Semi-Free Play-palooza, the trip to Las Vegas, Day four

Today there will be a fair amount of running around.  Our morning was to start off with breakfast at Magnolia's at Four Queens at 9:00 AM.  We had the easy walk up Fremont in the morning.

The best time to be on Fremont Street!

We got there around 9:15 AM and there was a bit of a line.  My records show that a little after 10:00 AM, we were seated and served.  We used a BOGO coupon from the fun book the Four Queens gives out when you stay there for Scott and my breakfast, the King's Court.

The King's Court breakfast!

Kip was going to use her comps, since she was going to use them all up and take a break from them, with the change in slot clubs coming up.  Seems there was an issue with the computers at the register, so she had to go to the slot club and get a paper voucher to pay for the meal.

We were supposed to have some hot tub time, but now we seemed to be pressed for time, so we had to skip that (we were also supposed to get to Plaza earlier on Tuesday for some hot tub time, but that didn't happen either).

I loaded up my $175 free play at Plaza, so combined with yesterday's free play, that's $350.  I came out "up" $170, but I guess that's better than nothing.

We went to Garage Mahal to pick up the car.  When we got to the exit, it said to put the card by the chip reader (and as far as I knew, those cards didn't have a chip in them).  We had asked the slot club how the parking exit would go and that's what she told us to do, but if that didn't work, just call for help and tell them we're Maverick.  Well, I called for help and we told them we were Maverick.  They asked us what color our card was and we told them, and they just let us out.  Not sure that will work all of the time, but it did each time we left. . .

Our first stop was the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop (the Pawn Stars place).  Not for me, but each time I came back from Vegas, my co-worker would ask me if I went here, and I'd say no.  So when I was here in Feb/Mar, the 5k route went right by the place, so I told Kip that this trip we would stop.  Parking was a bit difficult with the street road work, so I parked a few blocks away, left Kip in the car and took a photo.

I posted it on Instagram and tagged him.  He said it was about time.  I told him I didn't have anything to buy or sell, so I didn't feel the need to go here.

Our next stop was Eureka Casino for lunch because Fat Choy is good, and they also have full-pay video poker on the Multi-Strike game.  Lunch is usually the short rib grilled cheese as featured on Diners, Drive-in and Dives.  I had it a few times before, but I saw a special on the board for BBQ ribs, so I decided to get them.  We used the LVA BOGO entre coupon, so lunch was $16.26, which I used on a promotional Visa card I got for charging car repairs on the shop credit card.

Yummy!

And since we were there, there was some Multi-Strike play.  We must have been playing nickels, since we were in for $40 each.  We hit quad deuces twice on the 2x line, and cashed out for $162, +$41 each!

We went to the Strat, where I can't remember the last time I had been here.  We popped in, I picked up a chip for my collection, looked around the casino floor.  This place was one of the few places where we were actually approached by time share people.

Some artsy thing at the Strat.

Then we went to Sahara, the "new" Sahara, since it had been SLS in between Saharas.  It appeared to be brighter than it was as SLS, that bar with the multimedia display above it seemed to have been gone.  Looks like they are trying to go for that older look.

Welcome to Sahara!

A display off the casino floor.

Next stop was Westgate for me to pick up a chip for my collection and to use the LVA free drink coupon at iBar.  I can't remember the last time I've been to this property either, but certainly not since it became Westgate (maybe it was when we had an MPT here in 2010?).  In any event, the layout is pretty much the same.  We walked down the long corridor of shops from the self-park area.  The casino floor seems smaller than I remember.  We walked down to the Sportsbook area and that's where the poker room is too.  It took us a while to figure out which bar was the "iBar", and it's apparently the bar closest to the entrance.  We apparently could get anything really fancy, but it was a warm day, so Kip was getting an aperol spritz.  I figured that would be fine.

Getting that LVA value!

And since we're here enjoying a drink at a bar with video poker, why not indulge ourselves?  Against Kip's better judgement, I put in $20 in a poor Super Double Double Bonus game.  We lost that in short order.  I then said we should give it another shot on something less volatile, so we put in $20 on 7/5 BP.  Well, we hit quad threes (why couldn't we hit that on SDDB?), and cashed out for $70, +$15 each.  We got a drink and $15 each, so that's pretty good.

