Warning: My writing got a little out of hand!
My sister wanted to get married in Vegas so in January she and her fiancée choose July 28 as their wedding date. They choose the Venetian as the location for their wedding: the ceremony would be in a chappel in the Venezia and the reception would be in a banquet hall in Postrio. My parents (from South America), a younger brother, and I would stay 1 week in Vegas, from the 24th of July till the 31st of July. I immediately began to look for a hotel room, air fares, and a car. Through this website I decided to book a strip view room at the Venezia. Anyway, in April I decided to book a backup room at the Wynn. As a plus they were cheaper than the Venezia. I would make up my mind a couple of days before departing to Vegas. In the end I choose the Wynn because it was newer and a friend just came back from Vegas and said the Wynn was the best looking hotel in Vegas. Anyway, here’s my trip report (photo album: http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/ ):

July 24th
We left for Miami International airport at 5:30AM for a 7:50AM departure. I was able to select premium seats for everyone so our flights would be very comfortable. Anyway, our flight to Vegas through Dallas went very smooth and we arrived in Vegas at around 11AM. After we got our luggage we took a Hertz shuttle to get our car. Once at Hertz it seemed they did not have our car at all: an Audi A6. They offered me an Audi A4 but declined it since it was too small. They then offered an Infinity G35, a Cadillac DTS, and a Hummer. I declined again and asked if they knew when they would get the Audi. They had no answer. As a temporary solution they would give me the Hummer for the time being and call me when they would get the A6. I then heard someone yell “we have an Audi.” Excellent! What pulled up however was a white Audi A8L. I was in shock. It was stunning and loaded with gizmos. Anyway, I drove off the lot and had no idea how to get to the Wynn or how to figure out the navigation system. After some fidgeting with the navigation system we set our destination as the Venetian since the Wynn was not in the database. We drove up the west/main entrance and used valet. I went to the lobby and waited around 15-20 minutes before I was helped and to be told there were no rooms available yet. It was no problem since we were early. We decided to have lunch at Sugar & Ice in the Wynn. After lunch I used a house phone to check room availability and I was given the OK to check in. My parents decided to go the casino since they didn’t want to wait again in the lobby. This time however I was helped immediately. I was offered an upgrade from a Resort Room to a Tower Suite room for $50. Being a sucker for upgrades I took the upgrade. Honestly, I didn’t know they had 2 beds in Tower Suite rooms (according to people on this board). I was surprised. I was actually even more surprised they had strip view rooms with 2 beds (From this board I was told that the rooms with 2 beds were golf view rooms). Anyway, the room was amazing and the view was stunning. By now I think everyone knows what the rooms at the Wynn look like so I’ll skip describing it. Anyway, I was tired so I went to bed. My brother went to the gym and my parents went shopping since my mom forgot to bring along some things for the wedding. At 8PM we had dinner at SW Steakhouse in the Wynn. Honestly, I don’t think it was worth the $$$ spent. Of course the food was good and the service excellent (although confusing and weird because of the multiple waiters), but I think you can get a better tasting and prepared steak at Ruth’s Chris for less. After dinner we drove down the strip. BTW, Tower Suite entrance has its own valet parking area which is very quiet. They also have a nice sitting area which doesn’t cool well during the day. Additionally, the walking distance to the room was also shorter. We were really glad we took the upgrade.

Sugar & Ice terrace
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L1.jpg

July 25th
We had breakfast at around 9 AM in Tableau since it was close to our room. I had mini pastries and French Toast. The mini pasties were amazing. We didn’t really like Tableau since there are barely any people in there (or maybe we ate too late). Anyway, it seemed that the USA basketball team was staying at the Wynn. Players were walking up and down the lobby and up and down the elevators. I don’t think people knew who (or how famous) they were since people were only talking to them in elevators (about shoes, height, etc). They were all nice btw. Around 11 AM my brother and I met my sister, her fiancée, and 6 other friends at the Alamo location by the airport. My parents were in the Fashion Show Mall again to finish their shopping (or maybe they were in the casino since they were now “shopping” too often). I later met my parents in the Mall since I also needed to buy some clothes. Around 7 PM we (and the new guests) went to the parents of my sister’s fiancée. They had a mini BBQ at their time share apartment. After the BBQ my mom and I went to pick up some relatives from the airport and dropped them of at Harrah’s. BTW, watch out for the speed bumps as you leave the entrance at Harrah’s. They’re really nasty.

