Vegas 2008

We ate here in May, 2008 and were very happy. The Grand Lux Cafe is located inside the Venetian Hotel. Upon arriving on a Thursday night, we were told the wait was about 15 minutes. Turned out to be only about 5 minutes. We were seated at the back left of the restaurant right between the kitchen doors with waitors passing in and out...hated it. When our waitor came over I mentioned that we were thinking about moving our seat and he took care of it right away, no problem. We got a much better table closer to the bar.

The menu is HUGE! They offer a great variety of many different cultural dishes from Italian to Asian, Hawaiian to Himalayan to satisfy EVERY appetite.

We ordered some type of buffalo chicken asian rolls for the appetizer which were delicious and our main course was a traditional pasta with pink sauce baked with mozzarella on top which was also very good.

The drinks were perfect. It's a beautiful place and the prices are incredibly reasonable. We were expecting to spend more because of the location, but were pleasantly surprised that we spent about the same as when we go out to eat in our little hometown.

If you can't decide what to eat, go here for a huge variety of many different dishes.

If you are ever in Las Vegas, do NOT miss out on seeing Red Rock Canyon. As you make the 20-30 minute drive west of Vegas, you'll begin to see bright shades of, what else, red rock in the distance and never again wonder where it got its name. At the entrance is a gate with an attendant who was very friendly and helpful. For a mere $5.00 you gain entry to the park all day plus a little newspaper including an informative map of all the trails. I would recommend first-time visitors head to the visitor center for recommendations on the best options for what you're looking to do here. There is a wonderful gift shop and book store inside as well as an exhibit showing local plants and animals...very educational. There's also a little area with picnic tables, grills, a vending machine with water and restrooms.

The drive through Red Rock Canyon is a one-way 13 mile route with many parking areas along the way that lead to trails and areas to hike and climb on the rocks. One of my favorite things about Red Rock is that everyone can enjoy it. Novice to advanced hikers, bikers and rock climbers will all have their expectations met. I loved bringing lunch and finding a smooth rock way up high to eat and enjoy the view. I couldn't stop taking pictures! There is so much to explore...even Native American petroglyphs that you can find during your hikes. As you continue your drive you'll see the most amazing mountains all around you that rival those in some European countries.

All in all, my opinion is that Red Rock Canyon is not to be missed!

We arrived at the Meridian on May 8, 2008 and we were pleasantly surprised to see that it is more like a luxury condo complex. A gate and guard to enter the complex made us feel very safe and like we were at a really exclusive place. We checked in around 11am which is early since most hotels are 2-3pm and they didn't bat an eye...got us right into a top floor room.

So, we walk in and are stunned to see this posh place decked out in leather, marble and granite looking like Ethan Allen came in and furnished the whole place! There was a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances (water/ice maker in fridge door!), really cool square dishes and a full spice rack among other things. Dining room, living room with an awesome flat panel TV and free wireless internet access! Bathroom had tons of space and the bedroom (also had flat panel TV) was beautiful and had a huge closet the length of one whole wall and the doors were all mirrors. There's a coat closet and another closet holding a washer and dryer with detergent already there!

The only issue we encountered was that the bathroom faucet was missing the screen so water splashed everywhere...well I briefly mentioned it to the concierge on our way out and we come home a few hours later...voila! Screen on bathroom faucet!

There are two gorgeous pools and beautiful lounge chairs that are like big couches...very chic! There are other great amenities that we didn't even get to...like tennis courts, sauna, and more stuff that I can't even remember.

The concierge was very helpful with all of our questions, making plans and she recommended some great towns to see and restaurants to eat at. I also found out that this place will stock your fridge before your arrival with anything you want! I think they have a grocery list that they email you.

The last day I was concerned because we flew Southwest, we had to check in exactly 24 hours before to get a decent place in "line", so I stopped at the front desk to ask if the kiosk they had there would print out my boarding pass and the she said it would but insisted on doing it for me! They were so helpful!

Housekeeping did an excellent job every day. It was very quiet...we barely ran into anyone. I really liked that you could go to the Strip for all the action and come back to a nice quiet relaxing place to sleep off all the partying ;)

I can not say enough good things about this place. The Meridian is just off of the Strip on E. Flamingo. You could walk to the Strip, but in summer heat I'd rather drive...especially since there's free parking at every casino!! For the location, accomodations and price, this place is UNBEATABLE! (my rates: $79-$89 @ hotwire.com)