VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS! Choosing where to stay in Vegas can be a hard choice. You have to keep things in mind like comfort of rooms, location of hotel, restaurants, price, bars, casinos and much much more. I have been to Vegas well over twenty times and decided to give you the inside scoop of each hotel I have stayed at. I don’t really have a favorite hotel when going to Vegas because that can depend on so many factors (going with girlfriend, friends, work, to gamble, kids, etc). Keep in mind I am only rating hotels I have stayed at so sorry if I missed your spot. Lets get started!

Bellagio: 5 star hotel

Price: High but not as bad as you would think for a 5 star hotel. Rates can be found as low as $150 usually up well over $300

Room: The Standard rooms are very nice but I would expect nicer out of the Bellagio. The suite are huge and really nice. Worth the upgrade if you can get a deal

Location: Great Location on the strip. It is basically in the center and you can easily walk to most hotels. Try going across the street to Bills for a cheap drink. The Paris is also across the street and cool to check out.

Restaurants/Entertainment: Everything is expensive but they have some unique places. Fix is a great place for a light meal with a good drinking atmosphere. I recommend going there on a double date or with a group of friends. Olives has an awesome patio that you can watch the fountain show from. The patio is very private so great for a romantic meal. The Buffet at Bellagio in my option is second best after The Wynn

Pool/spa: Comfortable and not a lot of children. Good place to lay out and relax. The spa is top of the line but you will pay for it.

Casino: Very Large Casino with a high end crowd. Tables are expensive and they have one of the best poker rooms in Vegas. Casino also is not as noisy as others.

Who should stay here: Older couples, People who love architecture, Poker Players, people who want to relax

Who should not stay here: Don’t bring the kids, young groups, college kids

Value for your $: 7/10

Caesars Palace: 4 star

Price: Slightly on the High end. You can sometimes get rooms for less than $100 but usually expect to pay more than $150

Rooms: A lot of the rooms can be old because there are so many types. They also can be small. I don’t think anyone would be displeased with the room but ask for something newly renovated

Location: Center strip and the hotel itself is attached to The Forum Shops. Great location!

Restaurants/Entertainment: The Forum shops have tons of restaurants to choose from including The Palm, Cheesecake Factory, Joe’s Stone Crabs and much more. The Coliseum is sure to have an impressive show going on. Pure Nightclub is one of the premier clubs in Vegas

Pool/Spa: Roman Style pool that is great for relaxing. Pool went through renovations in early 2009. The spa is insane and the heath club will make you want to extend your workout. They have virtual reality cycle machines and a rock climbing wall!

Casino: Really gives you that Vegas feel. A great place to gamble but expensive.

Who Should stay here: Older groups, Older couples, People who want a real vegas feel, gamblers

Who Should not stay here: Don’t bring the kids, young groups, college kids

Value for your $: 8/10

Circus Circus: 2.5 star

Price: Insane cheap! You can get rooms around $20 sometimes. Normally expect to pay around 30-65.

Rooms: For the price I thought they were nice. Clean, a shower that works and a bed to sleep on. They also have an RV park in case you drive one of those.

Location: At the End of the strip so you cant walk to much. They have some shops outside that you can find some cheap stuff at. You can walk to the Wynn from here.

Restaurants/Entertainment: Food can be very cheap so if your on a budget that’s great. The Steak House is a surprisingly a really good steak place. They have free Circus Acts that can be fun for kids, great arcade and an indoor amusement park.

Pool/Spa: Pool is not very nice. No spa. The pool is next to the RV park.

Casino: Fairly cheap tables but make sure you don’t run your mouth at the table. They almost through us out for cussing when we lost a big hand.

