Wynn, You Won Me Over
Wynn, You Won Me Over 4/27/10 (all outlets)
It has been more than six years since my husband and I have taken a vacation without our kids. After having two kids back-to-back, it was almost impossible. Who would watch them? How would they survive without us?
But now that they are older, and we have grown more desperate for some time away, just the two of us, we decided to toss aside all worries and head to Las Vegas. We have been so stressed out with finances and daily life issues that we knew it was time to reconnect, remember the person we fell so deeply in love with so many years ago and have some good old fashioned fun.
Vegas, baby!
That’s what we kept chanting as we passed each other in our hallways before we left. Could we possibly stay up all night like we used to, dancing the night away? Would we still be able to bust a move? Can we live up to “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”?
What really encouraged us to go was a letter we received from the Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Casino that said, “One Complimentary Night in a Resort Room” if you stay for three nights. What? A free night at the most luxurious and beautiful hotel in all of Las Vegas? The Wynn resort has earned the AAA five-diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star and Michelin five-star ratings and is considered to be one of the finest hotels in the world. Oh yeah, we could really get away there. What an incredible place to forget about our worries for a little bit. We were in!
My friend Lynne volunteered to watch the kids so we booked our weekend. I pulled my “clubbing” clothes out of the closet to see what I could still get my ka-junka-junk into and was shocked to discover my plumber’s crack was now showing in my pre-baby dancing clothes. I made a quick trip to Nordstrom and was set.
We packed everything in carry-ons so we wouldn’t waste a single minute waiting for luggage.
We got to the Wynn and checked in. As we entered, we were taken aback by an enormous indoor sunlit garden with huge, and I mean huge ornamental balls of bright flowers hanging from the glass ceilings. This resort was built for a mere $2.7 billion and it shows, from the exquisite chandeliers right down to the polished marble floors to the waterfall that acts as a backdrop to the hotel check-in. The opulence and extravagance were everywhere. I could feel the tightness in my shoulders loosening. A whole three days lay ahead.
“Hello, husband. How are you? Remember me?” I thought. Wow, did we need this!
We took it — and each other — all in. The Wynn Las Vegas is named after casino mogul Steve Wynn, a visionary who singlehandedly changed the landscape of luxury resorts and casinos around the world. His casinos include The Bellagio, The Wynn, Encore, Treasure Island, Beau Mirage in Biloxi, and Wynn Macau in China.
In May of 2006, Time Magazine included Mr. Wynn as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential people. His wife, Elaine Wynn, when interviewed by “60 Minutes,” said the reason for Steve’s success is that, “He focuses on what the people will respond to.” And boy, were we responding!
We dropped our bags in our plush room with a view of the golf course, unpacked and practically ran for the pool area. We headed for the bar, right smack in the middle of the two optional pools; one side was tops on, the other, tops optional. Happy Vegas-goers of all ages claimed every thickly padded lounge chair. The vibe was pulsing, and there was so much to see, many didn’t even read their books.
Who could blame them? When I saw the bare-breasted lady in the thong heading for the bar, I wouldn’t have wanted to read, either. I was so glad I didn’t have the kids with us. We would have died when they would have shouted, “That lady’s boobies are showing!” Topless or not, the pool was fabulous and I couldn’t wait to spend some time there.
Our first night, we went out dancing at “Tryst,” the name evocative of an intimate rendezvous. The unique thing about Tryst is that its dance floor opens into the night air with a 90-foot waterfall serving as its backdrop. We danced all night long. Well, OK, the first leg of the evening we danced until midnight, when my pinky toe cried out “mercy” and we had to sneak upstairs to change my shoes. Then we rallied for the second leg of the endless night, and finished it off with dancing at their lounge-y bar called “Blush.” We had stayed up past our bedtime! It was awesome. Vegas, baby!
The next day, we tasted the most exquisite Thai food we have ever had at a place called Wazazu, headed by executive chef Jet Tila in the Encore Hotel (which is an additional property to The Wynn). The plates were works of art with unimaginable, vibrant colors and textures. We seriously didn’t know if we should eat the food or just look at it. Of course we ate it and practically wept with joy throughout every bite.
After a day of lounging at the pool and steaming the alcohol out of our bodies in the peaceful spa, we got all dolled up for “Le Reve,” a cirque-type show based on Picasso’s painting “Le Reve” (the dream in French,) featuring the most incredible acrobats and dancers I have ever seen flying through the air in breathtaking, unimaginable ways. The show is in the round and we sat in the top row, while a waitress poured us cold, bubbly champagne from behind. We almost fell out of our seats when she pulled out the chocolate-covered strawberries and truffles. Are you kidding me? This is insane! Our worries were miles away. Vegas, baby!
Our next stop was Botero, Encore’s steakhouse. Surrounded by Botero paintings and sculptures, we dined on oysters on the half shell, steak cooked to perfection and lobster tail. Even the bread was delicious! The manager, Bradley Brown, was so delightful that I came very close to asking him to be my new friend on Facebook. We were stuffed from dinner and passed on dessert, but Bradley wouldn’t let us go until we tasted his chef’s donuts filled with a buttery vanilla cream that made your mouth water so much you needed a napkin for the drool. It was like “kapow” in your mouth — so ridiculous in such a good way.
It was all so wonderful that I almost broke out in song.
After gambling a little, and digesting our food babies, we hit another dance club, XS in the Encore. Hundreds of wannabe club-goers waited in line. I honestly could have just sat outside staring at them. But once inside, we danced the night away until my feet cried out in pain again and we headed back to our room.
On our last day, we got to the pool early. We lounged, people-watched and swam. Then we decided to go for a walk on the Strip, and once we exited the hotel we were like two bats coming out of a dark cave.
We walked for a while, took in the scenery and then ran back to the pool. A few minutes passed and I realized my book was missing. My glorious book that I had almost finished. The lady sitting next to me said, “I think the towel boy scooped up your book.” And I was devastated. I only had 100 more pages.
I asked the pool people if they had seen it and they couldn’t find it anywhere. I checked Lost and Found and they didn’t have it either. I was bummed. But each and every person I asked to help me did everything they could to find that book. Even the security guard.
By the time we got back to our room, I had a phone call from the hotel’s manager, Brett Rubin, addressing the book situation. Wow! This was unbelievable!
One hour later, a copy of the book I was reading was resting on my bed with a note apologizing and hoping we were enjoying our stay. It was unheard of! I couldn’t believe that the staff had gone to such measures to make sure that we were happy. Little did they know that they had me at “hello.”
My husband and I had the best time! It was honestly so good that it was hard to come back to reality. We reconnected. We rejuvenated. We refocused. Our kids were fine. And it was all so easy and uncomplicated.
Yes, times are tough right now, for us and for everyone, but we are so glad we took a break from it all to spend time together. We needed it. It did wonders for us. We will definitely not be waiting another six years to do it again.