A few weeks ago we took a quick little weekend trip to Las Vegas. A group of 6 of us boarded (way too early) a flight from Chicago to Las Vegas and planned three jam packed days. It was one of the best vacations we’ve ever had and we honestly felt like we were there at least a week. Three days was the PERFECT amount of time for Las Vegas and we were able to fit a lot in during such a short trip.
A “quick” recap of the sights and sounds we hit up in Vegas.
Bellagio
First things first, we stayed at the Bellagio. After looking on Orbitz we actually found that most of the hotels on the strip were about the same price. Bellagio had great reviews and seemed to be one of the nicer ones so we decided to book there. With three couples we asked to have our rooms close to each other and I was happy we did. The hotel was huge and it would’ve taken us forever to meet up each time we went out had we not!
The pool was wonderful, although at the end of July it was almost too hot to spend too much time there. We did visit it a few times and I even found myself there in the morning just to read. It was a lot of fun to dive into the pool fountains to cool off.
Even if you do not stay at the Bellagio, do not miss the fountain show at night! It was such a cool thing to watch. Just a heads up, stick around for more than one show. We wound up staying for 3 and each one was very different. They run every 15 minutes from 8pm-Midnight and every half hour (I think?) during the day!
I also fell in love with the coffee shop near the pool. Not only were their Spanish mocha’s AMAAAAZING but their chocolate croissants were even better. Just for your convenience there is a gelato shop right across the hallway. You can’t go wrong.
Voodoo Lounge
The strip is a blast, but if you have a night that you want to see the strip in a whole new light, hit up the Voodoo Lounge on top of the Rio. We had been there for a wedding during our previous trip to Vegas but had never been up there at night. The dinner, while pricy, was hands down the best food we had in Vegas.
After dinner was over we went out on to the terrace where there is a bar and live music all night. It has the best view you could find of the strip and was so cool to see lit up at night. One of my favorite things we did in Vegas was spend some time up there. As a photographer the shots that I was able to get made me so excited!
I spent a summer in France in high school so it doesn’t take much to convince me to visit a French restaurant, especially when it comes to breakfast. Crepes? Yes, please! Mon Ami Gabi is the restaurant in the bottom of the “Eiffel tower” on the strip. We actually went for breakfast two different days but had no disappointments when it came to the food. It was fantastic. I officially want a crepe maker at home because I have remembered how much I love them and how I cannot eat breakfast without them.
It is safe to say we ate a lot of food in Vegas. We also happened to frequent Margaritaville it seemed like. Looking for a quick bite to eat our first day there we decided to head there for lunch. I really couldn’t help but order the Cheeseburger in Paradise. It was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, no questions asked. Later in the weekend we came back for a 1am snack and shared the Volcano Nachos. Make sure you have a big group but don’t miss out on these. They put ballpark nachos to shame.
We also visited the 5 O’clock somewhere Bar one afternoon which is right inside of the casino. The bartenders do tricks as they make your drinks and it is safe to say you will not leave there thirsty (or sober).
One of the big things we planned prior to our trip was the show Le Reve, The Dream. It is technically not part of the Cirque Du Soleil family but it is the same concept with acrobatics and this one included water. We headed down to the Wynn for the evening and enjoyed one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
The show was awesome. Even the guys, who I didn’t necessarily expect to love it, said that they really enjoyed it and were amazed by the performance. The basic story behind the show is a young girl is proposed to and she has a dream that shows both the good and evil side of her boyfriend. She has to decide whether she wants to marry him or not.
I couldn’t believe the stunts they did. It was incredible! The show was about an hour and a half long with no intermission. All of the performers were so well trained and I can’t imagine how much strength they had. It is a must hit in Las Vegas if you can!
After Le Reve ended (around 11pm) we decided to walk back to our hotel and stop in a number of different hotels on our way back. On the hunt for something to drink and a place to chill about halfway back we came across The Piano Bar in the casino of Harrahs. It was free to get into (as opposed to most bars on a Friday night) and it was highly entertaining. They had dueling pianos and we sat and enjoyed about a half hour of music including Celebration & The Piano Man.
I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fun little evening out that doesn’t necessarily involve dancing or clubs!
Quite possibly one of the highlights of our trip, Fremont Street is an all around good time. There is something for every one and you can pass hours (literally) walking up and down the street.
We saved Fremont Street for last and we definitely went out with a good night. The night we were there Cherry Poppin’ Daddys had a live concert that you could hear up and down Fremont Street. The actual show area was free to get into but you could really hear the music from anywhere. At midnight another group called Spandex Nation (80s hair and) was playing and we enjoyed listening to them as well. We never actually sat and watched the groups but you can’t go wrong being surrounded by live music.
Something new on Fremont Street since the last time we were there was the zipline. There were two options, one went all the way down Fremont Street and another went about halfway. Some of our group decided to go halfway and they said it was a blast. There was a wait for it though.
Every hour (I think) a laser light show on the ceiling of Fremont Street. It is awesome to watch and can be mesmerizing. Every time they came on (yes we were there for more than one) I found myself just staring up for the whole show. Each hour is different too.
One of the fun parts about Fremont Street is it tends to bring out the “freaks” in other words the characters. For $5 (or so) you can get your picture taken with pretty much anyone you could imagine, from Magic Mike to Cupid to Spiderman (or Cupid and Spiderman together) you had your options. Or you could just take selfies with the sign at the entrance like I did and sneak photos of the rest of the freaks.Peace Out Vegas
The only thing we didn’t think through was the short night we would have after Fremont Street. After a 2:30am bedtime no one was really ready for the 4:30am wake up call. There was lots of caffeine to be consumed and mountains to say goodbye to. At least we had one last beautiful sunrise to see.In three short days we made our way around Vegas. From walks down the strip to late nights that none of us were used to Vegas was a blast. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Have you ever been to Vegas? I obviously had a lot to say about it… What was your favorite part?