Las Vegas Hotel Review: The Luxor

Pyramid power, baby. The the MGM group took
over Luxor Las Vegas, they want to change its theme,
but when its already shaped like a pyramid,
what changes can you do? I personally love
the Egyptian theme, the Obelisk, the Sphinx and
the giant light. Don't change it! It stand out.
What I hate is the huge liquor bottle
advertisement plastered on the side of
the pyramid.

They are revamping the inside to take out a
lot of Egyptian decor. They've jumped onto
the hot night club bandwagon by introducing
LAX nightclub. They are adding a lot of new
bars and clubs. What they need to do is
improve the food at the buffet.

Rooms in the pyramid are Egyptian inspired,
sort of basic. Beds are not comfy like the new
ones they are introducing at the other MGM
properties. The rooms DON'T have safes which is
a pain when you want to leave stuff in your room.
You have to rent a safe deposit box downstairs
for your valuables.The windows in the pyramid
slant inward so when you go to look out you'll
smack your forehead on the glass.
Why don't the maids see the
spots on the windows and clean them?

Bathrooms are basic, they have Bath and Body
works products which ups them in my estimation.
The towels are thin. Thin and hard. They
need new towels, those fluffy ones that
they have at the other MGM properties.

The tower rooms are nicer, brighter and larger
but a pain to get to because they are off
the main area and you have to go down a maze
(supposed to be like a Pyrmaid maze) to get
to the elevators. If you are in the tower,
check in at the East valet and desk, it will
be so much easier to maneuver. Its still a bit
of a walk to the casino.

The suites in the towers are nice. They are
two rooms, a living room with a wet bar, TV,
sofa, refrigerator and small eating table and foyer.
You have your bedroom with another TV.
You'll have a large marble bathroom with a big vanity,
robes, slippers, double sinks and another room
with a shower and a jacuzzi tub.


Bedroom of tower suite



Living room of tower suite.

The plus of the Luxor is the staff. They
are awesome, friendly and helpful. They
do their best to help you figure out the
Luxor. Lets face it, this place is confusing.
There is construction going on in the casino
and it should be nice when its done.

The Pyramid Cafe serves decent food in huge
portions. I've seen celebs eating in there.
Its your basic hotel coffee shop fronting
the casino. If you want to get away from
the noise of the casino, ask to be seated
in the back.

There is a free tram that will connect
you to Mandalay Bay or the Excalibur. From
the Excalibur, its a short walk to NY NY
and the MGM. There are also walkways
if you feel like walking and they have
shops and restaurants.

The Luxor is the home of Criss Angel, the
Mindfreak illusionist, who will be opening next
year in their Cirque production. You might
cross paths with him in the hotel as he lives
in the penthouse of the pyramid. You
can check his shooting schedule at his
production office located at the end of
the Giza shops on the main floor. His fans
will love his cars sprinkled around the property
at the main valet and the east valet. His
bikes are inside near his production office
and his retail shop.

The Luxor is a decent place to stay in
an easy to navigate location. I stay here
when I get a great slot club offer and I
can't say I'm disappointed. If they would
just get better towels!

In Search of Criss Angel

I wasn't stalking Criss Angel from Mindfreak. It hadn't crossed my mind that he'd actually be walking amongst us at Luxor. I was 10 paces behind him on the last two trips to the Luxor.


I will stay at any hotel that will give me a free room. The Luxor gave us an offer we couldn't refuse including checking in at the VIP at the east valet. There were three sports cars covered and surrounded by posts so you couldn't touch them.


Me to valet: "What's under the covers?"


Valet: "Those belong to Criss Angel. One is a Ferrari, One is a Lambo, the other is...."


I stopped listening because my husband had a glazed over slack jawed look on his face of pure nirvana. Nothing like a hot car or a hot woman to get a man to smile and command his total attention.


Valet: "You just missed Criss".

My husband had no idea who Criss Angel is because he's always watching ESPN. I dragged him into the official Criss store and he got a look of recognition until he saw one of Criss' bikes on display. He was smitten. Criss was just there talking to his fans, we'd just missed him.


A couple of weeks ago, we're back at the Luxor. The same valet remembered me because I'd say to him "Get the key and we'll go for a spin". As we pulled in, the valet said "I'm going to get the key and we're going for a spin. You just missed Criss." At check in: "Criss just walked by."


Later, we headed back to valet to get out car. Criss just brought the Lambo back from a spin. Lambo is cool for Lamborghini, which makes my car a Grambo, short for granny mobile. I wanted to see Criss up close, hubby wanted to see the Lambo being driven.


Back in the casino, a gal sits down next to me. "You'll never guess what just happened to my husband. He was just in the elevator with Criss Angel and three gorgeous blondes. And the dumb ass didn't say a word to him. He said he was really cool but I know he was checking out the blondes." She said she was going to stand by the elevators all day because if he went up, he's going to have to come down. She didn't have to move, because the cocktail waitress said "There goes Criss". The dude is such a good illusionist, he disappeared into thin air.


Is Criss Angel really walking around the Luxor? Is the staff just mentioning him to keep you in the hotel and casino? Can Criss stand upright wearing all his silver bling and chains? Are his nails really painted black? And why in God's name are some women getting his logo tattooed on their body? OMG! I'll just be content to be 10 paces behind him.

Carrot Top, Curls Gone Wild Tour

Carrot Top's Curls Gone Wild Tour at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas describes his performance exactly. He lops onto the stage with a wild mane of bright red curls and more eye makeup than I've ever worn at one time in my entire life. Within seconds, he has everyone in the packed house screaming and groaning, laughing and slack jawed in disbelief. Did he really do that? Yup, he sure did.

Carrot Top is quick witted and hysterically funny. Known as a prop comedian, he pulls props out of his trunks at break neck speed. He looks bewildered when his new favorite prop aimed at Senator Larry Craig doesn't get the accolades her feels it deserves. He deadpans "Don't you people watch the news? This is funny and it was really hard to make". The briefcase had a tapping male foot...and he kept pulling it out during the show to the howls of the crowd.

When someone doesn't react or makes a comment, he quickly responds. The guy is quick. He doesn't miss a beat.

He lampoons everyone from his grandmother to Britney Spears. No one is sacred. He does a whole redneck set aimed at Nascar fans and state fairs. He pulls his hair into pigtails and portrays the red headed Wendy of hamburger fame. He talks about the airlines losing his luggage and the insanity of Las Vegas. If he can use it for a laugh, he'll pull it out of his bag of tricks.

He finishes with a montage of rock stars, switching wigs and capes to pulsating rock music and strobe lights. He switches from Michael Jackson to Janis Joplin to a strutting Mick Jagger in minutes. Its hysterical.

The audience was all ages. From a couple who was celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary to barely legal groups partying in Vegas, he had the crowd in his hands. Bring some tissues, you'll laugh until you have tears streaming down your face. Not only were my sides hurting from laughing, but the tears streaming down my face made me choke and start coughing...and I wasn't alone. People were still dabbing their eyes and recounting his show hours later in the casino.

Carrot Top's shows are different depending on the audience's reaction. I've seen him before and I'll see him again. Don't miss CT next time you visit Las Vegas. Its a great time!