Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

This trip report comes from reader Dave F., and focuses on a trip to the Skylofts at MGM Grand in November 2006.

Enjoy!

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Normally Vegas is a once a year thing for us; with a Dog to Board, my Son to take to my Mother in Law in Shreveport, LA (Vegas and kids do not mix in my opinion) and the typical cost of flights from Dallas, there is a big chunk of change before we even touch down at McCarran.

However our last trip to the Skylofts this past July just blew me away, what I wanted to do was return as soon as possible!! After Major Surgery over the summer, my wife asked me what I wanted for my Birthday, well I felt I had earned it, so the answer was a no-brainer. With Thanksgiving coming up, Allegiant offering direct Flights from Shreveport and a great sale, everything lined up just perfectly for another trip!!! We would fly in on Saturday and back on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with my In-Laws.

The Skylofts room was quickly booked for the majority of the trip but with a Big Fight, Comic Relief and Barbara Streisand in Town we still needed a room on the Saturday Night. Wynn, Bellagio and Sheldy’s (AKA The Venetian) Charging $5-600 for a room we would not be getting into until at least 9pm was a little too rich for my liking, so after a lot of looking on-line we decided to try the Mirage. Something I was keen to do anyway as we had not even visited the Casino, let alone stayed there.

This trip was mainly about relaxing and taking it easy after a tough few months personally and to wind down before the run up to Christmas, This report is Loooong, and does not include that much gambling action, so I will save you the read if that’s your thing.

November 18th

After an uneventful flight, we touch down at McCarran, our Luggage arrives quickly and after hitting the ATM (we bank with Wells Fargo) it was down the to the limo stand.

Usually we rent a car on our Vegas trips, but with the state of Vegas Traffic these days, plus with Limo for the Skylofts, we decided to see how we get on without a car for this trip. I did consider doing something up market, but procrastination on my part decided I would just chance my arm down on the Limo Pick up Area. Well long story short we picked ODM Limos, and got a Nice New Ultra-Stretch for the price of a Stretch, and we didn’t have to wait at the humongous cab line - Result!!

The Limo driver gives us the option, do we want to get to the Mirage quick or do we want to cruise the strip, Option 1 will take 15 mins, Option 2 since it is 9.00pm on Saturday Night will take 30-40 mins. It was nice to be given the option, and we were tempted to make the most of it, but we were tired – we have seen the Strip at night before, so we just told her to get us there, so with a trip down I-15 we were at the Mirage pretty quickly

With my Tower Deluxe booking in hand I approach the Registration desk with Credit card and $20 ready, see what I could score. Before I had the chance to say anything, the receptionist said “We have upgraded you to the Penthouse Tower, but the view isn’t on the Strip, will that be OK? I didn’t have to be asked twice, Result!! Especially on a Saturday we could not believe it!

We were both giddy going up to the room, but I was just expecting their low level Mini suite, I was racking my brains trying to remember the Mirages room options, so it was still in some disbelief that we get to a set of Double doors, a swipe of the key and we enter into the living area and wet bar.

We call down for our bags and just start taking in the whole room. I know others have knocked the Mirage’s Penthouse/Tower suites and it’s true that there is a little wear here and there, but I don’t feel its that bad. One other thing, I have read elsewhere that all the Mirage Suites are Smoking, well FWIW our room was definitely Non-Smoking.

We don’t know what we did to get the room, we certainly don’t have the play, but we weren’t complaining! My better half speculated that they saw that we had a Skyloft reservation at MGM and that must have something to do with it, but I am not so sure…

Its late, I haven’t eaten and we are Starving, by now its gone 10pm, and my leader doesn’t want to leave the Hotel, it was a choice of Stack or Carnegies, we wanted to hear ourselves think so Carnegies it was! We got down there and must have spent 10 Minutes trying to decide, I settled on a Smoked Salmon/Cream Cheese on a Bagel, she had the Brisket with Mushroom Gravy and Fries. Of Course the portions were HUGE. We Both love Barbecue (part of living in Texas - its mandatory to like it) so having the Brisket here was a change, but a good one, I must admit I helped her out in finishing it, but didn’t have so much of the Coconut pie we spilt for dessert.

