Luxor (Las Vegas)

Author: DustyS
Date of Trip: June 2008

I went to Las Vegas with a friend from June 16-21, 2008, and basically had a wonderful time. I stayed at the Luxor Hotel, which basically I will give a good rating. Upon arriving the line for check in was huge; I feared it would take about over three hours to check in. Fortunately, the lines moved quickly and we were checked into our room after waiting about 30 minutes. We were talked into upgrading our room for an additional $20 a night. I should have requested to see both rooms before making the decision. However, after a long turbulent flight I was exhausted and only wanted a nice room to settle down, so we opted for the upgrade immediately. I felt that this room could have also been simply upgraded more, the bedspread and blankets were a bit worn and the room needed a flat screen TV. The beds were decent, but not great. The carpeting appeared to be new and clean. I did find a bit of dirt in the bathroom. The sink had a dirty spot but was cleaned in the morning and I found some shaving cream in the shower. Everything else appeared to be clean. The bathroom was huge, consisting of a separate shower stall, soaking tub, toilet, and vanity style sink. The swimming pools were very nice, with crystal clean warm water and is a very nice relaxing way to spend the afternoon. There are no safe deposit boxes in the room and you had to use bank style free boxes located in the lobby, which was a bit inconvenient.

Typical of Las Vegas style, the hotel lobbies were large and confusing; everything involved a tremendous amount of walking. Although the bus service on the strip is an excellent way to get around, the nearest bus stop for not near the hotel, so we used taxis, which adds up quickly.

We ate at the Fusia Restaurant at the Luxor the first night and I was a bit disappointed as I was there three years prior and like it much more. The hotel is connected to The Excalibur on one end and Mandalay Bay on the other. All of these hotels are located on the extreme Southern end of the strip. If I were to do it again, I would pick a hotel located more in the central of part of the strip.

My biggest complaint with the hotel was my checking out experience, which was a bit unnerving. We had very early flight to catch back home and we were checking out around 4:30 am. When I rang for the elevator, there was a man on the floor out cold, drunk, dead, murdered or sick???? He did not appear to be drunk to me; my thought was that he needed immediate medical attention. The same elevator kept on opening each time I called for it. When I finally got to the lobby, I immediately told a security guard, who replied oh OK, but didn’t seem to be concerned. I also told the check out clerk, who replied he is probably just drunk, everyone is drunk at this hour. Well he was not drunk and neither was I!!! I was a bit shocked and upset of their lack of concern and thought what if it was a friend or loved one on mine; I certainly would not want them to be treated that way. Also, I was not a pretty sight to see and you think the hotel would have not wanted their guests to experience that. I am not sure if I would return to the hotel between it’s location and this experience.

I am not a gambler, but the casino at the Luxor does currently have some construction going on. I kept myself busy going to shows and sightseeing.

At the MGM, we were handed free tickets to preview a new sitcom that will be aired in September. It was a fun and different thing to do. Not much is free in Vegas. I also had a very nice lunch at The Rain Forest Cafe in this hotel.

We visited the M&M Store, The Coke Store, a few tourist gift shops, and got discounted tickets for Roseanne Barr’s show at the Sahara. Next stop was The Fashion Mall via the bus on the strip. After that we were off to see Roseanne at the Sahara. I was shocked and thought the hotel was a dump and did not feel safe in the area. The hotel sits among many already imploded hotels and the Sahara is also on the list. It cannot be done fast enough as far as I was concerned. Roseanne did a very funny show; I especially enjoyed the part where she read people’s minds.

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We also walked through the lavish gardens of the Flamingo Hotel, but found the staff to be very rude and not helpful inside the hotel, when I inquired about John Edward appearing there.

Took a very nice bus tour to Hoover Dam and a paddle boat cruise on Lake Mead. I felt a bit rushed on the tour and was a bit disappointed that the lunch consisted of a ready made sandwich, as I was expecting a buffet. Yet, the tour was very enjoyable. On the way back we stopped at Ethel’s Chocolate Factory. WONDERFUL CHOCOLATE AND ICE CREAM.

We saw the Legends Concert at the Imperial Palace and it’s a WONDERFUL SHOW! The current entertainers consist of Jay Leno, The Blues Brothers, Tina Turner, Elvis Presley and Dusty Springfield.

The Blue Man Group does an extremely unique show at the Venetian Hotel. I thought the acoustics in this theater were outstanding. It’s a fun show. Don’t sit in the first few rows, unless you feel adventuresome! We also had a late night dinner at one of the Italian Restaurants there located inside the Venetian Mall. I found that the Venetian had more affordable restaurants than most.

Elton John did an outstanding show at Caesar’s Palace. It’s a huge production and after seeing the show I can understand how they can command the price for the tickets. They really do know who to entertain.

We also saw the Price Is Right, which was fun, but I do not think I’d do it again.

We ate at the Eiffel Tower, very expensive but a lovely experience. Our table overlooked the fountains across the street at the Bellagio hotel. The Bellagio is a beautiful hotel, with part of the ceiling in colorful Venetian glass. They currently have a lovely display of everything made of seeds, including a miniature version of the hotel compete with the fountains. It really is something to see. I bought several souvenir t-shirts there as well. Had an excellent lunch at a restaurant in the hotel called the Cafe. Later we had dessert at a crepe restaurant called Jean-Philippe which was outstanding.

After a very busy week, the vacation ended much too quickly.