I went to Las Vegas for the first and last time in January 1969 - yes, that's SIX NINE, not a typo. It was fun, but it made it onto my short list of things I only need to do once in my life (Disneyland and the Rose Parade are also on that list.) At that time, I stayed at the old Dunes Hotel and saw Woody Allen and Peter Nero in the Lounge. That gives you an idea of how long ago it was!

My husband goes to a meeting in Las Vegas twice a year, and I'd never gone along, but last April, I changed my mind. I had never been able to get tickets to see Cirque du Soleil when they played at home, so I figured I'd go to Las Vegas and see them there. So we booked a room at Monte Carlo and off we went.

Well, blow me down! I felt like the country cousin who just fell off the turnip truck. To say that Las Vegas has changed a bit in the last 31 years would be just a slight understatement!

The Monte Carlo is one of the newest colossi on the Strip, next door to New York New York. We had booked a king-bed room, and secured it with a credit card, but when we checked in, we were told that there were none available and we would be in a queen. I pointed out that we had reserved a king, and the desk clerk said that my reservation only guaranteed a room, not a specific one. I said that no one had told us that and it was not acceptable, and politely asked to speak to the front-desk manager. Presto chango - a king room suddenly became available!

It's an attractive building with a spacious lobby at the back (I learned that the casinos all face onto the Strip.) Our room was on the 15th floor, and faced over the swimming pool and tram that travels between Monte Carlo and Bellagio. It was clean and pleasant. It was a non-smoking room, and there was no residual smell of old smoke, which I've experienced in other supposedly non-smoking rooms. It had a fold-down ironing board and an iron, which is a convenience I've never seen before. Interestingly, it was designed to accommodate people with handicaps - the bathroom was huge, with a large amount of what appeared to be wasted space in the middle, necessary for navigating a wheelchair. It had grab bars and a roll-in shower, slightly sloped to the wall and wider than usual. I'm not wheelchair-bound, but if I were, this would be very convenient for me.

The casino seemed nicer than those of other hotels we walked through. It was terribly smoky, of course, but you expect that. The dealers all seemed friendly and attentive, as were the drink servers and other staff. The area was bright and clean. We won a small amount on the slots - no skill involved - my cat could have done as well as we did - but I overheard several people saying that they always win more at Monte Carlo than at other places. And my stepdaughter won a car there, so the law of averages is working against us ever winning big!

We had a drink in the bar off the casino - OK at best and pretty expensive. We also had dinner at Blackstone's, the steak restaurant; the servings were obscenely huge and the service slow and somewhat indifferent. We didn't get to Andre's, reputed to be one of the two best French restaurants in town, so I can't talk about it. And Market City Caffe is an old friend from home, so we didn't go there.

We also browsed in the shops along the "Street of Dreams" arcade. Fairly typical Las Vegas-style glitzy clothes, pricey, although I did find some comfy shoes in one of the stores. There was also a brewpub among the stores, but the line to get in was always about half an hour long, so we didn't try. We never made it to the salon or spa.

I'm not a fan of huge anonymous hotels - I always prefer smaller, more personal places or B&Bs - so maybe I'm not the best judge, but the Monte Carlo was clean and pleasant, and the staff were friendly and helpful. I would recommend it and stay there again. But I would get a definite commitment for the kind of room I want.

All in all, we had a ball and I'm sorry I was such a snob for 31 years!



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