July 26th
My sister called us around 8AM to have breakfast in Le Bouchon in the Venezia, but we were still sleeping. Anyway, she called each and every day thereafter to reschedule. We never ate at Le Bouchon. Breakfast today was Dim Sum at Cathay House in Chinatown. It was excellent and really tasty. I definitely recommend them if you want to have Dim Sum. At 2:20PM we (my brother, dad, sister, sister’s fiancée, sister’s friend, and me) were picked at the Wynn for our Papillon Grand Celebration tour on the EC130 helicopter (the newer helicopters). My mom was going to “shop” again at the Fashion Show Mall. The flight to the Grand Canyon took about 30-40 minutes. We flew low over the Hoover Dam to see it up close. The pilot made some s-turns so both sides of the helicopter had a view of the Dam. The view was so good that we decided to skip driving to the Dam. Anyway, once we landed in the canyon we had 30 minutes to look around. There was a tent where we had “lunch” which consisted of a sandwich, some cookies, a bag of chips, soda and water, and a “glass” of champagne. On the ride back we also flew over the strip from north to south. At around 8PM we, some relatives, and friends had the dinner buffet at the Aladdin. I was kind of disappointed. It was a lot better a few years ago. Anyway, after dinner, my mom, some relatives, and I went to the Bellagio (and the fountains of course) and Luxor.

The Hoover Dam
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L4.jpg

The Grand Canyon
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L2.jpg

The Grand Canyon
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L3.jpg

Paris
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L5.jpg

The Bellagio Fountains
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L6.jpg

The Bellagio Conservatory
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L7.jpg

The Bellagio lobby
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L8.jpg

July 27th
We had a late breakfast at Terrace Pointe Café in the Wynn. It has a nice view of the main pool area and the food was good (the French Toast is better at Terrace Pointe Café than at Tableau). Additionally, there are a lot more people at Terrace Pointe than at Tableau. We also went to pick up 3 tuxes at Men’s Wearhouse. Today was the rehearsal in the Venezia. This would be my first time seeing the Venezia. The complaints I read about the long walking distance from the Venetian lobby to the Venezia rooms are completely false. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the walking distance is actually shorter than walking from the Venetian lobby to the Venetian rooms. I also saw the rooms at the Venezia. I was glad I didn’t stay there. Even though the room in the Venezia was larger, it seemed more cramped because of all the huge and excess furniture. Additionally, the style the room (and hotel) was decorated in was not my taste at all: very old, classic, dark, and cold. After the rehearsal we went to Sam Woo in Chinatown. I didn’t like it. I’ve had way better Chinese food in South Florida. After dinner I picked up some more relatives from the airport and dropped them off at Aladdin.

View from room 3405
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L9.jpg

The chapel in the Venezia
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L10.jpg

Sam Woo
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L11.jpg

July 28th
The day of the wedding! We had a late breakfast at Terrace Pointe Café again today. I made some errands today (Men’s Wearhouse, Target, Party Shop, etc) which took quite some time. Additionally, I called the Concierge to arrange a video camera rental since I forgot to bring mine. They did an excellent job of finding a company with only a few hours notice. Additionally, the camera would be delivered to the Concierge. The cost of the rental was $165 and the camera was a Canon GL2 (one of the best I’ve heard). Anyway, I dropped my parents and younger brother off at the Venetian an hours before the wedding and picked up some relatives (at the Aladdin and Harrah’s). I barely made it back to the Venetian in time because of the horrific traffic. BTW, I only used Koval and other back roads. I wasn’t expecting the traffic to be that bad since the other days I had no problem getting around. Anyway, the wedding ceremony was very nice (only 31 people) and took about 15 minutes. More than half of the guests cried. I’ve never seen that before. After the wedding ceremony, everyone walked to the lobby of banquet hall at Postrio for some snacks until the bride and groom arrived (they were taking pictures). After they arrived, a dinner buffet was served in the banquet hall. The buffet consisted steak, salmon, lobster, and some other stuff. Honestly, the food was just OK although a lot better (tastier) than at the mega Vegas buffets.

The Groom, Bride, and a friend
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L13.jpg

Postrio
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L12.jpg

The lobby of the banquet hall at Postrio
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L14.jpg

July 29th
Today we ate Terrace Point Café again. I also returned the tuxes and the video camera. At around 5 PM a group of us went to have dinner at the Wynn Buffet. 8 buffets were comped. I definitely liked the Wynn Buffet a lot more than the one at Aladdin. The quality of the food was just better. At around 7 PM we (the same group from the buffet) met at the Mystere theater. The show was amazing however I wanted to see more acrobatic stunts and less of the dancing and clowns. The seats I had were perfect. I could see the sweat dripping from the balancing duo (who were incredible btw). After the show the whole group had dinner again at Sam Woo.