On the way out, there was a place that sold all sorts of socks, and some had dogs on them.  I purchased three pair for my daughter with that Visa gift card.  The card expired at the end of September, so I was trying to use all of it up before then.

Next we drove to Wynn to park (for free) and then go to El Segundo Sol for "Loco Hour".  Cheap margaritas and chips and salsa!

Yummy snacks (well basically dinner)!

Afterwards, we walked back to Wynn and I tried to find the fountains that I've heard about, but have never seen.  We were supposed to be where they were, but still no fountains. . .

I saw waterfalls, but no fountains. . .

So I had 78.02 in free play at Wynn that I earned from sportsbetting.  I figured I'd redeem it while I was here.  VPFree2 said there was $5 9/5 Jacks or better, but apparently it had been downgraded.  I was going to take a shot on three hands, full coin, but I decided I'd try something that I'd get a few more hands.  They don't have good video poker here, but I did find a Super Draw machine that has 8/5 Bonus Poker (with six coins) that I play in Atlantic City.  I strange thing about the free play was that I didn't see where I could load an amount, it just showed the whole balance available.  I played the free play off and would have cashed out a small amount, but decided to gamble and I got dealt three fours.  Kip asked for just one little quad, and her request was granted.

One, one little quad. . .

And that's what I cashed out, $190.52.  Less the $20 seed money I put in, the $78.02 free play became $170.52!  Now, their kiosks don't give out change, so I waited in the extremely long line at the cashier to get my 52c.  Grrr.

We left Wynn a little after 7:00 PM and headed to Bally's, since Bob, Lola, Kip, and I were going to play the Twilight Zone Glow Golf.  Well, Lola wasn't feeling well, so she wouldn't be joining us, but Bob met us there.  They are the same company that runs the Kiss Glow Golf at Rio (and other Glow Golf places).  Last time Kip and I played at Rio, it was so crowded that the person gave us free passes to come back.  Kip remember to bring hers, but I forgot mine.  I was talking with the attendant here and she said she'd hook us up.  So when it came time to pay, she took Kip's coupon and I used my Visa gift card to pay for Bob and I (she gave me a comp and I only had to pay for one person).

I'm not going to post all of the photos I took, but the theming is pretty good.  The course, though, is incredibly difficult!  Many of these holes you aren't able to make in one shot (unless you have a pitching wedge).  Still, I think we enjoyed our time, and the attendant gave us all free rounds to come back.

After golf, we were to have drinks at The Cabinet of Curiosities and The Lock.  Well, The Lock, really, which is a speakeasy in The Cabinet of Curiosities.  This is truly a speakeasy, because we couldn't get into the place (even with a reservation).  It took several calls and a talk with one of the representatives to get us in a position to get into the bar.  I'm not going to give anything away, but it certainly is an interesting concept.

Outside The Lock.

Inside The Lock.

They have a cocktail list or you can have them craft one based on your likes.  Our attendant gave us a mystery cocktail to start and then I had a crafted cocktail that I enjoyed.

Our first mystery cocktail.

My first crafted cocktail.

So we had seen people go through a door to the right of the bar, and our host asked us if we wanted a more private area.  We said sure, so apparently there's another speakeasy room to the speakeasy.

The interior, interior room.

Second mystery cocktail.

There were already three women in that room when we came in.  While trying to get situated in the room, I dropped my drink, and amazingly the glass didn't break (although my drink was all over the floor).  After a while, we noticed that some of the faces in the photos would move, which was quite strange.  I finally got my second cocktail (two drink minimum) and a second couple come into the room.  It was an interesting experience (and pricey).  Maybe I'll go again, or maybe I'll just try the outer bar.  Once might be enough, but it was a fun experience.

We spent quite a long time here, so there was no time to go to Bellagio and see the Conservatory.  Kip and I just headed back to Plaza.

Semi-Free Play-palooza, the trip to Las Vegas, Day three

 I woke last night to the sound of thunder. . .  No wait, I woke this morning to the sound of thunder!  I went to the window to check it out, then I started a video.  A few seconds in, I captured these images:

The first and last images were screen captures on my phone when I paused the video. The middle two I actually used the image capture on the photo software (after I figured out how to get the Facebook live video onto my phone).  This was around 7:15 AM.

Well, not that I'm awake, I guess I can get ready to head to The D for our big play day.  I'm using the $5 free play for every 50 points and plan on maxing it out, and that's going to take around 10 hours of play at 25c VP.

