September 18, 2012

Staycation: Aria

A few weeks back we booked an awesome deal at Aria, strip upgrade, reasonable nightly rate and $100 resort credit. We had seen the rooms at Aria before but this was our first stay.

Check in was horrendous. Sunday afternoon and the lobby looked more like Disney or Great America with an endless queue snaking back and forth. We were pleased when it was finally our turn, we asked for a mountain view on a high floor rather than the strip view. We thought our request was honored but when we got to our room it was on floor twenty-something with a view of the Cosmo pools directly across from us. They were having a pool party so the music was bumping. The windows quaked with every thump. In addition, the room stunk like mildew. I'm extremely sensitive to mold so we called the front desk to have our room moved.

They still could not give us a mountain view, but we did get a room on a high floor. We could see Sunrise mountain in the distance and the airport to the right. The accomodations are very comfortable and I love the technological features. You can open or close the drapes with a touch of a button. You can also adjust the room temperature and lighting from the remote. The neatest feature is that you can set an alarm for sleep or wake and the drapes will open or close accordingly. I never wanted to leave the bed it felt like my own personal cloud. I just loved it.

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Eventually, we pulled ourselves away and had dinner at Jean-Georges. We've dined once before and felt the $100 resort credit was the perfect excuse to return. We had a fantastic meal with tuna and french onion soup as starters. Whole snapper and short rib for entrees. Sides were truffle mashed potatoes and jalapeno creamed corn. All delicious.

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We skipped dessert and instead saved room for beers at Monte Carlo's Pub. Sundays are awesome for locals, we get 50% off all beers. We stayed until last call. Chatting up the manager about different microbrews and such. We got an invite to special dinner with beer pairings, but we never did attend due to a schedule conflict.

We returned to find the room completely in order. It was the most thorough turn down service we've ever received. Clothes were folded, items were straightened, towels replaced, the bed was turned down, lights dimmed and chocolates were left on the nightstands. We slept soundly and morning came much too soon. Unfortunately, duty called and we were off to work, but it was fun while it lasted. We really enjoyed our time at Aria. Love the hotel, still hate the casino. I look forward to another deal that entices us to stay.

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