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| - I'm not a pool person. I typically hit the lounge chairs, order a cocktail, read a book, dip my toes into the water, and I'm done.
This trip was different, as the missus and I decided to look into renting a day bed and tried to make a day of it by the pool. It was a sunny Friday and weekend rates were in full effect, so the day beds by the pool's lazy river were priced at a steep $375. Yikes!
It was our last day in Vegas and we were looking for some R&R over anything else, and while deciding whether or not to splurge a bit and use our meager casino winnings to treat ourselves, we learned that unlike many other Vegas pools, the Monte Carlo lets you literally eat into its rental fees, turning a pricey proposition into something a whole lot more affordable. If you order enough food and drink to cover the rental fee, or even a part of the fee, that portion of the fee is waived.
As we hadn't had breakfast yet, and had budgeted about $250 for the day for food and drinks, we decided to go ahead and live like royalty albeit for one day.
The day bed includes two additional lounge chairs (so the whole space seats four very comfortably) and includes a couple of inner tubes for lazy river rafting. It also includes the extremely attentive service of three servers who are constantly checking in on you to get you fresh towels, food, and drink.
The servers made is very easy for us to rack up our food and beverage charges, so it did not feel like we were throwing a couple of hundred dollars away on a day bed rental alone.
They were even amenable enough to get us the beer menu from the connecting The Pub when we asked for it, so I could order a bucket of my favorite craft beers. While they will typically only do this upon request, and when the Pub is not slammed, this was a definite value add for me, as I have a love/hate relationship with the Pub at Monte Carlo: I love love love their beers and their pub food, but hate hate hate their service. Enjoying any of their over 200 different beers poolside, served with a gleaming smile, might be just reason enough to do the day bed thing the next time I'm here despite the cost.
Eating is not a problem either, as the pool has its own menu of snacks, and offers the full Pub menu to anyone renting a cabana or day bed, so you can enjoy a wide selection of appetizers and burgers and mains during your day-long stay. We were even able to order a boxed to-go dinner from the Pub's menu on our way out, which ensured our rental fee would be even further reduced, with supper all taken care of.
As there were only two of us, we were only able to bring our total spend to $200 or so for food and drinks, leaving a $175 rental fee left to pay. Had we been in a group of four, where everyone in the group spent $100 on food and drinks, the entire rental fee would have been waived.
But our very attentive servers spotted this gap, and went out of their way to hunt down a couple bottles of wine and a six-pack of bottled water, and brought the food/beverage portion of our bill to just over $330, and our rental feel to just under $45. Sweet!
That said, it is to their advantage to do so, as they receive an automatic 21% service and gratuity fee on any food and drink delivered to your day bed, so don't be shy to ask what they can do to bring down your rental fee. But all that aside, I did feel I got my money's worth, as I am happier to spend more money on food and drinks (even at slightly higher prices) than simply a rental fee alone.
I would also highly recommend staying alongside the lazy river if you have a chance to do so. While some of the areas surrounding the main pool can be a bit quieter, you're kind of stuck with your neighbors and their attitudes for the duration of the day. On the lazy river, different people tend float by you at a constant pace, so the one or two noisy splashy kids, or the loud drunken frat boy douches, drift by you like passing clouds on a sunny day.
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