Wynn South entrance
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L15.jpg

Wynn South entrance
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L16.jpg

Esplanade Shoppes at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L17.jpg

Parasol escalators at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L18.jpg

Parasol escalators at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L19.jpg

July 30th
Today we had a late breakfast at Tableau. I of course had some mini pastries (and an omelet). There still weren’t many people in Tableau. My brother went to a pool tournament in the Venetian. My sister called him when we he still asleep and he was out the door within 15 minutes. It seems my sister and her husband met this top rated pool player and he invited them and their friends to the tournament (they are all pool fanatics). I called a casino host to see what we could do with the points my parents had (I had less than 50 points). It seemed we could get 2 days of our rooms comped, however the host told me to check with her again on the day of departure. I decided to go to the Stratosphere with a cousin and a friend for the rides at the top. I of course had a great time. The only problem was the sun and a very long line at one ride. After I returned from the Stratosphere there was a farewell dinner at Red 8 at the Wynn. The food was good but not really authentic Chinese. Additionally, it was pricey.

The beds
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L20.jpg

The desk area
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L21.jpg

The bathroom
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L22.jpg

The view from the room
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L23.jpg

The Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L24.jpg

The waterfalls/Esplanade entrance at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L25.jpg

The waterfalls/Esplanade entrance at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L25.jpg

The waterfalls/Esplanade entrance at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L26.jpg

The waterfalls/Esplanade entrance at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L27.jpg

Treasure Island/the strip
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L28.jpg

The strip
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L29.jpg

The strip
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L30.jpg

The Venetian/Palazzo
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L31.jpg

The Venetian/Palazzo
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L32.jpg

The Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L33.jpg

The Lake of Dreams at the Wynn
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L34.jpg

July 31th
Nothing much happened today. We checked out around 8:45 AM for an 11 AM departure. After checkout we went to see a casino host regarding the room comps. It now seemed that 3 nights would be comped and we would receive the casino rate for 1 night. We returned our car to Hertz but forgot to fill up the gas tank. Check-in and security was done all under 30 minutes.

Audi A8L
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L36.jpg

The flight back to Miami
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/gxshiem/Vegas%20July%2024-31%202006/L35.jpg

I had a great time in Vegas, but I missed out on a lot and I did not spend a lot of time in the major casinos. Additionally, I did not have the buffets at the Bellagio and Paris which were on my list (luckily I had them 3 years ago). The only thing I basically did was wake up late, drive around, eat, eat some more, and relax. 1 week was a little too short. The highlights of the trip were the wedding of course, the Wynn (the service was excellent), and the Audi (very exclusive car, only saw 3 other ones in Vegas).

OK, so this is what the VP tournament at Aladdin was like.

We leave Phoenix on Friday afternoon. This time we take Donna’s (DJ) Mustang instead of the truck. It was faster but it still sucks driving over the Hoover Dam!!! We make the haul through the mall and up to VIP check in. I am getting used to this VIP stuff, check in is a breeze and we need to register for the VP tournament. So up to the room, it was not a strip view…I was almost pissed but it was close to the elevators and thats what really matters i guess. Back down to register and I get machine 33 and 6 first day 18 and 20 the next. When you walk in they have very pretty girls holding lots of drinks. I am a beer drinker so I thought the drinks were way to strong. Nice touch though!!

Down we go to start what we are really here for, after a stop at Spice Market for crab legs and shrimp of course. So it’s gambling now. DJ carried us…I was getting my head handed to me. It went that way all night…thank god for DJ.

Saturday we get up and I try to practice for the VP thing (practice, what was I thinking)…..so I thought this was like a slot thing. Play fast, play very, very fast. It;sa not like that at all. You have to play quickly but not stupid fast. The first round I played stupid fast. It’s hard to judge those cards and then just drop it. Did i mention the pretty girls with drinks were there again? I did what you would expect in the second round so I didn’t finish in the money. After that it was just gambling all day long. DJ was still carrying me when out of no where ….bang…..I get a ROYAL..never saw it coming, just pow. Now Iamb not playing .25, it”sa dollars for me all the way. You can lose a lot of dollars fast. This is when something that has never happened to me did. DJ says your drunk and your going to bed. I say it’s Vegas and its only 9 what are you thinking?? DJ says your going to bed….so I did….at effing 9.

Sunday, it’s up for round two of the VP thing. DJ was right, you should see my eyes, these are some serious beer goggles. Can some one actually see out of those things? Don’t know the result of day 2 of the VP thing but my scores were lower than day 1 so I don’t think we are going to get anything.

At check out I asked about comps (like you guys always demand..thanks). We got $90 taken off the bill on first ask. Then I asked why DJ was not getting any offers since she plays just like me? The gal takes her card and bang the rest of the bill is comped, I think she got lost in the system some where. I think DJ will start getting offers very soon. Well that’s it, like always it was a blast. TA- what? Not soon enough.