RMS reader Sarah is off to celebrate her upcoming thirtieth birthday in hedonistic style by jetting off to Vegas.
Hi guys!
I saw you just did a Reader Request post on New York and where to go – well I have the same request but for Las Vegas 🙂 I’m going there in May for my 30th birthday. There’s 11 of us, and would love some recommendations for dinner and must-sees, anything really because there’s so much there and we are only there four full days.
As Sarah mentions she was inspired to send in her request after our recent New York post. As it happens I was more than inspired by all the fabulous suggestions and James and I are now planning an NYC trip for the Autumn! Anyway enough about me.
Having never been to Las Vegas I turned to my friend Sandra who was very helpful with the Big Apple recommendations. Let’s just say she’s turning into Rock My Style’s unofficial US reporter. My friend Matt also visited last year for a thirtieth birthday too so he has been more than happy to chime in with a few thoughts.
Pool Parties
Sandra suggests heading to the Encore Beach Club at The Wynn for a bit of pool party luxury. Surrounded by three tiered pools and 50 foot palm trees Sarah and her friends can hire a plush day bed to people watch and soak up the sun.
Helicopter Flight
Last year Sandy and her friend booked some of their Vegas activities back home in Blighty. They used Viator to arrange their helicopter flight over the strip. A limo picked them up from their hotel and they sipped champagne before the flight, all for around £50. Matt also ventured on a helicopter trip but this time to the mighty Grand Canyon rather than do the four hour road trip.
Cirque Du Soleil
Both Matt and Sandra recommended the dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment from Cirque Du Soleil. Sandra adored the Michael Jackson One Show. Matt’s tip is not to do it on the first night as it runs quite late and jet lag will have you fast asleep before the end! One to save for later on in the trip.
Cocktails
A pricey place but the decor is said to be incredible in the Chandelier Lounge at The Cosmopolitan (3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd.)
As the name suggests you’ll be sipping cocktails inside a crystal enshrouded bar. Very fancy. Despite the name there’s apparently no Cosmo on the menu but you can request a bespoke one. Sandra also recommends sampling The Butterfly cocktail.
Rooftop Bar
The exotic surroundings of the Foundation Room at The Mandalay Bay (3950 Las Vegas Blvd.) were a hit for Sandy. Take in the view of the strip from this luxurious den or downstairs you’ll find Eye Candy Sound Lounge if the mood takes you for a little boogie.
Club
Recently voted the best club in the US (with VIP tables an eye watering $2K – yikes) Hakkasan counts Calvin Harris as its resident DJ. Located at the MGM Grand, (3799 S Las Vegas Blvd.) Matt commented there’s an even split of men and women which is unusual for Vegas so would be great for Sarah’s party of couples.
Casual Dining
For upscale-casual ambiance Sandra suggests heading to The Grand Lux Cafe at The Venetian. Portions are huge and apparently the Asian Nachos will change your life!
Hopefully this post shows Vegas isn’t just about casinos and gambling. Now it’s over to you folks. Where would you recommend Sarah go in the city of excess and opulence? Where do you go in Vegas to get a shopping fix? Any restaurants or bars the birthday girl just has to go to?
This is probably the most cultural thing there is to do in Vegas – http://www.neonmuseum.org/ a museum of the old neon signs. You have to book and you go on a guided tour and they tell you all about the hotels they were taken from. It’s really interesting – I’d recommend going at night to see them all lit up.
This place is a real Vegas institution http://peppermilllasvegas.com/#home Sanatra’s favourite apparently. The portions are ridiculous and the cocktails are great. We went for breakfast and dinner. I would recommend booking – when we went for breakfast we got a seat at the bar but the queue for tables was enormous. It’s very pink and purple in there!
Go to In-n-Out http://www.in-n-out.com/ and order from the secret menu – a double double, animal fries and a Neapolitan shake – OMG!
We didn’t have breakfast included in our hotel so had to buy it each day. Unless you want a hotel buffet there aren’t tons of options – Denny’s Diner (enormous queues!) and McDonalds were two places we visited! But this place was really good – http://www.mrmamaslv.com/ It is a drive away from the strip but it’s worth it. Gigantic portions and friendly staff. Another customer even paid for our breakfast as they overheard we were on honeymoon (we did a tour of Cali and Arizona)
Love love love my new title as Rock My Styles unofficial US reporter …. Viva Las Vegas xxx
We went to Vegas on our honeymoon 2 years ago – it’s quite a surreal experience! Be prepared that there’s no ‘nipping’ somewhere in Vegas – everything is HUGE! It used to take us a good 15 minutes to walk from our hotel room (in Encore) to the breakfast room.
There’s so much to see and do – one day we just spent walking around the different hotels as there’s lots to do and see in each one – the fair rides at Stratosphere, the fountains at the Bellagio, the gondolas at the Venetian. I mean this is all tacky tourist stuff but you’re probably not going to Vegas for the culture right?!
