TR SNIPPET GOLD COAST

We had a really fine time at the Gold Coast. My wife generally wants an upscale room at a strip casino, but I think that she will come here again with me. I'll certainly come solo. I often stay there and pay the mailed casino rate offer just to not worry about my gambling daily average and to use the heated pool.

Two sons met us here for four days. Their room was not the premium, but I did not see much difference. It was fine, perhaps a bit older in décor.

There were no lines and no early check in fees. We were ten hours from our house to the casino room. We were tired when we arrived from the plane and car rental. We were put in a room at about noon. I can't figure out how there could be so many people here and no one in a check in line. Perhaps when they don't charge the early check in fee, the folks coming in are more spread out.

The Gold Coast gave absolute first rate service everywhere.

Our last trip my wife had paid the big bucks to stay at Trump Towers. Here is the review of that place

​http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2013/11/tr-snippet-my-hotels.html?zx=28999106063e3cc6

I was surprised when she told me that she actually liked the Gold Coast much better, felt more comfortable, and especially liked not waiting an hour or so to check into the room.

She has stayed and liked the Orleans and did think that was better than the Gold Coast, but she liked trying new places.

Making her comfortable in Vegas really pleased me and gave me even new respect for these Boyd casinos.

Elizabeth is sensitive to smoke and she did detect more at the Gold Coast casino than at Aria or at the Orleans. She wants to write them and tell them to upgrade their air freshening system.

A security guard in a wheel chair worked hard to locate my lost bag and prescription glasses. This sure improved my mood that day. Great service.

Our rooms were very quiet. I can't get much quiet downtown anymore.

A lower room floor was great for easy access, especially when we were wet from the pool.

The pool was delightful except for the gate and the clock. The gate really bangs each time it closes. The clock never is the right time.

There is a nice workout room with a good view of the pool and a feeling of openness. It rarely has more than one person exercising. I go in when I swim to get the good cold water the keep there.

There is great shade in the water and in chairs on the edges. The hot weather did not bake us while we used the pool. There seemes always to be a place in the water that offered shade as well.

I like the jacuzzi.

We liked the buffet.

We danced one night to the SanFernando band. It is a fine group with all the old Vegas chestnuts. Great floor for dancing. That show alone would draw us here again. Some nights they charge $10, but this night they dropped that. We could buy our own drinks. Scotch was $6. Even had they had the cover, it would include one drink.

For $15 total we had a refrigerator in the room the entire stay.

There is good video poker, but I am curious as to why the JOB straight flush was shaved down to 239.

The wifi worked easily. It was the only time I got on line while in Vegas.

There are good promotions. Young at Heart was just great. Other promos were there too and good mulipliers even if I did forget to swipe before playing.

The sports book famous hot dog is there. It is a bit more money, but still cheap. Frank liked it. It was just enough to keep us at the video poker rather than looking for a light fare somewhere.

On Elizabeth's last night we went to the Cortez. It was wonderful in every way. She had a Caesar salad and some lobster tacos. I had the 22 ounce prime rib and shared with her. The left overs she put with the left over bread and made a sandwich the next morning for the plane. Nice to have the refrigerator.

For 20 bucks I had a bottle of zinfandel from Sonoma. I took a photo but it blurred. It was just delicious. The waiter said it was a $40 bottle they put out for $20 because they were getting rid of that stock.

So, you can see the frugal parts of this meal at an upscale restaurant.

The hostess came and got us from the VP machines when the table was ready and our waiter was just delightful without any affectations.

So for seventy buck plus fourteen dollar tip we had a fine, quiet meal our last night together here.

Elizabeth had suggested TGIF, but I refused. I hate that place.

The Cortez is probably not a place I would go solo although perhaps I might consider eating at the bar, and I have wanted that dining experience. The ambiance was somewhere well above diner without approaching upscale snooty and pretentious.

Appealing too was that the décor was that quiet décor of paintings and the music was not the loud new whinny rock sounds with undecipherable lyrics and beats so loud that it is hard to talk over them.

At home I am picking restaurants by sound these days as much as food. It is always amazing to me that while the Rat Pack is so popular that live shows happen all the time, we can't find a restaurant playing that sort of quiet lounge music or even a mix of music or one that has a quiet room or section. Even the Chinese buffet we go to at home plays repetitive modern American sounds rather than some Chinese background sounds.

And it is not that those sounds have faded from interest. We were just up at Tanglewood hear John Pizzarelli from radio deluxe play lounge into jazz. In October we are going to hear Kat Edmonds who is a fast rising star in just such music and performing for the most part new songs that she has written but with a relaxed lounge to jazz sound.

I hope they don't close the Cortez.

On the negative, we did have a room air conditioner with a slight noise that came and went, perhaps something caught in the fan. We reported it at check out. It did not bother us much and we hate the interruptions of having repair people in the room.

Television needs the Turner Classic movie channel. Don't they all?

Security lost and found at first claimed not to have my lost bag from the pool area. However, it was there. I found it a few days later, and it had been turned in before I first asked.

The first fellow was incompetent.

The second was amazing. So I know now that if I lose something, I should ask at least twice.

I miss the old afternoon Classic Jazz group that performed for so many years.

The pool gate slams everytime and the slam is so loud that it startles the swimmers.

The pool clock is never set on time. Three trips and the clock has always been unreliable. A clock is an important feature in a pool. This isn't rocket science; just a clock.

Some days there were no towels left.

TGIF served bad food and bad coffee. They should replace it with something of the quality of the rest of the casino.

The buffet should add one fish to the buffet and add a small salad section to breakfast.

They should offer more full pay VP. Consider a ten seven double bonus or that nice seven triple play progressive bank that is at the Orleans and draws us there. This is very popular. Some of the full pay JOB upstairs did not get regular drink service.

But overall it was a great place to stay, and so much less expensive than the high priced rooms our sons paid at Paris and Bellagio on the strip.