The Suite Life

In lieu of exchanging Christmas gifts, Frank and I decided we’d spoil ourselves with a stay at the Signature. I booked for $159. Additionally, we signed up for the MGM/Mirage credit card a couple months back, we frequent their properties most often and figured we could enjoy extra perks and earn rewards to use toward dinners and/or hotel stays. One of the perks offered is early/late check in.

We arrived at the Signature at eleven o’clock. Check in was a breeze and we asked the agent what perks our credit card awarded us, she checked with her manager and then let us know we'd be upgraded to a one bedroom suite. We were issued keys to room 34-714 in the second tower, I signed paperwork and we were off to our home for the night.

We were blown away by the suite; the photos on their website don't do the rooms justice.
There was a full kitchen



It wouldn't be complete without a full-size dishwasher



Guest bath and shower


Dining area


Living room with sleeper sofa





Master bedroom





The desk houses the flat screen TV



Master bath







The balcony was huge! There were two sliding doors, one in the living room and another in the bedroom, but the balcony didn't end there, it continued on twice that distance.




Balcony views










This shot is a reflection off the glass



After we soaked in the balcony views, we laid in bed and watched football. Then we enjoyed my idea of the perfect white Christmas, a Jacuzzi tub overflowing with bubbles. We relaxed and lounged about until hunger struck. We walked over to MGM Grand, made reservations for an hour later, at Seablue. We made a couple sports bets and played a new Slingo slot and Sigma derby to pass the time until dinner.

At Seablue, we had chilled gulf prawns to start, along with a Caesar salad. Delicious, I could eat those all day and night. I was anticipating having halibut, but it wasn't offered on this visit. The waiter suggested striped bass, but I opted for Australian prawn skewers instead. Frank selected the lamb skewers. Our dishes were beautifully presented; I wished I had thought to snap a picture. They were equally as tasty. Shockingly, we each had room for dessert so Frank ordered Tiramisu



I had molten chocolate cake




Yum! Another fantastic meal at Seablue.

After we finished dinner we checked the score of the football game and saw that we won our first half bet, so we walked over to the sports book to cash the ticket. We also stopped in the gift shop and bought chocolate. Then we went back to the room and cracked open a bottle of Champagne. We toasted in bed and watched the rest of the football game. We won our other bet, too. We popped open another bottle of Champagne, ate some chocolates and lounged in bed. I dozed off and woke when the door bell rang; Frank had ordered room service, chicken fingers and a pastrami sandwich. I had a bite of each and went back to bed. Frank took a bath and later joined me.

We had a great night's rest, but we stayed in bed most of the morning. We made good use of the tub and then ordered room service. We each had banana nut French toast and Frank also ordered cinnamon rolls.





After breakfast, we went out on the balcony to bask in the rays. We watched flights come and go, I read the paper and Frank smoked a cigar. It was perfect way to start the Christmas holiday. Sadly, one o'clock rolled around and we reluctantly called the bell desk to come grab our bags so we could check out. It was tempting to stay until they physically removed us, but felt it was best to go willingly since we'd like to return. We ran over to sport book, cashed our ticket, then returned to the Signature and settled our bill. Valet pulled up our car and another fantastic stay had drawn to a close. The only bright side to leaving was that there was no flight to catch, just a short 10 minute drive home.

Xpu-ha, Mexico ~ Day five

We were awake in time to catch sunrise, but it was a chilly morning so we decided to continue to lounge in bed. Once we were up and moving about we grabbed breakfast. This was our last day so we hit the beach one last time. The water was unusually calm; it was perfect conditions for snorkeling, but not the best for frolicking about. We showered, packed and settled our hotel bill. Then we stopped at La Cueva del Chango for brunch, Frank had an omelet and I had enchiladas in green sauce. Afterwards, we drove to Cancun.

