed the Raspberry Mousse as well.
website for Magic Castle Hotel (includes a link to the Magic Castle itself which has a menu and performance schedules posted):
http://www.magiccastlehotel.com/mch/mch.html
Jun 12th, 2004 | 07:58 PM
#3
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Thursday May 27th - Hollywood and Olvera Street
Magic Castle Hotel is just a block up from Hollywood Blvd and Mann?s Chinese Theater. We spent the morning walking around Hollywood checking out the hand, foot, and various other imprints (like George Burn?s cigar and Trigger?s horseshoes) at the theater and looking at the stars. We enjoyed the imprints and spotting names we knew more than I thought we would, a fun experience. Had breakfast at Mel?s Drive In (you sit inside), fun decor and great silver dollar pancakes.
After checking out we drove around wanting to see the ritzy parts of Rodeo Drove, Wilshire, and Santa Monica Blvd but we never hit the right sections, I think we were too far east. Still enjoyed cruising around with the top down and the traffic was light. Then we headed over to Olvera Street, also called (or its part of) El Pueblo de Los Angeles. This was fun for trinket shopping and there were some really nice collectible items mixed in with the more touristy junk. There were some historical buildings as well though we did not tour them other than taking a peak at some old firehouse equipment. Had a very good meal at one of the restaurants ... can?t remember the whole name but it included the word Inn, I had a very good grilled spiced chicken salad with grilled vegetables and papaya and mango salsa and Ed had beef toquitos (sp?). He had actually ordered beef tacos but was happy with what he got anyway so no problem. Only real problem was the very large portions, we are pretty good eaters and could easily have shared something. Then drove to Torrance where my uncle and aunt live and spent the evening and night there.
website Olvera Street: http://www.cityofla.org/ELP/olvera.htm
Magic Castle Hotel is just a block up from Hollywood Blvd and Mann?s Chinese Theater. We spent the morning walking around Hollywood checking out the hand, foot, and various other imprints (like George Burn?s cigar and Trigger?s horseshoes) at the theater and looking at the stars. We enjoyed the imprints and spotting names we knew more than I thought we would, a fun experience. Had breakfast at Mel?s Drive In (you sit inside), fun decor and great silver dollar pancakes.
After checking out we drove around wanting to see the ritzy parts of Rodeo Drove, Wilshire, and Santa Monica Blvd but we never hit the right sections, I think we were too far east. Still enjoyed cruising around with the top down and the traffic was light. Then we headed over to Olvera Street, also called (or its part of) El Pueblo de Los Angeles. This was fun for trinket shopping and there were some really nice collectible items mixed in with the more touristy junk. There were some historical buildings as well though we did not tour them other than taking a peak at some old firehouse equipment. Had a very good meal at one of the restaurants ... can?t remember the whole name but it included the word Inn, I had a very good grilled spiced chicken salad with grilled vegetables and papaya and mango salsa and Ed had beef toquitos (sp?). He had actually ordered beef tacos but was happy with what he got anyway so no problem. Only real problem was the very large portions, we are pretty good eaters and could easily have shared something. Then drove to Torrance where my uncle and aunt live and spent the evening and night there.
website Olvera Street: http://www.cityofla.org/ELP/olvera.htm
Jun 12th, 2004 | 07:59 PM
#4
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Friday May 28th - Redondo, Venice, and Santa Monica
Drove first to Redondo Beach. An attractive pier, we enjoyed walking around it but we got there too early, just before 11:00 am it was still grey and chilly and pretty empty except for those fishing. Headed up to Venice Beach and by the time we got there the gloom was burning off and the sun was shining through. Venice was fun, strange, but fun. It wasn?t that crowded when we were there but enough activity to get a flavor of the place and to realize what it must be like in full swing. People watching and dog watching from the Sidewalk Café where we had lunch are excellent; and the thin crust basil and sun-dried tomato pizza earns a very good from two serious pizza lovers. The menu is extensive, overheard the waiter saying the pizzas, burger (they looked huge and juicy), and chili dogs were his recommendations. Final stop was the Santa Monica Pier which we didn?t like much. It was open but most rides were not running. Fully open it might be good for families, but for us we found it much too commercial and nothing special.
Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with my uncle and aunt and their granddaughter (such a cutey!). They took us to Olive Garden for dinner, I wouldn?t normally mention it as it is a chain and it was a family dinner not a touristy thing, but we were surprised how much we enjoyed it. We have them here in CT but had never been. Salad, Minestrone soup (all you can eat), Cheese Manicotti, and Sausage and Peppers with pasta were all quite good. A notch above most chains I think and a good casual family meal. So many Italian restaurants now it seems are all about the seafood, I say nothing wrong with a little standard red sauce Italian once in a while!
websites Venice Beach: http://www.venicebeach.com/new/index.html
And
http://www.laparks.org/venice/venice.htm
Drove first to Redondo Beach. An attractive pier, we enjoyed walking around it but we got there too early, just before 11:00 am it was still grey and chilly and pretty empty except for those fishing. Headed up to Venice Beach and by the time we got there the gloom was burning off and the sun was shining through. Venice was fun, strange, but fun. It wasn?t that crowded when we were there but enough activity to get a flavor of the place and to realize what it must be like in full swing. People watching and dog watching from the Sidewalk Café where we had lunch are excellent; and the thin crust basil and sun-dried tomato pizza earns a very good from two serious pizza lovers. The menu is extensive, overheard the waiter saying the pizzas, burger (they looked huge and juicy), and chili dogs were his recommendations. Final stop was the Santa Monica Pier which we didn?t like much. It was open but most rides were not running. Fully open it might be good for families, but for us we found it much too commercial and nothing special.
Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with my uncle and aunt and their granddaughter (such a cutey!). They took us to Olive Garden for dinner, I wouldn?t normally mention it as it is a chain and it was a family dinner not a touristy thing, but we were surprised how much we enjoyed it. We have them here in CT but had never been. Salad, Minestrone soup (all you can eat), Cheese Manicotti, and Sausage and Peppers with pasta were all quite good. A notch above most chains I think and a good casual family meal. So many Italian restaurants now it seems are all about the seafood, I say nothing wrong with a little standard red sauce Italian once in a while!
websites Venice Beach: http://www.venicebeach.com/new/index.html
And
http://www.laparks.org/venice/venice.htm
Jun 12th, 2004 | 07:59 PM
#5
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Saturday May 29th - The Coast Drive
Ok - I have to interject a comment here for all the truly great fodorites who provide information for this wonderful part of the country. In your understandable enthusiasm for this place, please don?t discourage people from spending just one day or day and a half driving up this coast. I realize you all urge people to spend more time here because it is simply incredible. However, there are times when it just isn?t possible to fit more time into the itinerary and we almost cancelled this part of the trip (we would have spent one more night with my uncle and flown up to San Jose instead) because I started to get the feeling it just wouldn?t be worth it with the short time we had. Nothing could be further from the truth. This was a spectacular day for us and I am so glad we did it. Of course we are already dying to return and spend more time but I think even just the drive itself, without making even the stops we did have time for, would have been totally worth it. I do thank you for all the great information you gave which helped me plan the best stops to make in the short time we had!
We left Torrance at 6:30 am and drove up 101 as far as San Luis Obispo and then highway 1 the rest of the way. First stop Cambria. We walked along the beach which is a dark sanded beach with lots of interesting rocks. Also good for stone hunting and supposed to have some jade, we didn?t see any but I actually don?t know if I would recognize it if I saw it since I?m sure it doesn?t look like the polished worked jade you buy. We watched some surfers for a while and then I climbed some rocks to get some photos and discovered (too late) they are covered in a black sticky pitchy substance. There is a bathroom at the small parking lot so I was able to change, regular hand wipes weren?t working so used my nail polish remover cloths to get the stuff off my hands ... and my husband says I over pack stuff I?ll never need!