Who should stay here: Family’s who don’t need 4 star+ accommodations, college kids (but there are much better places), people on a budget just looking to gamble for a weekend

Who should not stay here: Yuppies, Needy people, people looking to be pampered…you get it by now

Value for your $: 9/10

Four Seasons at Mandalay bay: 5 star most high end in Vegas

Price: obviously this is going to be high. Compared to other four seasons you can get this fairly cheap. I have gotten it for as low as $150 but I would normally expect to pay in the $300s

Rooms: The beds are insane! All of the rooms are on the top four floors of Mandalay Bay so you get a great view. Rooms have huge TVs and they pamper you every way possible. When staying at the hotel you get free newspapers, bottle water, car service (in an Escalade). You can bring small dogs and once again the staff can not get any better. When checking in you have no wait and it is very peaceful.

Location: It is at the far end of the strip so getting around you have to cab most places, or use your free car service. One thing that is cool is that the elevators can let you off at the Mandalay Bay casino. You can go straight into their hotel from a private area.

Restaurants/Entertainment: They have a charlie Palmers but not much else. You can take elevator from room and go to casino floor of Mandalay Bay. From there you can easily walk to all Mandalay Bay restaurants including The Mix which has an amazing view.

Pool/Spa: This is the best pool in Vegas! They bring you to your chairs each day and remember what you drink. You get brought water with lemon, cold face cloths, extra towels, sun screen, newspapers, magazines, fruit, avian spray and much more all at no extra cost. About a 3 minute walk away is the Mandalay Bay water park which you can use for free if your looking for some excitement.

Casino: They have none so its fairly peaceful. You can easily use the one at Mandalay Bay. It is about a ten second walk when you get off the elevator from your room.

Who should stay here: People looking for the best service, People looking to relax for a weekend, couples, People looking to gamble but not be on the strip, Guys if your wife hates vegas but you love it bring her here!

Who should not stay here: People with kids, large groups, college kids

Value for your $: 10/10

Hard Rock Hotel: 3.5 star

Price: About average for Vegas. Usually you would pay around $100-$200.

Rooms: Very comfortable decent size rooms. The rooms have balcony’s and the ones over looking the pool can make for a great view!

Location: This is the biggest downside to the hotel. You basically have to cab anywhere you go. They do have a great German Bar across the street that serves 64oz beers!

Restaurants/Entertainment: The Center bar is one of the best center bars in Vegas…(casinos main bar). Body English brings in a great crowd and they also put on a ton of great shows on at the Hard Rock

Pool/Spa: The spa is average but the Pool is insane! One of the reasons to stay at this hotel is to go to The Rehab party on Sundays at the pool. It is the ultimate pool party in Vegas and often has surprise musically performances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Ja Rule, Sean Paul and many more! This pool is a great place to day drink all day!

Casino: The Casino is small but fun. They have swim up blackjack in the pool which is the ultimate way to gamble on a hot day!

Who Should Stay here: People that like to party, college kids, older people who like to roll with the younger crowd

Who Should not stay here: people with kids, people who want to relax, people who want to gamble,

Value for your $: 7/10

Harrah’s: 3 star

Price: Cheaper than the average hotel. Anywhere from $50-$200

Rooms: Small and basic but they get the job done

Location: If you don’t mind noise I would say one of the best best locations in vegas. Center strip right where all the action is. You can walk to some of the best spots in vegas from this hotel.

Restaurants/Entertainment: If you like live music and drinking outside this hotel has it. Make sure to check out Carnival Court which has an awesome outdoor bar with live bands all day and bartenders that can do crazy tricks. They also have a great piano bar! You can walk to tons of great restaurants.

Pool/Spa: both very basic nothing special

Casino: Decent size and you can walk to tons of other places including Oshea’s which is a wild place

Who Should Stay Here: Average people who are looking for a great weekend in Vegas, people who want the Vegas feel, college kids, large groups, people who just like to have fun and dont need to be pampered

Who should not stay here: Couples, people who want to relax

Value for your $: 8/10

Imperial Palace: 2 star

Price: Very Cheap. I would expect to pay anywhere for $30-$90 a night. I would not pay more then $50 unless every other hotel was looking much more

Rooms: Crap

Location: This along with Harrah’s is right in the middle of the strip. If you have the attitude of I want the lowest price in a good location cause all I do is sleep in my room this is the place for you.

Restaurants/Entertainment: The Rock house Bar can be fun to stop into. It is right off the strip.

Pool/Spa: basic

Casino: Not that great but they do have fake celebrity dealers which is funny

Who Should stay here: People on a budget looking for great location, college kids, people who want to get really drunk at carnival court and look up and say that’s my hotel

Who Should not stay here: Couples, people looking to be pampered, I think you can figure it out

Value for your $: 6/10

Luxor: 3.5 star

Price: very cheap for what you get. Usually you will pay $40-$100 for a room. You can get a 780-squar foot room for around $150 a night

Rooms: For the price really nice. They are also decent size and have a lot of different room combinations. Watch out for the BS $5 a night phone cost on each room…such a joke.

Location: It’s at the end of the strip but you can easily walk to some fun places like Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, New York New York and more. They also have a monorail that can take you to the center strip area.

Restaurants/Entertainment: They have some great shows like Carrot Top, Chris Angel and more. The also have the club LAX which is fun. There are tons of high end and budget worried restaurants within walking distance.

Pool/Spa: Defiantly above average pool for a hotel but nothing special for Vegas

Casino: Fun young crowd to gamble with. Casino has a great Vegas feel.

Who should stay here: people looking for that Vegas feel, young couples, young people, college kids, people on a budget

Who should not stay here: people over 45, people who don’t like to walk far

Value for your $: 10/10

Mandalay Bay: 4.5 star

Price: The rates can vary so much. Expect to pay anywhere from $90-$350

Rooms: Nice good size rooms. Checking in can be a pain. For a nicer room check out THE hotel at Mandalay Bay or The Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay

Location: At the end of the strip so really not a good location. They have a monorail which makes it a little better. You can also easily walk to Luxor which can be fun.

Restaurants/Entertainment: This place is packed full of restaurants and fun bars. They often have great shows at House of Blues and Mix Lounge is the perfect place to go on a date. They don’t have any great club.

Pool/Spa: This pool is often regarded as the best pool in Vegas. It has an 11 acre beach (yes made of sand), wave pool, lazy river and a beach casino. This is a wild place to go for a swim but as for relaxing or partying, I hated it. There are tons of kids and it is EXTREMELY crowded.

Casino: Huge Casino and a great place to gamble. They have The Best Sports book in Vegas and the center bar is only second to that at Hard Rock. If you like to gamble this is a good place to stay. Perfect place for your wife and kids to relax at the pool and you to gamble.

Who should stay here: Great place for families because there is so much to do, big groups, people who love to gamble and people who don’t like to leave there hotel

Who should not stay here: people who want that Vegas feel, people who don’t like to walk

Value for your $: 6/10 unless you get a good deal

New York – New York: 4 star

Price: You can often find great rates at this hotel. I have seen them as low as $50 but they normally sell around $100.

Rooms: So many different types of rooms. Some can be somewhat small but all are fairly nice. I think the suite rooms have Hot Tubs in them (not Jacuzzi) which would be fun!

Location: Near the end of the strip but not bad. You can easily walk to many fun places including Miracle Mile mall, Luxor, MGM and much more.

Restaurants/Entertainment: Just walking around this place can be interesting. They have a piano bar, Irish pub, ESPN Zone and tons more. A lot of fun places to eat and drink! They also have the best Roller Coaster in Vegas

Pool/Spa: You would expect much more but it is what it is.

Casino: Fun Casino with a lot of action. Cool just walking around it. I really like the center bar they play good music.

Who should stay here: young people, families, people looking for that vegas feel

Who Should not stay here: Red Sox fans, Patriots fans, people looking to get out of New York City for a weekend, people looking for that VIP feel.

Value for your $: 8/10

Palms: 4.5 star

Price: Anywhere from $100-$300s

Rooms: The rooms are what you would expect of a four star hotel. They have some insane suites at the hotel like the Crib Suite, Hot Pink Suite, Erotic Suite and many more.