We both left stuffed! So this gave us a chance to check out the Casino as a whole while we walked off Dinner. We looked at the other restaurants, Stack was LOUD so we were glad we didn’t pick there. The update has given the whole place a contemporary look that certain areas such as the High Limit Rooms and Slots have a THEHotel look in parts, but overall it has somewhat of a Big Casino Feel. I know Mirage used to have canopies and I agree with others that it was a Mistake to take them out.

Stopped by the LOVE “Area” which Sticks out like a Sore thumb, but has been nicely done with a Kind of 60s/Austin Powers Look (but in a good way), my Brother-in-Law is a Huge Beatles fan so we go in with a view to getting him something, while I don’t like to be cheap, I do feel $12 for a key ring and $35 for a T-Shirt was a little strong, clearly the feeling of the 60’s that Love should be free didn’t make it to 2006 and the Mirage. The curtains were up as they build the new Revolution Lounge, if it’s anything like they have done with LOVE! It should be very good although I do wonder what Crowd they will be going for.

We went and played slots for a while, hoping that the luck we had with the room would carry on, I ended up even, I was going to play some roulette, but all the tables were full, in fact it was fair to say the Mirage was BUSY!!! We were both tired, so it was an early night….. well OK it was 1am which is early in Vegas!

November 19th

Up next morning, my wife wants a lie in and a slow get up, so I go for a walk round the casino – Check out the pool and amazed to see several people trying to get some sun, which considering it was barely touching 70 degrees I felt was being optimistic. A lot of people have said the Mirage Pool is among the best in Vegas, I know it has the waterfalls and it is well set with the surrounding landscaping, but I think overall it’s as good as the Wynn. I know where I would prefer to rent a Cabana for the day. Pick up a few bits and pieces from the store (Including the now obligatory Fridge Magnet) and a Coffee/Muffin from the Roasted Bean. I was a Little Bemused as the Coffee shop right by the Guest elevators must have had about 30 people in line, go round to the one by JET, no one there and I am in and out in 3 mins!

We get Packed, Check out via the TV and have an hour or so to kill, so we play some slots, its getting close to pick up time, and I feel lets go wild and play a Dollar machine, well all of a sudden Cha-Ching!! And it’s a W-2G payout!! Sadly it was my last piece of luck of the weekend.

Its 12.55, so we head out to the front, ‘Frankie’ and the Maybach is waiting for us, I go over and introduce myself and my wife gets in while I go and get the luggage, that took forever as the bellman seemed to be too busy to focus on anything but the huge line of people waiting for same. Finally we were off, and taking a short cut through the Venetian to get to Koval (Which needs to renamed “Cab and Limo Drive”) and to the MGM in Short order.

The Concierge and Skylofts Bellman are there to meet us at the Porte-cochere and we are escorted through the hustle and bustle of everyone checking in and out on Sunday, though the VIP area and up to the Oasis that is the 29th Floor of the MGM. After completing the formalities, the Butler offers to take us on a tour to “remind us” of the amenities, I allow him to give us in the short tour, just seemed polite, during that time the bellman arrives with our bags and then our butler announces that he understands its my birthday and they have a cake for us as a surprise! We thank him and tell him we will have it later with our dinner as we plan on dining in the loft tonight.

After the Butler excuses himself, I unpack (the Butler would do it for us and I know the Venezia Concierge offers the same, but does anyone actually do this, I don’t know how comfortable I would feel having the Butler unpack my underwear LOL!) and take in the view. The one thing I was disappointed in on my last stay was getting the wonderful view of McCarran and Hooters Casino. If I was a Plane Spotter this would be Heaven, but I wanted to see the Strip! When I made the reservation, I made it very clear I wanted a Northwest View and they did not disappoint. We got a Perfect clear view from NYNY all the way to Bellagio (Although not the fountains) and could see all the way up to the Mirage. We could also see the construction at CityCenter, a Plus or Minus depending on your point of view.

We just decide to hang out in the loft for the rest of the afternoon before heading down to wichcraft for a late lunch, some really good sandwiches and looking through MGMs restaurants before deciding to eat from Diego tonight, I also pick up some few things from the CBS Store (my mother is a Huge CSI fan), before heading out to the Casino to play for a while, we both play some slots that afternoon, I was planning on playing some roulette but just wasn’t getting a good feeling, having said that the slots were not being any kinder, so I headed out for a walk on the strip down to the Tickets4Tonight Booth to see what was on. There were tickets for LaReve and Phantom at about 25% off, but what interested me was Craig Ferguson, I was thinking about seeing him at the Orleans anyway, but on the other hand we had already decided on a night in! (OK I know we were in Vegas but all of our Favorite TV Shows are on Sunday) and a night in with good food and the Skyloft meant a tough decision. I tried calling but my wife was not picking up her cell, so that swung it. I walked back to the loft and took advantage of the Steam Shower (THE Best Shower in Vegas – hands down). The one in this loft was even better, as it had two “Rainfall” heads each with their own thermostat so you could switch from hot to cold with the steam as well….. Oh yeah!!!

I had stopped by the concierge on the way up and mentioned that we would be Dining in for the night at Diego, I come downstairs from the Shower to find the Menu waiting for us so we could order later on, that’s Service for you! My wife comes back and we decide on Dinner and settle down to watch TV. During this time the turndown service arrives, is it OK if they come in? Sure! We say, now they don’t just have 1 maid for turndown, not 2, but 3! They were up there for a good 15 minutes, but at the Skylofts its not just a case of turning the covers, here is what you get:-

Covers turned down and pillows set
Bedside mats set out.
Slippers set out and robes folded and set at the end of the Bed
Bottled Water and Glass set out on Bedside table
Flower and “thought for the day” on the bed
Towels picked up, and refreshed/replaced

Dinner comes in about 30 mins (beforehand the butler had come in to set the table) – the show isn’t over and we had ordered chips/hot sauce/queso for appetizer, so he sets it down in front of us on the coffee table, as well as the Drinks, and places the Entrees on the table so we can get up and enjoy those afterwards, we don’t have to move a inch, this is the life!

Show is over, so we get up and have dinner, my wife has the Chilli Releno, I have the Carne Asada with Beans and Rice, the Steak was good, but to be honest for Mexican Food we have had better, but coming from Dallas we do have high standards. We are both stuffed (again!)and barely have room for the cake, but the Butler has been so keen for us to have it, it would seem rude to say no!

They clear the table and reset it for dessert meanwhile I make some coffee, the Butler offers to do it for me, but that would take away from my fun of playing with the Jura Coffee machine! The Cake Comes and again the butler offers to Cut it, but I say that’s OK, (Mainly so I could take some pictures!). The Cake is magnificent, it’s a Chocolate Mouse with a Raspberry filling, simply heaven and the only problem is we are both so full that we could not have anymore.

We are now both completely ‘miserable’ from Dinner, so we settle back down on the couch to recover watching a movie from the complementary selection (Basically the Pay-per-View in House Movies, but with no charge) before my wife says she is taking a bath before retiring for the night.

By this time is 11pm and my Phone goes, its MikeE, I had a call from him earlier in the evening, he is meeting, Hunter and Tim/Michelle from Five Hundy are meeting at the Flamingo for Drinks before heading over to Bellagio, I go up to ask my wife if she wants to come along, but she is already asleep! So I slip out, I ask the Concierge to get me a cab, didn’t know what the line would be like at 11pm on Sunday, as it turns out it wasn’t too bad, but as she said you never know! Long Story short we Finally meet up at Bellagio and head over to Caramel and Light, Tim and Michelle call it a night in the midst of this and Hunter Mike and myself end up at the Petrossian for Drinks and chat, by this time its 1am, and we practically have the Bar to ourselves and this part of the casino is quiet. We talk “Casinos” for the next two hours, Great Stuff, next thing we know its gone 3.30am! Time Flies when you are having fun, and I need to get some sleep for the next day.

