Here's a quick little recap of our Las Vegas vacation :)
Last week we took a quick and fun trip to Vegas with two other couples.We had such a great time! There is so much to do and see 2 days is just not long enough, but we squeezed as much as we could into those days.
Alan and I were invited to go by Chris and Kristina who were going down there for the George Strait concert. I told them I could get us a nice, affordable condo on the strip, thanks to my mom, and we could go pretty cheap! A few weeks later our other friends Dane and Amy heard we were going and I invited them to come along, since the condo slept 6 they might as well come too! We all booked flights through Allegiant too, since they are the cheapest. Cheap is the theme here lol! Although if you have been to Vegas, you know it's anything but cheap once you get there.
We stayed at the Jockey Club with is located right on the strip in between the Bellagio and Cosmopolitan. The location couldn't be better! There were two bedrooms and a pullout bed in the living room, two bathrooms, a kitchen and dining room. We all had our own space and we were never in each others way. It is by far the smallest place on the strip but we didn't care!
Our first night we didn't get into Vegas until 2:45am. A broke down plane in Boise meant hours of delay while we waited on a rescue plane to come and pick us up. So instead of leaving at 9:20pm like we we're originally supposed to, we didn't leave until 1am. Awesome start to the vacation lol. But we finally made it, got to the condo and checked in. A few of us walked into the Cosmo, my favorite casino, and looked around for a little bit and made our way down to the closest CVS for some milk, snacks and grocery items. We didn't get into bed till 4:30am, I know, real party animals lol!
The next morning we had breakfast across the street at Cabo Wabo, one of Alan's favorite Mexican restaurants. We went to the Bellagio and looked at the atrium which was gorgeous! If you've been following me for awhile you know how much I love spring and flowers and this was full of that! It was so pretty and it smelled amazing!! There were also lots of pretty birds in cages singing for the crowds :)
Then we saw the chocolate fountains on our way to the tram. We went over to Monte Carlo and down to New York New York. Unfortunately the roller coaster wasn't running due to the high winds, so instead we looked around inside the casino. Shopped at the Hershey's store and ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.
Kristina, Chris, Alan & I went down to the Venitian to look around, play the penny slots, and then we ended up taking a gondola ride. It was a lot of fun, and probably will be the closest thing I will ever get to going to Italy and rinding down the canals. We were serenaded and had a fun time!
We walked through the Palazzo and took some pictures by the waterfall. By the time we were done it was time for Kristina and Chris to go to their concert. So we went back to the hotel and they headed out for some legendary George Strait music.
BEST TIP EVER...buy a buss pass. This will save you miles and miles of walking and the buses come about every 15 minutes. The first time we went to Vegas we walked the entire time, we never set foot on a bus. We walked the entire strip from Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere! This time we bought a 24 hour bus pass for $8 per person, best money we spent for sure! There's several places up and down the Strip where you can purchase the bus tickets at little kiosks. These little babies will save your legs and feet and will definitely save you time!
If you are headed to Fremont Street from the Strip, try and catch the SDX (Strip/Downtown Express) bus. It's an express bus with way less stops and will get you there in half the time, but it stops running at midnight. Otherwise the Deuce bus will take a little longer because it stops at almost every major casino on the Strip, and it runs 24/7. Plus the bus pass works for both buses! They a double deckers so if your lucky enough to get in the front on top, you'll have an awesome view!
Anyways, while they were gone to the concert, Dane, Amy, Alan & I got all dressed up and went down to Fremont Street to check it out. It was so much fun. I loved the atmosphere down there and it's always fun to see something new. We walked around and watched the laser show on the huge screens above us. Watched people zipline over head. We people watched a lot lol! That's one off the best things to do in Vegas! We saw some great street performers too.
Ate at a restaurant with a view of the shark aquarium at the Gold Nugget. Did a little bit of gambling, and by a little, I mean I spent a total of $5 on slots because I can't stand to burn money like that lol! And had a fun time just being on vacation with friends. We ended the night in the hot tub at our condo.
Saturday Chris, Kristina, Alan & I, were up and ate at the brunch buffet at the Wicked Spoon inside the Cosmo. They had a great variety but I was most impressed with the dessert bar, and if you follow me on Snap Chat you already know this! They had so many pretty desserts!
We also had to snap a few pictures inside the Cosmo because, why not! ;)
After brunch we met up with Dane and Amy at the Stratosphere. We rode up to the top and enjoyed the 360 degree views of Las Vegas. Chris, Kristina and Alan rode a couple rides while we were up there too. Dane, Amy & I kept put feet planted on the observation deck, about 1000 feet in the air lol!
Then Alan & Chris did something crazy...they jumped off that stinking 1,149 foot fall building! From where they jumped and where they landed it was 855 feet! It was a controlled free fall but still was stinking scary!! They had fun and survived, while Kristina and I watched from below from another observation deck.
The view looking straight up to where they jumped from.
Then Alan & I headed to a Cirque du Soleil show. We went and watched Mystere at Treasure Island. It was super entertaining and the acts were awesome! The talent that those guys have is unbelievable. Live music, theatrics and acrobatics, there was never a dull moment. I highly recommend watching a Cirque du Soleil show while you are in Vegas.
Everyone did their own things that they wanted to do and sometimes we would all do stuff together. That's what's fun about traveling with a group. Some went to shows, some did a little gambling, some went on the crazy insanely terrifying High Roller ;) Some ate at fancy restaurants in Caesar Palace, some watched the Bellagio fountains, some shopped, some hung out by the pool. We did a little bit of everything, and we all had fun!
Sunday Morning our shuttle that took us to the airport was at our condo at 8:50am. We didn't have much time to do anything other than pack and get ourselves to the lobby. Another flight delay, some souvenir shopping at the airport, and we were home at 4pm. It was a fun filled trip with great friends! Definitely lots of fun, laughs and memories were made. There just was not enough hours in the day to get everything done that we wanted to do and see. But the weather was beautiful and we had a great time with friends!
