🇺🇸 LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas has now become my go to destination whenever I want to go on a 5-days vacation. To this day, I have been a total of four times and yet, I have still so much more to discover! Vegas is great, you can go as a couple, with friends or with family members. I personally went in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

HOW TO GET AROUND?

Rideshares (such as Uber and Lyft) are great in Vegas! They are much cheaper than regular cabs and easy to use. Vehicle rentals are also really cheap! On two occasions I rented a car and when I went in April of 2019, a 24h rental was $35 USD! I booked via Expedia. You can also use bus transportation, the Deuce does the whole Strip and goes to Fremont Street if you want to visit the old Strip.

WHERE TO STAY?

I personally stayed at three different hotels on the Strip. I will list them in order of preference:

(1) The MGM Grand: I loved the MGM Grand! It has been the best hotel I’ve been to on the Strip. It is pretty central and it’s located across the New York New York. (Here’s a tip: when it’s time to check in a the front desk, ask for a complimentary upgrade and slip a $20 to the clerk with your ID. We had 3 different rooms and tried it with 3 different employees and all our rooms were upgraded to suites with amazing views on the Strip!) The MGM has an awesome pool and lazy River, a great nightclub: Hakkasan where I saw Tiësto (OMG!) and a zombie virtual reality game (so much fun!). You can usually get 4-5 nights and your plane ticket (from Montreal) for about $800 CAD. There’s also a great country bar: Losers.

(2) The Luxor: It is a good value for your money. It’s located on the south end of the Strip between the Mandalay Bay and the Excalibur. You can usually get 4-5 nights and your plane ticket (from Montreal) for about $600 CAD. I recommend you get a room in one of the towers instead of the pyramid.

(3) The Flamingo: I did not have a good experience at the Flamingo. When I booked the hotel room I specifically asked for a non-smoking room and guess what…when I checked in the employee told me all she had were smoking rooms. It was 23h00 and she told me to come back the next morning. I went back at 08h00 the next day and she magically had a non-smoking room available. She did not offer us anything and she did not apologize, I had to ask for a compensation and all she gave the 4 of us was a $30 food voucher. On the other hand, the hotel is very well located, across the Caesar’s Palace, it has a great pool and there’s a Flamingo Habitat that you can visit for free. You can usually get 4-5 nights and your plane ticket (from Montreal) for about $700 CAD.

WHERE TO EAT?

I strongly believe that food is an essential part of the whole traveling experience. Which is why I will recommend you five of my favorite restaurants on the Strip!

↠ Eataly at the MGM Park: I first went to Eataly in Boston and I immediately fell in love with the concept. The idea is simple, gathered under one roof is high-quality Italian food and a place to eat, shop, and learn. I suggest you get a meal from each counters and share! They have pasta, pizza, a Nutella bar (I know!!!), pastries, a gelato counter, deli and cheeses, wines…and the list goes on!

↠ Estiatorio Milos Greek Restaurant at the Cosmopolitan: Milos is one of the best restaurants on the Strip. The great thing is that they have a 3-service lunch Menu for only $29 USD! The food is delicious!

↠ Bubba Gump next to the Planet Hollywood: If you’ve seen the 1994 Forrest Gump movie you know who Bubba is! Bubba Gump is a great seafood restaurant with affordable prices. I love it! My favorite meal is Jenny’s Catch with rice and extra lobster butter sauce, because it’s to die for!

↠ Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris: Mon Ami Gabi is a classic French Bistro. They have delicious steaks and yummy desserts, you should try their Tarte Tatin!

ACTIVITIES

1 – Valley of Fire

Valley of Fire is a State Park located 1h drive from Vegas. It is Nevada’s oldest state park. It covers nearly 46,000 acres and it is named after the red sandstone formations which formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago. It is beautiful! I recommend you get a car rental and drive through the Park at your own pace. It is open daily from sunrise to sunset. The entrance fee is $10 USD per vehicle.

2 – Neon Graveyard Museum

If your budget permits, you can visit the Neon Museum located 10 mins north of the Strip. The general admission is $22 USD. The museum features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on 2.62 acres.

3 – Bellagio Hotel & Casino

There are many free activities at the Bellagio! I’ll suggest you three and don’t forget to have a look at the glass ceiling in the main lobby it’s breathtaking! 

↠ Go see the world’s largest Chocolate Fountain! It’s a floor-to-ceiling glass-encased multi-tier chocolate fountain. While you’re there, try the Tiramisu, it’s yummy!

↠ Visit the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Five times a year, the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens transforms itself to represent each of the four seasons and the Chinese New Year.

↠ Attend the Fountains of Bellagio show. The show is usually every 30 minutes depending on the day. It’s located outside in front of the Hotel. I loved watching the water fountains move in sync with the music!

4 – Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, between the states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936. Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US. You can get tours from the Strip but we decided to rent a car and we drove there ourselves! It is open to the public everyday from 05h00 to 21h00. It is located 30 miles southeast of Vegas. The tickets range from $10 USD to $30 USD depending on wether you want the Power plant tour, the admission to the Visitor Center and the observation deck or the Dam guided tour.

5 – The Mirage Hotel & Casino

I never stayed at the Mirage but there are many activities to do.

↠ Yoga with the Dolphins & Spa Access. I love yoga, spas and animals, so I figured this would be the perfect activity for me and I was not disappointed! For $50 USD  I got a 1-Hour morning yoga session, a full spa facility access and a complimentary smoothie. Reservations are required. For more info click here.

