Imperial Palace - Las Vegas - Jan. 22-25, 2006

I’m going to start with gambling since this was the 1st trip out of 7 in the past 4 years and we actually won something.

We arrived an hour later then scheduled thanks to Southwest Airlines, so was unable to place a bet on the Denver/Steeler game, which in hind sight was good, since we were going to bet on Denver. Placed a bet in Ballys sports book on Seattle to win over Carolina and collected $200.00. After the game, we went to Ballys VP area and played Progressive Double, Double Bonus Poker. DH hit 4 of a kind in 2’s and collected $238.00. Then I hit my first Royal Flush for $1,060.00. Over the next 3 days, DH hit 4 more 4 of a kinds at Ballys, 1 at MGM, 1 at Circus, Circus and 1 a Slots of Fun all for around $100 a piece. I hit a 4 of a kind at Ballys and 1 at the Rivera. Also played Keno at Harrah’s, Ballys and Imperial Palace. Didn’t win anything there. The IP still has $1.00 keno tickets, so we liked that. Played roulette at Casino Royal. Hit 19 twice and 36 once, but didn’t win any big money. Cocktail service was great everywhere we went. There were several times, I was just sitting next to DH watching him play VP and they brought me cocktails also.

Imperial Palace - We booked a Southwest Vacation package about 4 weeks out and got a great deal. On arrival, our plane was delayed in Albuquerque due to the toilets in the lavatories being frozen and wouldn’t flush. When we finally arrived at the IP, we just dropped off our bags curb side and checked in later that afternoon. We asked for a King, but was told they were sold out. They gave us a 2 Doubles on the 9th floor over looking the pool area. Room 9119. Room was fine. Bathroom small and the sink area a little scratched up and cracked. The sink also had a slow drain. The balcony over looking the sparse pool area and the back of the Flamingo was fine. The location of the IP was terrific and for the price, we would stay there again.

IP Spa - Made reservations for a Vanilla Sugar Scrub and Swedish massage. Upon arrival, was informed that they were in the process of changing their product line and services, so was offered either a Green Tea pumice scrub, Chocolate scrub or Champagne/Rose salt scrub. I chose the Champagne/Rose salt scrub. This was the first spa treatment I’ve had that once the scrub was complete, I didn’t have to get up and go to the shower to rinse off. They has a 6 sprayer head to toe shower spray that rinsed the scrub off while on the table. It was so nice and relaxing. The lady doing the actual scrub could have been a little more attentive, but over all it was a nice treatment. The Swedish massage was fabulous. So good, that I asked if I could add on a foot massage and they did so with no problem. Each treatment was $60. Included was a optional clothing whirlpool, sauna and steam shower. After my treatments, I spent time in the steam shower. They offered ice cold towels at the entrance to the shower. They also had 3 separate showers with their line of products: Citrus, CocoMango and something else I can’t remember. I chose the CocoMango and loved it. I ended up buying the shower gel, but they were sold out of the lotion. Too bad. I would book treatments there in the future.

Dining -

IP’s Tea House Restaurant for breakfast - Not bad. We chose the hueves rancheros and they were fine. The french toast was a little too thick and not enough egg batter for my taste, but the syrup was good. No powdered sugar. Service was fast and friendly.

IP’s Emperor’s Buffet for breakfast - We were disappointed that the advertised daily champagne buffet brunch in the Tea House was cancelled the week before, so we went to the Emperors Buffet. The cost was $10.99 p/p. I don’t particulary care for buffets in Las Vegas, but this was good for the money. The food was actually tasty and not stale/dry tasting. We went at 9:00am and a line started forming once we got in. Selections included scrambled eggs, omelette station, spinach quiche, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast. A variety of breads, muffins and pastries and a fresh fruit/canned fruit bar. It was about the same level of AI hotel food we’ve had in the Caribbean and Mexico.
Commander’s Palace .25 Cent Martini Lunch - We made reservations for 11:30, there was only us and 4 other tables occupied in the dining room. There were others in the bar area. There is a 3 course pre-fixed menu for $18.80 and a separate 3 course menu which you could apply substitutions for $29.00. All are either soup/salad, entree and dessert. DH chose the pre-fixed menu. He had the navy bean and duck soup, pork etufee and the banana cake. All was very good. Other choices were Caesar salad, blacken grilled catfish and chocolate bread pudding. I chose the $29.00 menu, which offered the turtle soup, fried catfish and chocolate souffle. I didn’t like the options of the turtle soup or the chocolate souffle, so they substituted with the gumbo and the creme brulee. All was very good. The waitress tried to talk me out of the creme brulee as she said she didn’t care for it, but I was glad I held my ground because it was very good. We had the Commander’s Palace martini x 2, a lemon drop martini, raspberry martini, French martini and a Butterscotch martini with dessert for .25 cents each. Check came to $53.00. This was our second trip and we would definitely go back again.