Location: A little off of the strip and you really cant walk to anything.

Restaurants/Entertainment: They have some of the best clubs in Vegas including Rain, Ghost bar, Moon and Playboy club. The clubs have insane views and bring great crowds. They have a food court which is nice if you don’t want to break the bank at every meal.

Pool/Spa: Great pool to relax and drink at. This hotel normally brings one of the best crowds.

Casino: Above average casino.

Who should stay here: great place for people 23-45 who like to party but are respectful, couples, small groups and people who just like to have a good time in an upscale (but not yuppie) party scene.

Who should not stay here: college kids, groups of guys that bring no girls, people who want that Vegas feel

Value for your $: 7/10 depending on the deal you get

Paris Las Vegas: 3.5 star

Price: Around $100-$250

Rooms: Have a Euro look not really my thing.

Location: Awesome location. Right across from Bellagio and you can walk all over the strip

Restaurants/Entertainment: Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower gives you a great view. This place is loaded with lounge type bars. Obviously most restaurants are french. Mon Ami Gabi has a great outdoor patio for people watching.

Pool/Spa: Nothing special

Casino: The casino is really cool looking. Not my favorite place to gamble but good to take pictures at.

Who should stay here: People who love french food, people who love architecture

Who should not stay here: This is really a particular hotel so unless your staying here for a specific reason I would pass

Value for your $: 6/10

Red Rocks: 4.5 star

Price: Around $150-$300

Rooms: Really nice comfortable rooms. They have great views and soft beds. 5 star rooms!

Location: This is not a place to stay at if you want to see Vegas. This is a place to come relax for a weekend and do a little gambling. It is about 20 miles from the vegas strip.

Restaurant/Entertainment: They have some really good restaurants but nothing that stands out. The Onyz Bar or Lucky Bar are a great place to relax at the end of a day at the pool. They also have a nightclub.

Pool/Spa: Probably the best pool to relax at in Vegas. This pool is so peaceful. The Spa is also amazing!

Casino: A calm comfortable casino …nothing more nothing less.

Who should stay here: Perfect place for two couples to come for a weekend, girls relax weekend, business trip because it would force people to hang out with one another

Who should not stay here: people who want to party on the strip, first time in Vegas, groups

Value for your $: 6/10 A great place to relax but not much more.

Rio: 3.5 star

Price: Normally around $80-$200

Rooms: The rooms are fairly big but other than that nothing special.

Location: similar to the palms not that great cause you cant walk anywhere.

Restaurant/Entertainment: Voodoo Lounge has a huge outdoor area on the roof of the hotel. Amazing views of the vegas strip. Penn & Teller do their show here which has been famous for years. I hate the seats in the center bar.

Pool/Spa: They have four pools and one of them has a Sand bottom. Defiantly an above average pool.

Casino: One of the best places to gamble in Vegas. If I win or loose I always have a great time at this casino. The hotel brings in a good crowd.

Who should stay here: young people, big groups, college kids, gamblers

Who should not stay here: first time in Vegas, people over 50, people who want to relax

Value for your $: 7/10

Treasure Island – TI: 4 star

Price: Normally right around $100. A great value!

Rooms: When your in your room you spend most of the time in your bed. Giving that it is a very important part of the room to me I love this hotel. The beds at TI are so comfortable. For the price this is the biggest bang for your buck in Vegas when it comes to hotel package.

Location: Great location across from Venetian. You can walk to most hotels or the Vegas Mall. The hotel is near the center of the strip.

Restaurant/Entertainment: Mist is a good nightclub, They have a free Pirate show right outside the hotel. lots of affordable restaurants. The deli is great!

Pool/Spa: Pool is so-so but they do have a “party tub” also known as a 50 person hot tub.

Casino: Average casino

Who should stay here: People who are making their first trip to Vegas, really almost anyone

Who should not stay here: people who want 5 star accommodations or great pools.

Value for your $: 10/10

Venetian: 5 star

Price: $200-$400 but it is an all suite hotel

Rooms: This is an all suit hotel and the average room is around 700 square foot. They have great bathrooms. A 5 star room!

Location: Amazing location you can walk to almost anything. They also have their own mall in the hotel which is absolutely amazing.

Restaurant/Entertainment: The home of Blue Man Group the most famous show in Vegas. They have Tao nightclub which is an expensive but fun club. They have over 70 restaurants and shops in the hotel. You can take Italian style boat rides around the hotel on the indoor/outdoor river. They even sing to you while in the boat.

Pool/Spa: One of the best spas in Vegas. 69,000 square – foot Spa Club. The pool is very relaxing and has a party area called Tao Beach club. The hotubs are huge!

Casino: Huge Casino and fun place to gamble.

W ho should stay here:Anyone who can afford it. I think this is one of the best places in Vegas

Who should not stay here: college kids, people with children

Value for your $: 9/10

Wynn: 5 star

Price: $150-$500. This hotel used to be a lot more but price has come down.

Rooms: big amazing and 5 star. They probably offer the most high end suites with maybe the exception of the Palms…(Palms suites are one of a kind).

Location: Not that great near the end of the strip. They do have their own golf course which is cool.

Restaurant/Entertainment: Everything at this hotel is super high end and I just don’t think its worth it. Even if you get a good rate on your room you get killed every time your order a drink or eat out. All of the restaurants are as high end as it gets so if you don’t mind spending this might be for you.

Pool/Spa: Amazing spa and pool is one of the most relaxing in Vegas.

Casino: very high end but to get hooked up you need to be played $500 hands for awhile. my buddy and I were played $500-$1,000 hands for hours and they did not give us much.

Who should stay here: people who don’t care at all about money

Who should not stay here: Anyone who wants to spend half as much and have a better time at hotels like Venetian, Palms, Bellagio and many more.

Value for your $: 2/10. Four Seasons at Mandalay bay is much more high end for a lower price.

I stumbled upon a cool music site last night. I was looking to download some OAR music because I am going to their concert this weekend and I found the site Jamradio.org. Jam radio specializes in providing free concert downloads from some of today’s major acts. Some of the acts include OAR, John Mayer, 311, Jack Johnson, The Grateful Dead and many more. Even better, there is nothing illegal about this because you can only download from artist that have an open taping policy. The downloads can be from concerts within the last year or concerts like The Grateful Dead show at Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, Ca on January 27th 1967. That is over 40 years old! Some of the artist you can download from were not even alive in 1967.

To check it out and start jamming out you can Listen to Concert downloads here!

I am not even sure where to start with the Onion website. They are known for being a funny news sources but they truly offer so much more. They give a different spin on tons of news around the world and sometimes it’s the spin that other news vendors simple wont report on. The part of their site that is the most surprising is their online store. They have tons of funny gag gifts perfect for birthdays, pranks, graduations and basically any occasion as long as the person on the receiving end has a sense of humor. I love the gift below

People always bring these water bottles around my office that have not only never been camping but probably never slept without AC.

Imagine walking into work and cooking your toast right at your computer powered by none other then your computer. They have tons more gifts so just click on the photos to check others out.

If your board at work or just tired of reading the same old news make sure to check out theonion once in awhile.  It will give you a different spin on Sports, Entertainment, World and just about any other form of news you can think of.

SAVE 20% AT THE ONION STORE! Enter coupon code ‘areavip09′ at checkout

Classic Closeouts is the best place to find a deal on clothing and random Accessories.

I do not normally write about shopping but I really enjoyed Classic Closeouts. They offer a clearance section that offers deals that are 90% of retail price. I found Men’s Fleece Jackets for under $8, ties for under $6 and a slew of other deals. Throughout the easy to navigate site you can find clothing, kitchen accessories, outdoor living, jewelery and much more. My favorite part of the online mall is the bargain bin. In one of the bins I found Sandals, slippers, T-shirts, decorative accessories all for an incredible price of only $2.99! The site is easy to navigate and even offers free shipping for orders over $40.