We had some breakfast bar things, loaded my $175 free play for the day at Plaza, and drove over to The D.  Yes, we drove, because I was picking up our friend Scott at the airport around 11:00 AM, so it was going to save time to have the car at The D instead of walking back to Plaza.

Kip and I get settled in at Vue Bar around 10:30 and we commence play.  Roy was tending bar, and we've know him for quite a while.  He decided to get a little fancy with the "Reserved" signs. . .

So, the first sign was about when he was standing over the machine watching me play.  I told him I couldn't perform in front of an audience.  He just laughed, and then when I took a break, that sign was waiting for me when I returned.

Around 11:00 AM, Scott said he landed.  I headed to the airport to pick him up while Kip stayed and played.  She'd meet us at Saginaw's at Circa (where Scott was staying) for lunch.  No issues picking up Scott and we got to Circa a little after noon.  I parked at the Garage Mahal, thinking that we'd get out for free using Kip's Maverick Club One card.

I messaged Kip that we were there and she already gave me her order for lunch.  Scott checked in to his room and I got a preview of the room, since I would be staying there next week.

Stadium Swim view

He had a Stadium Swim view and his room was also a Flex King, which had a pull down King murphy bed.  If I could have gotten one of those comped, it would have been better than paying the extra $20 for a two king room.

Around 12:30 PM, Scott and I get to Saginaw's.  We order and as we're waiting, Bob and Jon show up.  I knew Bob was coming, but didn't know Jon was.  I had only learned that Jon was in town when he messaged Kip Tuesday morning to say he was in town!  In any event, I got the loco moco, which I got on my last trip here.  It was as tasty as I remember.

Loco moco!

The salad Kip got.

We head back to The D and continue our play at Vue Bar.  Now when we play, we have a thing called the quad (or better) bet.  So each person who wants to play puts in a dollar, and whoever hits a quad (or better) wins the pot.  It's really for degenerates who need to gamble on their gambling, but it's based on the Main Street Station "Score with Four" promo.  Usually someone wins a few extra dollars, but sometimes with a lot of players, the side pot is quite big.  This time, there were five participants, so that was an extra $4 to the winner.  A woman sitting next to me was inquiring about what was going on, since I was giving and collecting money from people around her.  I explained it to her and she asked if anyone could join in.  I said sure, and she gave me a dollar for her and her husband who was there celebrating his 50th birthday!  She told me her name and I didn't remember it, except that it started with "N".  Later I called her "Nancy", and she saw her name was "N...".  I was able to lock that in my memory.

I don't think it took long, but she hit four threes with a kicker (she was playing double double bonus), collecting an extra $6 in addition to her $200 win for the hand.  She then followed that up with quad fours with a kicker.  Hey, the new people aren't supposed to win!  She then hit six more quads, including aces (no kicker).  Her husband said this was her first winning session, so I suppose that's good.  We got to talking and apparently her husband is (was?) a member of the LVA, so they knew about couponing and such.  I told her about all of the match plays I had and was planning on using them and she said she had to be there when I used them  I did have to go to the club to get this trip's match plays, and she mentioned a few other things which were supposed to get me more (Say hi to Matthew, take the reading test).  The say hi to Matthew worked, the person didn't know anything about the reading test, but I somehow got $100 in match plays, so something else worked.  I told her I'd let them know when I was going to use the match plays and we exchanged numbers.  Oh, there was more signage. . .

Kip and I were going to have a pre-dinner snack at Pizza Rock during the happy hour, so we headed over there around 5:30 PM.  One of Scott's friends, who was going to be joining us for dinner that night suggested we try the gorgonzola fries.  Kip got green beans and I (not feeling like loading up on pizza before our dinner at Andiamo) just ordered meatballs.  Everything was excellent as usual, and cheap during happy hour!

Kip and I still had the $5 - $50 match play bet at Downtown Grand, and since we were nearby, we stopped in.  It didn't take us long to get the match play slips and we were going to halve them again on roulette, but the dealer wouldn't let us.  So I played mine and won, then Kip played hers and won.  So instead of splitting $50 between us, we each won $100!  Take that, DTG!

