Grand Chateau next week, LV favorites?

[Ann in CA]

We'll be at Grand Chateau for a week next Friday. We have the guidebooks, have read the TUG reviews, but would love some more personal recommendations for restaurants (of all types) and things to do that may not be mentioned in the guidebooks. No kids with us, love gorgeous scenery & finding local favorites.

We'll probably spend little actual gambling time, but do plan to explore the different hotels and casinos, as well as some areas outside of Las Vegas. (love the Grand Canyon, but not for this trip)

Thanks to a previous thread, have some suggestions already, but would welcome more.

Thanks!

 

[Karen G]

The Venetian has something new this year: Winter in Venice The Christmas display at the Bellagio conservatory is always beautiful. I like the Cafe Bellagio that overlooks the conservatory.

The Mon Ami Gabi restaurant at Paris is a fun place, especially if you have an outdoor table on the Strip. They have overhead heaters if it's cold.

The pedestrian walkway on the new bridge gives a great view of the Hoover dam. Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are scenic places that aren't far away.

The buffet at the M Resort is a good value at lunch time. I also like the Town Square shopping/dining/entertainment area. There's a great happy hour at The Yardhouse with discounted food and drink.

 

[BoaterMike]

If you have not done this yet, take the express bus to Fremont St. in downtown LV. Interesting contrast with the strip.

There are many decent restaurants close to the Grand Chateau. We don't really have a favorite. We often go for something casual like the Harley Davidson cafe, Margaritaville or Toby Keith's. Most of these are heavy on theme and average/good for food. There are some very good restaurants at MGM (Craftsteak, Joel Rubochon), Aria, City Center and the Cosmopolitan if you want to spend the $. We still like Bouchon and Pinot Brasserie at the Venentian, but that's a little further away.

The Grand Chateau will provide you with a discount card that includes the Harley Cafe and many of the restaurants at Planet Hollywood Casino and the Miracle Mile Shopping center. You can start with some of these.

I would also take a look at TripAdvisor for a vast amount of reviews. Additionally keep an eye on groupon and living social. You never know when something of interest may pop up.

Mike

 

[ldanna]

Just a question, a little bit off topic.

Ann in CA, have you received any pre-arrival email about villa request? Last year I received one and I will be at Grand Chateau during the New Year week, and so far no email. Maybe I should call them instead.

 

[BocaBoy]

If you are meat eaters, I highly recommend the Brazilian steakhouse in the Miracle Mile right across Harmon Avenue from the Grand Chateau. It is right on your left almost immediately after you enter the mall from the Harmon side. Large salad buffet and all-you-can eat meat brought to your table. Also have a fish option but I have never chosen it. Very good quality. Also, you can probably get a discount coupon from the concierge at Grand Chateau. Or buy a discount coupon at restaurant.com. The restaurant is usually on the restaurant.com list.

 

[Karen G]

I highly recommend the Brazilian steakhouse in the Miracle Mile right across Harmon Avenue from the Grand Chateau.

Pampas is the name of that place. Texas de Brazil is a similar place and it's in Town Square.

 

[ilene13]

Il mulino is wonderful. They are a branch of the NYC restaurant and just as good. It is located in the mall at Ceasars Palace.
Roy's which is Asian fusion is great.
In Aug we saw the new Circque de Sole (sp)Viva Elvis. It was excellent. Well worth the money.
Alo the Chinese restaurant at the Wynn is excellent. It starts with a W.

 

[BoaterMike]

In Aug we saw the new Circque de Sole (sp)Viva Elvis. It was excellent. Well worth the money.

Unfortunately this show is not doing as well as expected. They recently announced that they are going to pull the plug on the Cirque Elvis show next year.

Mike

 

[BoaterMike]

Last year I received one and I will be at Grand Chateau during the New Year week, and so far no email. Maybe I should call them instead.

For what it's worth: We received our email on Nov. 1 for a Nov. 25 arrival.

Mike

 

[yumdrey]

Just a question, a little bit off topic.

Ann in CA, have you received any pre-arrival email about villa request? Last year I received one and I will be at Grand Chateau during the New Year week, and so far no email. Maybe I should call them instead.

You need to call them.
They usually contact owners at least 2 weeks in advance.

 

[Ann in CA]

Just a question, a little bit off topic.

Ann in CA, have you received any pre-arrival email about villa request? Last year I received one and I will be at Grand Chateau during the New Year week, and so far no email. Maybe I should call them instead.

We had not received anything, so I called Grand Chateau a few days ago with villa request, and they were happy to note my request. We'll be at Desert Springs Villas II the next week, and had not heard anything from them either, and we usually get a nice email, so also called there for villa assignment. They took my request info, and offered to make any dinner reservations, as well as to set us up for a presentation, which Grand Chateau did not.

That may be because we were just at a presentation in Maui in September (where our very personable (and low key) presenter said Marriott allowed one every three months now) I did not schedule one at Desert Springs as we have not liked their Sales dept. in the past. Think they offered 10,000 pts, although I may have said no thanks before she got that far.

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. I had looked at Yelp and TA,
But with the thousand of restaurants ranked on those sites for LV, past the top twenty it just got hard to judge. So I really appreciate a TUG members personal choices.