Before you head out to the mall make sure you check this place out so you know your getting a good deal! You may end up canceling the trip to the mall.

Spend a little, SAVE A LOT!! Get up to 90% OFF !! All Outerwear under $20!!!

I was trying to pay a parking ticket today and stumbled upon Gaithersburg city’s FAQ page. Below was a portion that made no sense to me-

Are pets required to have City licenses?

The licensing of animals is administered by the City of Gaithersburg’s Animal Control Office at City Hall. All cats and dogs older than four months of age must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed with the City. Discount fees are available to senior citizens and recipients of public assistance. Questions can be mailed to neighborhoods@gaithersburgmd.gov or call 301-258-6343.

Call me crazy but I feel like all to often in the world people have pets that not only cant afford them but don’t know how to take care of them.  Now the rule by the city saying that all cats and dogs older than four months must be vaccinated makes perfect sense to me.  The problem I have is why would the city assist someone on PUBLIC ASSISTANCE with taking care of a pet.  If they cant take care of them self and need public assistance, what makes the city think they should be taking care of a pet?  The city giving them a financial break to have a pet only leads to two things.  Our tax money being wasted and Animals being raised by people who cant take care of themselves.

Now just because someone is poor does not mean they cant raise a pet.  However, sometimes I think that maybe the money being spent on the pet should be spent on the rent.  Rather then raising a dog maybe they should be figuring out ways to get off of public assistance.

Not to drag this on any longer but I remember seeing the MTV show True Life recently.  This one was True life we are poor.  They followed poor family’s who were having financial troubles .  Some of these families were receiving food stamps and other government help.  What I don’t understand is WHY THESE FAMILIES HAD PETS TO BEGIN WITH!

Gaithersburg is located just outside Washignton, DC in Maryland

Before you get all steaming mad at me, let me just say that I think all people should have an equal, fair chance no matter what their color, sex, age, religion or anything else.


Let’s get on to the title of this post: “Women’s Rights Are Going Way Too Far”. Recently a girl told me that “she thought there was still a large gap between women and men getting jobs”. I have worked in a few different industries, and I all I have seen nothing but fair treatment of my female co-workers.


At my current job there are about 150 full time employees, for the record, this company does government sales. Out of that number I would estimate there are 85 females and 65 males working at the company. Yes, the big boss is a male, however the other management positions are dominated by women. Five of the departments are managed by women and only three by males. Furthermore, if the big boss would have been a woman he would have had an easier time starting the business. Why? Well the Government has set aside money for women owned businesses, that’s why. You should also keep in mind that there are many more women in the US that choose to stay at home and take care of kids than there are males. Regardless if the male or female stays at home to raise a family, this in it self is a full time job and should always be respected. Given this situation of stay at home workers this probably puts many more males than females in the general work force thus making sense that there would normally be more males then females at a company.


In college I was lucky to get a bar tending job. One thing about the restaurant business is that the bartender is usually the best position after the owner. They make the most and the job is usually regarded a better job then most other positions. I worked at a club that on a weekend night would have about 15 bartenders, a few bar backs and around 8 bouncers. Maybe it was sexist but all of the lower paying jobs (ie: bar backs and bouncers) were all occupied by males. As for the bartenders it was mostly girls. Maybe that’s just good business but I will tell you one thing, I saw some male bartenders with tons of experience and a great attitude loose out on a job to a girl with no job experience and a terrible work ethic. Why would the girl get the job over the guy who was more qualified? I am guessing the hot factor?


