I was pleasantly surprised when I walked along this Strip area. South Strip has definitely been improved (and so has the area near Aria, but I’ll talk about this on another upcoming video. Take a look for yourself; it’s the first (most recent) on our Vegas Videos page (just posted). More to come showing you this area! For any comments, go to our comments page or video requests page.
My new review of the Bellagio Buffet (lunch and dinner) will certainly surprise you! You can find it on our Bellagio Buffet Review page. We are also posting a brand new video review of this buffet, which will be live from 16th July on our Real Vegas Videos page.
Hello 🙂 Many new videos are being posted every day now, starting with an overview of the Monte Carlo pools area; you can find it on our Real Vegas Videos page.
If you seek the best Japanese restaurant in Vegas this place will surprise you on many fronts. First of all, don’t come here for Sushi because it’s not served; however, people do flock here to be served authentic Japanese delicacies. The restaurant is called Raku, tucked away in a location which is far from ‘obvious but not too far from mid Strip. More on Raku on our best Vegas restaurants page.
We have updated our Free Wi-Fi in Las Vegas page. More spots for your to enjoy wireless Internet for free! Click on ‘read more’ and then on the link which will show up on the first line.
We have talked about which Vegas players programs offer the best rewards for play; on this page we give you specific resorts’ examples where you may be able to reap better benefits for your play.
Slot play is generally well rewarded at Caesar’s Palace, Mirage, Aria, Excalibur (unlike in the previous years, when Excalibur was one of the greediest resorts in our experience), Cosmopolitan as well as any other independent Vegas resort/casino (such as Plaza in downtown Vegas or Venetian/Palazzo). At all of those resorts/casinos we have been able to 1) have our stay comped before we checked out, speaking to casino marketing or the players program’s desk the night before our check out day, or 2) we’ve been able to obtain free upgrades or free buffets for our stay, or 3) we’ve been sent comps offer for future stays.
For immediate rewards during your stay, when you think you have had a ‘good’ night of play at the casino where you are staying, the next day you should go straight to either casino marketing or their players program’s desk and ask if they can offer you free shows or free buffets or a free upgrade based on your play.
The most UN-generous resorts at present (from our own experience) seem to be Gold Coast and Orleans of the BConnected players program; they used to be among the most generous, but these days they seem to value locals rather than visitors and their programs are difficult to benefit from for the occasional visitor; even then, in order to be sent anything worth accepting, it now seems that you have to play significantly at a specific resort of theirs, reach at least Sapphire level (the next level up after their entry level) and then may you be graced with a 2-night stay per month comp offer from that specific resort (and not their other resorts, which is an obsolete reward system these days). Moreover, bear in mind that the BConnected resorts’ buffets have decreased in quality so much in the last few years that they are rarely worth the money you need to play to have them comped; moreover, they are cheap to begin with, so free buffets from that group are never a goal worth pursuing, in our opinion. The only thing I’ll say in favor of Gold Coast and Orleans is that they used to offer us comp weekends when nobody else was doing it in Vegas (at least nowhere else worth going).
Table games rewards follows similar guidelines to those explained above. However, at times it seems that longer-term play such as blackjack, ‘smart slot play’ and poker are better rewarded, rather than a high singular bet at a table. Even though you can certainly win big at tables and, at the end of the night of betting you may find yourself comped to a magnificent suite, in our experience playing blackjack, poker or slots in long-term moderation (and betting a minimum of 80 cents per spin for slots) may offer you better long-term rewards. We don’t play poker but we know many ‘ordinary’ poker players who are regularly comped at the resorts where they are playing, Venetian in particular. 4 Mistakes to Avoid in Vegas. Best Comps in Vegas How to Get Comped in Vegas
How much and how do you have to play to start receiving the rewards?
Several Vegas resorts on the Strip have remodeled their rooms, and some of those changes may shock you (scroll down):
Caesar’s Palace’s renamed and remodeled its Roman Tower, now called Julius Tower. Almost 600 rooms now have a modern decor, with accents of blue and yellow, headboard mirrors, a comfortable sitting area, a 55-inch flat-screen TV and large walk-in shower in its very large marble bathroom. The Augustus Tower (ideally located for those who want to enjoy Caesar’s Palace fabulous gym) rooms will also be remodeled throughout the year.
This isn’t the end of Caesars Palace’s makeover: The resort is already in the works of refurbishing the Augustus Tower rooms, set to finish later this year.
If you are going to enjoy Caesar’s Palace great comp offer (up to 5 days free of charge, except for the resort fee of course ;( ), you are likely to be assigned a different tower, so you won’t enjoy the brand new decor. However, you will still enjoy a great, large room with a great large bathroom ;). We have videos on this and other ‘comped’ rooms in Vegas.
Paris‘ standard rooms and most suites are being remodeled into a generally-modern-white with colored accents rooms. However, as you know, low-gambling comped rooms as well as the ‘cheapest’ rooms are usually the most dated so if this is an issue for you, double check with them over the phone (ask them which room type you will be assigned).