November 20th

Becoming the old fart I am now, I usually work best on my 8 hours, but I wake up bright as a button at 8.30am. I slept so soundly I did not feel my wife getting up, she is downstairs watching a “Chick Flick” on the Movie Channel. I hit the shower, and make plans to go get the rental car for today and stop by the concierge to make plans for Dinner and get directions for our travels. During this time my phone goes, so I sit down in the Skylofts Lobby. It was the first of several phone calls wishing me Happy Birthday, but while I was on the phone, I got to people watch as staff and guests made their way through. Maybe it was me, but the range of demands from guests at 10am on a Monday was fascinating, as well as how many staff they have up here.

I end up going back to the loft and my wife is looking a little antsy that I have not gone to get the car yet, I explain about the phone calls, she tells me to hurry up, so stopping by the concierge again, I ask if they can call and make reservations for MESA Grill at Cesars, they call and cannot get us in, Tomorrow night? Nothing doing until 10.30pm, so I say I have to consult on options

Meanwhile I go down to get the rental car for the day, and get stuck behind a line of people, well I will be polite and just say I guess not everyone has rented a car before, While we were waiting the person behind me, who was from overseas, asked how he could look up other car agencies in the Yellow Pages. When I started reeling off which hotels on the Strip had which rental companies, I realized that I probably spend a little too much time reading Vegas Messageboards. Also while I was waiting I call my leader and tell her its going to be a while before I get the car, for some strange reason she sounds relieved…….

I get the car, meet up and drive off to the Premium outlets by Downtown for some shopping, They have quite a few places here that aren’t necessarily elsewhere, but we don’t spend too long (I cannot say we didn’t spend too much though!). We decide on doing Daniel Boulud’s at the Wynn for tonight, so I call the Skylofts and they take care of it for us. With a Big Meal for tonight its just a light lunch, so it’s the upscale, fine dining of – Subway in the outlet food court! It was in the right place at the right time.

Leaving the outlet mall, we are heading off to Red Rock as we want to check out the latest and greatest that Vegas has to offer, we realize that the Outlet Mall is on the same street as the Casino (Charleston Blvd), albeit 10 miles apart and through several lights, with I-15 backed up it seems a good idea to take the direct way and see a little bit of Summerlin at the same time. A Pleasant drive through we get to Red Rock, take a short drive to take in the surrounding area, it certainly is pretty around here, before checking out the Casino.

This is our first time visiting a “Station” casino, we sign up for the players club and go play some slots. Hoping that an off strip/locals casino (is Red Rock considered a Local Joint?) would prove fortunate for us turned out to be unfounded as the slots and VP sucked my money like a vacuum, I hate to own up to my losses, but lets just say that based on our play in the four hours we were there, I will be interested to see what, if any, offers come our way.

Red Rock Resort is certainly spectacular, looking around its wonderful how Station have taken the Contemporary Style and applied it to their latest Creation, the Reds Blacks and Browns mix in to give it a modern look on the inside. The Dining and Hotel areas are beautifully done, Station has a lot to be proud off. But with the high ceilings you cannot escape the fact that the Casino has that “Warehouse” feel and at the end of the day, no matter how much money has been pumped in, its not on the Strip and its not in the middle of the action. I can see how Red Rock can appeal, it’s in an upmarket part of town and with the activities in Red Rock Canyon nearby it can be a Vegas Trip with a difference, but if I want to do that sort of thing, I would go to New Mexico and/or Arizona.

By now time is moving on so we need to get back to the room to get changed for the night out. Taking the quicker route down I-215 and back up the Strip, we are in and out quickly, mainly thanks to the Skylofts having our clothes pressed and my shoes polished while we were out, as well as calling down for valet to have our car waiting and we were off to the Wynn for Dinner.

Parking at South Valet, we are early but that was good, as I meant to request a outside table when I had the Skylofts book DB, so I was willing to wait/grease palms if needed. However when we get there, they say they have a table on the Patio right by the Lake of Dreams ready for us right now. “How did they know?” I wonder but no worries, off to the table and it is indeed right on the edge of the action.

