Leaving the brutal cold hell hole of 10,000 lakes to the land of what happens here, stays here.
Hello Vegas 2014!
Day 1: Arriving in LV:
Get to VDara via taxi
Unpack.
Food: Cosmopolitan (literally right down the stairs) - Wicked Spoon: Reviews here
Danced at Cosmopolitan's Marquee: http://marqueelasvegas.com/index.cfm . There's a rooftop pool and two dance areas.
Day 2: Enjoying LV
North Outlet Premium Mall: http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=14
Food: Gordon Ramsey Burger: http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/restaurants/ramsay.html#.Uu83ovldVBk - epic milkshake and authentic burger
Danced at MGM Grand's Hakkasan
Day 3: Relax on Sunday
Food: Caesar's Palace Bacchanal Buffet: http://www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/bacchanal-buffet.html#.Uu84IfldVBk - yes the hot steamed crabs are here! As well as dimsum, green tea creme brulee, and Thai tea gelato. Mmmmm....
Show: "O" http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/o/default.aspx
Got a discount for it by registering at M Life (It's free) https://mlifeinsider.com/. You can sign-up at the VDara or any of the MGM Grand chains (Bellagio, Aria, VDara, etc)
Day 4: Left for MN
Shuttle back to the airport - took about 20 minutes because we had to pick other people up too.
Advice:
Order a Shuttle beforehand. It is about $7 each way and saves you a lot more money than a taxi from the airport. We used this site: http://www.supershuttle.com/Locations/LASAirportShuttleLasVegas.aspx
They were super helpful considering, we missed the first shuttle and LUCKILY there was a second one.
Bring your own liquor to your hotel. Buy it at the airport because it's pretty expensive to buy alcohol elsewhere. It's called the Liquor Library: http://www.cnbc.com/id/49900236
Another tip, pay with cash, taxis will automatically charge $3.00 if you pay by card - that's not including tip.
Ask me if you want free hook-ups to the clubs in LV. It works best if you are female and if you have an equal male ratio. Guys might have to pay the cover of $40 or $30.
My advice, share everything (food -wise) so you have a variety to taste.
Bring cash and don't put all your cash in one place.
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Day 1: Leaving the cold to arrive in Sin City
Two adventurous souls celebrating their 25th year of living by indulging in Sin City's golden platter of food and fun. Once we landed in LAS, you are easily greeted by slots and the instant satisfaction of being two hours behind from CST, oh and of course, temperatures where you can feel your legs and fingers (50 degrees, let's get them shorts and tees!).
Reading the online threads, one advice given was to buy alcohol from the liquor store inside the airport. Keep in mind, that store is near the luggage claim and doors leading to the taxi and shuttles. The bottles are a little more expensive than MN prices, but you're about to head into a money black hole where cocktails and shots are $17. FOR ONE drink. So let's grab a bottle and go, if you want to pre-game.
Taking a taxi from the airport is not ideal. So is booking a hotel and flight on the same weekend as one of the largest electronic conventions in the US (CES 2014). On our way to the hotel, we watched the sun went to sleep and saw how a city became awake as if it was drinking red bull, monster, rock star and a cup of coffee all in 10 minutes. Urban beauty is quite captivating. Or really we're like a moth to any light without being killed. It is about a 20 minute ride to the Strip so brace yourself for traffic. Really? Who can escape cars anyways. The ride was about $38 to our hotel. Another tip, pay with cash, taxis will automatically charge $3.00 if you pay by card - that's not including tip.
After checking in with the very courteous Cici, we were waived the resort fee and placed on the 29th floor with a view of the Bellagio. The room. MY GOODNESS. It's a suite in EVERY room apparently. We only know because the taxi asked if it was true that all the rooms at the VDara have a kitchen and sink and knowing my cheap self, I wouldn't book a room more expensive, but clearly a place with a kitchen, sink, microwave and fridge, we got one.
Walking into the room was walking into my dream apartment condo that I'm sharing with my best friend and we have a money tree that grows at a profitable rate every day. Modern and clean with the perfect amount of spacious living and sleep furnishings. Look into the bathroom and bam! bathtub and shower with a sitting area. Double sinks with a magnifying lit mirror.The dark wood furniture and simplistically comfortable bed along with two televisions had me falling in love with the place. We both loved it. Pretending to play house doesn't stop at age of 5 apparently. We melted into the bed and lived out at the hotel as if it was our own.
About an hour of soaking in the beauty of the room and recovering from poor sleep in the morning, we needed FOOD! Guess where we're going? Right next door to the Cosmopolitan's Wicked Spoon. That's the buffet that's only $45. Fairly easy to access and find (took us about 10 minutes). There was no waiting and we sat and went right to the foods. My advice, share everything. Seriously do if you want to taste everything. What better way to balance any foods that might be too salty later on in the meal is to share it all! Do it family-style and taste everything and what you love eating, get that again for your round two! What do they have that's notable? It will probably be like the other buffets, but there are crab legs cut in half and seafood ceviche, prime rib, ribs (Asian or American), watermelon salad (THE PERFECT BLEND OF SWEET AND SAVORY, who knew the taste could complement so well) and so much more. Here, I found a new love for the number one ice cream/gelato flavor. I'm sorry green tea soft serve ice cream, but I absolutely am in love with Thai Tea gelato. Who knew? Well I did the moment my tongue tasted the familiar taste of creamy Thai tea in a cold and creamy form.
It was the joys of going back to the hotel and preparing for our first night of going out that motivated us to move. Keep in mind clubs are open till 4AM and our first night destination for the trip is right at the same place, Cosmopolitan's Marquee. Luckily with hook-ups, my friend and I were able to get in for free. The wait was a little long and so were going up all these flights of steps. As if, wearing high heels weren't enough of a work out, we have to walk, wait and cardio before our cardio on the dance floor.
Now, we're at the top of Marquee and the sound of the Dash Berlin is literally music to my ears. He's a DJ I've listened to from "Till the Sky Falls Down" to "When you were around". Loved the fact I got to listen to him for free! Yep, perks of being female. Guys would have to pay a $40 cover. It's horrible for guys. Anyways, two different dance areas, we went to the central area with Dash Berlin and then the pool area with another local DJ. Rooftop pool party! No one was swimming, but as a note, we're going to have to come back in the summer.
That was the end of Day 1. We start to enjoy our fun from the beginning :)
Day 2: Oh shenanigans!
Waking on Saturday was much more relaxing when you black out your windows and wake up in your dream apartment. Today was the day to go explore like the tourist we are and enjoy the best kind of shopping: window shopping. Before we were to spend money, we were hungry! Took a taxi over to the Rio and tried KJ's Seafood and Dim sum. We weren't impress. It tasted like any mediocre dim sum. The dim sum at Caesar's was much better. Afterwards, we head over to the Premium Outlet (North) and walked around to shed those dim sum weight. Nothing too impressive over at the outlet. I think MN spoils us with no taxes on clothes and shoes.
Shopping was shopping and the most important part is now eating. Where to eat in a place filled with temptation of luxurious meals and grand feasts? Gordon Ramsey's Burger. With a short walk, we traverse to Planet Hollywood and waited in lines for 30 minutes. Flame, heat, the smell of beef broiled and sight of food you always see on the Food Network is alive right now! Easily shared our meal to a burger, chicken soba noodle salad and an epic milkshake 3.0. The milkshake had three desserts in one. Part pudding, part ice cream and a cookie on top. Words cannot describe the euphoric nature of my kindred food spirit. I was filled with the joy of 74892784923 puppies and kittens all sprawled with relaxation and smiles on my taste buds. The pudding was not bland or too sweet. If anything it feels like it was made by a professional pudding chef who knew that balance of flavored tasting pudding and a perfect 10.00 taste in your mouth. The ice cream doesn't beat my Thai tea gelato, but it most certainly made for a fulfilling dessert as you let the coffee taste soak into your taste buds and massaged into the soul of your dessert world.
This is the Brittania Burger - a medium rare burger with mango chutney and truffle fries on the side
(doesn't come with fries)
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| Chicken soba noodle salad. Two chicken skewers and it was served cold with edamame. The flavor was not salty and it tasted like the creamy meat paste you'd get in a banh mi. |
Another successful night of food and walking. Again, the night is still young and we prepared for our second destination: Hakkasan at the MGM Grand. Once again free hook-ups and the joys of being a female prevails. Another DJ for the my bucket list: Dada Life. High energy and music that is catchy to move to and fro. So glad to not have paid money for this event because I would have if it was in MN. Luckily this gives us a break from the flight, hotel and food. The club was more crowded and there were a few floors with a central dance area. Time danced here was more enjoyable than Marquee. Though Marquee is a lot more spacious than Hakkasan for dancing.
Arrived back at the hotel and knocked out! End of Day 2.
Day 3: Light at the end of the tunnel
It's Sunday. Too bad that doesn't stop us from having an enjoyable and chilled Sunday. What's the agenda for today? Food, show and O. Before all of that, VDara does have a work out facility that is quite the minimum, but enough to get your work out moving. Free weights, several treadmills and ellipical along with stair master and stationary bicycles. A few machines for the leg, chest and back and water and towel replenshing you in every corner you turn along with the mirror and TVs. Very nice. I give you a 9/10 work out space.
A trip outta the Strip was needed as I ventured into Chinatown. It's quite small. At least they HAVE one unlike MN so I'm taking what I can out there. There I visited my childhood bubble tea love: Tea Station. This is the chain that I started drinking bubble tea in early high school. Ever since I've been in love and avidly drinking those tapioca pearls.
Oh yeah... that's Rob Schneider lololo
Before our last night of adventure we needed FOOD! This time it was a 30 minute wait for the Bacchanel at Caesar's Palace. The food here is another feast filled with the best of the best and nothing was less than par. The dimsum was surprisingly better than MN dimsum, where it taste as if someone actually made it fresh. Again the dessert trend includes my Thai Tea gelato ice cream and other flavors such as strawberry, pistacho, and more.
Classy. I mean they have disposable towel wipes. WARM towel wipes.
Our next venture area was the Bellagio. We went to get a discount for our first Cirque Du Solei show, "O" and paid about $100/ticket. The show is just as magical and dynamic as anyone would say. The beauty of water, flame and acrobatics is the combination you need to be awed and be forever imprinted with how wonderful the soundtrack penetrates into the soul of any spiritual being and the artistry that the performing art delivers. Professional and in sync. Would definitely pay to see this show and any of their other shows again.
Blurry, but I was in a hurry.
Welcome to the Year of the Horse. Even had live traditional Chinese music.
Finally the night ends at XS at Encore. There was also a pool and that night Heroes x Villains play and rocked the dance floor. This was more of the typical club you would find in New York or Chicago, but there's a freaking pool! Love how spoiled any club goer would be to have a pool. Now all clubs I go to must have a pool.
Pool in back. All clubs should have pools :)
Then we went to bed at our dream apartment aka VDara and flew back to frozen cold MN. :)
