Ten guys ranging from late 20’s to 40’s made their way to Las Vegas last Wednesday, June 11th and somehow made our way home the following Sunday. We were fortunate enough to have our entire trip comped through a connection one of us has with the MGM-Mirage properties, and we chose to stay at the Mirage.

First off, all of our rooms were on the same floor and all were of the newly renovated variety. Very modern décor and they were nice overall, but still nothing to get overly excited about, particularly by Vegas standards. But, since they were free, there was absolutely nothing to complain about. It was also worked out well that we were all on the same floor.

Wednesday -

Each day began at the same place – a cabana at Bare Pool – and I can’t think of a better place to be. We had bottle service every day, and the service was top notch. Anything we needed, they made every effort to get for us. The crowd was good on Wednesday and Thursday, solid on Friday and PACKED on Saturday. They had a DJ playing club type music each day, which creates a good vibe out there. I highly recommend Bare, especially for the younger crowd. My guess is its reputation will continue to grow in Vegas as more and more people discover it. I’ve been to Ditch Fridays at the Palms before, but I’d take the intimate feel and VIP service at Bare every day of the week.

Mickey at Bare was also a huge help in getting us setup at the clubs each night. Thanks, bro!

That night we ate dinner at STACK, and it was excellent. The restaurant has a nice vibe to it and the food was top notch. One of the specials that night was sliced Kobe filet and lobster, and it was one of the best meals I’ve eaten in a while. I definitely recommend STACK.

Following dinner we made our way to LAX at the Luxor and had a great first night. We had a table reserved on the mezzanine over the dance floor and it was one of the best in the house. Mike Tyson was at the table next to us, which made the night even more interesting. He didn’t have much to say when we talked to him, but he was nice enough to take some pictures with us. The service we received was excellent, and we had a great time overall. A lot of dancing, a lot of drinking and a lot of fun.

Thursday –

We again spent the day at Bare. Thursday is locals day, so it has a little different feel than other days. That night we ate in the private room at Kokomos. For various reasons, our dinner group grew from 10 to 19, and we literally barely fit in the room. The room had a flat screen in it, so we were able to watch game four of the NBA Finals during the meal. Another enjoyable dinner, but I’d pick STACK over Kokomos if I could only eat at one restaurant at the Mirage. It just has a better feel, and I liked the food a bit better. Still, Kokomos is by no means a bad choice.

That night we went to JET, and I was a little worried prior to going in because they only started opening on Thursday nights a few weeks ago. We had initially planned to go to Tao or Tryst, but the opportunity to have everything “taken care of” at a club in an MGM-Mirage property was too good to pass up. My concerns were unfounded, as it was packed, and we had a great time. We had a table right on the dance floor, which had its positives and negatives. The biggest downside was that people that weren’t in our group were on top of us, particularly later in the night as the crowd grew. Overall, though, we had an awesome time. I really liked the vibe of Jet, and they played music that suited my tastes perfectly.

Friday –

As with every other day, our first stop was at Bare. This was the smallest crowd of our trip, so the vibe was a bit more laid back but still a lot of fun. We ate dinner that night at Onda, an Italian restaurant in the Mirage, and I’d describe the food as solid. I’ve certainly had better, but it was still worth eating.

Friday night we actually returned to Jet, but we made sure to get a better table. We were right beside the DJ booth in a roped off area and plenty of room for everyone to sit and do their thing. Another great night by the DJ, and the place was packed to the gills. I’ll definitely return to Jet on my next Vegas jaunt. My kind of place.

Saturday –

By this point, we all had to dig DEEP for energy, but we managed to make our way to Bare again even if most of us stayed in the shade the cabana provided. Some of the guys in our party missed the Wednesday night dinner at STACK, so we decided to return there that night. That turned out to be a great decision, as the meal did nothing but exceed our expectations. Since our crowd had grown significantly, we were seated at a table on a stage at the back of the restaurant. Again, great vibe and even better food.

That night we went to The Bank and blew it out one last time. The Bank is more upscale than Jet or LAX, but the table we had paled in comparison to our setup at Jet. We were on the second level overlooking the dance floor, and our group was just too big for the space we were given. We still managed to have a memorable time, though.

Interestingly, our table that night was above Javon Walker and his crew, so it was crazy to hear what happened to him the next night.