We get seated just in time for a show and it’s a wonderful start to the evening. I have to admit I have found the Lake of Dreams to be “Meh” in the past, but sitting right at the front is a totally different experience, it was a total “WOW”. I think its fair to say that if you have not seem the Show up close then do what you can to get a “Lakeside” table at DB, SW Steakhouse or the Patio Bar outside by Parasol Down. It really is something else.

What was even better was how service timed things nicely so they only came to the table after a show had finished. Also sitting in that part of the Wynn, its not like you are in Vegas its like you are in a private enclave, with the Restaurants surrounding the “Mountain” and the Carolinas Feel of the Country Club Grill I don’t think any other Casino can offer the Dining Environments that the Wynn Can.

We get the menus and immediately decide that we need to stop having Favorites at DB! As soon as we like something and look forward to enjoying it again, off the menu it goes! Anyway for the record we had Pumpkin Soup and Steak Tartare for Appetizers, Duck Confit and Beef Short Ribs for main course. I start to look at desserts but my wife tells me not to worry about ordering anything and to wait until we get back to the hotel. I still want coffee so we can watch another Lake of Dreams show, so I order that and suddenly the waiter comes out with a small dessert and Happy Birthday ‘written” in Chocolate on the plate. “OK what have you been doing” I ask, my wife swears its nothing to do with her and bear in mind it was me that took care of the reservation. “But the Skylofts wouldn’t have said anything would they, especially since they gave me the cake yesterday” I think to myself. No worries, we enjoy the dessert, take in one more lake show and go to leave, with a huge tip for the waiter.

Stopping to run $20 through a Wynn Slot, you think I would have learned my Lesson from July, they have not got any luckier for me but at least it shows I was there, or something like that, and my wife is getting antsy to go back to the hotel. “Fine” I think. So we are driving back and I say since I have to return the rental in the morning why don’t I just drop her at the front and go and park it and meet her in the room. “Why don’t you just valet it tonight and take care of it in the morning”. Her voice tells me I had better not disagree and I drop it at the Port-cochere thinking what a pain it is to get the car in the morning just to run it round to self-park.

Up to the room we go and I open the doors of the Skyloft to see a trail of rose petals leading up to the bathroom/bedroom, With Champage and Chocolate covered Strawberries waiting for us…. Turns out she was waiting for me to leave the lobby that morning when I was busy on the phone so she could make the arrangements with the concierge for me to have this as a Birthday Surprise – Suddenly everything becomes Crystal Clear, and it’s a wonderful way to end my Birthday, although she did mention that when she ordered it, the Ladies on the Concierge desk all said how sweet it was she was doing it, the Men said it was normally the other way round that they took this order….

November 21st

Up Early Again, to find my wife again downstairs watching her morning “Chick Flick”. We just spend the morning hanging out in the room, I leave to return the rental and on the way back up the ladies on the desk tell me how sweet my wife is and asked my how I was enjoying my stay. We talk for a bit about hotels and Hong Kong and the service the Skylofts offers, she tells me more than once they have people who make dinner/show reservations and then cancel because they are enjoying themselves so much in the Skyloft. While we were talking, another Concierge is taking out an X-Box to someone’s room, I express surprise and they ask if I would like one, I was tempted to respond that I preferred the Playstation but they probably could have offered me one of those.

One thing I love about the Skylofts is everyone, and I mean everyone, is so friendly and personable, completely invested in making sure your stay is nothing but a perfect one., if it is someone you have spoken with before they always address you by your name every time afterwards. When you are walking down the hallways, the staff stop, say hello and ask how your day is. One thing I do find a little unnerving is if you are coming through the lobby and the staff at the desk is not doing anything, they stand up and wish you a good morning/afternoon/evening, but that’s probably more me than anything.