Had lunch at the Moonstone Bar & Grill. Ate outside overlooking the beach. I could watch the waves forever. Good food ... Excellent view. Fish had a nice light coating but was chewy rather than flaky ... nice flavor though. Ed had a good (large) burger. Pricey but your paying for the view which was, for us, worth it. There is also inside seating near large windows that I think must be amazing if your there during a storm.
Made some stops at several scenic spots north of San Simeon point, one overlook was I believe Elephant Seal Point. Lots of seals, mostly sleeping but some jockeying for a better spot on the beach which was cool to watch. There was a crazy squirrel at one spot that came right up to us when my husband called it and then followed us all over the place ... when we left Ed drove slowly along the parking lot (nobody else there) and it jumped from rock to rock following us ... funny now but I thought it was going to jump into the convertible which at the time I didn?t think was funny. Ed was cracking up at the squirrel and my reaction but personally I like a little distance from squirells ... cute from a distance but up close I start to see rats with fuzzy tails!
Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park. We walked down to the waterfall which was a little smaller than I had imagined it but still very pretty and a great view in general, got some nice photos and spent some time just relaxing and enjoying the view. It was fairly quiet, not too many other people, strange because we expected a crowd on the holiday weekend but very nice! We did just that short trail and also walked a little ways into the woods, but there are many trails to explore if you have more time.
At Bixby Creek Bridge there is a good photo spot if you stop on the north side of the bridge. The bridge itself, and others along the way, fascinated Ed who likes that sort of thing and had seen a show on construction of some of the highway 1 bridges.
Point Lobos State Preserve. Wow is this place beautiful! Our favorite stop of the day and a place we want to return to for at least a full day of hiking. We did two of the shortest trails (Sea Lion Point Trail, Sand Hill Trail, and a short section of South Shore Trail) and saw seal lions and otters, rocky coast with spraying waves, wild flowers, and rock formations. Driving out (DRIVE SLOWLY) we paused to let a Momma deer and two fawns cross! Just an excellent park.
It was a gorgeous incredible day. The drive itself includes amazing views and wicked curves. Ed drove and I was terrified much of the time in the Big Sur area but loving every second of it at the same time. Ed had a blast doing the driving and having a convertible made a huge difference. He did however get a burn on his head that shook his denial concerning his thinning hair ... lol ... don?t forget a hat if you need it! I also recommend that anyone with a problem with heights (as I have) make the trip south to north at least the first time you do it. I did a very small portion of it (closer to San Fran so not even the scariest part) by myself a few years ago and driving north to south was tough especially when you meet a huge RV going the other way! Watch your gas on this drive, you use more than you might think going slowly up and down those hills and curves. We came close to running out and the stations are few and far between. Stopped at Big Sur Center where gas was $3.19 a gallon! I guess its tough to get the gas up there and we were so close to empty we were (almost) happy to pay it.
Checked into the Monterey Marriott just after 5:30. Very nice room (904, King, Ocean View), large and pretty with a good view of the bay ... off to the side a bit but still good, and very comfy bed. Two problems, really poor water pressure and a very loud wedding reception on the 10th floor; at times it sounded like the DJ and speakers were in our room. We would stay here again, we really liked the room and the hotel, but would ask for a lower floor. We spoke with the front desk manager the next morning and he confirmed it is a problem for them (just basically a bad design I think with no thought to sound proofing for the 10th floor event area) but claims that it only really impacts the 9th floor. We had called down to the desk that night (along with several other people I was told) and it did seem to improve slightly after that.
Walked around Fisherman?s Wharf which is fine but we had really seen enough shops and trinkets at that point. We do want to get back to Monterey though to see more of it and try some kayaking and boat trips from there. Made a big mistake with dinner, got sticker shock from the prices displayed by the restaurants at Fisherman?s Wharf (too tired to drive anyplace else) so we ignored the recommendation we got from you all (for Domenico?s as a good wharf choice) and went to Rappa?s (at the very end of the wharf). Sand dabs were so so (my first time trying them but they must be better than this for everyone to be recommending them), Ed?s steak was barely mediocre, service was terrible. Only good point was the set up which gave a nice view of bay activity from almost every table.
websites JFB State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=578
Point Lobos: http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/
Ok - I have to interject a comment here for all the truly great fodorites who provide information for this wonderful part of the country. In your understandable enthusiasm for this place, please don?t discourage people from spending just one day or day and a half driving up this coast. I realize you all urge people to spend more time here because it is simply incredible. However, there are times when it just isn?t possible to fit more time into the itinerary and we almost cancelled this part of the trip (we would have spent one more night with my uncle and flown up to San Jose instead) because I started to get the feeling it just wouldn?t be worth it with the short time we had. Nothing could be further from the truth. This was a spectacular day for us and I am so glad we did it. Of course we are already dying to return and spend more time but I think even just the drive itself, without making even the stops we did have time for, would have been totally worth it. I do thank you for all the great information you gave which helped me plan the best stops to make in the short time we had!
We left Torrance at 6:30 am and drove up 101 as far as San Luis Obispo and then highway 1 the rest of the way. First stop Cambria. We walked along the beach which is a dark sanded beach with lots of interesting rocks. Also good for stone hunting and supposed to have some jade, we didn?t see any but I actually don?t know if I would recognize it if I saw it since I?m sure it doesn?t look like the polished worked jade you buy. We watched some surfers for a while and then I climbed some rocks to get some photos and discovered (too late) they are covered in a black sticky pitchy substance. There is a bathroom at the small parking lot so I was able to change, regular hand wipes weren?t working so used my nail polish remover cloths to get the stuff off my hands ... and my husband says I over pack stuff I?ll never need!
Had lunch at the Moonstone Bar & Grill. Ate outside overlooking the beach. I could watch the waves forever. Good food ... Excellent view. Fish had a nice light coating but was chewy rather than flaky ... nice flavor though. Ed had a good (large) burger. Pricey but your paying for the view which was, for us, worth it. There is also inside seating near large windows that I think must be amazing if your there during a storm.
Made some stops at several scenic spots north of San Simeon point, one overlook was I believe Elephant Seal Point. Lots of seals, mostly sleeping but some jockeying for a better spot on the beach which was cool to watch. There was a crazy squirrel at one spot that came right up to us when my husband called it and then followed us all over the place ... when we left Ed drove slowly along the parking lot (nobody else there) and it jumped from rock to rock following us ... funny now but I thought it was going to jump into the convertible which at the time I didn?t think was funny. Ed was cracking up at the squirrel and my reaction but personally I like a little distance from squirells ... cute from a distance but up close I start to see rats with fuzzy tails!
Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park. We walked down to the waterfall which was a little smaller than I had imagined it but still very pretty and a great view in general, got some nice photos and spent some time just relaxing and enjoying the view. It was fairly quiet, not too many other people, strange because we expected a crowd on the holiday weekend but very nice! We did just that short trail and also walked a little ways into the woods, but there are many trails to explore if you have more time.
At Bixby Creek Bridge there is a good photo spot if you stop on the north side of the bridge. The bridge itself, and others along the way, fascinated Ed who likes that sort of thing and had seen a show on construction of some of the highway 1 bridges.
Point Lobos State Preserve. Wow is this place beautiful! Our favorite stop of the day and a place we want to return to for at least a full day of hiking. We did two of the shortest trails (Sea Lion Point Trail, Sand Hill Trail, and a short section of South Shore Trail) and saw seal lions and otters, rocky coast with spraying waves, wild flowers, and rock formations. Driving out (DRIVE SLOWLY) we paused to let a Momma deer and two fawns cross! Just an excellent park.
It was a gorgeous incredible day. The drive itself includes amazing views and wicked curves. Ed drove and I was terrified much of the time in the Big Sur area but loving every second of it at the same time. Ed had a blast doing the driving and having a convertible made a huge difference. He did however get a burn on his head that shook his denial concerning his thinning hair ... lol ... don?t forget a hat if you need it! I also recommend that anyone with a problem with heights (as I have) make the trip south to north at least the first time you do it. I did a very small portion of it (closer to San Fran so not even the scariest part) by myself a few years ago and driving north to south was tough especially when you meet a huge RV going the other way! Watch your gas on this drive, you use more than you might think going slowly up and down those hills and curves. We came close to running out and the stations are few and far between. Stopped at Big Sur Center where gas was $3.19 a gallon! I guess its tough to get the gas up there and we were so close to empty we were (almost) happy to pay it.