One thing that I would second is a helicopter ride. Ours flew over the Hoover Dam, landed in the Grand Canyon for a champagne picnic and then flew back over the strip. It was quite spendy (around $300 each) but absolutely breathtaking and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Oh and definitely go for a Vegas brunch! We looked at a few booking websites when we booked the Encore and managed to find one with brunch included (think it might have been booking.com) so we only ever had brunch at the Encore, but it was amazing! I definitely left several pounds heavier!
Have a fab time!
A must try cocktail is the Lemon Drop Martini at the Cosmopolitan and dont forget you get them free if you are playing the slots or tables.
If you have time head to Freemont street for the old town las vegas experience. Its a free light show with great atmosphere well worth a visit.if you want to see Vegas from up high there is a bar at the top of the stratosphere and they have a happy hour between 3 and 6 So you can usually catch all the lights turning on. There is loads to do,you will have a brilliant time.
This is fantastic! One of my bestest friends is getting married in Vegas next year and we can’t wait to go over and celebrate with them! We’re even going to be doing the bachelor and bachelorette parties over there beforehand! Will bookmark this for later in the year when we start booking, anyone got any suggestions on hotels? There’s so much choice! X
a few suggestions….
cocktails – parasol down at the Wynn. Very pricey but beautiful surroundings overlooking a lake. and they didn’t mind that we nursed our pricey cocktails for an hour….
food – Hash house a go go at the Quad hotel – perfect for a hangover brunch – massive portions! Good price.
Mon Ami Gabi at Paris hotel – there are some fantastically expensive restaurants in Vegas but this is beautiful food at a reasonable price. Book in advance on the net as it is popular. I took my husband here for his birthday and they treated us very well.
Shops – depends on your budget! my favourite mall was caesars palace forum – a good mix of high street and designer.
Touristy stuff! I love the conservatory at Bellagio, (and the fountains obviously!) the erupting volcano at Mirage, the canals at the Venetian and just wandering round all the outlandish hotels.
Breakfast – I recommend Walgreens and CVS around for cheap snacks and drinks to keep in your room, but yes, eating out gets expensive, even for a coffee and a croissant from a coffee shop. Go prepared with your wallet!
Hotels – we stayed at the Palazzo – a good choice if you don’t necessarily want to sleep in the middle of the crazy! The palazzo is nice and quiet.
You’ll have the best time Sarah, its amazing! I’m getting married in Vegas this October, I absolutely love it! I could go on for days about the best things to do, in fact I’m in the middle of writing a “best of Vegas” list to give to all our wedding guests (it’s currently 8 pages long…!).
For food, I agree with Clare above, Hash House in the Linq hotel is a must for brunch! For an all-out American feast try Cheesecake Factory too. If you’re near Cosmopolitan both Holsteins and China Poblano are awesome choices. For something fancier, any of the restaurants at Wynn would be an amazing choice, they’re all gorgeous with excellent food (although I’m a little biased, that’s where I’ve chosen for our wedding meal).
If you’re trying to keep the costs reasonable, you can find out about good happy-hours in bars and restaurants online before you go, most are round about 5pm.
Other tips – go up to Fremont Street / old Vegas for a night, it’s tacky but great fun! Leave plenty of space in your suitcase, the shopping is amazing! Finally, don’t be scared to have a shot at gambling, especially the games you’re not sure of! Dealers and other players are so friendly and will talk you through the rules – some of the most fun I’ve had is learning to play craps and baccarat with strangers!
Sorry, long comment, I’ll stop now!
I’ve been to Vegas a couple of times and I’d happily visit again, there is just SO MUCH to see. It’s been mentioned here already but don’t underestimate how big Vegas is, it can take a while to walk places. I think some of the best places to visit have been covered so my only suggestion would be to try a Segway tour, we thought it was a really fun way to explore Vegas. Also, we stayed in Caesars and following a suggestion on tripadvisor, we tipped the lady who checked us in $20 and she upgraded our room to the best hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. I don’t normally do things like this but Vegas feels like another world, where it’s perfectly acceptable!
Have a great birthday trip!
Brilliant suggestions folks. I know we can always rely on the RMS community to come up with some fab recommendations x
Ahhh thank you all SO much for your suggestions! This helps so much! Now I need to go and put an itinerary together wooohooo – and purchase some elasticated trousers ready for all the food!! Thanks again 🙂 xxx
Vegas is just amazing! Was there last year for our Mega-Moon (we had a mini-moon before hand because we needed to save up after the wedding!) – everything people have said so far sounds pretty spot on…and my suggestion will probably sound lame in comparison however I’m so glad we made it a point to stop there. Its a little place called Love-It Frozen Custard…further down the strip and slightly off it…but its AMAZING!! So worth while and frozen custard is now my favorite dessert of all time…too bad nowhere else does it 🙁
Enjoy Vegas…its a total blast 😀
Shakeshack does frozen custard!
Thanks Annie! I love little random things like this 🙂 In the same vain I’ve found somewhere that apparently does the best subs ever, Capriottis, so that’s on my list too.
I’ve added Love-It Frozen as well, we can pay it a visit when we’re up near the Stratosphere 🙂