As part of our stay, we could all use the spa at our leisure, and it was awesome. The service was great, and I really enjoyed having a quiet place to go to watch TV, eat food, etc… I highly recommend the Spa at The Mirage both for the quality of the services they provide and the overall way they treat you.

Overall impressions –

This was a trip I’ll never forget, and I think everyone in my group feels the same way. We were treated like celebrities by the Mirage staff and partied like rock stars every night. I still don’t know where the endurance came from for most of us, but I’m glad it was there. It was the kind of trip where you didn’t want to miss a thing and regretted it if you did. Vegas is simply the best, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

Very nice trip report, I hope more people decide to do TR's when they return! Post a link to your pics once you get them up, I would suggest photobucket or webshots to host your pictures if you havent already!! Again, great stuff!!

Universal,

GREAT THREAD!!! I remember those vegas trips...going strong for 4 nights. You guys are troopers, but now is the difficult part of adapting to reality and fighting the depression!!

Very nice trip report, I hope more people decide to do TR's when they return! Post a link to your pics once you get them up, I would suggest photobucket or webshots to host your pictures if you havent already!! Again, great stuff!!

I'm waiting to get my hands on a few of the pics, but I didn't have my own camera with me. If I get any worth posting, I'll do it.

Universal,

GREAT THREAD!!! I remember those vegas trips...going strong for 4 nights. You guys are troopers, but now is the difficult part of adapting to reality and fighting the depression!!

You hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what I've been going through the last couple of days, but it was well worth it.

Jealous. Jealous. Jealous. !!!

Just wanted to report back that my girls and I had a fantastic time in Vegas.

We were staying at The Rio so we just did Voodoo on Fri. We actually did a very late dinner in their restaurant and then joined the party. (Although we did have tons of passes as well--in lobby person handing out as well as concierge.) Anyway, the view at dinner and on the rooftop was good. The crowd definitely not the most beautiful looking but everyone having a good time. Easy to make friends to get in VIP area on rooftop to sit down and rest feet. They make this cool drink with dry ice that you share with your friends although I didn't actually taste it.

Sat--working during day. At night, hit Jet. Got passes when we walked into hotel. And we got their early around 1030pm before the club opened. They wait until line fills up. We had about 15 min wait. But we kind of jumped ahead in line when the doormen was looking away. The club filled up very quickly and it was very crowded. Fun vibe but not overly upscale. There was no rock room and very little difference between the music in the three rooms.

Sun--had to get up very early on Mon so did late dinner at Tao. Exactly like the one in NY and delish.

Mon--Foundation Room--called ahead and no need for guest list. Got free passes in hotel and was whisked right up. Saw small number of guys entering without an issue as well.

Tue--Pure. I emailed via napkinnights to get on the guest list. Me and one friend arrived around midnight and received passes as we entered hotel. There was a small crowd trying to get in. We went right to the front to the guy with the clipboard and indicated we were on the guest list. He started to check us in but than took a VIP couple ahead. We politely stepped back. He checked them in and then apologized to us. He also gave us his card for the next time we were in town. This was by far our best experience. It was more upscale although extermely crowded--think spilled drinks in your hair when on the dance floor. You could find space upstairs. Very strict about getting into the VIP area but the staff was very professional and polite. This club also had a good deal of the beautiful people but not overly so. Mike Tysonm was the only celebrity there .

Oh, and we ate at Mon Ami Abi or something like that at Paris. It was a tremendous French restaurant. Very reasonably priced and you can sit outside on the strip which makes for good people watching.

Misc info...a vodka and soda will cost you $11-12 at most of the clubs. However, they charge you $5 extra most of the time if you do with Red Bull. The drinks are typically better pours than what we get at home so be careful.

I also texted the phone number Jack provided for Prive host with a request to get us on the guest list for Sat night. It worked although we didn't end up going. I tried doing this for Pure but got no response.

Girls--be aggressive but polite on getting in. Don't just automatically go to the back of the line. Take tylenol ahead of time as it helps with the feet pain if you're wearing heels. My feel look like they have been through WWIII. However, we were also on our feet A LOT during the day so there was not a large recovery time. Also, we did not pay cover anywhere. We normally got the passes as we entered the hotel where the club is located. Plus, our friends walking around the strip got passes to a few other places. At Pure, we were approached by girl offering us passes and guest list for LAX.

My friend checked out the pool scene at The Rio and had a great time.