Checked into the Monterey Marriott just after 5:30. Very nice room (904, King, Ocean View), large and pretty with a good view of the bay ... off to the side a bit but still good, and very comfy bed. Two problems, really poor water pressure and a very loud wedding reception on the 10th floor; at times it sounded like the DJ and speakers were in our room. We would stay here again, we really liked the room and the hotel, but would ask for a lower floor. We spoke with the front desk manager the next morning and he confirmed it is a problem for them (just basically a bad design I think with no thought to sound proofing for the 10th floor event area) but claims that it only really impacts the 9th floor. We had called down to the desk that night (along with several other people I was told) and it did seem to improve slightly after that.
Walked around Fisherman?s Wharf which is fine but we had really seen enough shops and trinkets at that point. We do want to get back to Monterey though to see more of it and try some kayaking and boat trips from there. Made a big mistake with dinner, got sticker shock from the prices displayed by the restaurants at Fisherman?s Wharf (too tired to drive anyplace else) so we ignored the recommendation we got from you all (for Domenico?s as a good wharf choice) and went to Rappa?s (at the very end of the wharf). Sand dabs were so so (my first time trying them but they must be better than this for everyone to be recommending them), Ed?s steak was barely mediocre, service was terrible. Only good point was the set up which gave a nice view of bay activity from almost every table.
websites JFB State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=578
Point Lobos: http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/
Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:00 PM
#6
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Sunday May 30th - Monterey Aquarium, Festival, San Jose
We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Marriott (included in room rate). Spent the morning at the Aquarium which is expensive but one of the nicest we have been to. Seems truly excellent for kids with lots of hands on stuff. Our favorites were the otters, the jellyfish, and the close up look at the shore birds. We got our tickets from the Marriott and skipped the enormous line to buy them at the Aquarium. You can walk from the Marriott but it is a 20 minute walk. We walked there and took the slow but free trolley back (stops at another hotel very close to Marriott).
We checked out and left our bags in the Marriott luggage room. Had a late lunch at the Marriott, we love the Marriott burgers and fries you can get in almost any Marriott. There was a street fair going on just a block or so from the hotel with some nice arts & crafts booths and some really good music ... band called 8 Second Ride was excellent. Then drove to San Jose to see friends, an easy drive from Monterey.
After a great evening with our friends we drove up to Oakland and stayed at the Oakland Courtyard by Marriott near the airport. Had a nice clean room, very good water pressure, coffee maker, sink outside the toilet & shower room, and nice efficient staff at check in even though she was all alone and very busy as there were lots of people checking in late that night including a large group. We weren?t there long enough to use it, but the pool and jacuzzi looked good.
We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Marriott (included in room rate). Spent the morning at the Aquarium which is expensive but one of the nicest we have been to. Seems truly excellent for kids with lots of hands on stuff. Our favorites were the otters, the jellyfish, and the close up look at the shore birds. We got our tickets from the Marriott and skipped the enormous line to buy them at the Aquarium. You can walk from the Marriott but it is a 20 minute walk. We walked there and took the slow but free trolley back (stops at another hotel very close to Marriott).
We checked out and left our bags in the Marriott luggage room. Had a late lunch at the Marriott, we love the Marriott burgers and fries you can get in almost any Marriott. There was a street fair going on just a block or so from the hotel with some nice arts & crafts booths and some really good music ... band called 8 Second Ride was excellent. Then drove to San Jose to see friends, an easy drive from Monterey.
After a great evening with our friends we drove up to Oakland and stayed at the Oakland Courtyard by Marriott near the airport. Had a nice clean room, very good water pressure, coffee maker, sink outside the toilet & shower room, and nice efficient staff at check in even though she was all alone and very busy as there were lots of people checking in late that night including a large group. We weren?t there long enough to use it, but the pool and jacuzzi looked good.
Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:01 PM
#7
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Monday May 31st - VEGAS!
Nice short flight from Oakland to Vegas on SW; got boarding passes at the airport and still got A?s. Picked up a compact, Hyundai Accent from Dollar, we didn?t really need the car till Wednesday but the price for the two extra days when picking up at the airport worked out about even with the price for a Wednesday pick up at a strip hotel location plus the taxi ride ... with free valet parking seemed easier to just pick it up at the airport. Long lines at Dollar but no problems with reservation made online through SW website.
Drove to Mirage ... we loved this place! The atrium with trees, flowers, and waterfall is great and even smells good and there is a large aquarium behind the registration desk. We were able to check in at like 11:30 with no problem. A word about choosing a hotel in Vegas, there are so many it can be VERY confusing but don?t forget to take into account the atmosphere of a place and how it will suit your tastes. Our original reservation was Bellagio, which is a beautiful place that gets good reviews on this site. I had a lake view room reserved and was craving a suite but couldn?t make up my mind to spend the money. Then I found a great rate for a Mirage Tower Suite and changed to that, we are so glad we did. While Bellaggio is beautiful, it seems atmosphere wise to take itself too seriously for our taste, Mirage is more our style at least for a Vegas vacation. While the Tower Suite itself was elegant and luxurious, an oasis of calm, the Mirage itself is FUN! We loved it from details like the colorful parrots on top of the signs at the reservations desk, to the feel of the casino, the tiger viewing areas (the free one and the Garden), the dolphins, the fantastic pool, everything. The suite was huge, with a great view of the pool and the southern part of the strip, including Paris. It had a bar area (sink, mini fridge AND mini bar), a living room, dining area, and bedroom with floor to ceiling windows the length of the suite. The tv in the bedroom rose up out of a table at the foot of the bed (Ed loved that). Off the bedroom was the bathroom and changing area. First large room of it had the jacuzzi tub (fantastic), the separate glass shower (really excellent water pressure), and two sinks with lots of counter space including a make up mirror and small bench to sit on; there is changing area off the main bath area with floor to ceiling mirrors and a good size dresser; off that area are the walk in closet with safe (on the small side) and the separate toilet room with bidet. The robes and the towels were the best we?ve had, so soft and fluffy, and with nice large size bath sheets. Turn down service includes flowers fresh from Hawaii and excellent chocolates. In case you haven?t yet figured it out we LOVED this Suite!
We headed over to TI for lunch at Kahunaville, very good but again pricey and with the portion size we should have shared and saved some money. Had macadamia nut chicken on sticks in a sauce I think was strawberry for an appetizer, I had an excellent BBQ chicken sandwich on sweet bread with chips and salsa and Ed had steak stir fry he said was good with excellent rice. Strawberry Banana Colada was a yummy layered drink and came with an extra shot of rum in a test tube.
We walked over the pedestrian bridge to the Venetian, checked out the Gondola ride but didn?t try it. Saw living statutes (pretty incredible to me that someone can be that still), Grand Canal Shops are nice for window shopping but very upscale.
Headed back to the Mirage for a swim. Pool is fantastic, big, free form, large waterfall that feels great if you let it pound on your shoulders, water slide. The two jacuzzis are well shaded and hot enough for a good soak. Pool was not very crowded and there were plenty of lounge chairs in and out of the shade (I?m sure it is more crowded on weekends). Pool is only 3 and a half feet deep so it?s a bit hard to really swim even in the section with marked lanes but I understand that is true of most Vegas pools. The cabanas looked luxurious, like little furnished mini rooms. Back in the suite I soaked in the jacuzzi tub ... wonderful.
We had dinner at the Mirage buffet, $20.50 each, Ed said prime rib was good, the roast turkey was very good, mashed much better than average for a buffet. There was good variety, good desserts, and everything we tried ranged from average to very good.
