I had to spend 3 nights in Las Vegas for a work conference at Caesar’s Palace.  I’ve been to Vegas a few times and have visited Caesar’s but have never stayed there.  Let me say that I was NOT happy with the room I received, which I am pretty sure was the worst room in the entire hotel.  It was in the oldest part of the hotel (the Forum Tower) and was the longest walk from reception and the conference area and was only one floor above the casino, which meant I got to listen to bass thumping music until 2am every damn night.  The room was also worn, dingy, had huge scratches and scuffs on the furniture and walls and my makeup mirror was broken in the bathroom.  The carpet was worn and not very clean and I had a Keurig machine but no pods.  However, there was someone else’s used Kcup pod sitting on the counter next to it which stayed there for 3 days because the maids never bothered to throw it away.

I arrived late after a delayed flight and was so tired I ignored it all and went to bed because I didn’t want to walk 20 minutes back to reception or deal with it on the phone.  By the next day, I just resigned myself to the crummy room and suffered.  To be fair, the bed was comfortable and I did visit a room in the much newer Augustus Tower that was bright, airy, spacious, had new fixtures, furniture and carpets.  I would have been pleased as punch if they had given me that room, but they didn’t.

At any rate, my time was spent between meetings and visiting the conference area during the day but I had my late afternoons and evenings free.  My room was close to The Forum Shops, which are impressive, so I did some shopping my first evening.

After a little retail therapy, I headed to the Bellagio Hotel and had a sushi plate at Yellowtail, which is my favorite sushi place in Vegas (at least that I have tried so far).  When I eat alone, I tend to sit at the bar b/c the waitress usually won’t forget you since you’re right in front of her and I’ll tool around on my phone, reading the news and social media.  The waitress very thoughtfully suggested a dinner special of sushi that night and it was fabulous, along with 2 glasses of prosecco. I also met a very nice couple from California that was celebrating a 40th birthday and we had a nice conversation about California wine and travel.

The next day was more of the same but I managed to get in a late afternoon run at the gym and then got an express pedicure at the spa in the evening.  Following that, I was ready to leave Caesar’s again.  I have to say that I just wasn’t all that thrilled with the restaurant choices in Caesar’s.  I know many of the restaurants (Rao’s, Nobu, Homestead Steak) are supposed to be pretty good but they just didn’t appeal to me.  Also, because of the conference, the hotel was simply jam packed and it was starting to irritate me.

So, I put on my comfortable boots and walked 30 minutes down to The Wynn.  I really love the Wynn Hotel – it’s beautiful, far more quiet, less crowded and has a more upscale atmosphere.  I guess I am just getting old.  The casino here is less smoky and not as crammed with slot machines and noisy games so it’s a bit more serene and spaced out. I treated myself to dinner at La Cave, which overlooks their pool area.  They specialize in small plates and wine pairings by the glass, which was perfect for me as a solo traveler and I had a fantastic salad and flat iron steak.  Again, I sat at the bar and was well taken care of.

I had an early night as my flight the next day left at 8am so I headed to the airport around 6:15am.  I used to despise Vegas but I have actually come around to it – as long as I can do it the way that I like, which means staying at the quieter end of the Strip at the Wynn or Encore, getting some quality spa time and having some good meals with my spouse.  So, this trip wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for but at least I got to try a few new restaurants and I know to never get the basic room at Caesar’s!

Oh, and while I was stuck there at work, my awesome husband ubered down to the Women’s March in  Dallas to represent.  So proud of him for doing that – real men support women’s rights, IMHO.