Dinner wasn't until 8:00 PM, so we put in a little more play at Vue Bar until it was time for dinner.  We had quite the large party, Kip, Scott, and four of Scott's friends, including Sarah and Victor of All Casino Action fame.  Kip, Scott, and I were "treating" with our monthly comps, although we had used some for lunch.  I was pretty full from happy hour, so I just got a lobster bisque (which I believe is the first time I didn't order a steak at Andiamo).  Oddly enough, only one person ordered steak (most people got pasta).

The dinner group!

After dinner, it was back to Vue Bar to finish up play.  We ran into N and her husband again and we all started playing again.  She did hit three quads with us, but I managed to hit the most this session (and take a win!).

We finished the play, I went to the slot club and got my free play loaded on my card.  We ran that through ($100), plus my $100 free play for the month, both times getting about an 85% return.

Kip and I headed back to Plaza.  We figured we could just leave the car at Garage Mahal overnight, it wouldn't make a difference if we moved it to the Plaza garage.

There might have been in-room nightcaps at Plaza, maybe Old Fashioneds, but I don't recollect. . .

Semi-Free Play-palooza, the trip to Las Vegas, Day two

The morning view from our room at Sam's Town.

So, today was moving Downtown to our suite at Plaza, running some errands and doing some casino stops along the way.  We had some coffee in the room before heading out for breakfast.

The "plan" was to have breakfast at 8:30 AM, but we rolled into Blueberry Hill on E. Flamingo around 9:15 AM.  We weren't really locked into any times, but just had an idea of what we wanted to do today.

I heard about Blueberry Hill from friends, it was on the way to pick up Lola at Wynn, so we decided to try it.  It was pretty good.  The portions were huge, I didn't finish the pancakes I ordered!  Definitely worth another stop.

Bacon, eggs, and pancakes!

We picked up Lola at Wynn and dropped her off at her next casino stay, Aria.  Kip and I then headed down to Total Wine to stock up on booze and champagne for in-room mimosas (and apparently pool-side mimosas).

Our meandering path took us to OYO so I could use the LVA MRB $10 slot match play.  I believe I had a small profit from this.  We then stopped at Mohegan Sun at Virgin Hotel to check it out and for me to get a souvenir chip.  There was a coupon to use here, but I decided it wasn't worth the play.

Cactus in the casino.

Next stop was Ellis Island for lunch and couponing.  We were still full from breakfast, so lunch turned into a liquid lunch thanks to the three free rounds for two.  We also used the slot play and match play coupons.  We halved our $10 match plays on roulette.  They have the two tables side-by-side, and the one dealer was telling me not to play mine coupon against Kip's.  The pit boss was trying to explain to her that we were trying to lock in a $10 profit, unless a zero came up.  I said, hey, thanks for mentioning that, now it's going to come up, but fortunately it didn't.  I'm still not sure if the dealer understood.

We sat at the bar and had our drinks and played some VP.  The bartop VP isn't the best, but we were just killing time while we were drinking.  Kip, not usually a beer drinker, had three of the stouts (or maybe they were porters), while I had two and a root beer (since I was driving).

Cheers!

We made a stop at Target across the street for a few more things, and we finally arrived at Plaza around 4:00 PM.  They are doing remodeling here, and the registration desk which used to be at the front of the casino is now at the back by the parking garage elevators.  This makes it very convenient for the parking garage and South Tower elevators, but not so much for being in the North Tower.

I had a suite, so I wasn't sure if I'd be in the North or South Tower, and fortunately, we were in the South Tower.  Also, they are working on the parking garage elevators (which are already notoriously slow), which might have been an issue, except there's a good shortcut.  You park on the third level (if you can) and take the entrance into the conference room area.  Then you can take a ramp to the hotel elevators.  Sweet!

So I check in and my suite is ready, two-bedrooms, since my host suggested I could use the extra space, how nice!  I had already stayed in a one-bedroom suite there, and it was pretty much the same, except it had the extra connecting bedroom.  What was more convenient was that Kip and I wouldn't have to share a bathroom (which is kind of awkward in those rooms, since although there a door to the tiny bathroom and toilet, there isn't one for the sink area).  Plus we had an extra half bath in the living room area.  I took a video instead of taking dozens of pictures (and I already had pictures from a few years ago), and we set up our bar.

We are ready to par-tay!

By this time we were hungry, so we grabbed a quick slice of pizza at Pop Up Pizza.  We thought the special (two slices and a drink) was a good deal, but we really didn't need the drink.  Anyway, pizza good.