Planet Hollywood’s Ultra Hip rooms: modern with gold accents, a marble bathroom and a separate tub and shower. Read our Planet Hollywood Resort Review.
Harrah’s Carnival South rooms are now contemporary with a light decor and some colored accents, a docking station, a vanity area, a HD 49-inch flat-screen TV and a rain shower. Not bad for a usually affordable Strip resort. Of course, it’s not just the room that counts, but also the facilities. Read more on Harrahs.
The Linq: oh well, sit down comfortably before you read this! The Linq (which underwent a total renovation as you may already know – you can check our videos and see for yourself) has introduced bunk bed rooms supposedly for around 70 dollars a night (but of course this is a very general price, since you could be comped or pay much more during high-traffic times), where 5 people can shack up for a ow price (if you divide it into 5) right on the Strip. Some of rooms at the Linq can be small in my opinion and experience, so I can only imagine what it’ll feel like to have a bunk bed above one’s bed as well! Having said this, once I entered a room by mistake (which was left unlocked), thinking it was my room, and was shocked to see way over 10 people ‘shacked up’ in it; the room looked more like an emergency shelter rather than a hotel room; there were sleeping young adults everywhere, mostly on the floor (of course this is not allowed and you risk being thrown out)! My point here is that young crowds will probably not care at all about bunk beds or anything else, provided they can have an affordable place to sleep between partying in Vegas.
Mandalay Bay just renovated all of its guest rooms and suites (all with magnificent ceiling to floor windows). If you stayed at Mandalay Bay before you know those rooms were already fabulous, especially considering their price and the fact that one can use myVegas rewards to book here and stay almost free (well, apart from the resort fee…). However, they are now ‘fresher’ and more modern, following a trend in Vegas remodeling, namely a light color (white or similar) for general decor and some stronger colors for accents. Luckily Mandalay Bay seem to have kept some of its good furniture (after revamping it a little) so you won’t get the feeling that you are in a plastic room, which can happen in some ‘cheap and cheerful’ remodeled Vegas hotels. Among the new furnishings you will find are a spacious glass desk, modern seating, more task lighting as well as easy bedside & table-side recharging stations. The ‘Collection’ suites are finished in natural wood and stone accents. More on Mandalay Bay; Mandalay Bay or Delano? Note: let’s hope that the remodeling will reach its pitiful cardio room. It’s actually not terrible but – for the gorgeous and classy Mandalay Bay – it’s truly pitiful and – above all – very uncomfortable & poorly attended.
How to Get a Free Room in Vegas – Twenty Dollar Trick for Upgrades
MGM parking fees updated. Yes, they are to stay and they’re getting more expensive. It’s another slap in the face of all hotel guests, another insult to add to the injury already inflicted by the ever-increasing resort fees. The following is a simplified guide on their paid parking rules and, further down, their updated list of parking charges:
The first hour is free for every visitor. This will barely give you enough time to walk from their parking area to the casino, in many cases! 
If you are a hotel guest, you will have to pay an additional parking fee on top of the daily resort fee. This is outrageous: isn’t parking part of the resort facilities, for which we already pay? I think, given the potential removal of the resort fees in the future thanks to potential new legislation, parking fees will be a way of substituting it; for now, well, they have both.
BUT ( and this is the good news): if you are at Pearl, Gold Platinum or Noir level on your M Life membership card (which is free, and we talk about this on our players cards page), self-parking (as well as valet parking) is free. Having said this, during my last conversation with an MGM group reservation assistant, I was told that the parking fee is now applied to everyone. Watch this space for updates and don’t forget to nudge us about it.
Your daily parking fee is valid for all MGM properties.
If you have an MLife credit card, you will enjoy free parking.
You will probably arrive, park your car, obtain a parking ticket of some kind which you will show at registration, where you will be given a parking ‘key’ which may or may not be combined with your hotel key. This is where you ask for your complimentary/free parking if you are lucky enough to have this in your booking package. They are getting rarer.
The fees may be increased in the future, just like the dreaded resort fees. If you are considering using other means of transportation vs renting a car, our page on Getting Around Vegas explains the pros and cons with some tips and tricks.
Caesar’s Entertainment Parking fees – Latest Vegas Video – Vegas Real Videos – Las Vegas Deals of the Week – Las Vegas Coupons Guide. This websites gives you a ‘real’ Vegas perspective with tips and tricks written by frequent Vegas visitors! Check our 2 menus for a wide range of Vegas tips and tricks to save money and get the very best from your trip!
We just posted 2 new videos, one is a walk-through of the Strip from Bally’s to Linq (Jules’ style), highlighting what you may not expect from the Strip, and the other is a new video of the Gold Coast Premium room (part of our affordable Vegas hotels series). They are found on our ‘Real Vegas Videos‘ page.
Bacchanal Buffet Video Walkthrough: they just cannot cut that huge Parmesan cheese … And… oops…. I did it! It’s the first video of the list!