To recap from last post, we've just left the Earnest Borg9 show, which was wonderful and very well attended. Even though there was an event that the show was running overtime and causing folks to have to decide to leave or be late, it seemed like very few people left. When they were done and had taken their final bows, It’s around 8pm and we decide to see if the Star Trek Experience ride has much of a line. This is what got us to Vegas in the first place 5 years ago. I explain it in my retro-story so I won’t repeat it. This year they’ve added a new attraction called the Borg Invasion in 4D. The line is too long so we decide that now is as good a time as any to go back to the *shudder* San Remo and make good our escape.
Back at the
Now I didn’t mention a few details about this morning. We hadn’t quite totally given up on the idea of staying. The room had been paid for in advance and it was cheap. (Gave me a totally new perspective on the literal meaning of cheap, actually) I called the desk and requested more towels, a hair dryer, an iron and ironing board and more pillows. Oh, and a refrigerator for my Arizona tea. Someday I may post about my obsession with Arizona Diet Green Tea. Lets just say it’s obsessive. I’ve been known to add 20lbs to my luggage just to carry enough tea to get me through the trip.
About 45 minutes later a guy comes up. There’s the iron, the blow dryer and two towels. No pillow, no ironing board, no fridge. I guess it was the final straw because that’s when we called Embassy Suites. While I was getting ready I had Glenn cancel the refrigerator ($25 a day unless you lie and say it’s for your insulin – just a friendly hint for someone who might decide to go ahead and stay at the San Remo – what are you, insane?).
Back to checking out. We finish taking our pictures to prove that we were in hell and not just making all this up. I call down to ask for a cab as the last times we went out of the hotel they surely weren’t queued up in front waiting for passengers like at the other hotels. The desk said just to come down there were taxis out front. We get downstairs and I go to the desk. A lovely gentleman in a beer tee shirt and shorts is at the desk in front of me. How much for a room? he says, $149 a night, the clerk says, I can stay at the Luxor for that price, he says, Go ahead and do that, the clerk says. He leaves. Good move, I think. I’m tempted to say out loud “The Motel 6 down the block would be cheaper and cleaner than here anyway.” But I don’t. I tell the clerk we’re leaving. She does some stuff on her computer and says “But you’re reserved and paid for 3 more nights” I explain about why we’re leaving, the room, the cricket, the lack of amenities and services. “But all you had to do was tell me and I would have gotten you a better room.” “I already was moved to a ‘better’ room,” I say. Besides, I’m thinking, you weren’t around when we had problems; it was someone else who apparently didn’t care as much. This I keep to myself as it won’t do any good and won’t provide any entertainment value either. She waives the $.75 phone call charge. Generous. I’m outta there and we do see a cab roll up. We’re off to Embassy Suites.
Oh, before I leave the San Remo forever I should mention the live music that was playing during our check in. There’s a little stage in the front of the casino/lobby. There was a 3 or 4 piece rock band and a gal singing. I have never heard such caterwauling. She had serious issues with pitch and key, they were undergoing a trial separation, perhaps? I’m guessing that she’s a relative of someone or working really cheap. Lord knows who’d pay for her otherwise.
The Embassy Suites. Cool, quiet. Low key music and a fountain in the lobby. No slot machines or other gambling accoutrements. We check in, it’s very fortunate that we called early in the morning; the hotel has been sold out since the afternoon. We get our keys and go to our room. If you’ve never been to an Embassy Suites hotel there are several great reasons to do so. Each room is truly a suite. There’s a bedroom with a door that separates it from the living area. The couch in the living area is a sofabed. There is a small table, a wet bar, microwave and refrigerator. High Speed Internet Access in the room, wireless in public areas of the lobby and 1st floor, $9.99 for 24 hrs. There is a full breakfast each morning included in the price of the room. A chef cooks omelettes to order and there are other hot buffet style servings of pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash browns and scrambled eggs. These are not sitting out cold and infrequently attended, they are behind a service counter where a chef dishes them out. My eggs were fluffy and tasty, the bacon hot and cooked pretty well (I like them very, very crispy, but these weren’t bad). Out on the self service were muffins, pastries, English muffins and waffles, cereals, coffee, tea and juices. We ate well, but that should have been a story for Saturday…we’re still talking about Friday evening.
Glenn loved the room. I loved the room. We put out a few things we needed to get ready for bed and decided to have a quick nightcap in the bar. Glenn had a Pina Colada and I had a Strawberry Margarita. Not bad. We sat in the bar lounge for a little while but took the drinks to our room, watched a bit of the local news as we finished them and then had a great nights sleep.