Yum!

I wanted (needed) to get my day's Plaza play done, so we went to the new to us Sand Dollar Lounge.  It was a nice, quiet (at the time) place.  They had a decent selection of beer and drinks, although for comp purposes, you can't get a drink more than $10.  Bummer.  I did get a nice oatmeal stout.  With our generous tipping and (I believe) friendly demeanor, Kip was able to get the bartender to give her a slightly more than $10 drink.  I think she had two beers here, and on top of the three she had at Ellis Island, I think this was a Kip record. . .

Oatmeal Stout at The Sand Dollar.

The fortunately have full pay VP at 50c+, so Kip was playing 50c and I was plugging away at dollars for most of the time.  She had a small loss and I had a big loss, so that didn't work out so well (and that was including the $175 FP I got for my stay, plus the $10 free play from the LVA MRB). . .

I believe (and Kip will have to confirm) that we walked down to El Cortez to do the boarding pass promotion, which you can only do once a year unless you put in 1,000 points.  I thought we were going to get our boarding pass match plays at The D, but I'm pretty sure we did this on Wednesday (even though that was after 24 hours after we landed).

I'm not sure if we played more at Plaza, but I put in 4,867 points, or so.  I do recall us getting one more slice of pizza for a snack before going to the room. . .

Semi-Free Play-palooza, the trip to Las Vegas, Day one

At the airport bar.

Well, I figured I should get my last trip report written before I go on my next one (although that hasn't stopped me in the past).

What was originally supposed to be a trip with quite a bit of free play from several different casinos turned into less than half of what I was expecting.  But still, it's a trip to Vegas, right?

I had purchased the flight tickets back on April 15, for $377.47 r/t.  That's pretty pricey, but I did use my Southwest Credit Card to get the $75 travel credit, plus I used $15.08 of existing travel credit.  Well, my friend Kip had some travel credits to use, plus she has a Southwest Companion Pass, so she rebooked our flight using her credit and added me as her companion.  The problem with that is that we would have to fly out of the same airport.  That hasn't been a problem for me in the past, I've flown out of PHL quite a few times in the past year (either to fly with Kip, or because that airfare was cheaper than here, and it worked out to be "convenient" to fly from there).

This time, however, the cheaper flight was from DCA, so Kip had to figure out travel to and from here.  Compounding the issue at the time, was that because I used an old flight credit, the entire trip now took the expiration date of that flight credit, which was to expire on November 9.  I was thinking I was going to be able to use those flight credits for my "next" trip in 2023.  After contacting them, they told me they could give me a six month extension from the date of my request to extend those flight credits.  And as it turns out, later in the year, the eliminated the expiration of their flight credits, so all good.

We had my favorite outbound from DCA, 4:05 PM departure, stop in OMA, no plane change, the arrive in LAS at 7:30 PM.  Kip arranged to stay with a friend over the weekend and her friend dropped her off at DCA.  I worked in the morning at my office, then took the Metro to DCA.

I got to DCA around 1:30 PM, plenty of time to check-in and get something to eat, since I hadn't had lunch and we were getting (significant) food during the flight.  I got my bag checked and waited for Kip to arrive.  We got her checked in and headed for security.  I have TSA Pre, but she doesn't.  It's a small terminal the Southwest flies out of at DCA, but the security lines seemed a bit long.  Unfortunately, my backpack got pulled for additional inspection.  He pulled out my hand sanitizer (which had never been a problem in previous flights), and then asked what my iPod was.  I said, "It's an iPod".  To which he responded that he can't remember the last time he saw one.  Well, I guess that's today now. . .

The gate area was packed, but we managed to get two seats at the bar.  We ordered drinks and I ordered a pizza.  A bit pricey, but it was pretty good too.

Mysterious technology!

I believe these were a Manhattan and an Aperol Spritz.

The pricey, but tasty pizza!

We both checked in right at 4:05 PM the previous day, but we were still in the mid-B boarding group.  We decided to go aisle/aisle in the back of the plane and it was fine.  I had Southwest drink coupons, so we got some in-flight mimosas!

Kip ready to party!

Deconstructed mimosa.

When we got to Omaha, we had to figure out what we wanted to do about our seating arrangements.  We could stay in the back and see if we could get an empty middle seat or move up to the front of the plane and go aisle/aisle there.  I said there are two seats in the emergency exit row, lets take those.  So after the flight attendants made the through count, we made our dash to those seats.