Walked over to Caesar?s after dinner, the Race for Atlantis Ride was closed and we missed the fountain show. Forum shops were nice and some more reasonable than the almost entirely upscale Grand Canal Shops. Some construction going on at Caesar?s so it will be getting even bigger. Walked by TI to see the Sirens show but it was way too crowded, if you want to see it get there very early, if you don?t like crowds (people were packed in VERY tight) try to get seats in the Battle bar which is supposed to have a good view of the show. We did see some of the fireworks ... looks (and sounds) like a pretty cheesy show with some good pyrotechnics. Did see the Mirage volcano which was fun to watch, if its crowded up front you can get a pretty good view from behind near the valet parking area.
Nice short flight from Oakland to Vegas on SW; got boarding passes at the airport and still got A?s. Picked up a compact, Hyundai Accent from Dollar, we didn?t really need the car till Wednesday but the price for the two extra days when picking up at the airport worked out about even with the price for a Wednesday pick up at a strip hotel location plus the taxi ride ... with free valet parking seemed easier to just pick it up at the airport. Long lines at Dollar but no problems with reservation made online through SW website.
Drove to Mirage ... we loved this place! The atrium with trees, flowers, and waterfall is great and even smells good and there is a large aquarium behind the registration desk. We were able to check in at like 11:30 with no problem. A word about choosing a hotel in Vegas, there are so many it can be VERY confusing but don?t forget to take into account the atmosphere of a place and how it will suit your tastes. Our original reservation was Bellagio, which is a beautiful place that gets good reviews on this site. I had a lake view room reserved and was craving a suite but couldn?t make up my mind to spend the money. Then I found a great rate for a Mirage Tower Suite and changed to that, we are so glad we did. While Bellaggio is beautiful, it seems atmosphere wise to take itself too seriously for our taste, Mirage is more our style at least for a Vegas vacation. While the Tower Suite itself was elegant and luxurious, an oasis of calm, the Mirage itself is FUN! We loved it from details like the colorful parrots on top of the signs at the reservations desk, to the feel of the casino, the tiger viewing areas (the free one and the Garden), the dolphins, the fantastic pool, everything. The suite was huge, with a great view of the pool and the southern part of the strip, including Paris. It had a bar area (sink, mini fridge AND mini bar), a living room, dining area, and bedroom with floor to ceiling windows the length of the suite. The tv in the bedroom rose up out of a table at the foot of the bed (Ed loved that). Off the bedroom was the bathroom and changing area. First large room of it had the jacuzzi tub (fantastic), the separate glass shower (really excellent water pressure), and two sinks with lots of counter space including a make up mirror and small bench to sit on; there is changing area off the main bath area with floor to ceiling mirrors and a good size dresser; off that area are the walk in closet with safe (on the small side) and the separate toilet room with bidet. The robes and the towels were the best we?ve had, so soft and fluffy, and with nice large size bath sheets. Turn down service includes flowers fresh from Hawaii and excellent chocolates. In case you haven?t yet figured it out we LOVED this Suite!
We headed over to TI for lunch at Kahunaville, very good but again pricey and with the portion size we should have shared and saved some money. Had macadamia nut chicken on sticks in a sauce I think was strawberry for an appetizer, I had an excellent BBQ chicken sandwich on sweet bread with chips and salsa and Ed had steak stir fry he said was good with excellent rice. Strawberry Banana Colada was a yummy layered drink and came with an extra shot of rum in a test tube.
We walked over the pedestrian bridge to the Venetian, checked out the Gondola ride but didn?t try it. Saw living statutes (pretty incredible to me that someone can be that still), Grand Canal Shops are nice for window shopping but very upscale.
Headed back to the Mirage for a swim. Pool is fantastic, big, free form, large waterfall that feels great if you let it pound on your shoulders, water slide. The two jacuzzis are well shaded and hot enough for a good soak. Pool was not very crowded and there were plenty of lounge chairs in and out of the shade (I?m sure it is more crowded on weekends). Pool is only 3 and a half feet deep so it?s a bit hard to really swim even in the section with marked lanes but I understand that is true of most Vegas pools. The cabanas looked luxurious, like little furnished mini rooms. Back in the suite I soaked in the jacuzzi tub ... wonderful.
We had dinner at the Mirage buffet, $20.50 each, Ed said prime rib was good, the roast turkey was very good, mashed much better than average for a buffet. There was good variety, good desserts, and everything we tried ranged from average to very good.
Walked over to Caesar?s after dinner, the Race for Atlantis Ride was closed and we missed the fountain show. Forum shops were nice and some more reasonable than the almost entirely upscale Grand Canal Shops. Some construction going on at Caesar?s so it will be getting even bigger. Walked by TI to see the Sirens show but it was way too crowded, if you want to see it get there very early, if you don?t like crowds (people were packed in VERY tight) try to get seats in the Battle bar which is supposed to have a good view of the show. We did see some of the fireworks ... looks (and sounds) like a pretty cheesy show with some good pyrotechnics. Did see the Mirage volcano which was fun to watch, if its crowded up front you can get a pretty good view from behind near the valet parking area.
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Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:02 PM
#8
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Joined: May 2003
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Tuesday June 1st - Vegas Strip
Started the day with coffee, croissant, and fruit danish from Roasted Bean (Beanery?) which is near the pool entrance at the Mirage. Coffee too hot to drink right away but good when it cooled down (I switched to iced coffee after this which was a better idea anyway). Croissants and danish don?t taste quite as good as they look (they look delicious) but are still pretty good. We then headed for the pool for a dip, we just wanted to start the day with a swim but we were joined by some lounge chair fanatics who just had to have their special chairs for the day. LOL. About 15-20 people were lined up and when the pool opened they actually RAN for their favorite chairs, with sooooo many lounge chairs at this pool and the fact that it never really got that crowded while we were there, it was pretty funny.
After a very pleasant swim we got ready and headed out for a day on the strip. Every day we were in Vegas was well over a hundred (105, 106), a bit hot for late May early June, we heard temperatures dropped back to what I think is more normal low 90s right after we left. I also believe the Strip is hotter than the temps reported at the airport, all those people, all the traffic, all the enormous buildings dumping heat ... its hot. And that business about it being a dry heat ... well ok but over a hundred is still hot. The good thing about dry heat is you don?t really sweat, but it also gave me a mild bloody nose and it felt like all the moisture in your body was being leached out. Still, it can be dealt with if you just take it slow and drink plenty of water, and remember everything on the Strip is farther away than it looks, you often can?t walk straight there but must detour around construction or through little shopping areas, and once you get there you could still be in for what seems like miles of indoor walking before your really there.
Checked out: Bellagio, very elegant, lobby ceiling of colored glass beautiful and unique, conservatory amazing with a miniature fountain show of its own; New York New York, fun, steam rising from manholes a nice touch, lots of casual eating places, we had good pizza by the slice, check out the restrooms in the casino lever ... most of the restrooms I went into in Vegas (with the notable exception of Paris) were very nice and very clean but these were fun ... and the automatic paper dispenser is a great idea that I hope spreads; Excalibur, fun to look at on the outside, Dragon v. Merlin show in the moat was closed (and moat was empty, I think it normally must have water in it), just a casino really on the inside at least where you first walk in, but kids might like the dragon and knight statutes, didn?t go in very far so don?t know what else is there; took the tram from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay, shark reef is a long walk from the tram stop, saw the pool which looks fantastic, shark reef is good, especially the tunnels where they swim over you, but overpriced at $15 each, might have seemed better if we hadn?t seen the Monterey Aquarium a few days before; Luxor, you can stop at Luxor on the tram between Mandalay Bay and Excalibur (but not when going south only north), just stopped in to look up in the pyramid, cool but seems smaller than you might think.