Overall, LV was an even better experience than I anticipated. Everyone was friendly and looking to have a good time--both guys and girls. I can't wait to go back.

I'll be headed to The Pool at Harrah's in AC this Saturday so it will be interesting to compare. I'm sure it won't be the same.

Great stuff, thanks for the report!! :D

sounds like you had a nice healthy serving of las vegas! Thats how you do it! You know your doing it up right being at one of the hottest clubs in the world on a Tuesday night, ha! My friends and myself stayed at the rio this past weekend but our flight was delayed so we hit the ground running on Thursday night and never made it up to voodoo. We made up for it the next night at Moon. So how awesome was that view at the foundation room? Talk about a birds eye view of the strip.

It also sounds like you successfully exploited the clubs catering to the ladies, very good! Passes wherever you went, not waiting in line etc. The pool at harrahs in AC? Interesting , I can probably compare that to me visiting Reno vs. Vegas, fun but just not the same.

Well your coming back so vegas has accomplished its mission , good times!

great reviews guys.....(and gals)

Great Review

Because I don't take, "Ohh I was so fucked up I don't remember a damn thing" as an answer. Even though your wife might.

I just re-read my initial post and re-lived that trip in my mind. My same crew is going to be back in Vegas in June with every intention of topping last year's trip. Can't wait!

Because I don't take, "Ohh I was so fucked up I don't remember a damn thing" as an answer. Even though your wife might.

LOL. I missed something?

Well my trip ended up going fairly well, only problem was the check-in check-out procedure at the Rio. The check-in problem was they were trying to charge tax on the room even though I had paid when I booked. It was taken care of but then at check-out they messed up on the way they set-up the deposit so we had to wait for them to get ahold of somebody and blah blah blah... about an hour later it was taken care of. That was the only down fall of the hotel, the rooms were awesome! They were nicely laid out and since we had 2 rooms they were adjoining so it was kinda like a huge room. They had a mini bar along with a seperate fridge which we stocked with our pre-game drinks. The room service was actually decent too, we would get our food with-in 30 mins of ordering. Our first night we ate at McFaddens which was ok. I had a burger which was decent but my friends chicken salad wasn't any good. We then went back to the room and pre-gamed with some Red Bull Vodkas which hit the spot! We ended up going to Pure that night and I had tried out Clubzone.com for the guest list and it worked out great! We got there about 15 minutes to 11 and made our way to the front and got right in with no cover charge! We didn't do bottle service cause my group didn't want to spend that kinda money. Other than that everything went fairly smooth at that club. I got pretty destroyed there, I was drinking Vodka Red Bulls at our room and I had about 7 AMF's once we got inside.... fun times!!! We ended up just going back to our room and crashing around 4ish in the morning. We got up sometime around noon and by the time we all changed and showered we ended up hitting the buffet at the Rio which was very good. We then just walked the strip since we had 2 Vegas virgins that wanted to just check things out. That night we were debating on Tryst or Prive but ended up at NG Fuego due to my group being tired and they wanted to chill there. It was actually ok, they were handing out free admittance tickets throughout the casino so we got in for free, drinks were the same price as everywhere else, I paid $12 for AMF's all night. I got destroyed again this night... would have been ok if it wasn't for the elevator ride to Voodoo. I'm not fond of heights so that ruined everything for me. We ended up going back to the room around 3ish that night and just passed out. We got up fairly late that next day, around 1pm and by the time we made it out to eat it was about 230 and the line at the buffet was crazy long but we waited since I figured it would help me feel better. The buffet was great again and they had complimentary champagne which we ended up drinking about 6 bottles. We went over to Gold Coast that afternoon and just played some blackjack and slots. We ended up going out to Body English that night, which we were on the guest list through Clubzone.com, the girls got in free and my brother and me paid $20 which wasnt bad. That place got pretty full pretty quickly so it was a blast, this night I took it easy and kept it to a few bud lights since I had to drive back to San Diego the next morning. We chilled there till about 230 cause one of my friends ended up getting destroyed drunk and we pretty much had to carry her out. We got back to the room and got some room service and just relaxed. Next day we were up fairly early, compared to the other days, we got our stuff and tried checking out early so we wouldn't have to worry about a crowd but of course we ended up getting held up about an hour. But it was cool cause my bro ended up making an extra hundo while we waited and I made $175 of off $15 which is not bad at all.