Las Vegas Trip Report
 

Just returned from a four day/three night Las Vegas trip with our 3year old and 1 year old sons. We had a great time. <BR>We booked rooms at the Venetian, since we had the kids, we figured the larger rooms would be better than standard hotel rooms. (We actually had 2 connecting rooms because we brought our nanny). I usually stay at Bellagio and was a bit reluctant to book anywhere else, but Venetian is a bit more kid-friendly and the rate was better at the Venetian. The larger rooms sealed the deal. I had only stayed at the Venetian once before for one night right after they opened and wasn't at all impressed with the staff/service. I hoped that time had ironed out those problems.<BR>We arrived about 2:30 p.m. which is just before their official check-in time. The front dest agent was pleasant, but not particularly helpful. She wouldn't upgrade us to a better view (oh well). Then she informed us that one of our rooms was clean, but the connecting room hadn't been cleaned yet. She gave us the keys to the clean room, and said she would send us the keys to the connecting room once it was ready. We went up to our suite, called the bell desk and they sent up our luggage. As we unpacked and waited for the crib delivery we got a call from the desk agent informing us that the people occupying the connecting suite had requested a 6pm checkout and were considering staying over. The desk agent informed us they had 2 new suites for us. I told her that the bellman had already deliverd our luggage, so she sent a new bellman up to deliver the new keys and take our luggage. Considering that we had to tip 2 different bellmen, it wasn't too bad. I was surprised though that they just didn't give us 2 clean suites to begin with. They hadn't even hinted at the fact that the other room was still occupied, they just said it hadn't been cleaned! Oh well.<BR>On arrival in the new suites (same view, lower floor.) we realized a couple of lights were burnt out. During the course of our stay one suite had 1. Tub with an inoperable plug, safe that didn't work, bedside table with burnt out bulb, clogged sink, inoperable lamp on writing desk. The other suite only had one burnt out light which we had replaced. <BR>Housekeeping can be an issue if you don't know the system. When we left for sightseeing our first full day in L.V., we noticed the housekeeping carts down the hall. When we returned several hours later in the afternoon, we walked in to rooms which had not been cleaned. I put the kids down for naps, when housekeeping knocked and asked if they could clean. I told them that the kids were sleeping and told them I had seen the carts earlier, so I thought they would have been cleaned already. The housekeeper said " You have to call us if you want morning housekeeping." Who knew? The rest of our stay we did just that and had no problems. <BR>The overall stay was good, but the service is still spotty. If I was to go without kids, I would definitely prefer Bellagio.<BR><BR>

Your comments about Venetian are not unusual, Sandy.<BR>Venetian opened with the intent to unseat Bellagio as the best hotel-casino in LV.<BR>It hs failed to do so on most every level.<BR>The only area in which Venetian is superior is room size. So for those who live by the philosophy that bigger is better, to heck with quality, please stay at Venetian. It's right up your alley.<BR>For those who want the best all around experience in LV, Bellagio is unparalleled. By no means perfect. And from the standpoints of service and attentiveness it's not anywhere as nice as a non-LV luxury hotel. But for LV, it's still tops.

When you went sightseeing why didn't you just leave the kids with the nanny. That's why you brought her along wasn't it? Besides, where do you go sightseeing that it holds the interest of a three year old for more than 10 minutes, much less a one year old. Finally, who do the children call momma, you or the nanny? Let me answer my own question, you have a nanny because you work so that you can afford a better life for your kids, i.e. trips to Vegas. Vegas used to be so much more fun before it stated competing with Disneyland.

Dr. Laura (yeah right)<BR>Give me a break! Actually I'm a stay-at-home Mom, (I am my children's mother). My nanny is a college student who helps me with the kids a couple of times a week so that I can run some errands and she accompanies me to classes so that each child has an adult. My 3 year old calls me Mommy (duh) and the 1 year old doesn't talk yet. The kids loved the animals and the aquarium. Both places held their attention for over an hour. (Do you even have kids? If so, you would know that most little kids love animals). The reason we brought the nanny was simply to stay with the kids at night while they were sleeping so that my husband and I could go out. We felt better doing that than getting a hotel sitter that the kids didn't know. Also it's helpful to have an extra set of hands when you're out and about. <BR><BR>I'm glad I've turned you off to going to Las Vegas. No one wants to run into a sarcastic, know-it-all such as yourself anyway.