The return of the rental was effortless, we boarded the shuttle and we’re dropped off at the airport. Lines for check in and security were non-existent. We stopped in the duty-free store and bought a box of Cuban cigars to bring home. When we made it to our departure gate we couldn’t believe we had two hours to kill. About an hour later, we got word that our flight was delayed, our plane had mechanical issues, another plane would arrive almost two hours after our departure time. We knew we would miss our connecting flight when we were cleared for take off. Fortunately, there were two later flights from phx to las, we landed, gathered our bags and passed through customs in enough time to make the next flight. We touched down in Vegas, shortly before eleven o’clock. After a long day of traveling it was wonderful to finally be home.

We had a splendid vacation! We stayed the perfect length of time. We already plan to return next December.

The entire photo album can be viewed here

Xpu-ha, Mexico ~ Day four

Again, Frank was up first, once I was moving we headed down for breakfast. We had different entrees this morning, I chose chicken chiquiles and Frank had huevos rancheros. After breakfast, we rested in our room until we got the itch to head out to the beach. We had another fun afternoon in the sea. Storms came through, one created a beautiful rainbow, the most distinct one I’ve ever seen. No photos, though, I was having too good of a time in the water to run and grab the camera.

After our swim, Frank returned to the hammock and I went for a walk along the shore.










When I returned I joined Frank for a siesta. We decided we’d have dinner in Akumal. When hunger struck we headed out. We parked near Lol-ha, we walked over to the beach


and then we wandered over to La Cueva del Pesador on the way we saw coconuts growing and pretty flowers.









The chips and salsa at La Cueva del Pesador were delicious. We scoffed those down while we waited for our meal, fajitas and shrimp Vera Cruz style - wrapped in foil and baked with tomato, onion, and pepper. Both were excellent. We asked for additional chips to go, the friendly amigo happily packed a bag for us.

We returned to hotel and requested buckets of ice to chill our Pacificos and then we nuzzled in the hammock. Shortly before the hotel’s restaurant closed for the night we asked for a couple snacks, they delivered pico de gallo and a cheese plate. The pico and chips were muy bueno! We chowed down until we came across habanero. Hot! But oh, so good. After our snack, we returned to the hammock for another evening gazing at the stars.

Xpu-ha, Mexico ~ Day three

Frank was first to rise, he woke me up and we headed down to the restaurant. The spread was practically the same as the day before, but we ate a little lighter since we had lunch plans with our friends, Christine and JD, at noon. After breakfast, we went for a swim. Waves were good sized; we rode them to shore, did somersaults and had all kinds of fun.







Next, we changed and waited in the hammock for Christine and JD to arrive. Frank dozed off, not long after they pulled up. They found the hotel on the first try, impressive. We caught up, I woke Frank and we headed to La Cueva del Chango. We sat outside. We chatted while we waited for our meal. Christine and I had enchiladas, JD went with the sopes and Frank had the crème of bean soup and chicken breast. JD and Christine kindly picked up the tab, then we were off to Soriana for groceries. This was our first visit to a supermarket in Mexico. It was a neat experience. Frank really enjoyed it. We bought Pacifico and churros. What else does one need? We checked the directory to see if there was a cigar shop in the mall, but we didn’t see one. We headed into Playa del Carmen, so Frank could buy a few cigars to last the rest of the trip.

We parked in the same lot we found on our first night, but when we returned the amigo tried to scam Frank by charging him double. Frank caught on right away, and paid only the amount we owed.

Errands complete we returned to our hotel. We snapped a couple pictures, said our good byes, and then Christine and JD went back to their hotel to enjoy the rest of their trip. It’s always been great seeing them, but this was an especially neat visit since it’s not everyday you get to meet up with friends in another country.

When I went up to the hotel room I found Frank in pain. He managed to stub his toe while walking up the stairs; he ripped off half his toenail in the process. Given our track record, severe sunburn, broken ankle, and Montezuma’s revenge, I knew we wouldn’t be able to get away scot-free. We were thankful it was only a minor injury. After I cleaned him up, we napped in the hammock.







