I just read this whole thread for the 1st time last night. I'm a huge fan of Vegas and think it is a magical place. The thing I like most about Vegas is that it can pretty much be anything you want it to be. I've gone at times when I've had no money and was still able to stay at a nice place with cheap airfare and lounge around the pools or hang out in sportsbooks watching games or heck just walk around marveling at all the sights. I've also gone at times where I'm doing okay financially and am able to splurge while there. When you throw gambling into the mix it can be a super costly trip or you could pay for your whole trip. I look at it like if I was to go to an amusement park or some other place where I'm paying money for entertainment I just apply that same concept to gambling.
The last time I went I was a little disappointed food wise, however the Caesar's Palace buffet is the best buffet I've ever had in my life. The Wynn and Belagio both have nice buffets too but I thought the Caesar's Palace one was better. Samba (Brazilian Steakhouse) at the Mirage was my favorite restaurant there but it closed down last year. We tried a different Brazilian Steakhouse with a Groupon last time but it wasn't quite as good. For years the absolute best thing for meals was the Buffet of Buffets which gave you a 24 hour pass to the Paris, Planet Hollywood, Harrahs, Flamingo, and Rio buffets. For an extra fee you could use it at the Caesar's Palace one but we just go there separate. It is usually about $50 or $60 bucks so what we always do is go to the Planet Hollywood buffet around 8 or 9 PM because they are open a little later than the others and then the whole next day you have your 3 meals paid for as long as you make it into dinner by whatever time you started your 24 hours the night before. It's basically like $15 a meal for 4 decent buffets. You can't really beat that. I really liked the Planet Hollywood buffet but the last time they had some water damage and it only had a small portion open and was really bad. The other ones on the last were pretty poor as well after cutting things like prime rib. The Paris one was the only one that was still pretty solid. The price had been reduced though and I see it has gone back up so I wonder if that is because they fixed the issues. Every other time previously it had been a great experience. On our honeymoon my wife and I ate at Yellowtail at Bellagio and were able to get a seat outside overlooking the fountain. Best food I've ever had but was probably a one time experience. We tend to mix trying new places and going back to our favorites each time we go.
I've stayed at Treasure Island, Flamingo (kind of, had a room there for one night but never went to sleep, ha ha), Imperial Palace which is now LINQ (stayed here a lot because of location and cheapness), Caesar's Palace, Bellagio, Paris, New York New York, MGM Grand, and Luxor (twice). I was always chicken to do the $20 bill thing but finally tried it at Caesar's Palace a few years ago and got upgraded to a really nice suite for free. Next time I went I was going to attempt it at Paris but the lady said they were full and that there was a $20 early bird check in if I wanted the room then. She pocketed the $20 and didn't apply it to the check in like I asked. I got billed for early check in when I was checking out but luckily the camera showed her taking the money. I was going to try it at Bellagio last time but the woman was super rude and was already talking about all these extra fees for our room before I even gave her my card so I was like fuck that. I like being in the middle of the strip. The free monorail behind Bellagio was really convenient to get down to the end where NY, MGM, and those type of places are. It was right after the shooting when I was there last time so that end of the strip was a little weird and surreal.
By far my favorite place to gamble is Casino Royale. It's such a dump but the atmosphere is so fun. There isn't steep prices on the table games like most of the other casinos have gone to. Plus they introduce fun new games like Blackjack Switch. Some casinos like NY NY advertise that they always have a $5 BJ table. It is pretty hard to get on to those but if you do it's well worth it as gambling off $100 can last hours and you're getting drinks the whole time. Hooters usually has a $1 and $3 BJ table so if you want a super cheap place to gamble that is pretty much the only reason to venture down there. While I've had fun the times I've gone downtown I don't really make it a point to head down there much anymore.