I am sure there are some job markets that you could say guys have the 100% advantage but I don’t totally agree. The first thing that would come to mind would be construction. Everyone knows that the construction work force is mostly males. However, If a women did apply for a job I bet she would stand a chance to beat out a more qualified male. Why would I think this? This is because the contractor would probably be worried the women would later say she did not get the job because she was female. Not look at the situation and say” hey I had two years experience and another guy had 15 so he got the job.” Furthermore, with any large company they want to try and balance out the work force as much as possible. By balance I mean a balanced about of males/females….black/white etc etc.


Now I often see from girls I work with and friends that when something does not go their way they blame it on being a woman. In most case…but not all, I think the person should be blaming themselves. How much easier is it to blame the situation on sex or race rather then to simply say “hey, I was lazy, I slacked off and I got out worked by the other person.” Almost all people rather point the finger so they still look good.
The part of all this that gets me the most upset is how in my experiences women always get treated the best and furthermore (the part that upsets me), damn right expect it. I have an always will be the guy that always try’s to pay when I take a women out, regardless of date number one or date number 50. However, some of these women who always complain about not being treated fair because they are a women sure don’t have a problem indulging in the benefits of being a women. By some of these benefits I mean guys buying then drinks, dinner, opening doors, lady’s first attitude and on and on. It’s somewhat like a kid wanting to be treated as an adult and a parent telling them that if they want to be treated as an adult there can be no more crying, baby toys, sucking thumb whatever it might be. I know some girls that will even go on a date with a guy just to get the free drinks and dinner. It makes me sick and I am sure some of the women reading this sick to know that this goes on.


All I am saying is that whether it’s in the work force or in the club if you want to be treated equal, act equal. If a guy wants to pay for you, open a door for you, buy you a drink or anything for that matter don’t expect it because your a women, appreciated it. If a girl bought me dinner or opened a door for me I would be so appreciative it might scare them.

I recently rejoined Ballys and I am starting to remember the reasons I had not continued my membership a few years ago.  I understand all locations can be different but the two that I use are always way to crowded.  Maybe I am going at the wrong times being after work but I still find it to be a pain when there is no cardio equipment available for use.

The reason I decided to rejoin Ballys was because I got an offer that really was cheap.  I ended up paying $98 for a one year membership which is basically less than $9 a month.  What really pissed me off was for whatever reasons ballys put me in as a new account. When I then first used that account it also reactivated my old account.  I get a letter in the mail a few weeks later from ballys saying I owe them a reactivation fee of $158.00…more than I payed for the whole years membership.  After trying to get a hold of someone at customer service I ended up having to pretend I was trying to ad a family member to my membership in order to get a live person on the phone.  When I did speak with the agent he told me that I need not worry about the letter and that was only to reactivate my other membership.  I asked the guy why I would want two memberships…no answer.  I asked him if he could cancel me out of their system because I was one person…he said he could not.  It just was a big pain in the ass dealing with them.

In future when dealing with Bally Total Fitness just make sure you watch your back or they might break your credit.

I recently booked a flight to Boston on Air Tran Airline and was thinking about staying an extra day.  There was a Red Sox game the Sunday night of my flight so I wanted to look into switching my flight to the following morning.  Normally when I fly to Boston I use Southwest because they have low rates, great on time ratio and larger seats them most competitors.  As much as I have always loved flying Southwest there had always been one downfall and that was having to fly into the providence airport which is about 35mins from Boston.

I noticed that Airtran had the same rate as southwest but it flew directly into Boston so I decided to give it a try.

Now the problem of staying for the Red Sox game.  Normally when switching a flight on southwest I can get a credit for my flight and use the funds towards another Southwest flight within a year.  However, with Air Tran there is a different Policy.  I could not get a credit to use the money I spent on the first flight for a flight the second day.  Airtran would charge a $75 fee to switch the flight to the second day.  The problem with this is my flight only cost me $59 and the flights the following day are still $59.  Basically the cheapest way to do this would be to just book another flight.

That means to use the Airtran policy and switch a flight it would cost me over 110% of the cost of my ticket.  Furthermore It probably would have been better for Airtran to have me flying Monday morning rather then Sunday night because it is a less traveled flight.

