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Many times taking a full vacation out of town is not always feasible or affordable, so to celebrate our 4th anniversary Chris and I decided to have a mini staycation at the M Resort!  It’s fairly close to us, easy to get to, and is a beautiful hotel.  It’s also not too far from the Strip either, but we kind of like being off the hustle and bustle of the strip ‘looking in’ from afar.  It turned out to be a quick trip, and I wanted to stay longer of course, but it was fun and gave us a little break time together.  

After getting off work, we packed up and made the whopping 40 minute drive over to the M after dropping Buster the Basset off to the vet.  Poor guy, he always gets so excited to go for a car ride when it’s usually going to the vet or getting a bath.

I was so impressed with our room!  It was gorgeous and very spacious.  I haven’t been to a ton of hotels on the strip, but this one by far is at the top of favorites.

I got the strip view room and boy oh boy what a view!  I sure wish I had a wide angle lens!

By far my favorite was the bathroom.  You can sit in the relaxing tub and look out over the gorgeous view of the strip.  Love.

Oh and yes it also has a shade that can come down automatically if your other half wants to light up the bathroom while your still trying to sleep.

. . . and a TV in the mirror if you want to watch TV 24/7.

Pretty snazzy carpet.

For a little extra I ordered some chocolate covered strawberries and they were kind enough to also hand write a note to Chris for me 🙂

The M Resort has many restaurants to choose from that all looked really good, but we decided on the buffet because it is $22.95 (M-Thur) with complimentary wine/beer.  You really can’t beat that.  To be honest I do not go to buffets and I avoid them in Vegas at all costs because many of them are not good.  The ones that are good are outrageously priced and I could never eat enough to justify the price.  The M Resort buffet is pretty darn reasonable and the food was actually delicious.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Buffet tip #1: Don’t get all googly-eyed and just load up your plate with everything.  Look over everything they have first (and take pictures if you’re a blogger), then make a few selections based on what you are really craving.

There was a ton of food to choose from and I couldn’t possibly have taken pictures of it all, but here are a few . . .

Lots of salads.

Chris said the tabbouleh was just ok so I skipped that one.

Mahi Mahi roasted on what looks like a bamboo stick? neat and yummy!

The sushi was delicious!

Buffet Tip #2: Keep the first round on the smallish side, with bites of what you are craving.  That way if you go back for second rounds, which is more than likely, you won’t go overboard.

My first helping favorites . . . sushi, cucumber salad, chicken teriyaki + fried rice, caprese salad, and the tri tip was fork tenderlicious.

Buffet Tip #3: If you’re not crazy about something upon first bite, don’t eat it!!  The bread had too much black pepper in it for me so I set it aside.

Buffet Tip #4: If you are going to go back for seconds, keep it on the smallish side and if you’re pleasantly full don’t go back.

I failed on this one because I was pleasantly full first round, but I was on a sushi kick and it was delicious.  ah well.

I also had a complimentary glass of Chardonnay with dinner.  It was actually pretty good and not too oaky.

Buffet Tip #5: Try not to walk by the vast array of tempting desserts lurking and calling your name.

Ok, we can just as well throw this one out the window!! ha!

The best we can do is pick a few that look good and take a few bites from each.  That way you can savor the flavor and try not to get every. single. one.  There were just too many beautiful choices and they were mini!!  I’m a sucker for mini desserts.

By far my favorite was the pistachio mousse and then I took a few bites from each of the others.  Deee-lish!

After finishing up with dinner we met a friend and headed over to the Hostile Grape for a little wine tasting and live jazz.  I love wine and jazz, especially when they are together.

You go down a flight of stairs to a cellar-like room that is filled with comfy couches, wine tasting kiosks and live music.  It’s a great place to hang and chat.  It wasn’t too crowded for a Thursday night and it’s a lot more packed on the weekends.

The decor is really neat.  Posh. Sophisticated. Sultry.

Cool ceiling.

I started with a Lake Mead Cocktail 🙂 hehe or you could call it water and ice.  They also have an array of cheese platters and wine flights to choose from.

We perused the kiosks and chose a few to sample.  I wish they had a description of the wine characteristics somewhere or signs with the different regions of wines.  I like to know what I’m getting ready to taste, or at least have an idea of what to choose from.

I settled in with a small glass of this Zinfandel.  I was feeling something fruity and it still had a nice round finish.

We chatted it up for a few, listening to the relaxing sounds of jazz.  I really enjoyed it.

We said goodbye to our friend and then we, well Chris, somehow had the idea to gamble.  I have never gambled in my entire life before this, besides MegaBucks maybe once or twice.  Even though I have grown up and lived in Vegas all my life, I never had the desire.  I don’t know I just don’t see the point in chancing the loss of your hard earned money for that one fat chance that you may win?  I just don’t like that feeling.

We decided to play some blackjack which isn’t too hard and doesn’t have terrible odds.  It was actually fun!  It’s nice to chat with other people and we found a $5 table that is somewhat reasonable.  I also enjoyed a complimentary black russian cocktail.  I never knew for the longest time that you get free drinks at casinos when you gamble!  Imagine that.  I didn’t take any pictures of the casino of course because I would have been escorted out or arrested, but it has really nice decor.

After we played blackjack for about an hour and our money was almost gone, Chris decided to play his luck with some craps and we actually ended up breaking even + enough for breakfast the next day!  woop!  I don’t mind gambling as long as that happens 🙂 whew.

Soon enough it was way too late, er early and I was pooped!

Sure didn’t mind falling asleep to this view though  . . .

Or waking up to this the next day . . .

Breakfast at the buffet was delicious as well with lots of selections.  Here’s my plate + 1/2 slice of macadamia nut french toast (not pictured).  I didn’t eat all the bacon because I like it crispier.

I had a 1/2 cup of coffee with a side of chocolate milk.  I love chocolate in my coffee.

I saw this at the coffee shop nearby and I just had to take a picture.  I think that is the largest danish I have ever seen!

I had to make a quick stop into work for part of the day, but that wasn’t too bad.

We certainly had a really nice time at the M Resort and wanted to stay a few nights longer.  I really wanted to hang out by the pool and catch up on some rays and reading.  We would definitely come back here in a heart beat!  Sure wish they had more ‘locals’ deals though.

Hope you have a nice weekend friends!!!

Do you have a favorite staycation spot?