Exhausted, took a cab back to Mirage. So tired we couldn?t make a food decision so we hit the buffet again, at $17.50 it is better deal than dinner and we couldn?t see much difference in the offerings. We ate too much though considering we had early dinner reservations. Had another dip in the pool, tried to do some laps, still not very crowded and no problem getting chairs. Took a short nap, dressed and went down to see the dolphins and big cats in the Secret Garden. Very nice but the only humid place we found in Vegas, dress accordingly. We liked that the cats are rotated through and don?t have to live in the nice, but small, spaces here all the time. They seem happy enough (one pair of lions was comfortable enough to give an x rated performance which had some parents hemming and hawing to explain to fascinated kids).
Dinner at Samba (in Mirage) was great. They have a regular menu but we did the rodezio grill, like 9 different meats are brought to the table in random order on big skewers and you are served however much you want of each. The meats (including various beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and fish) were very good, some unusual, and the sides were very good as well, I really liked the plantains. This was fun and something different for us and we really enjoyed it but strongly recommend if you go, go HUNGRY. Then saw impersonator Danny Gans (at the Mirage), terrific show, well worth the money, he did what seemed like hundreds of voices (from Joe Cocker to Garth Brooks to George Burns and so many many more), almost all dead on, great music, very funny, just a great show. Walked down the strip after dinner, hit a photo place in Harrahs (separate entrance right on the strip) that burned a cd of our pics for us in like 20 minutes, then saw the Bellagio fountains which were incredible, I could watch those fountains dance for hours. Back at the Mirage we collapsed!
Started the day with coffee, croissant, and fruit danish from Roasted Bean (Beanery?) which is near the pool entrance at the Mirage. Coffee too hot to drink right away but good when it cooled down (I switched to iced coffee after this which was a better idea anyway). Croissants and danish don?t taste quite as good as they look (they look delicious) but are still pretty good. We then headed for the pool for a dip, we just wanted to start the day with a swim but we were joined by some lounge chair fanatics who just had to have their special chairs for the day. LOL. About 15-20 people were lined up and when the pool opened they actually RAN for their favorite chairs, with sooooo many lounge chairs at this pool and the fact that it never really got that crowded while we were there, it was pretty funny.
After a very pleasant swim we got ready and headed out for a day on the strip. Every day we were in Vegas was well over a hundred (105, 106), a bit hot for late May early June, we heard temperatures dropped back to what I think is more normal low 90s right after we left. I also believe the Strip is hotter than the temps reported at the airport, all those people, all the traffic, all the enormous buildings dumping heat ... its hot. And that business about it being a dry heat ... well ok but over a hundred is still hot. The good thing about dry heat is you don?t really sweat, but it also gave me a mild bloody nose and it felt like all the moisture in your body was being leached out. Still, it can be dealt with if you just take it slow and drink plenty of water, and remember everything on the Strip is farther away than it looks, you often can?t walk straight there but must detour around construction or through little shopping areas, and once you get there you could still be in for what seems like miles of indoor walking before your really there.
Checked out: Bellagio, very elegant, lobby ceiling of colored glass beautiful and unique, conservatory amazing with a miniature fountain show of its own; New York New York, fun, steam rising from manholes a nice touch, lots of casual eating places, we had good pizza by the slice, check out the restrooms in the casino lever ... most of the restrooms I went into in Vegas (with the notable exception of Paris) were very nice and very clean but these were fun ... and the automatic paper dispenser is a great idea that I hope spreads; Excalibur, fun to look at on the outside, Dragon v. Merlin show in the moat was closed (and moat was empty, I think it normally must have water in it), just a casino really on the inside at least where you first walk in, but kids might like the dragon and knight statutes, didn?t go in very far so don?t know what else is there; took the tram from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay, shark reef is a long walk from the tram stop, saw the pool which looks fantastic, shark reef is good, especially the tunnels where they swim over you, but overpriced at $15 each, might have seemed better if we hadn?t seen the Monterey Aquarium a few days before; Luxor, you can stop at Luxor on the tram between Mandalay Bay and Excalibur (but not when going south only north), just stopped in to look up in the pyramid, cool but seems smaller than you might think.
Exhausted, took a cab back to Mirage. So tired we couldn?t make a food decision so we hit the buffet again, at $17.50 it is better deal than dinner and we couldn?t see much difference in the offerings. We ate too much though considering we had early dinner reservations. Had another dip in the pool, tried to do some laps, still not very crowded and no problem getting chairs. Took a short nap, dressed and went down to see the dolphins and big cats in the Secret Garden. Very nice but the only humid place we found in Vegas, dress accordingly. We liked that the cats are rotated through and don?t have to live in the nice, but small, spaces here all the time. They seem happy enough (one pair of lions was comfortable enough to give an x rated performance which had some parents hemming and hawing to explain to fascinated kids).
Dinner at Samba (in Mirage) was great. They have a regular menu but we did the rodezio grill, like 9 different meats are brought to the table in random order on big skewers and you are served however much you want of each. The meats (including various beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and fish) were very good, some unusual, and the sides were very good as well, I really liked the plantains. This was fun and something different for us and we really enjoyed it but strongly recommend if you go, go HUNGRY. Then saw impersonator Danny Gans (at the Mirage), terrific show, well worth the money, he did what seemed like hundreds of voices (from Joe Cocker to Garth Brooks to George Burns and so many many more), almost all dead on, great music, very funny, just a great show. Walked down the strip after dinner, hit a photo place in Harrahs (separate entrance right on the strip) that burned a cd of our pics for us in like 20 minutes, then saw the Bellagio fountains which were incredible, I could watch those fountains dance for hours. Back at the Mirage we collapsed!
Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:03 PM
#9
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Wednesday June 2nd - Strip, JW Marriott, Freemont Street
Breakfast was coffee and pastry again, shared a very good (enormous) slice of banana bread and had another early swim in the pool. Packed up, checked out, got lost ... ridiculous! I did tons of research for this trip and somewhere along the line I got it into my head that the JW Marriott was in the Lake Las Vegas resort area ... it is not ... Lake Las Vegas (which has several resorts and golf courses and does look nice) is in the complete opposite direction of the JW Marriott. The Marriott, which we finally got to after calling and a rather embarrissing conversation as I explained where we were and the clerk nicely told me just how lost we really were, is just 15-20 minutes from the Strip if no traffic problems (and we had none the whole time we were there).
The Marriott is a very nice resort, it was a bit tough appreciating it at first coming from that suite at the Mirage but after settling in we agreed it was overall the nicest non-suite room we?d had to date, though not the prettiest decor wise. We were staying free on Marriott Rewards points and felt it was a very good use of our points. Big room, good size closet with big safe, coffee maker and mini fridge with free bottled water, big bathroom with double sinks, separate shower, jacuzzi tub, and separate toilet room. French doors opened up to a half wall creating the feel of a balcony, there was a ceiling fan (along with good air conditioning), and the bed was very comfy. Grounds were very pretty and the pool was a good size and has a water fall you can walk behind as well as stand under, jacuzzis are nice but have no shade, pool side grill was good (lunch was burger and chili dog there) and so was pool side drink service which was attentive but not pushy. Pool again was three and half feet deep, laps possible but difficult. One complaint (if your reading along you may realize by now it is a pet peeve for me), shower water pressure was absolutely terrible, worst of the trip, the shower has a separate rainfall shower head on the ceiling which could be amazing if it had a bit of pressure behind it but, as it was, I rinsed the shampoo from my hair in the tub (which ironically had an amazing torrent of water coming out of the faucet if turned on full blast), fortunately it was a deep tub and had a faucet which arched up fairly high making it pretty easy to do.
After relaxing a while at the pool and in the room we headed downtown for Freemont Street. We loved the light show and stayed for two (they are different shows each time - 3 or 4 done a night depending on when it gets dark). It was fun walking through the older casinos. We had dinner at The Ranch which is at the top of Binion?s (glass elevator was closed due to winds); this is a great old fashioned steak house with the atmosphere and great steaks you?d expect. We both had 12oz Filet Mignon with baked potato and string beans, with 3 glasses of Beringer white zin, 2 cups coffee and a 20% tip bill came to $112 and worth every penny and then some. If you love a classic un-fooled around with steak dinner (as we do) this place is excellent and even has a great view to go with it.
