Harrah’s Best of Buffets Deal

Lots of you ladies come to Vegas to enjoy the buffet scene, and rightfully so! After all, who does buffets better than Sin City. This year a few strip casinos have been advertising all day meal deals at their buffet. Basically, you pay one price to eat as much as you want in a 24 hour period–the  most common price we have seen advertised for this eating extravaganza was $29.95.

Well, Harrah’s decided to get on the bandwagon in March or April but there was no real buzz about it until this month. The Harrah’s buffet deal advertised as $29.95  was quite a bit more attractive than most deals because you could choose from SEVEN different buffets at their different properties: Rio Carnival (NOT the seafood buffet), Harrah’s, Imperial Palace, Paris, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, and Caesar’s. You purchase a wristband that gains you entry to any of these buffets for exactly 24 hours.

Now ladies, don’t get too excited yet because we found out today (thanks to our local ABC news affiliate) that the price was increased to a whopping $39.99 at the end of April. They do give you a break if you belong to Total Rewards: the cost of entry is reduced to $34.99. When a local blogger questioned a Harrah’s employee about why such a huge increase in such a short period of time, he was told it was to keep the lines shorter and the service better. Hmmm!

OK, if you really, really love buffets and know how to take best advantage of the offer– the price could still be considered a pretty good play. With that in mind, LLLV thought we’d come up with some tricks and tips to maximize your buffet nirvana day:

CHECK THE DAYS WITH SPECIAL THEMES OR OFFERINGS: for instance Sunday brunch usually includes special menu items and champagne or Bloody Mary bars.

DON’T PIG OUT AT ANY ONE PLACE: If you’re going to FORCE yourself to do this take the day and do some good “browsing.” We all know that buffets have “good stuff” and fillers! Walk each buffet and check for your favorites before loading up a plate.

CHECK REVIEWS RATING THESE BUFFETS: one way to get the most bang for your buck is to only eat at the highest rated buffets. The Rio and the Spice Market at Planet Hollywood seem to get the most accolades.

TIME YOUR PASS PURCHASE AROUND YOUR FAVORITE MEALS: if you’re not a big breakfast person, or an early riser, buy your wristband late in the day and eat into the night. Most buffets are open fairly late (usually until 10pm)  so you could in effect eat 2 or 3 dinners and no breakfast or lunch.  The Las Vegas Advisor recommends: Paris for breakfast, Rio for lunch, and Planet Hollywood for dinner. Local news anchor Lisa Patel rated the Rio as the best all-around buffet and she had the courage to try ALL seven of them!

REMEMBER TRANSPORTATION: it would be fairly taxing to walk to all of these casinos all though it’s definitely possible. Harrah’s and Imperial Palace are close but the Rio must be driven to. If you have your own car travel will not be a big deal but if you must pay for taxi rides that has to be considered as part of your cost.

AVOID LINES: some of these buffets attract long lines, especially for Sunday brunch. We’ve seen the longest at the Spice Market. To avoid irritating lines either ask your host for a line pass (moves you to the VIP line–usually much shorter) or just partake when others aren’t eating. Go for lunch at 2:30 instead of 12:30.

CHECK THE HOURS OF OPERATION: some buffets close between breakfast & lunch and lunch & dinner and others just simply stay open. We don’t know about all of  these but just ask! Don’t get all the way over to a casino for breakfast at 6am only to find out that they don’t open until seven!

WEAR YOUR WALKING SHOES: we can’t stress this enough!! Buffets are not located right at the front door and most likely will be situated in a location as FAR away from the front door as possible. Remember, they want you to gamble after you eat!

THIS SOUND SILLY BUT: watch your step! All of these buffets have tile or marble floors that don’t always mix well with customers piling 2 feet of grub on all their plates. We’ve slipped on a rouge piece of lettuce MANY times! Don’t ruin your buffet play day by spraining your lovely little ankle!

PS: always leave your buffet server a couple of bucks at the end! Sometimes they run back and forth many times clearing your plates and bringing drinks or condiments. It is customary in Vegas to leave either a dollar or two per person at a buffet.