Later, we had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We looked over the menu; we opted to start with a Caesar salad and selection of cheeses. Grilled shrimp and lamb chops followed. My shrimp was presented with the heads attached that was a first. They were mighty tasty. Frank’s lamb was not good. It took us 10 minutes to try to find meat, but it was nothing but fat. We called the waiter over, it was interesting trying to find the words to explain why we were unhappy… eventually, I said, pequeño carne. Luckily, he understood, he suggested Frank choose another entrée, he ordered NY steak. That was far better. Frank’s meal was on the house due to our troubles. Before heading out we stopped at the bar and got a couple buckets of ice. Then we retired to the hammock, drank cervezas and relaxed under the stars.

Xpu-ha, Mexico ~ Day two

Frank woke me to catch the sunrise. There are few things worth getting up for at the crack of dawn, but sunrise over the Caribbean sea is one that’s worthwhile.





















Frank's footsteps in the sand



Looking north at sunrise




Looking south at sunrise





After soaking in the early morning sun, we went back to our room and napped in the hammock until breakfast.



Refreshed, we headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. The kind amigo brought us coffee, yogurt with honey and granola, fruit plate and toast. We chomped on that while we waited for our Mexican eggs to be prepared. Everything was excellent. Afterwards we lounged in our hotel room for a bit.



Then we headed out to the beach. We played in the waves for hours, it was great fun.



When we had our fill we showered and had a brief siesta back in the hammock. We worked up a hunger, and decided we’d return to La Cueva del Chango for a late lunch, since we enjoyed it so much last year.

It was just as we remembered. We sat inside for fear of rain, sure enough, the storms came shortly after we sat down. Frank ordered sopes and crème of beans soup. I went with chicken enchiladas in red sauce. I also requested tortillas to snack on while we waited. Yum, those tortillas are out of this world. I love their salsas, too. Not to mention our meals were superb, as well.

The storm continued on our way back, there were many accidents along the highway. Fortunately, we made it to the hotel with no troubles.

We snoozed until the storm passed. Later, Frank went down to the restaurant he returned with an ice bucket filled with Pacificos. We drank cervezas and swayed in the hammock the rest of the evening.

Xpu-ha, Mexico ~ Day one

We flew US Airways, they offered the best fare and most direct route. The flight from Vegas to Phoenix was cake. We were offered to upgrade to first class for the flight to Cancun. We pondered it for a minute, but declined. We boarded the plane and quickly realized it wasn’t going to be a full flight, we hoped that we’d luck out and have a row of seats to ourselves. Everyone boarded and no one took the aisle seat, I scooted over and we relished in our first score of the trip… poor man’s first class. Flight went by fairly quick.

The new airport terminal is very nice and efficient, I was blown away, such an improvement! There were no long waits, we were on our way in no time.

We caught the Thrifty shuttle outside the terminal to retrieve our rental. We booked an economy for $9/day. We were given a bare bones Ford, manual, no power steering, radio or door locks. The process was painless and we were off.

Before heading to our hotel we stopped in Playa Del Carmen for pesos and dinner. Our favorite place to park on 12th near the bank has closed as the surrounding buildings have been demolished. It took sometime to find a new place to park, but we eventually settled on a place off of 10th near 8th. We stopped at the ATM, cigar shop, and then continued on to Yaxche.





I ordered Cochinita Pibil and Frank had Kinich. Both dishes were delicious. Bellies full we headed to Xpu-ha.

It was after seven o’clock by the time we arrived at Al Cielo




much of the staff had gone home, except the chef. He assisted us with our bag, led us to our room and pointed out the refreshments he left for us. We changed into shorts, grabbed cervezas and ran out to the beach. It felt great to feel the soft sand between our toes and the warm sea crash at our feet. We toasted and relaxed beneath the stars. Ahhh...

Back to the grind

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. We surely did. I have some catching up to do here before the new year. I never posted the rest of the condo photos so I need to get to those. Also, need to share the details of our trip to Mexico and our most recent stay the Signature.

