As the blog seems to be ticking on nicely and poker hasn't been so evil that I'm positively drowning or struggling, this is THE year to go to Vegas. Easter has come and gone so that's out and Christmas is for family innit? So a solo trip in late December is out as well. A small window of opportunity exists in late October but six days with no full weekend is just not enough time to explore thoroughly - so this leaves late July/August.
My 6-week summer holiday begins on 21st July. I'll want time to chill out, relax and recover straight after this and, no doubt, play some live poker in the UK before jetting off. A 10-night stay during mid to late August then seems the right time and gives me enough time to explore. Thursday 18th August to Sunday 28th August gives me time to enjoy two (lag-free) Friday and Saturday weekends so these are the dates I have set aside.
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This brings me to the choice of hotel. Without question, a central location in the centre of the strip is priority number one. Initially, my short-list (with prices of the hotel+flight for the 10 days) read like this:
Bellagio £1656
Imperial Palace £1082
Bally's £1423
Harrah's £1231
Bill's £1212
These prices, out of London and back, are from Expedia and although probably not the best prices you can get do seem reasonable enough. The dirt cheap Imperial Palace had terrible reviews so that's out. Bill's, although tops for location, value for money and character, does not have safes in the room so that's out and Bally's just seems expensive when compared to the others. This leaves Harrah's or Bellagio.
I like the sound of Harrah's because it's a reasonably priced hotel in the centre of the strip that provides the customers with a safe in each room. It's a step up from Imperial Palace and it seems ok for comfort and just the sort of place that I need for my purpose.
With its elegant fountain show set to music and dinstinctive facade, Bellagio is a high-end, famous hotel which is renowned for its opulence, ostentatiousness and its relatively sophisticated edge. On top of its reputation for luxury and comfort, Bellagio also seems to offer a greater and more relaxed experience. On top of this, it seems to have good internet connections in each room and also safes - just for that extra layer of security and reassurance but I'm still not 100% sure that these accomodate laptops.
At present, on the expedia website, Bellagio offers the 5th night free!! This equates to a saving of £466 or two nights free for a 10-night stay. This is really why I am drawn to taking up this offer, otherwise I would probably stay clear. Oh, they do slap on $20 a day "resort fee" though which will mean an extra $200. Hmm. Still, if the safes allow laptop storage and I feel like I'll be able to blog, surf and write on the internet in the comfort of my room at The Bellagio then that'll probably swing it for me.
At present, on the expedia website, Bellagio offers the 5th night free!! This equates to a saving of £466 or two nights free for a 10-night stay. This is really why I am drawn to taking up this offer, otherwise I would probably stay clear. Oh, they do slap on $20 a day "resort fee" though which will mean an extra $200. Hmm. Still, if the safes allow laptop storage and I feel like I'll be able to blog, surf and write on the internet in the comfort of my room at The Bellagio then that'll probably swing it for me.
I'll let y'all know what I decide on...
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