The window is far away with the missing seat.

Yay, no aisle/aisle, and no one in the middle seat (because there isn't one).

It was a seemingly quick flight, and we arrived early, 7:10 PM!  Kip's bag was the first off the carousel and mine was a bit longer (but at least we got them!).  Now off to the rental car shuttle.  They have been slow during COVID, and now they seem to realize that the service isn't picking up.

I mean, before there were buses queued up, but now it seems that it does take quite a while for the shuttles to arrive.  In any event, we did arrive at the rental car facility close to 8:00 PM, which is when my rental time started.

I went right out to the lot and my reserved vehicle was a nice Ford Escape.  I booked an intermediate, but they gave me an intermediate SUV, so that was pretty nice.  It was banged up a bit, so we spent some time taking photos.  I was looking for one of those damage cards to complete, but I didn't see one, and I wasn't going to wait in the line at the desk, so I decided to check with the guy at the exit.  He told me as long as I took photos at the time of the rental, if they made a claim, my photos would be timestamped and it would be okay.  He also said I could have used the QR code to just exit the lot, but I told him I wanted to make sure I wasn't charged for any damages to the vehicle (so far, I haven't been).

We had a few plans working depending on what time we arrived.  I wanted to see the volcano show before the shut it down and we also wanted to go to Red Dwarf.  The volcano shows were on the hour but we also didn't want to be up too late, since we just got into town.  We were also picking up our friend, Lola Bellini, at Wynn.

So it being slightly after 8:00 PM, we headed to Wynn to pick up Lola, park at Venetian (since it was free), watch the 9:00 PM volcano show from Venetian and then head to Red Dwarf afterwards.

Picking up Lola at Wynn was a bit tricky, but we managed to get her and then get to Venetian around 8:45 PM.  We rushed out to the front of Venetian a bit before 9:00 PM.  We were further away than I thought we were going to be, but with zoomed in video, it was okay.

From where we were.

Zoomed in on video.

After the show, we headed back to the car and headed to Red Dwarf, a divey bar off the Strip behind Westgate.  It advertises booze, music, and pizza, and mentioned many tiki drinks (they apparently have a large selection of rums).  We happened to be there on burlesque night, so it was quite the show.

Kip and I got the I Just Blue Myself (drinks, people!) and pizza, since I hadn't had enough pizza today.  The pizza was billed as Detroit style, which I was not familiar with.  It was very crispy, it was tasty, I'd get it again.  I'd also come here again, with our without the burlesque show. . .

Drinks.

More Drinks.

A view towards the bar.

I Just Blue Myself

One of the burlesque performers (tasteful shot)

Detroit style pizza

So it's around 11:00 PM, and Kip and I need to get to our hotel for the night, Sam's Town.  We go to drop Lola back off at Wynn, but there's construction right at the intersection to get to the entrance.  Finally after sitting through many cycles at the traffic light, I tell her it will be easier if I drop her off at the parking garage entrance, since we are right here.  A quick left turn and we're there!

Heading out, instead of turning back into that fiasco, I turn left and head down Sahara and Waze directs me to Sam's Town, get there around 11:30 PM.

I had never stayed here, and barely played, but for some reason, they were sending me comped room offers (while none of the other Boyd properties were).  We had contemplated staying at a Hampton Inn near the airport on Kip's points, but that was when we couldn't get the rental car until Tuesday (our original arrival date).  Anyway. . .

There's no line at check in, are we are checked in promptly, receiving room 452, with an atrium view.  I booked the atrium view because I thought it would be cool, and I was right.

View from our room.

View from our room.

Kip was done for the night, but I decided to put in a little play.  I was out for about an hour, didn't win, the casino was ghostly quiet.  I did take a few more photos while I was out.

The gazebo.

The Mystic Falls!

The room was nice, not large, but okay.  It had quite a large tub, which we didn't get to use since we were only there the night.  Heck, that might have been the shortest amount of time I've been in a room (even my short stay in the penthouse suite at Golden Gate was longer).  Only one sink, but lots of counter space, and the "bookshelf" in the closet was a nice touch.

The bookshelf closet.

Lots of counter space!

Large soaking tub!

Well, this is just the first day of a long trip, so I'd better get some rest!  I probably got to bed close to 2 AM. . .