I will mention, that we had the most fantastic meal at Delmonico last week. We started with beef satay compliments of the house for locals, then shared the tableside Caesar, Frank ordered the special... t-bone lamb with grilled gulf shrimp, brussel sprouts prepared with mushrooms, onion and bacon. I ordered the bone-in rib steak and twice baked potato with cheddar and bacon. It was fabulous. The lamb was out of this world. I had no clue it could be so good. We passed on dessert for fear it couldn't possibly measure up to the phenomenal meal we had just consumed. We've been pleased by Delmonico on past visits, but never to this extent. It was incredible.

Review: Bootlegger's Bistro

Last night, Frank and I had dinner at Bootlegger's Bistro. We started with toasted ravioli, yum! Nibs of garlic breadsticks were also brought to snack on while we waited for our entrees. Frank ordered veal parmesan, penne and vegetables were served on the side. I opted for chicken piccata, accompanied by fettuccini alfredo and veggies. Everything was quite good, the veal was the standout. Total before tip was $60.

Review: Stripsteak

Saturday, we had seven o’clock reservations at Stripsteak for Frank’s birthday. When we arrived, the restaurant was packed to the gills. It took a minute to get a table ready for us. Atmosphere is loud, but nice; it reminded us of an older sibling of Stack. We looked over the menu; initially we had trouble deciding because there were many appetizing selections to choose from. However, we felt it’d be blasphemy to try anything but steak on a first visit. Consequently, I selected the filet and Frank chose the bone-in rib eye. We also ordered prawns and a Caesar to start, and potato cakes and onion medley as sides.

An onion focaccia was brought to our table along with our drinks. It was delicious. We devoured it while waiting for our appetizers. The prawns were excellent, and the salad was decent. Next, we received complimentary duck fat fries; three kinds were served each with their own dipping sauce: herb fries paired with ketchup, truffle fries served with truffle aioli, and BBQ sauce accompanied the paprika fries. We didn’t care for the sauces, but the fries were tasty. Additional bread was delivered, but we maintained restraint as we didn’t want to spoil our appetite before our entrees arrived.

The steaks were prepared to order. A tad dry, but great nonetheless. The potato cakes were excellent and the onion medley was quite good, as well. Who knew there were so many varieties of onions? We were much too full to try dessert, so we passed, but they sent us home with a bag of fiddle-faddle. All in all, it was a great dinner. The meal was $177 before tip. While Stripsteak rounds out our top three Las Vegas steakhouses, it’s not likely that we’ll return in the future. It lacks value and individuality, both are key, when we seek a standout in a sea of hundreds.

Review: Trader Vic's

Last night, we headed over to Planet Hollywood so Frank could play poker while I shopped. We wanted to grab a bite beforehand, we figured we'd try Trader Vic's or Earl of Sandwich. While we looked over the menu at Trader Vic's the hostess gave us a card good for a free appetizer. It lured us inside. You have a choice to dine on the outside patio or indoors. We opted to eat inside since it was pretty cool outside. The restaurant has a nice ambience and the patio will be great in the warm months.

Service was decent. We shared a Caesar salad to start. It was edible, but not great as it was overdressed resulting in limp romaine. Frank chose rack of lamb and I went with the pork chop. We snacked on pinapple sesame bread while we waited for our entrees to arrive. There's a foursome of condiments to try: chinese mustard, coconut peanut butter, wasabi aoli, and Trader Vic's table sauce. I loved the peanut butter and Frank liked the chinese mustard best.

Both entrees were cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. The BBQ pork chop was served alongside mashed potatoes and Maui onion marmalade. Curry rice noodles accompanied the rack of lamb. Each dish was well prepared. Bellies full we requested the check, our bill was $75. We had an enjoyable meal, but didn't feel that it'll be worthy of a return visit.