Its lunchtime so we head out to Mandalay Bay as I wanted to try the Burger Bar (OK it was more I wanted to try the Burger Bar Desserts, there was something about the way they had done donuts in a Burger Style). We got a table right at the front of the place, which my wife was delighted with as it was a prime people watching spot.
I like how they have done the menu in that you can order your Burger completely a-la-carte, choose the meat, Bread, toppings and side dish and yes I know there is a million other places that do this, but there seemed to be a little more Variety and different items here, such as the option to order Kobe Beef or Buffalo, as well as foie gras and truffle toppings. One thing that did amuse me was that they did a Burger called the “Louis XVI” or the like which was pretty much a rip off of the DB Burger at Bouluds but at twice the price!

Normally we split desserts but this is what I came for so we had one each, the Donut with the Chocolate “Patty” topped with a Orange “Slice” mint and Strawberries. And a “Cheesecake” burger, similar sort of thing. These were definitely the highlight and a Regular Coffee to accompany them was perfect.

Having said that the Service at the Burger Bar was Slow, and that’s being polite, overall I was glad I went and did it once, but it’s not on the list to do again.

We walk though Luxor and catch the Tram back to Excalibur – The First time I had been through there since our first visit to Vegas in 1999 and I don’t think much had changed – still get stopped by Timeshare Hawkers, I just start responding in German that always gets rid of them! Walk through to the M&M store to do the obligatory shopping for our Son, he loves getting just Red M&M’s.

For anyone needing an insomnia cure, I can recommend spending time in the M&M store, on this trip and the last as soon as I come out all I want to do is go back to the room, crash and go to sleep. So it was back to the room for a 30 min nap. After that We decide that we just want to hang out in the loft for a while so we kick back. Dinnertime my wife doesn’t want anything fancy, but doesn’t want to leave the room just now, we decide on Wolfgang Pucks, call the Butler, but they don’t offer in-loft dining with them or Emerils, so that knocked that idea out. She decides to leave it for now, but I am starving, so I go down and grab a snack from the Food Court (was going to do wichcraft again but they close at 6pm).

The Roulette Tables were empty do I buy in and play for a few hours. Once again a Painful session with none of my numbers or columns hitting, but the dealers were great company and some interesting people around the table. Play a little more slots and things do not get any better, I decide to cut my losses and call time on my Gambling!!!

By this time its 10.30pm and my wife decides she wants to come down and play a while, but we decide to go eat first, by this time its pretty much only the Studio Café open, so we go there for the exotic meal of Breakfast for her and I have Buffalo wings. She stays downstairs to play some more, while I go back up and watch another movie, something very infantile I will admit that much, but I needed a brainless release after the frustration of my lack of luck the past few days before calling it a night.

November 22nd ……….. and beyond

It’s the Day before Thanksgiving, not the best time to Travel, but the pay-off for our Son staying at Grandmas was that we were having a Family Thanksgiving. With the Flight back at 1.45pm, our Limo was booked for 11am to give us time to check in and get through Security, so it was a case of get up, make the most of the shower that one last time, pack, pay and get out of there.

Saying our Farewells to the Concierge’s, who we had gotten to know very well this time we make our way down to the Waiting Limo and ride back to the Airport. It was my understanding that Allegiant did not offer Kerbside check in, so I was braced to haul my bags inside and get in line, so it was a Pleasant Surprise to see Desks outside – but there was still a long line. So we pull up and its fair to say pulling up in a Maybach does attract the odd glance or two. We get out and our driver tells us he will drop our bags by the Skycap so we can just get them when its our turn. Well a Skycap comes up, grabs our bags and checks us in right on the spot, if looks we got from the rest of the line could kill, we would have been flat on our backs – needless to say I tip our Driver and the Skycap very well!!! Security was a breeze, so we found ourselves airside with over 2 hours to kill, but better that way than panicking to make the flight. With a Direct flight back to Shreveport it was a faultless journey and time to start planning when we can next make it!


But it wasn’t over from a Casino Standpoint!!! As some of you may know, Shreveport has its own Gambling and with Shopping and a Downtown scene, it’s trying its best to build into a mini version of Vegas just 3 hours from Dallas. We had rooms comped for two nights at the Eldorado Casino there and two more nights we paid for as I spent the holiday season with the in-laws. Shreveport Casinos is something I will save for another post (I have offered to do a Shreveport Report for Hunter on a future podcast and/or Rate Vegas Blog). Besides this Trip Report is Long enough as it is!