We stopped at the strat intending to go up to the top for a drink but we were turned off by the very long lines for tickets and the $9 each charge. Didn?t want to stand in line to pay $18 to go up and pay another $20 for overpriced drinks! OK - it had been another long day, we were tired, and my cheap genes for some reason picked that moment to rebel against Vegas prices ... if we had stopped at another time we probably would have done it and enjoyed it ... oh well ... next time. Drove down the length of the Strip enjoying the lights and people ... back to the Marriott exhausted again.
Breakfast was coffee and pastry again, shared a very good (enormous) slice of banana bread and had another early swim in the pool. Packed up, checked out, got lost ... ridiculous!
I did tons of research for this trip and somewhere along the line I got it into my head that the JW Marriott was in the Lake Las Vegas resort area ... it is not ... Lake Las Vegas (which has several resorts and golf courses and does look nice) is in the complete opposite direction of the JW Marriott. The Marriott, which we finally got to after calling and a rather embarrissing conversation as I explained where we were and the clerk nicely told me just how lost we really were, is just 15-20 minutes from the Strip if no traffic problems (and we had none the whole time we were there).The Marriott is a very nice resort, it was a bit tough appreciating it at first coming from that suite at the Mirage but after settling in we agreed it was overall the nicest non-suite room we?d had to date, though not the prettiest decor wise. We were staying free on Marriott Rewards points and felt it was a very good use of our points. Big room, good size closet with big safe, coffee maker and mini fridge with free bottled water, big bathroom with double sinks, separate shower, jacuzzi tub, and separate toilet room. French doors opened up to a half wall creating the feel of a balcony, there was a ceiling fan (along with good air conditioning), and the bed was very comfy. Grounds were very pretty and the pool was a good size and has a water fall you can walk behind as well as stand under, jacuzzis are nice but have no shade, pool side grill was good (lunch was burger and chili dog there) and so was pool side drink service which was attentive but not pushy. Pool again was three and half feet deep, laps possible but difficult. One complaint (if your reading along you may realize by now it is a pet peeve for me), shower water pressure was absolutely terrible, worst of the trip, the shower has a separate rainfall shower head on the ceiling which could be amazing if it had a bit of pressure behind it but, as it was, I rinsed the shampoo from my hair in the tub (which ironically had an amazing torrent of water coming out of the faucet if turned on full blast), fortunately it was a deep tub and had a faucet which arched up fairly high making it pretty easy to do.
After relaxing a while at the pool and in the room we headed downtown for Freemont Street. We loved the light show and stayed for two (they are different shows each time - 3 or 4 done a night depending on when it gets dark). It was fun walking through the older casinos. We had dinner at The Ranch which is at the top of Binion?s (glass elevator was closed due to winds); this is a great old fashioned steak house with the atmosphere and great steaks you?d expect. We both had 12oz Filet Mignon with baked potato and string beans, with 3 glasses of Beringer white zin, 2 cups coffee and a 20% tip bill came to $112 and worth every penny and then some. If you love a classic un-fooled around with steak dinner (as we do) this place is excellent and even has a great view to go with it.
We stopped at the strat intending to go up to the top for a drink but we were turned off by the very long lines for tickets and the $9 each charge. Didn?t want to stand in line to pay $18 to go up and pay another $20 for overpriced drinks! OK - it had been another long day, we were tired, and my cheap genes for some reason picked that moment to rebel against Vegas prices ... if we had stopped at another time we probably would have done it and enjoyed it ... oh well ... next time. Drove down the length of the Strip enjoying the lights and people ... back to the Marriott exhausted again.
Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:03 PM
#10
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Thursday June 3rd - O
Relaxed at Marriott, breakfast from Starbuck?s (Ed brought it up to the room, good ice coffee, good danish, great chocolate croissant); had good lunch at (Marriott?s) Promenade Café (big club sandwich and ham sandwich, Ed says very good potato salad, friendly service, reasonable prices). Late afternoon headed for Paris, first stop was a bathroom which was the only dirty public restroom I found in Vegas which left a bad impression, Eiffel tower was fun, good view from the top, I think it was $9 each but, unlike the strat, there was no line so we did it. We had reservations at Mon Ami Gabi but really wanted to get there early (they open for dinner at 5) and get an outside table (for which they don?t take reservations). We were there at quarter of, problem was it was so very very hot we just didn?t think we could eat if we sat outside even with the misters, the heat just stole our appetite. Decided we would save it for another trip as the fountain view was more of an attraction for us than the menu. Headed back to Bellagio and tried the buffet (had a great appetite as long as we were in the air conditioning). We liked it but feel the Mirage is a better value. Bellagio prime rib was better. Bellagio had more offerings (for example 5 carvings to Mirage?s 3) and variety, but also had several items (like some truly terrible swordfish) that were really bad and the Mirage desserts were better. Wandered through the conservatory again to watch the little fountains play. Then we saw O at Bellagio, an amazing show artistically and technically. Our first cirque show, we both enjoyed the show itself and Ed was fascinated by the technical staging aspects and the use of divers in the pool. Our seats were front row center of the balcony and we think they are excellent seats with good views of everything going on, including glimpses of those divers in the pool. After the show we wandered through Caesar?s again, caught the animatronic fountain show which I though was fun in a purely cheesy Vegas way, and then went back to watch the outside Bellagio fountains again ... love those fountains.
Relaxed at Marriott, breakfast from Starbuck?s (Ed brought it up to the room, good ice coffee, good danish, great chocolate croissant); had good lunch at (Marriott?s) Promenade Café (big club sandwich and ham sandwich, Ed says very good potato salad, friendly service, reasonable prices). Late afternoon headed for Paris, first stop was a bathroom which was the only dirty public restroom I found in Vegas which left a bad impression, Eiffel tower was fun, good view from the top, I think it was $9 each but, unlike the strat, there was no line so we did it. We had reservations at Mon Ami Gabi but really wanted to get there early (they open for dinner at 5) and get an outside table (for which they don?t take reservations). We were there at quarter of, problem was it was so very very hot we just didn?t think we could eat if we sat outside even with the misters, the heat just stole our appetite. Decided we would save it for another trip as the fountain view was more of an attraction for us than the menu. Headed back to Bellagio and tried the buffet (had a great appetite as long as we were in the air conditioning). We liked it but feel the Mirage is a better value. Bellagio prime rib was better. Bellagio had more offerings (for example 5 carvings to Mirage?s 3) and variety, but also had several items (like some truly terrible swordfish) that were really bad and the Mirage desserts were better. Wandered through the conservatory again to watch the little fountains play. Then we saw O at Bellagio, an amazing show artistically and technically. Our first cirque show, we both enjoyed the show itself and Ed was fascinated by the technical staging aspects and the use of divers in the pool. Our seats were front row center of the balcony and we think they are excellent seats with good views of everything going on, including glimpses of those divers in the pool. After the show we wandered through Caesar?s again, caught the animatronic fountain show which I though was fun in a purely cheesy Vegas way, and then went back to watch the outside Bellagio fountains again ... love those fountains.
Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:04 PM
#11
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Friday June 4th - David Copperfield
We planned on doing Hoover Dam and/or Red Rock Canyon today but just couldn?t do it. Sore feet, sore legs, aching lower backs, we needed a break and decided to put these on the list for next time. Hung around the pool then I went to the spa, I haven?t been to many spas (other than day spas and cruise ship spas) but I loved this one. I spent 90 minutes or so moving between the steam room, the hot plunge, the cold plunge, the body temperature floating pool, and a gushing waterfall shower pounding on my back and neck ... pure bliss and just what my body needed to forgive me all that walking. This area is called the ritual area and also includes a sauna (which I skipped, I?d had enough dry heat), there are two ritual areas, men?s and women?s, along with lockers, regular showers (not great pressure but better than the rooms; with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash), dressing rooms, sitting area with juice, water, hot tea, and fresh fruit, and all the accessories you need (combs, dryers, curlers, cotton swabs, lotions everything). Outside is a co-ed area with sauna, jacuzzi, lounge chairs, and a hydro therapy pool with different stations with jets to hit different parts of your body. After using the ritual area and showering, I relaxed for a while with a book and then had my massage appointment, I like just a basic massage, nothing fancy, and this was one of the best I?ve had. The spa also has gym area that looked well equipped. The fee is $20 a day to use the gym and spa, and with the ritual area I think its well worth it, but the fee is waived if you have a treatment.
Parked at Alladin and walked around the Desert Passage, I liked the feel of this set of shops best of the ones we saw. Walked to MGM Grand with a stop at M&M World for M&M?s in a rainbow of colors. Walked around MGM a bit, saw the lions, one was lying on top of a clear tube you walk through ... sort of an odd view of the big cat
Saw David Copperfield, when we were seated I was very unhappy about our seats which were not what they appeared to be on the online seating chart. They were chairs at a very very small table right up against the stage at the right edge of the stage, we shared the table with another couple. The bench seating just behind us, which is what I thought I ordered, looked very comfortable and not nearly as tight. However, once the show started they turned out to be great seats and meeting the other couple was fun, and a little twilight zone, they felt the same way as we did about the seats at first, which they obtained online probably about 30 seconds after I got ours, they had seen O and Danny Gans on different nights than us but from almost the same seats, again purchased online probably at the same time I was getting ours, they also like the same cruise line as we do (Princess) and had taken several of the same cruises. The show itself was very good, from our seats we could see everything on that stage and could not imagine how he was doing this stuff. Some of his set ups are over long and you wish he would just get on with it, but the illusions themselves are mystifying. Walked back to Alladin (car was there), had burgers at Cheeseburger at the Oasis (very good). Back at the Marriott had room service dessert which was pricey but excellent chocolate mousse cake and haagendas (sp?) ice cream by the pint (but $8 a pint!).
We planned on doing Hoover Dam and/or Red Rock Canyon today but just couldn?t do it. Sore feet, sore legs, aching lower backs, we needed a break and decided to put these on the list for next time. Hung around the pool then I went to the spa, I haven?t been to many spas (other than day spas and cruise ship spas) but I loved this one. I spent 90 minutes or so moving between the steam room, the hot plunge, the cold plunge, the body temperature floating pool, and a gushing waterfall shower pounding on my back and neck ... pure bliss and just what my body needed to forgive me all that walking. This area is called the ritual area and also includes a sauna (which I skipped, I?d had enough dry heat), there are two ritual areas, men?s and women?s, along with lockers, regular showers (not great pressure but better than the rooms; with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash), dressing rooms, sitting area with juice, water, hot tea, and fresh fruit, and all the accessories you need (combs, dryers, curlers, cotton swabs, lotions everything). Outside is a co-ed area with sauna, jacuzzi, lounge chairs, and a hydro therapy pool with different stations with jets to hit different parts of your body. After using the ritual area and showering, I relaxed for a while with a book and then had my massage appointment, I like just a basic massage, nothing fancy, and this was one of the best I?ve had. The spa also has gym area that looked well equipped. The fee is $20 a day to use the gym and spa, and with the ritual area I think its well worth it, but the fee is waived if you have a treatment.
Parked at Alladin and walked around the Desert Passage, I liked the feel of this set of shops best of the ones we saw. Walked to MGM Grand with a stop at M&M World for M&M?s in a rainbow of colors. Walked around MGM a bit, saw the lions, one was lying on top of a clear tube you walk through ... sort of an odd view of the big cat
Saw David Copperfield, when we were seated I was very unhappy about our seats which were not what they appeared to be on the online seating chart. They were chairs at a very very small table right up against the stage at the right edge of the stage, we shared the table with another couple. The bench seating just behind us, which is what I thought I ordered, looked very comfortable and not nearly as tight. However, once the show started they turned out to be great seats and meeting the other couple was fun, and a little twilight zone, they felt the same way as we did about the seats at first, which they obtained online probably about 30 seconds after I got ours, they had seen O and Danny Gans on different nights than us but from almost the same seats, again purchased online probably at the same time I was getting ours, they also like the same cruise line as we do (Princess) and had taken several of the same cruises. The show itself was very good, from our seats we could see everything on that stage and could not imagine how he was doing this stuff. Some of his set ups are over long and you wish he would just get on with it, but the illusions themselves are mystifying. Walked back to Alladin (car was there), had burgers at Cheeseburger at the Oasis (very good). Back at the Marriott had room service dessert which was pricey but excellent chocolate mousse cake and haagendas (sp?) ice cream by the pint (but $8 a pint!).
Jun 12th, 2004 | 08:05 PM
#12
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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Saturday June 5th - Time to Relax
Breakfast from Starbucks again, relax by the pool (I overdid and got a burn ... you would think after 36 years with this Irish skin I?d know better ... sigh ... I?m peeling and itching as I type) lunch at the pool grill, relax at the pool, play in the casino (ended up down just $50 for the whole trip which I think is excellent), dinner at the Irish Pub (at Marriott) was very good, potato skins, steak and shepherd?s pie.
Sunday June 6th - Home Again - We Thought
We had a 1:00 check out. Hit the pool one last time (me in a t-shirt to cover my sunburn); hit the casino one last time, went to the Marriott?s champagne brunch buffet (very nice) ... I hit the business center and checked in and got our boarding passes (A?s) ... it was shaping up to be a very nice day and we were feeling very relaxed and pampered and ready to go home.
Then we checked out and went to drop off the car. A total nightmare. I wanted a receipt and they treated me like I was a crazy person. I did not realize I was supposed to stand outside with the car and there were no signs and no directions being given. I went inside and the lines were horrible, then I spotted a sign for a shorter line that said, among other things, Car Returns .. ok seemed like the right line to me. I stood in it patiently for 20 minutes or so and then was told oh you have to go out and stand by your car and get a form filled out ... I asked if I could get a receipt outside and was told yes ... went outside and stood by the car for another 20 minutes (sunburn, 107 degrees), until someone spent 30 seconds checking the mileage and walked away, I said excuse me I want a receipt and was told I?d need to get that inside ... aaarrrgghh ... saw another guy walking around with a receipt printing gizmo and asked him for a receipt, he said it was broken (and continued to wander around holding it and doing nothing else as far as I could tell) ... went back inside (at this point no way was I trusting these bozos to charge me correctly without a receipt) ... took one look at the line and cut to the front and demanded my receipt ... don?t normally act rudely but I?d had enough ... even with the cutting it took another 15 to get the receipt (along with being treated like I was an alien because I even wanted a receipt and being asked why I didn?t just get it outside!). Unlike the Hertz experience at the beginning of the trip, it felt like this was business as usual for Dollar, at least at this location. On the shuttle to the airport the driver told us he was leaving Dollar because of it (sick of driving grumpy unhappy people who, I can imagine, don?t tip well) and another couple on the shuttle that had intended to pick up a car were headed BACK to the airport to take a taxi to the hotel, they decided it was better to pay more at the hotel location than deal with Dollar.
Finally got to the airport, security line was long but efficient, sat down in the A boarding section and figured the worst was over. NOPE. Boarded the plane and proceeded to sit for hours ... plane was too heavy to take off on all but one of the runways and there was a back up for that runway (we weren?t the only plane having this problem due to heat and wind), while waiting our turn the winds kicked up even more and we couldn?t take off at all, kept waiting out there on the (HOT) runway for the winds to die down. Finally decided to taxi back to gate and unload some fuel so we could take off on one of the other runways. Hours behind schedule they let us off to get some food while they dumped the fuel, finally took off but then had to make a stop (it was supposed to be a direct flight Vegas to Hartford) in Kansas City to re-fuel. Landed in Hartford after 4:00 am .. instead of 11:15 pm. Now I know these things happen but we feel it could have been handled better, it had been this hot in Vegas for days ... they should have anticipated the problem and once faced with the problem a faster decision should have been made ... I don?t think sitting on the runway for hours with a plane full of over heated passengers was the right answer. I?ve been on other flights that were too heavy and they offered a comp to passengers willing to get off and take the next flight. Anyway, not the best end to a fantastic vacation but oh well ... the good news is the car service tracked the problem and the driver was right there waiting for us ... we were very glad to see him and to have the ride home.