Unsatisfied Cravings

We’ve been in a Mexican state of mind as we near our upcoming trip. We’ve been longing Mexican food like mad. We’ve tried a few restaurants nearby, but none have satisfied our hunger for fresh salsa and authentic dishes. The most disappointing experience was at Macayo. The food was bland and the salsa was among the worst I’ve ever tasted. Most recently, we were swayed to try Mi Casa at Silverton; they sent us a $25 gift certificate by mail. Said and done, our meal cost $8; I can’t imagine paying a dollar more than that. Chips were excellent and salsas were fair, but the entrée portions were tiny and poor quality. I had a pork tamale that consisted solely of pork fat. The best meal of the bunch was at Viva Mercado. They recently moved to their new location at Rainbow and Spring Mountain. It is quite an improvement over the prior establishment; it’s roomier and has better décor. Even service improved. Overall, our meal was good, the carnitas were excellent. Still it was a failed attempt to satisfy our craving, I guess will have to hold out another ten days until we can dig into the real thing... La Cueva del Chango, perhaps?

Home Improvements

I finally uploaded photos of the work we did to the Vegas condo. You'll find pictures of the living and dining room below. I'll post other rooms tomorrow.

Before After

Before After

Before After

Before After

Before After

Another one bites the dust

Early this morning, Frank and I watched the Frontier implosion. It was my favorite yet. We were fortunate to have access to the VIP/Media viewing area, I scored passes through work. Nice to have front row seats to say farewell to the Frontier. There was a large group from The Plaza (expected to open 2011) in attendance. They were pretty pompous. Each sported ponchos to protect their suits from debris and dust masks. They ran for cover when the dust cloud erupted... funny stuff. It's their heads in my video, they were able to cross the caution tape shortly before the firework display got underway. Anyway, here's a sample of the fireworks & implosion from my perspective:










If interested, check out Media Coverage here

Never a dull moment

Per usual, a lot is happening in our neck of the woods. Frank finally finished up in Laughlin, he’s now back in Las Vegas full-time. We have the Laughlin condo on the market and we are hopeful that it sells quickly. The updates to the Vegas condo are coming along; although, I took this past weekend off from home projects. I was in need of break, but I’ll be back to work this weekend. As we’ve decided to tie up all the loose ends as soon as possible so we can put our Las Vegas condo on the market, as well.

We’ve done some house hunting and determined that most of the new housing developments don’t meet our needs. Therefore, we’re expanding our home search to include resale homes. Despite it being a buyers market, homeowners are still not keen on accepting offers contingent on sale. So, we plan to sell both properties to avoid troubles purchasing our next home. For now, we’re reviewing properties on realtor.com to get an idea of what’s available. There are plenty of viable options, hopefully that’ll be the case when we are ready to buy.

Amid all this bedlam, I have two trips on the horizon. I will be heading to Chicago over Thanksgiving weekend. Missing Nicky’s first birthday and recent milestones (walking, talking, etc.) have broken my heart. So, I figured the long weekend will be well spent with family I miss terribly.

Two weeks after I return from Chicago, Frank and I will be on our way to Xpu-ha, Mexico. Our passports arrived last week and they were the last item needed to prepare for the trip. We are anxiously awaiting our vacation; we are in dire need of some rest and relaxation.

Look out Starbucks...

There are new kids in town. A few weeks ago, to much fanfare, Dunkin' Donuts opened the first of many locations in the valley. Tomorrow, SexxPresso will start serving up some of the hottest coffee around.

Review: Isla

Last Thursday, Frank and I finally tried Isla at TI. The restaurant has nice decor with Mayan artwork on the walls. Menu offers a variety of dishes to choose from. Frank ordered a carne asada burrito and I had the tamale. We snacked on chips and salsa while waiting for our food to arrive. They serve three kinds: tomatillo, picante and chunky. All were tasty, but they lacked heat. Chips were fresh and warm, tortillas are made in house.