The Eldorado is probably the Closest to Vegas that there is in Shreveport, at least in My Opinion, although the Horseshoe is pretty good as well their weekend room rates are just Bananas these days (Thank you Harrahs!)

I didn’t do much gambling after my first night there proving about as fruitful as most of my Vegas trip in spite of the low limits there and besides we staying were there more as a place to sleep rather than to go and gamble, our Son came and stayed with us on the last two nights anyway.

After 3 nights in the Skyloft it was a bit of a come down, although it’s a very nice joint, my wife and I spent a lot of the time joking, (What? You mean we have to pay for movies here? Where is the Butler with my Morning London Paper? And so on). I had a Coupon for the Buffet and tried their weekend Brunch which was very good! Although not an up market Buffet like the Wynn/Bellagio it doesn’t pretend to be, but I would contend it’s as good as any of the better Buffets in Vegas.

Summary

Although it was only a brief meeting, it was fantastic to Meet Mike, Hunter and Tim and Michelle, if a Rate Vegas meet ever happens, you can put me down as being there!

Normally we travel to Vegas in July/August so it was wonderful to be able to go when the weather is perfect Temperature wise, although in November I understand that can go either way, so I guess we were lucky. Luck is something that definitely did not come to my Gambling but I guess I should consider it my contribution to the construction of the next resort.

We enjoyed our overnight stay at the Mirage and will definitely return, it was good to try something new and variety is the Spice of Life. It will be interesting to see what they do when the renovation finally gets to the Regular Rooms and Penthouse Suites, as well as the New Revolution Lounge.

Although I have heard others have not been so lucky so far we have batted 1.000 at Daniel Boulud’s, its by far our Favorite Restaurant in Vegas. With the experience outside at the Lake of Dreams, we must try the SW Steakhouse on the other side, weather and outside seating availability permitting!!! While there are plenty of other fine dining choices within Vegas, There is no other collection of Restaurants that can provide the food and the setting that Wynn does.

Even with a Nightly room rate that is a significant percentage of a monthly house note, staying at the Skylofts a second time is twice as nice, I contend from a total package standpoint in terms of Room, Service, Amenities and everything else, the only way you are going to get any better in Vegas is by betting 4-5 figures per hand and being a guest at a Wynn/Mirage/Bellagio/Rio/MGM Villa/Mansion/call it what you will.

Skylofts is up there with some of the Best Hotels in the World, and it shows by the fact that even two years after they have opened, with the odd exception here and there they are booked up for every weekend between now and the end of March.

MGM Grand clearly have a winner on their hands and in my opinion, the Skylofts concept is something that, if they wanted, they could turn into a Brand and put in other cities around the world. They saw a niche in the Vegas Market of People who want and are willing to pay for the High Roller Experience, but don’t want to sit at a table all day wagering the appropriate amount to get it. It would not surprise me at all the see it turning up at the MGM in Macau, it also won’t Surprise me if other Casinos offer something similar sooner or later.

The strike against it is that it is on top of the MGM Grand. Although Gamal Aziz has done a superb job in taking what was built as a Family resort and moving it into something more upmarket, there are certain aspects that cannot be changed, for example with the vast Majority of the Restaurants being located in the Studiowalk, makes them little more than a Food Court (albeit a Very Very Nice one!), and although it does have one of the very best high roller areas with the Mansion, the rest of the place is almost like a warehouse. If you want to use the vast and excellent pool complex then you will almost need to take a cab there (Maybe the Skylofts could offer a Golf Cart service!!!)

If you are a Vegas Regular, I do think the Skylofts is something you have to try at least once, the only Danger is that you will be too busy enjoying your time in the loft to want to go do anything else. But that’s what I love about it and where it is, if you want to stay in your room, kick back and relax you can and with great ease! If you want to go do something, then an endless amount of choice clearly awaits!

I don’t think its in me to do a Short trip Report! but I enjoy putting them together, any questions on my stay are more than welcome.