Circus, Circus Steakhouse - This was also our second trip. We decided to share an entree, since their steaks are huge. We chose the Porthouse. I was given an extra plate with 1/2 of a baked potato and a side of steamed asparagus. All was perfect and plenty for the both of us. DH doesn’t really care for asparagus, but this was so good he ate all of it. They only charged me extra for a salad. Had creme brulee for dessert and was very good. Also had 2 Coronas for $4.50 a piece. Never seen a Corona for less than $6.00 at a nice restaurant. Check came to $63.00 Would definitely eat there again.

The Range Steak House at Harrah’s - Big disappointment. I chose the Escargot with puff pastry. Was OK. They could have skipped the huge puff pastry and substituted for Provolone cheese. Also had the lobster bisque. Was served barley luke warm and was too thick like it had been sitting out awhile. DH has the roasted chicken breast. The portion was quite small. We shared the creme brulee for dessert and they torched the top table side. Burnt it to a crisp. Check came to $63.00. Not worth it.

Ballys Sterling Champagne Brunch - This was our second trip here also. We love this brunch. The all you can eat lobster and champagne is totally worth the $65.00 p/p charge. Also had sirloin steak, shrimp cocktail, crab claws, and lobster ravioli. For dessert, creme brulee, flan, and chocolate covered strawberries. There were plenty more selections to choose from including different kinds of egg dishes, fresh omelettes cooked to order, salad bar, sushi bar, carving station and full dessert area. Definitely make a reservation. There was a line of people without reservations and I didn’t see anyone of them get in. Our reservation was at noon. We got there at 11:30 and the place was packed. We had to wait until a little after noon to be seated. They do provide champagne while you wait, which is nice touch.

I Love This Bar and Grill - We went for dinner around 8pm. The place was full, but not packed. Plenty of empty tables, but not enough wait staff to cover them. DH had the fried catfish. Had to be one of the best we ever had. Chicken fried steak was good also, but the gravy was a little funky. Not the typical cream gravy, but more like a turkey gravy. It was OK, but would have preferred cream gravy. Their side dishes were also off. The coleslaw was dry and tasteless and the turnips greens need more seasoning and pepper sauce. Couldn’t flag down a waitress. At 9pm they have a live band. This guy was terrible. Mutilating rock hits from the 70’s and 80’s. It’s a country bar. We were looking forward to listening to some Country music. We left, but would try them again in the future.

Margaritaville - We love their tortilla soup. Also ordered the Volcano nachos, which was good. Huge portion that a family of four could eat. I asked for a side of salsa and they brought me a cereal bowl full of it and then charged me $1.99. Our waitress apparently was not having a good day. Bad attitude and then brought us the wrong check. Enjoyed the Wildberry Colada, but the Margarita DH had was pretty bad.

Entertainment -

Splash at the Rivera - We were not interested in $100 p/p show tickets this trip, so we settled on Splash. The show was good and entertaining, The in between acts and comedy troop was really good. We had terrible seats. On the 2nd row to the far right. Was just too close to the stage and we couldn’t see what was going on to the left of the stage. The performers went out into the audience several times, so we couldn’t see that either. The theater is quite small, so we would have preferred seats in the back section so we could get a good overview of the entire show.

Dueling Pianos at Harrah’s - We didn’t get there in time to get a seat inside. The place is rather small. There were 2 men at the pianos instead of the Twins as advertised. We stood outside the open window area for a while. It was entertaining and we would go back again, but will probably try the new dueling pianos at the Paris first.

Carnival Court at Harrah’s - Nice bar area. Was afraid it would be too cold to sit out there, but they had heaters going. It was not full and nobody was dancing. We stayed awhile and enjoyed the music at the bar.

Caesar’s Forum or Shoppes/Aquarium/Fountain Show - Haven’t been in Caesar’s since 2002. If they keep adding on, it will be a city within itself. The place is huge. The Aquarium and Fountain Show was the same as we saw before in 2002. However, the sound quality was pretty bad as we could barley hear/understand what the characters were saying. Couldn’t pass up Bath and Body works. Was able to buy some coconut lotion to go with my CocoMango bath gel.

This was our 3rd trip in January and it had to be the best weather. Sunny and cool with only a slight breeze. The other two times it was very cold and windy. Would have to say that January is the best time for low crowds and good prices on package deals. We’ll be back.

Pictures at: http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn