We just wrapped up a great weekend in Las Vegas after participating in the Rock'n'Roll 1/2 Marathon, chilling at the Aria Spa and filling our mouths with some delicious buffet food.
The city seemed slow, even though there were 35,000 people in town to run the marathon and a UFC flight. This trip we stayed at Aria, I love this hotel and we took full advantage - rarely leaving. Because this was a marathon weekend we wanted lots of relaxation so we spent lot's of time at the Aria Spa. The great thing about this Spa is that they have a great co-ed space so we could hang with our friend Dana who was with us also. They have the usual same-sex amenities, steam, sauna and hot tubs but they have a co-ed outdoor infinity pool that overlooks the regular pool. The weather was amazing, so just relaxing outside was heavenly. If you are going for three days there is a pass for $80. A day pass is $30 but if you get a treatment you get free all day access. When we have a late flight, the spa is the perfect place to hang out before heading to the airport, especially if your flight is a red eye back to the east coast.
Even though this trip had a little more purpose than our normal trips of gambling, eating and drinking, we still managed to fill our bellies at two of, in my opinion, best buffets in the city: Bacchanal at Caesar's Palace and Wicket Spoon at Cosmopolitan.
Normally we try to max out our visits to buffets to two per trip. Our reining favourite has always been the Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan but after this trip it may have changed. We have always enjoyed it but this time we may have hit the limit where the food is a novelty. The food is good but we weren't wow'd by anything in particular. We left feeling like we are over the hype. I found the selection was lacking. And come on, all I ask for is a cold plate for my salad... Such a simple request.
Our buffet of choice is now Bucchanal at Ceasars Palace. Usually plagued by long line ups, this buffet is the shit on the strip. If you plan wisely go while they are still serving breakfast but will be switching over to lunch, you will get the best of both worlds. If you have won a little extra at the tables you can skip the line by paying extra, but that will put you up into the $50 range for entrance. This trip, we went on Monday and we were able to get in pretty quick, only after about 15 minutes. The chef who is at the carving station (sausage, ribs, bacon, primerib, etc) is a delight and always friendly and the meat is crazy good. The Asian food is great and the highlight of this visit was the KFC style fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. I guess I was in the home cooking mood. A couple notes: the steamed crab legs don't make an appearance during a weekday lunch and neither do the chocolate strawberries. But if you ask nicely, if they have them ready they may slip you a few strawberries. My one gripe is that there is no vanilla sauce for the bread pudding. I had to suffer with hot caramel sauce. Life is rough.
Overall a very low key weekend that was simply perfect. Not to mention I left with more money than I arrived with. Thank you craps table and a couple box cars!
And now, let's talk marathon.