Anyway just next time when booking Air Tran keep note of their $75 fee.  A lot of Airlines are similar but not Southwest so always keep that in mind.

I have been going to Vegas for about 8 years at an average of twice a year.  Over the years I have had the please of staying at hotels from the bottom of the star ranking to the top.  Some of the hotels I have stayed at have been Bellagio, Venetian, Circus Circus, Imperial Palace, Treasure Island, Hard Rock and many more.  If you know Vegas you know those hotels can really differ.

For the longest time my favorite place to stay had always been Venetian.  Venetian offers huge rooms, great quality,  in a location that truly cant be beat (center strip).

On my most recent stay I decided to go in a different direction in part because I was going to Vegas with a girl for the first time.  Normally I had always gone in groups or with a few buddy’s.  When looking for a place I wanted somewhere with a nice pool, nice rooms and tons of fun restaurants.

I ended up booking a 3 night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel at Mandalay Bay.  The Four Seasons has no casino in their hotel but we were able to use the casino at Mandalay bay.

Top 5 things I liked about The Four Seasons-

1.  Not only did we never have to wait for a cab, there was a free car service from the hotel that would take you anywhere on the strip.  They would drive us around in a brand new Escalade and before you would get in offer you a bottle of water.  When in the car they had every major newspaper in the seat in front of you along with a very friendly driver.  It really was an unexpected bonus!

2.  The Pool!  When first booking I wanted to stay here because we had access to Mandalay Bays pool.  In fact the four seasons pool was basically just a gated extension of the MB pool.  They had a fun beach…Yes Sandy beach, wave pool, beach club, lazy river pool and even a beach casino.  Unexpectedly the best part was the pool at the Four Season.  They would lay towels out on chairs for you each day accompanied by water with lemon.  They would then offer such amenities as Evian Spray, Fruit, Cold Towels, magazines, newspapers and basically just a very friendly attitude.  They would even remember what we drank each day and bring it right out.

3.  The hidden entrance to the MB casino.  This was wild! To get to the casino we would just take our elevator to the MB floor.  There was a private elevator area we could then get off at.  We never had to wait for an elevator.

4.  The rooms were not huge but very nice.  The bed was insanely comfortable!  They had 50inch plasma TVs in the room and the view was out of this world from the window.  The staff did a great turn down service and it would almost make us laugh at the extremes they would go to-to make us happy.  At night when you get back to the room the TV would be on a nature channel, water next to the bed, slippers next to the bed, room dimmed, blinds closed, bookmark with a note and basically just instant relaxation.  One other note the rooms at the 4 seasons are on the top four floors of Mandalay bay.

5.  The Genuine feel around the hotel and breeze of getting things done.  Sometimes when Vegas is busy some things become a big pain.  Checking in, getting cabs, getting pool chairs and so on.  I never one time waited for anything and this being March Madness weekend it was packed.  This includes never waiting  for a cab, looking for a pool chair, opening the front door to the hotel, waited for an elevator, needed new room towels and basically anything else you can think off that you sometimes wait for at a hotel.

I have stayed at some nice hotels in Vegas and some nice ones around the world.  This included such hotels as the Marriott in lake Tahoe, Marriott in Cancun, Ritz in palm beach, Ritz in Puerto Rico and this was the best hotel service I have ever received.

Next time you want to impress a girl in Vegas make sure you take her to The Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay.

To book your next vacation check put Priceline below-

First of all, thank you to all our readers who have visited our site so that we could put this meal on the company card. Right now The Palm is featuring a special that truly is amazing. You get the Palms 5 star food at a fraction of the price. For $89 a couple can get 2 salads, 2 9oz fillets, choice of 2 sea items (Lobster tail, Shrimp, Crabcake), 2 sides and 2 dessert items. Normally a meal like this at the Palm would cost twice the listed price of 89$. We loved it and thought we would just share the promotion with you!

To get your coupon and make a reservation at the palm you can Click Here