We loved both CA and Vegas, each for its own unique qualities, and want to return to both ... maybe not in the same trip next time! Please let me know if I can answer any questions. I know this is ridiculously long, but I craved details when I was planning and looking forward to this trip and often got my fix from fodorites ... I know I don?t have the entertaining writing style of some of the great trip reports on this site but I wanted to give what I could to the good folks on this board.
Breakfast from Starbucks again, relax by the pool (I overdid and got a burn ... you would think after 36 years with this Irish skin I?d know better ... sigh ... I?m peeling and itching as I type) lunch at the pool grill, relax at the pool, play in the casino (ended up down just $50 for the whole trip which I think is excellent), dinner at the Irish Pub (at Marriott) was very good, potato skins, steak and shepherd?s pie.
Sunday June 6th - Home Again - We Thought
We had a 1:00 check out. Hit the pool one last time (me in a t-shirt to cover my sunburn); hit the casino one last time, went to the Marriott?s champagne brunch buffet (very nice) ... I hit the business center and checked in and got our boarding passes (A?s) ... it was shaping up to be a very nice day and we were feeling very relaxed and pampered and ready to go home.
Then we checked out and went to drop off the car. A total nightmare. I wanted a receipt and they treated me like I was a crazy person. I did not realize I was supposed to stand outside with the car and there were no signs and no directions being given. I went inside and the lines were horrible, then I spotted a sign for a shorter line that said, among other things, Car Returns .. ok seemed like the right line to me. I stood in it patiently for 20 minutes or so and then was told oh you have to go out and stand by your car and get a form filled out ... I asked if I could get a receipt outside and was told yes ... went outside and stood by the car for another 20 minutes (sunburn, 107 degrees), until someone spent 30 seconds checking the mileage and walked away, I said excuse me I want a receipt and was told I?d need to get that inside ... aaarrrgghh ... saw another guy walking around with a receipt printing gizmo and asked him for a receipt, he said it was broken (and continued to wander around holding it and doing nothing else as far as I could tell) ... went back inside (at this point no way was I trusting these bozos to charge me correctly without a receipt) ... took one look at the line and cut to the front and demanded my receipt ... don?t normally act rudely but I?d had enough ... even with the cutting it took another 15 to get the receipt (along with being treated like I was an alien because I even wanted a receipt and being asked why I didn?t just get it outside!). Unlike the Hertz experience at the beginning of the trip, it felt like this was business as usual for Dollar, at least at this location. On the shuttle to the airport the driver told us he was leaving Dollar because of it (sick of driving grumpy unhappy people who, I can imagine, don?t tip well) and another couple on the shuttle that had intended to pick up a car were headed BACK to the airport to take a taxi to the hotel, they decided it was better to pay more at the hotel location than deal with Dollar.
Finally got to the airport, security line was long but efficient, sat down in the A boarding section and figured the worst was over. NOPE. Boarded the plane and proceeded to sit for hours ... plane was too heavy to take off on all but one of the runways and there was a back up for that runway (we weren?t the only plane having this problem due to heat and wind), while waiting our turn the winds kicked up even more and we couldn?t take off at all, kept waiting out there on the (HOT) runway for the winds to die down. Finally decided to taxi back to gate and unload some fuel so we could take off on one of the other runways. Hours behind schedule they let us off to get some food while they dumped the fuel, finally took off but then had to make a stop (it was supposed to be a direct flight Vegas to Hartford) in Kansas City to re-fuel. Landed in Hartford after 4:00 am .. instead of 11:15 pm. Now I know these things happen but we feel it could have been handled better, it had been this hot in Vegas for days ... they should have anticipated the problem and once faced with the problem a faster decision should have been made ... I don?t think sitting on the runway for hours with a plane full of over heated passengers was the right answer. I?ve been on other flights that were too heavy and they offered a comp to passengers willing to get off and take the next flight. Anyway, not the best end to a fantastic vacation but oh well ... the good news is the car service tracked the problem and the driver was right there waiting for us ... we were very glad to see him and to have the ride home.
We loved both CA and Vegas, each for its own unique qualities, and want to return to both ... maybe not in the same trip next time! Please let me know if I can answer any questions. I know this is ridiculously long, but I craved details when I was planning and looking forward to this trip and often got my fix from fodorites ... I know I don?t have the entertaining writing style of some of the great trip reports on this site but I wanted to give what I could to the good folks on this board.
Jun 12th, 2004 | 09:13 PM
#13
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
What a wonderfully-detailed report! I really enjoyed reading it...Sounds as if you had a great time until the end; I got worked up myself over your treatment by the car people and then the exhausting return flight...at least, it ended safely, and that's the important thing.
Thanks for writing,
Judy
Thanks for writing,
Judy
Jun 12th, 2004 | 10:20 PM
#14
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
Glad you had a happy trip!
The black sticky stuff is tar!! It's all over Southern Cal. I went to the beach recently and got tar all over my feet. We even have a museum in LA that has tar pits in front of it with fake dinosaurs stuck in it!
Thank you for letting people know how pretty our California coast is. Most people think it's all buildings. But we really live in a pretty place. I still love that drive...
The black sticky stuff is tar!! It's all over Southern Cal. I went to the beach recently and got tar all over my feet. We even have a museum in LA that has tar pits in front of it with fake dinosaurs stuck in it!
Thank you for letting people know how pretty our California coast is. Most people think it's all buildings. But we really live in a pretty place. I still love that drive...
Jun 13th, 2004 | 01:19 PM
#16
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 180
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Great details, thank you! We will be there for our first time the last week of July...but unfortunately, will be staying at Paris, so I hope the bathroom thing was an isolated incident. We will definitely try the Mirage buffet..sounds good and reasonably priced. How was the tram/monorail that recently opened?
Jun 13th, 2004 | 02:17 PM
#17
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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luugis - Paris seemed very nice other than that one restroom ... probably just caught it at a bad time. See if you can get a room facing the Bellagio fountains! I have heard good things about the Paris buffet as well ... I think most buffets are probably a better value at lunch.
Jun 13th, 2004 | 02:44 PM
#18
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 24
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Thanks for that wonderful report! Samba Grill is one restaurant we would like to try, how were people dressed there? We'll be in our shorts after walking up the Strip from Aladdin ~ is that too casual for Samba Grill? Thanks again, glad you had a fun vacation.
Sue
Sue
Jun 13th, 2004 | 04:19 PM
#19
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 254
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sfe - I think you will be fine, it is a casual and fun place. Ed wore dockers and casual shirt, I had on sandals, cropped pants and a casual top. Aside from the really high end places I think just about anything goes in Vegas ... it makes people watching fun there b/c in the same place you can see everything from evening gowns to biker wear wander by at the same time.
Jun 13th, 2004 | 09:52 PM
#20
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Last month I too went into a bathroom at Paris and thought it was absolutely lovely! I wondered when reading your report if it happened to be the same one...I can't imagine the difference! Walking into the casino going back toward the buffet, I took a right down a long hallway and entered this pretty bathroom full of lavatories all beautifully painted with flowers all over them. I've never seen anything like that and loved it...
Could that one have been the dirty one you saw? If so, they must have had a housekeeping strike down that hallway...hope it doesn't last!
Judy
Could that one have been the dirty one you saw? If so, they must have had a housekeeping strike down that hallway...hope it doesn't last!
Judy