Presentation was very nice. Probably the prettiest Mexican food I have ever been served. Rice had the flavor of tomatillo salsa; it also had corn and peas. Pretty good, but I could have done without the peas. Beans were good and had great texture. The pork in my tamale was excellent, tender and flavorful. As the menu described, it was topped with a sweet and spicy sauce. I didn't taste any spice, just sweet, too sweet really. Had it had heat, it would've been superb. The carne asada in Frank's burrito was prime and well marinated. Although, they dressed it up with too much pico, crema, etc. that the flavor of the meat was lost. All in all, the food was quite good, but they tried a little too hard and dishes were too mild for our tastes.

Service was fine to start, but after our entrees were delivered we became invisible. I never got a refill, but eventually, a busboy did bring Frank another iced tea. It took about 10 minutes after we finished our meal to grab the waitress’s attention for our check. Total came to $36 before tip.

Vacaciones Dulces

Been awhile since I checked in. It’s been a busy month. We’ve been working hard updating our Las Vegas condo and getting things in order at the Laughlin condo so we can get it listed for sale.

Our Las Vegas condo has made quite the transformation. We have painted every room, replaced the thermostat, ceiling fans and light fixture, blinds, interior and closet doors and carpet throughout. We’ve done all the work ourselves with the exception of the carpet installation. All the money spent, sweat and frustration has been worth the reward. The place has character; it’s bright and welcoming.

However, we haven’t made it to the finish line yet. Our replacement interior doors were special order, they came in Tuesday, we hung them, but they still need to be painted. We’re also adding hardware to our kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Knobs are purchased, so it’s just a matter of time. The bathroom needs some work, too, but I’ll focus on that once we get the rest of the house complete. Once I finish up my current projects, I will post before and after pictures.

All work and no play got us itching for a vacation in Mexico. I was planning to go in January or February, because I burned through my vacation time earned this year and only have sick time remaining. That plan was foiled when Frank realized he could go in December or not until April. We like to head to the beach while weather isn’t as favorable here, so we focused on a trip in December. Fortunately, we each got approval for time off. I managed to find the cheapest airfare yet. Al Cielo in Xpu-ha had availability and is offering us a 10% discount on each night since we are returning guests. Lastly, I booked a rental via Thrifty for $9/day. This trip has shaped up nicely. We need to get passports and then sweet vacation is only two months away.

Painter wanted

Home Depot offered rebates on Behr paint over Labor Day weekend. It was just the excuse we needed to get our latest home project underway. We also chose new carpet to be installed. There’s soon to be no more royal blue, baby. Woohoo!

We prepped the living and dining rooms on Monday and got started on the ceiling. Early on, Frank realized that painting is not particularly fun and the strain on his back wasn’t doing him any good. We decided that we'd finish up the paint in the tray and seek quotes from painters to see if we could get the job professionally done.

The last two days we met with painters from various sources and each quote was more than we were looking to spend. The cheapest quote was $1075 (labor only), our place is only 957 sq ft. and we're not even doing the bathroom. So, it’s just not worth spending that much dough. Looks like I’ll have to suck it up and do it myself.

End of Summer, really?

It is hard to believe Labor Day has already come and gone, especially when temps are still in the triple digits. When living in Chicago, pools would close for the season beginning Labor Day weekend. Now, it’s just another weekend that crowds flock to Vegas to soak up the neon and have fun in the sun.

Frank and I had hoped to take Nicky for the weekend, but Jeff’s mom died of a heart attack on Friday morning. Amy, Jeff and Nicky caught the next available flight to Chicago after they caught word of her passing. Losing a loved one at any time is difficult; I can’t imagine how hard this must be for Jeff and his family. Goes to show you, you can't take life for granted.

With the unexpected change of plans were able to get many errands done and we even had a couple fun outings on Sunday. We had a 2-for-1 coupon to the Titanic Exhibit at Tropicana so we checked it out. Neat to see the recovered artifacts and whatnot, but we enjoyed the Bodies Exhibit far more.

Later that night, we dined at Seablue. This time we had Prawns, Seablue Salad, NY Strip and Halibut. We ended the fantastic meal with tiramisu for dessert. Dishes are fresh and light, it enables you to eat well without feeling overstuffed.