 

[raybrun]

Must do activities

We just got back from a week there. Wonderful place. Get the coupons from the concierge for the Nathan Burton and Max King shows. For 10-15 bucks a show this was the best value in town. You can read all about these matinee magic shows on trip advisor.very well rated. Of course we also loved jersey boys, Love, Terry Fador and Greg London's Impressions that Rock.We got lots of free seat upgrades due to it being so slow. still costs a little cash for that many shows but saved us money by keeping us out of the casinos. The slot machines are very tight! I lost every single session all week.Taxi drivers and casino owners seem to be extracting everything they can out of the few people that they have there.drivers are taking long routes so watch them. Enjoy.

 

[timeos2]

Pampas is the name of that place. Texas de Brazil is a similar place and it's in Town Square.

?
Having tried both I would STRONGLY recommend Texas De Brazil. Much better selection &quality of meat (and thats what those places are about).

 

[AwayWeGo]

Texas, Brazil, Nevada, Florida -- It's Semi-Confusing.

Having tried both I would STRONGLY recommend Texas De Brazil. Much better selection &quality of meat (and thats what those places are about).

Not only that, Texas De Brazil has an Orlando FL location, too.

(I ought to go try that 1 of these Januaries.)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[BoaterMike]

Not only that, Texas De Brazil has an Orlando FL location, too.

(I ought to go try that 1 of these Januaries.)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

It's excellent also. I dined at the Orlando location in this past January. In addition to top quality meats they have an outstanding salad bar.

 

[klpca]

We're here right now. We went to Hoover Dam yesterday (great! Why have I never been here before?) and went hiking at Red Rocks today. Awesome scenery. We did the Calico Tanks hike. Easy, but a lot of scrambling. Hiking boots recommended. We also saw Beatles Love last night. It was good too, but we're more outdoors people so the natural beauty has been the most impressive part of our trip.

Grand Chateau is great - so nice to be just off the strip, and to have a kitchen.

We're on the 10th floor facing the strip. Nice view. We checked in on Friday and there were a lot more people checking in on Saturday. Maybe there is a better room selection on Saturday? Our choices were lower floors on the Strip side or higher facing away from the strip.

 

[heathpack]

Check out the travelzoo specials for shows. We wil be at Planet Hollywood same time as you & got discounted tix to Cirque du Soliel Ka and Blue Man Group.

H

 

[AwayWeGo]

Do Lots Without Spending Lots.

Thanks to a previous thread, have some suggestions already, but would welcome more.

Click here for Las Vegas Top 10 Values.

Click here for discount same-day Las Vegas show tickets.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[BocaBoy]

?
Having tried both I would STRONGLY recommend Texas De Brazil. Much better selection &quality of meat (and thats what those places are about).

What do they have as selections that is missing at Pampas?

 

[Fern Modena]

Its been a long time since I've been at Pampas; when I went there the (several times) I thought it was great *until* Texas de Brazil opened and I went there.

If you don't have a car during your vacation, then Texas de Brazil is problematic, being at Town Square, although I see taxis there all the time.

Texas de Brazil is the more expensive of the two, and the quality shows the difference. Their buffet portion is several times larger and has lobster bisque, hearts of palm, Parmesan cheese chunks, prosciutto, and tons of other items. I can't specifically remember all the meats they have but it is safe to say they have several more, and they are all cooked very nicely.

Would I go to Pampas? Sure, if I was in the area and especially if I didn't have a car. But if I had access to either of them I'd go to Texas de Brazil.

Fern

 

[kjd]

I agree about Texas de Brazil. It's better than Pampas. It's also more expensive. With drinks and tip your bill will be over $100 for two people. Not a good idea to take a large family there. You'll need a line of credit. There is usually a person outside Pampas in the mall passing out dinning coupons. Especially for lunch. That makes Pampas less expensive. However, if you want better food then Texas is the one. Both Texas and Pampas are very good.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is to drive to Mt. Charleston. It's about a 45 minute drive. There is a chalet type restaurant toward the end of the road when you get there. The elevation there is 7,000 ft and there will be snow at certain times of the year. In the spring and summer you can eat outdoors and the temperature is about 20-30 degrees cooler than LV. It's nice to take a break there for lunch and then drive back to town. Food's pretty good too.

 

[Toppermom]

We go to Vegas a couple of times a year and try to avoid the strip. While the food is excellent in many of the fine dining establishments, it is also $$$$ and we, too, like finding the local favorites.

If you have a car, I highly recommend Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana in Henderson (140 Green Valley Parkway,Henderson, Nv 89012) . Well worth the drive--has the VPN designation for pizza if that is something you enjoy. We go at least once on every visit.

Also Lotus of Siam, for excellent Thai food. 953 E. Sahara Ave, Suite A5, Las Vegas, Nv 89104. Arguably the best Thai food in the country and very inexpensive. An extensive (German) wine list.

Another excellent restaurant is Raku, a Japanese Robata Grill. This one is fairly expensive, but excellent and well worth the drive in our opinion. It is located at 5030 W Spring Mountain Road, # 2, Las Vegas, Nv 89146

Enjoy!!

 

[BocaBoy]

Texas de Brazil is the more expensive of the two, and the quality shows the difference. Their buffet portion is several times larger and has lobster bisque, hearts of palm, Parmesan cheese chunks, prosciutto, and tons of other items. I can't specifically remember all the meats they have but it is safe to say they have several more, and they are all cooked very nicely.Fern

I have never been to Texas de Brazil so I certainly have no basis to dispute the view that it is better than Pampas. For the record, however, Pampas does have all the items I have marked in bold above. They also have a couple types of beef, chicken, ham and I think even lamb (which I do not eat). It almost seems that there is still another meat, but I cannot recall.