Anyone know how restaurants are handling Covid? Any good al fresco options?
I hesitate to publicize this because of judgment, but I was there a few weekends ago for 3 days. I stayed on the Strip, and what I saw was a mixture of good and bad. Not sure if you wanted info on the Strip, or other areas of Vegas but I was only on the Strip.
We stayed at the Wynn, and that particular resort was strict about masks, hand sanitizer everywhere, security at all entrances enforcing mask/hand sanitizing. They also have free masks for everyone. Reduced seating at game tables on the casino floor, and hard plastic barriers in between players. Some games had the plastic barriers in front of the dealer, between the dealer and players. All restaurants at the Wynn that have dine-in seating were open, but due to reduced seating capacity they strongly recommended reservations beforehand. I didnât go to the buffet, but they have changed it now so servers give you whatever you selected off a menu. You canât serve yourself.
When we walked through the Venetian/Palazzo to try to get some pastries at Bouchon Bakery, we were kind of squicked out because they were not enforcing masks, no plastic barriers at any of the game tables, way fewer mask/hand sanitizing stations. I would not go back into the Venetian/Palazzo.
We did not go anywhere to dine-in, everything we ate was take-out. As @Sgee mentioned, it is way too hot to dine outside, even with spray misters on you.
Almost every restaurant we looked at had limited their hours, and were closed multiple days during the week. A lot of them have also reduced their menus.
We got take-out from Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan, which is currently running some pretty good lunch combo deals, which they never did before. However, they do not take orders over the phone or online (this was a pain)-- you have to order in person with the hostess and then wait for your order to be ready. My husband waited about 20 minutes, so not that bad.
We went because we wanted a change of scenery and the Wynn offered my husband a crazy cheap room rate. We drove there and stayed mostly inside the hotel room, but personally I donât know if I would go back again until this calms down a lot more.
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@hanhgry thanks for the intel, appreciate the insight on current conditions very helpful.
I think when the weather cools down (significantly), al fresco may be an appealing option - theyâve got tons of open space to play with in LV. Until then those cavernous indoor casinos and âdiversityâ of tourist eager to party 
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Thanks for the post! Youâre a brave soul! Were you worried at all walking through crowds? Was the trip worth the time?
I also want a change of scenery but Iâm a bit paranoid about bringing something back unintentionally.
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Hi @moonboy403, we went on a Saturday through Monday and it was very shocking to see how few people were actually on the Strip during what would normally be a very busy time. There were basically no crowds because I think people are avoiding Vegas and there are very few international tourists. Also, almost all the pool party clubs and night clubs are closed or are down to very reduced capacity, so no crazy youngins there 
When we walked around inside the resorts or outside, people definitely made sure to stay far away from each other. Most people were wearing masks, but they still let people smoke/drink on the casino floor so smokers obviously have to take their mask off for that :\ (and it may vary depending on the hotel you stay at, I definitely noticed fewer people at the Venetian/Palazzo wearing masks than at the Wynn.)
Was it worth it? I think it depends on how much your mental health is impacted by staying in and not going anywhere. (Also, the Wynn offered us $150/night + taxes which is insane. Theyâre still sending my husband offers for free nights.) My husband is way more affected by this than I am, and it really lightened his mood to just go anywhere different (weâve also done two solitary weekend trips to Joshua Tree and Idyllwild in the past few months, renting an AirBnB in each place). I normally HATE driving to Vegas because of the traffic, but there was no traffic when we left LA and when we drove back. So it was actually kind of nice to enjoy a long drive to get out of the house.
I was worried about bringing back the virus too, but we live just with ourselves, no children or elderly relatives, and we are working from home so no contact with anyone besides each other. However when we came back from Vegas, we did a self-imposed quarantine for 2 weeks and didnât leave our apartment and got delivery for food and groceries.
Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I think itâs really dependent on your situation and comfort level if a trip to Vegas would be right for you. Hopefully I answered some of your questions!
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News articles this week describes the Cosmopolitan as the âWuhan of the Las Vegas Stripâ. Yes, they have strict procedures in place and their employees follow them. But thereâs no oversight of guests, and if youâve ever been to the Cosmopolitan you know what that means. Hanging around the Wynn sounds like itâs fine, but who goes to Vegas to stay in your hotel?
Isnât that all people do when they visit Vegas, stay in the hotel and utilize the amenities?
I had a sprained ankle so I mostly stayed in our hotel room when my husband went to pick up food. Although we got a wheelchair for me and I was able to see some things in the resort.
I guess it just felt kind of nice to be in a different place with air conditioning (we do not have AC in my apartment) and my husband was able to place bets on the Wynnâs sports betting app and watch games (we also donât have cable at home) in the room without sitting in the sports book area in the casino. Iâm not justifying my trip as the best idea and I definitely feel some guilt about it, which is why I said I donât think Iâll go back any time soon.
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Am I the only one who wants to go to Circus Circus and play in the arcade upstairs!
Seriously thank you @hanhgry for the trip report on your experience. I had some friends who went with similar feelings (free or discounted rooms for nurses hard to say no for them lol)
Being on this forum for a few years has really made me want to try so many restaurants such as Carbone, Mott 32, and Lotus of Siam.
Canât wait to finish school out here and come back
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This update is great. I keep getting deals to get out of town for free and this seems like a good idea to meâŚespecially if you stay somewhere like Vdara which has no casino.
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Hotel rooms at MGM properties have keyless entry using your phone with Bluetooth enabled. In fact, you can check-in without visiting the check-in counter! You just need to download their MGM Resorts app and you can check yourself in.
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I tend to get better room placement at the check-in counter than doing it by app or machine.
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