News / Dave Allan / 04 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Our Vegas Virgin is still in England but not for long as Simon Zammit takes to the sky and finally lands in Sin City for the World Series of Poker and the start of his real adventures.

As the TV wake up call rang this morning around 06:00, I woke up to a very different London than the one I left the night before. It was really foggy, cold and wet. It honestly didn't matter much to me as I was heading for sunny Vegas in a few hours time.

After a filling breakfast and quick checkout from the Novotel, I took the tube to Victoria and then boarded the Gatwick Express. I didn't notice the "First Class" sign on the side and really was happy with what £16.50 got me for the trip!

As soon as I sat down, a nice gentleman came next to me and made me coffee and also provided me with the paper - nice! It wasn't until the middle of the journey when the ticket inspector realized I was not supposed to be there but as I had been polite to him, unlike the rest of the passengers, he told me I could stay at no extra charge.. Thank you sir J

Finding the Virgin Atlantic section was easy as they had more signs than anyone else and it literally took seconds to check in the luggage and get my ticket. I was soon joined by Amy, another colleague of mine and we headed into a cafeteria for a second breakfast; which ended up being a small croissant and very quick celebratory drink. Mind you, this was still before 10:00 ! An hour later we started to board the plane which was half empty so even though we did not get upgraded like Richard, we still had a row of four seats each to lie down on and relax. Food was amazing and the films being provided were quite good but a ten hour trip was taking its toll.

On the approach to Vegas Airport, I was honestly left speechless at the view of the City. I had never seen such huge, over-the-top buildings crammed up next to one another and started smiling like a little boy on Christmas morning. Of course, getting out of the airport wasn't so easy as after being cleared by the Passport Check Desk, I was single out by a Customs Officer and he had me searched "thoroughly", including my luggage. He said he didn't like the way I looked at him (which was nothing out of the ordinary) so I promptly replied "So you calling me ugly?" This didn't help and after twenty minutes I finally met up with Amy, Richard and a few journalists outside the airport. My colleagues knew something was up so laughed before I even said anything J I was a bit annoyed but the view of a nice limousine waiting for us with free-flowing champagne on demand made me forget everything!

The ride to the Wynn Encore was fun and I was introduced to the journalists who also had some funny stories - our flight, for example, was delayed by twenty minutes as we had to wait for one of them! Upon arrival, I was amazed at the sheer size of the hotel and the luxury once inside it. Words cannot describe how awsome this place really is and it wasn't long before we bumped into a few poker pro's and a seven-foot tall NBA player! The surprises kept on coming because as soon as I opened the door to my room the luxury kept on improving. The view is also amazing from the 35th floor and Circus Circus as well as the Hilton are directly opposite....main picture above probably doesn't do it justice.

Richard had to leave as he had to finish some business at the Rio and after unpacking my stuff, Amy and I proceeded to fight the jetlag by chilling at the European Pool. The area is beautiful and the women aren't too shabby either - although both of us admitted to never seeing so much "plastic" in one place. After having a beer by the pool we proceeded to explore the Encore and even managed to lose a few $$$'s on Blackjack, but it was fun! It is now exactly 19:00 local time and we are going to rest for a bit before heading out to dinner and exploring Las Vegas.

Till tomorrow, thanks for reading!!

Tales of a Vegas Virgin Part One - The Intro
Tales of a Vegas Virgin Part Two - Destination London