↠ Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. To have access to the garden and dolphins, the entrance fee is $22 USD for adults and $17 USD for kids 4-12. It is open daily from 10h00 to 19h00.

↠ The Volcano show. It is located outside the Las Vegas Boulevard Main Entrance. There are three shows daily at 20h00, 21h00 and 22h00.

6 – Roller Coasters & Rides

If you are looking for thrills, you will find a bunch of different rides in Vegas! I noticed that as I get older I have more difficulty going on rides haha, I guess my stomach is not what it used to be! But I still go on them. Here are a few you can find on the Strip:

↠ The Big Apple Coaster. Located at the New York New York. The tickets are $15 USD and $20 USD if you want the virtual reality experience.

↠ Rides at the Stratosphere. There are many options at the Stratosphere located on the North end of the Strip: Sky jumping, the Big Shot, Insanity, X-Scream and the observation deck that gives you a great view of the Strip.

7 – Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour

When I went to Vegas, back in 2015, we decided to book a Grand Canyon tour on a helicopter with Papillon. The company offers a multitude of tours! The one we chose was the Grand Celebration Tour which included a magnificent EC130 helicopter ride with stunning aerial views of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Grand Canyon West. We also landed at the bottom of the canyon on a private plateau where we enjoyed a champagne picnic. Our tour included hotel pick-up and drop-off and was priced at $349 USD. The whole tour took about 4.5h hotel-to-hotel. I highly recommend it, we loved our experience!

8 – Fremont Street (old Vegas)

Fremont Street is the old Vegas Strip. I recommend you visit at night to experience the Viva Vision light show. It’s free and it’s very impressive. The Viva Vision screen is made up of 12.5 million energy-efficient LED lamps. You can enjoy a variety of light shows with high-res imagery and concert-quality sound. While you are there, why not try the SlotZilla Zip-line!? My mom and I tried the Zipline, it was awesome! On the Zipline you fly seated, it’s 7 stories high and 2 blocks long. The Zipline is $25 USD or $20 USD if you fly before 17h00. You can also do the Zoomline where you fly super hero style for 5 blocks long and it’s 11 stories high. The Zoomline is $45 USD and $40 USD if you fly before 17h00.

9 – The Venetian Hotel

The Venetian is a gorgeous hotel! It feels like you are in Venice, Italy. The decor is stunning and you can even take an indoor or an outdoor gondola ride if your budget permits for $29 USD per person. You can also try to catch the Gondolier March as singing gondoliers march along the indoor canal at 09h50 and 16h20, beginning at the gondola turn-around and ending near the entrance to Barneys New York. You can also do a lot of shopping along the Canal and visit Mme Tussaud’s Wax Museum for $22 USD.

10 – Red Rock Canyon

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located about 24 km west of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert. It’s a 21 km Scenic Drive where you will see large red rock formations and Native American petroglyphs. The road is also popular for bicycle touring. You can rock climb and camp in the Canyon as well. When we went in 2011, we got a rental car and drove on the Scenic Drive. The entrance fee is $15 USD per vehicle or $5 USD per bicycle.

11 – Sahra Spa & Hammam at the Cosmopolitan

If you’re looking to relax while in Vegas, I suggest you go to the Sahra Spa! There was four of us and we decided to try the Hammam Soap Ritual. It was amazing! Plus, we had the Hammam room all to ourselves. We also had full access to the Spa for the rest of the day.

The treatment we chose lasted for about 50 mins and cost $200 USD. It’s inspired by the bathing rituals performed in Turkish Hammams. While you are lying on a hot stone slab, your therapist uses a traditional Turkish Mitt to rub your skin for hydrating suds that awaken every cell of your body. They rinse you with warm water which creates a relaxing massage. A detoxifying steam and a moisturizer top off the authentic experience.

12 –  LINQ Promenade & High Roller

Located between the Flamingo Hotel and the LINQ Hotel, you will find the LINQ Promenade and at its end, a 550-foot observation wheel, the High Roller. The LINQ Promenade is a dining, shopping and entertainment district. You can also do some zip-lining down the promenade. We had a lot of fun at the Yard House and at Virgil’s Real BBQ.

The High Roller is the world’s tallest observation wheel and it gives you 360-degree views of the Las Vegas Valley and Strip, the wheel takes 30 minutes to complete one rotation. You can also decide to party with an open bar cabin. Click here for the prices as they range from $22 USD to $47 USD depending on when you’re going. I suggest you go at night, as the Strip looks amazing when it’s all lit up.

WHAT ABOUT THE SHOWS?

As you may know, Vegas has so many shows to offer that’s it’s hard to only pick one! I’ve personally been to a few. My favourites were Kà from le Cirque du Soleil, the Blue Man Group and Backstreet Boys: Larger than life! I’ve also been to O (Cirque du Soleil), Zumanity (Cirque du Soleil) and Criss Angel. To get cheap tickets visit Vegas.com or go to one of the yellow ticket booths on the Strip the morning of the show you want to see between 09h00 and 11h00, that’s when they are the cheapest.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

So, there are so many thing to do in Vegas that I have to stop myself because you’d be reading this post until tomorrow morning! Before I let you go, here are a few more activities I think are worth your time while you’re in Sin City: CSI – The Experience, Bodies Exhibit, Titanic Exhibit, the M&M Store and the Hershey’s Chocolate World Store. You can also stop by Television City and get paid for watching a television pilot! And if you don’t know what to do, just just stroll down all the different hotels and casinos as they are all unique!

Remember…what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Mlle Wanderlust 

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