Las Vegas

Rob should write about our last 24 hrs but he reckons that his mum always said - if you can't say something nice, dont say anything at all - and since this is a blog about Vegas, he would like to remain silent.

(The only thing I will say is that we initially stayed at a hotel called `Circus! Circus!' which, for those of you familiar with the crappiest hotel in Melbourne's outer east, I have more accurately renamed `Burvale! Burvale!' - Rob) 

We have had a torrid time since leaving New York. We got the worlds unfriendliest taxi driver who wouldn't unload our bags because he reckoned a $10 tip for a $27 fare wasn't enough of a tip.

We then entered the worst hotel any of us have ever stayed in (and I have stayed in few dodgy ones trying to save money for the various non-profit orgs I have worked for, let me tell you!). We chose Circus Circus because it has a theme park inside which I thought would be a treat for the girls. Indoor rollercoaster, Splash Mountain etc. 

It took an hour to check in, another 1/2 hour to walk to our rooms carrying all our luggage (and that is not unsubstantial anymore) only to find the beds in the girls rooms not made at all. This was about 9.30pm (12.30 am NY time) and after 3 calls to Housekeeping and 4 to Front Desk, the housekeepers arrived at 11.30pm.

We tried to have something to eat and drink. There was room service - but the menu informed us that finished at midday. No minibar so had to go downstairs where the only thing on offer was jumbo hotdogs from a deli hidden amongst the slot machines. Rob was able to find some cereal and milk only to realise on getting back that we had no fridge - I have never been to a motel with no fridge at all, or tea and coffee etc.

After sleeping on the worlds most uncomfortable beds on pillows flat as pancakes, getting bed bugs (!), we awoke to try and get new milk (to replace the milk that we couldnt store in the non-existent fridge). Rob waited for 20 minutes on 3 seperate occasions to get into the lifts to no avail - all were either broken or full of entire clans of Mexicans on their way to check out (Rob suggested the hotel should introduce betting on which lifts were working and a bonus cash amount if you can guess how many occupants, and luggage, each lift contained - a missed opportunity there for some gambling revenue!)

We then tried room service to get breakfast but were told it was a two hour wait. Desperate to prove it was infact possible to get milk for some cereal in this hotel, Rob then escaped down the fire escape, out into the RV park next door and back into the hotel with his prized one litre of milk.

In high dudgeon, we finally checked out and went to the most amazingly gorgeous hotel (at a premium price blowing the budget) - The Venetian. At last peace prevailed! Even our taxi driver exclaimed that in changing hotels we were going from `hell to heaven'! ... and this place has fake canals and gondliers!