Wow you must of read my mind. What crazy person takes a one year old and three year old to Las Vegas. Why didn't you leave them at home with the nanny. Get a life lady. Everything isn't perfect like your perfect world. Who changes the diapers??

Dr. Laura ([email protected]) is Nina. Hi Nina, sweetie.

What's up with the jealousy and bitterness Dr. Laura and My thoughts? I am a 35 year old mom of a 2 year old and we are staying at the Mandalay next week with our child and yes, bringing a nanny.<BR>We are blessed that we can do this and yes, my child calls me mommy. Don't be so judgmental of others that love their kids so much that they want to include them in everything. <BR>My nanny is so excited to see Vegas for the first time and I'm happy that I can afford to bring her along.

Sandy,<BR>Sounds like the Venetian wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Thanks for the tip. I've been thinking of taking a family vacation there (my kids are 2.5 & 4.5) based on reports from my friends with children who have gone and had a great time.<BR><BR>As to "Dr" Laura and "mythoughts": keep your holier-than-thou comments to yourself. I'm a stay at home mom too and occasionally have a sitter come over to help while I run errands, do housework, go to medical/dental appointments, etc. Whatever the title (nanny, sitter, relative), I think it's smart to bring an extra someone with you on family vacations if you can, particularly when traveling with young children. It allows you to spend quality family time together during the day, and quality "alone" time together in the evenings without the kids. Most psychologists, marriage and family counselors highly recommend that parents make alone time for themselves... what better way to do this on a family vacation than to bring along a sitter/nanny that the kids are comfortable with?<BR><BR>Those criticizing this practice obviously have no clue as to the current trend in family dynamics. Help from relatives, friends, and yes even paid nannies (ah! the "N" word again!) is fairly commonplace, even among families on a budget with a stay-at-home mom.

Dr. Laura,<BR>Sandy gave a very informative report on the Venetian. Vegas has turned kid-friendly but there are still many places that you can go if you don't want to be surrounded by children - casinos, shows, bars, clubs.<BR>Don't worry Doc Laura, you can still have your choice of many roach infested Vegas motels and 99 cent shrimp cocktails and nobody will bother you - who would want to bother a jealous and catty person such as yourself?

To Sandy......Thanks for a great report!<BR><BR>To Dr. Laura.....Get a life!!!!!!!

I don't mean to be unkind, but I disagree with the idea of taking children to Las Vegas. First, to the comment that you love your children & want to take them everywhere with you - think of the children. Why would you want to drag them thru smoke-filled casinos, down busy pedestrian streets, just to see a few sights (i.e. Mirage's animals, MB's Shark Reef) - you can see these things at SeaWorld or a Zoo. Admit it - you're going for yourselves. Secondly, even though you love your children, not everyone else does. Better restaurants in LV don't have a child's menu for a reason, easily figured out. When adults want to have an intimate dinner, the last thing they want to listen to is a whining child (Even the best kids do this if tired, nothing against yours!) Please leave Las Vegas to the adults - prove you love your children by taking them somewhere else when small; save the trip for when they're older.

Hello, I just returned from Las Vegas without my children. No offense I would never take them to Las Vegas. It really is no place for children. Yes, I love my children dearly. Every parent needs time away. I cannot afford a nanny but I have wonderful parents and in-laws who watch my children. We are blessed with that instead of nannies. Just a thought..

