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| - I was in town for a national healthcare related conference hosted at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. I had never been to Las Vegas before this, nor have I ever gambled. I flew in a day early and stayed at a Marriott in Henderson. I spent the next day hiking to the Hoover Dam and some nearby mountains.
I had a rental car. For a first-timer, the Strip is a little daunting. After some maneuvering, I found Caesar's Palace. I didn't know they had free valet service and wouldn't you know it, the free parking garage is a loooong walk from the check-in desk.
When I checked in I made a grave mistake that only someone who has never been to Vegas makes. I didn't tip the registration person before I checked in. This guaranteed me the worst room available at that time. I hadn't done enough homework on the nuances of Vegas. I would be paying for my initial error many times over again during my stay.
I asked if there was a cart I could use to haul my week's worth of clothing and tradeshow materials to my room. I was curtly told that wasn't possible, but I could employ a staff member to do it for me. I declined. Even though it was going to be an ordeal to carry all of it through the floor of the casino, I could physically handle it. I was in the Roman Towers. It took three trips.
After I checked in the room, I took a shower. The room itself was a nice size. I had a view of an interior courtyard rooftop. There was no door on the bathroom. There was a handset phone next to the toilet, more antiquated than quaint.
A small TV screen was next to one of the sinks. The bath tub was large and in-charge.
I went downstairs and signed up to get a player's club. I also signed in on FourSquare and was given a free buffet at Lagos as a special.
I told them I had never gambled before and they took their time answering my questions. You can't buy chips with a credit card, but there are ATM machines all around that take plastic. You don't even need to know your pin number (you just pay a higher fee).
I had set my limit at $100. When I withdrew it, I got a hundred dollar bill (instead of 20s). Next to the ATM is a machine which will turn your $100 bills into smaller denominations.
I found a helpful young lady at the small concession stand near the parking lot elevator who gave me a map of the facility.
I had dinner at the Noodle restaurant by the lobby elevator. The décor is a shocking white pattern with mirrors reflecting light into your eyeballs which still maybe adjusting from the dimness of the casino floor. They had massive fish tanks filled with thousands of goldfish.
The beer that says draft on the menu is not what we in America consider a draft. It was a weak beer in a bottle and draft was the brand. The noodle dish was okay, but average isn't what I want from Vegas dining, not at the price for my dinner.
All night I was roused through vigorous banging on the hotel wall at random times. Several thumps were hard enough to shake my bed. In the morning there was no cold water in the shower. Thankfully the bathtub had a hand-held shower extension and I could bathe there. That was the only morning that the shower's cold water didn't work.
I discovered my room shared a wall with the servant's elevator and work room. That is what had made the noises the night before (and every night at random times during my entire stay).
I ate each morning at Lagos and each time, it was excellent (except the last day). They have two lines. If you are a diamond or seven club member, there is no waiting. Otherwise, come at the wrong time, and the line looks like a crowd waiting for a Disney ride. I arrived early enough (8AM) each day that there was no line. Typically by the time I left, folks were accumulating, much more so on the weekend.
They had wonderful lox, capers and other delights. The waitstaff, almost to a fault, was exceedingly attentive. The only negative experience was when I asked to see if my friend had arrived before I did for our meal. I was told to look from the door but was discouraged from entering to see if he was indeed there.
On our last morning, the buffet had turned from being breakfast into being a 'brunch'. What that meant for us much greater cost and almost none of the good food we'd been enjoying all week. Lox were gone, and most of the regular breakfast items were either low or out.
Another friend of mine who arrived separately was incredulous that we didn't know the tip rule. He had the same level of room reserved as we did (same conference) and tipped the front desk $50 on check-in. He was given a palatial, presidential suite.
You can smoke in Vegas casinos. I don't mind second hand smoke, so it didn't bother me.
The TV doesn't get many channels other than Caesar/Las Vegas promos/Asian ones. The internet is woeful and expensive, but I didn't expect anything else. I brought my Sprint hotspot and was getting 4G almost everywhere.
The pool is nice, but randomly, private parties bar all but diamond/7 stars.
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