Another thought-<BR>if Sandy wanted to ask your opinions on whether she should bring her kids or leave them at home-she might have asked.Since no one asked, why don't you keep these thoughts to yourselves?<BR>1-When my children were small, I hated to leave them home when I traveled.So I took them with me.Better they were with me than some babysitter that might do something stupid..and I would be far away.<BR>2-Young kids are happy to be near their parents, they don't care about the town or the hotel,just that mama and daddy are there.<BR>3-If any of you (Dr L,et all) had the means and sophistication, you would have done the same thing,if and when your children were small...<BR>4-The nasty remarks here are common signs of people who are small minded and un-sophisticated.<BR><BR>Sandy-next time do try the Bellagio.It is a wonderful hotel.Not very smokey at all,the restauarants are great, they have 5 pools,and the rooms may not be all suites but they are First Class all the way! Glad you enjoyed your trip.We also loved the Aquarium.<BR>

As far as I can tell, Sandy was giving a report to potential visitors to LV, letting them know of the inferiority of the Venetian. No where did I read a question asking people for their opinions on bringing kids to LV or their opinions on the morality of having a nanny. She did and she does, and that seems to work for her family. If it doesn't work for you or your family, keep it to yourself. All the "I wouldn't bring children to LV" and derogatory nanny commentaries are unwanted (and unwarranted). For those who say LV is strictly for adults, fortunately the moguls in LV don't agree with you which is why they continue to make it more family-friendly with each passing year. Face it, children are welcome whether you personally welcome them or not. (And to Kris, who was at least semi-tactful in her commentary on no kids: most parents are fully aware that "better restaurants" don't have kids menus; but I don't see anywhere that Sandy wrote she went to fancy restaurants with her kids, much less anywhere else that was considered "adults only". For all we know they ate at Circus Circus every night. But that's beside the point. The point is that while there are some places where children are unwelcomed (most of the finer restaurants, etc), there are an equal number of restaurants if not more, where children are welcome. For their own sanity and peace of mind, most parents will opt for the latter.)<BR><BR>Sandy gave good info on her hotel experience. My only question for Sandy is: now that you've returned from your trip with small children, how was it with them in tow? I have young children and have waivered on whether to go now or wait until they're a little older. I agree with the poster above that they're happy just being with their parents; but still I'd like to hear about some of your recommendations for family travel there (both things you did that worked and things you wish you'd done differently that would've improved your trip). Bringing a nanny was definitely a good suggestion.

Who cares about Poor Rich Sandy. Las Vegas is NOT a place for children. Give it a rest. Yes, it was a nice trip report. Now give it a rest.

Give it a rest because you feel like a jerk?<BR>Sandy --- the report was very informative,THANKS.My friends were thinking of going after we told them how much fun we had and they were thinking of staying at the Venetian.I think the Bellagio will be their choice now.

why are people so petty? my husband and i are planning on taking our 4 year old in may and will be meeting our in-laws there..we are planning on staying at Desert Paradise Resort which is off the strip. I was hoping for some decent information on a reputable site but only see a bunch of bickering on whether to take kids to LV..For us we decided to extend it to a week vacation and take our child and do some sight seeing off the strip and have our daughter spend time with her grandparents. In light of 9/11 we didn't want to travel without her and possibly be stranded, etc...and as for Dr. Laura she's been replaced by Glenn Beck in our community...i believe her self-righteous attitude wasn't looked upon favorably in Cleveland

Taken off the air in Cleveland because of a self-righteous attitude, I think not. More like people don't like to hear the truth, especially when it inconveniences what they would like to do themselves. If you have to have a nanny to raise a baby, why did you have one to begin with? So that it would love you or be around to take of you in your old age? Anyone who opens up with we booked the Venetian because we figured we would have larger rooms, even though we normally book the Bellagio, and oh by the way, we actually had connecting rooms, one for the nanny, is openning themselves up to criticism. (Normally I book the Ritz, but thought I would try Motel 6 to experience how the other half live). It has been my experince that those who frequent Vegas do so for reasons other than site seeing, unless you consider visiting a new craps table site seeing. A great example to set for any child. <BR><BR>Those who try to impress others with how much money they have are usually the most unimpressive. But did you hear that I signed a contract for $50MM, so Cleveland, you can kiss my *****.

Inspite of this thread, I still wanna go to LV and see for myself. Anybody out there who would offer guide services - I might even spring for lunch at someplace chic - maybe even Todd English's place for lunch. Orbitz is offering good fares. Understand a special discount applies to Aries.

Just a question- I thought that the Bellagio had a no children policy? Or that they were outwardly very against children on their location?