On the way out of Joshua Tree National Park, I made sure I stopped for gas, and then we continued to Las Vegas. The drive to Vegas was pure desert with sprinklings of Joshua Trees. The drive took about 4 hours. As a warning for anyone else who may potentially go on this route, there were no gas stations between Joshua Tree until just about 45 minutes before we got to Las Vegas. So, make sure to FILL UP YOUR GAS TANK!
We arrived at our Airbnb which was about 15 minutes off of the strip. We decided on getting an Airbnb because we were traveling during spring break and all of the hotels on the strip were extremely pricey ($500+ a night for a hotel on the strip was a little out of our budget). Thankfully, our decision was justified because our Airbnb was amazing! It was a recently renovated house with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. There were plenty of snacks and toiletries for everyone. The neighborhood was quiet and the beds were comfy so we were able to get plenty of rest each night.
After we settled in at our Airbnb, we dropped off our dearly beloved rental minivan at a Marriott just off of the strip. At this point, we were all pretty hungry. We already decided to get Caesar’s Buffet of Buffet Pass. This pass allows you to eat at the buffets at Flamingo, Harrah’s, Paris, and Planet Hollywood for unlimited times within 24 hours of purchase. You can upgrade this pass to include the Caesar’s Palace and Rio buffets. Also, if you’re a Total Rewards member, you can get $10 off. We were there during the week, which is cheaper, so we paid $59.99 each. We bought our passes at the Paris guest services counter, and because part of my group was signing up for the Total Rewards membership, they got a free drink coupon for registering. This was my first time getting this pass and I thought it was a great deal.
Our first buffet was Le Village Buffet in Paris. I felt like I was in the village from Beauty and the Beast with all the “Be Our Guest” vibes. There was a great assortment of food and desserts, from a carving station to a build your own crepe station. After stuffing our faces, we happily made our way to the next stop.
Now, this is my 6th time coming to Las Vegas. I feel like I know a fair amount of tips and tricks at this point. One of my favorite recommendations is the Go Las Vegas Pass. Everyone in my group got the two-day all-inclusive package where you can go to 30+ attractions over a certain day period. There’s also a pass where you can see 3, 5, or 7 attractions, but I think the all-inclusive one is better value if you make sure you use it wisely. These passes are on Groupon. Always, always check Groupon when traveling!
Our first stop using our Go Las Vegas Pass was Madame Tussauds. This was my second time coming here but just as much fun as the first time. You can pose with all the big-name stars. It’s both crazy and a little unsettling how realistic some of them look! My personal favorite is the Miley Cyrus wrecking ball you can climb on and pose with. They also have a Hangover inspired area and a giant roulette table filled with chips you can lay in!
After an hour of fun posing with our favorite celebrities, we made our way over to Senor Frogs at Treasure Island. Included in the Go Las Vegas Pass is a one-hour open bar here! They give you one of their famous yard cups and you can choose from their extensive list of cocktails. When you’re done, just go up with your cup and choose your next drink. Don’t forget to tip the bartenders!
Once we had a good buzz going, we wanted to go to Caesar’s Palace. We walked out of Treasure Island to find pouring rain. In all the times I’ve been to Vegas, this was the first time I saw it raining this much. So, we hopped on the tram from Treasure Island to the Mirage to help keep us dry a little. When we got to the front of the Mirage it was still pouring. I suggested we just make a run for it, because what harm would a little rain do?! We sprinted to Caesar’s Palace and ended up soaking wet. My husband wasn’t thrilled but I didn’t mind. And you know what, as soon as we walked through the doors of Caesar’s Palace, a club promoter from Omnia walked right up to our group and escorted us inside the club. We quickly walked passed the dry, dressed up people waiting in line and went right inside. I guess that "wet" look is trendy right now.
Once inside Omnia, it was absolutely packed. Honestly, my group wasn’t particularly enjoying the vibes, so we only stayed for about twenty minutes and left. We had been considering a club tour the following night that was included in the Go Las Vegas Pass, but after our group’s Omnia experience we decided it wasn’t for us.
After our very exciting, and wet, first night in Las Vegas, we got an Uber back to our Airbnb. I immediately got ready for bed and fell fast asleep. After a few nights of less than quality sleep, I slept like a baby in the most comfortable bed that I had been in for a while.
We started the next day in typical Vegas fashion with a breakfast buffet. We decided on the Paradise Garden Buffet at the Flamingo. I love this buffet because it’s so unique. It has a giant window where you can watch the flamingos while you eat. I also love this buffet because it has a mixture of food since its specialty is brunch. Feel like eating a pancake with a side of nachos? You can definitely get this here. The world is your oyster at this buffet.
Once we had our filling of brunch food, we hopped on Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus Las Vegas Tour. This was also included in the Go Las Vegas pass and it’s a great way to utilize your time in Las Vegas. The bus tour takes you around all of the main sights, so if you have a short stay in Vegas, definitely consider this tour so you can see everything. We were on a bit of a time crunch because all of the guys wanted to watch the Liverpool football (soccer for us Americans) game. We rode by New York New York, Luxor, and the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign so we were happy with our mini-tour.
Once we got the boys settled in a pub to watch the Liverpool game, the other girl in the group and I went to Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Another tip is to play the app, myVegas. You can earn points by playing games and redeem the points to get discounts and sometimes free attractions, meals, and drinks. I got half off the tickets to the Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat through this app.
I was so amazed by Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. As soon as you walk in, there are two pools where you can look down and see dolphins. You can literally sit on the edge of the pool (don’t put your hands in) and watch the dolphins swim around. There's underwater viewing areas too. The dolphin trainers were out working with the dolphins (even a baby one) while we were there. It was such a neat experience for me because I worked with animals for many years and trained dogs for awhile. I loved seeing how these trainers worked with the dolphins.
After about an hour of staring in awe at the dolphins, we made our way to the secret garden - this is where you could see the tigers, leopards, and lions. This was also a big thrill because I had an internship at a big cat sanctuary a few years ago. No, not one from Tiger King, so don’t even ask. I loved seeing how happy these animals looked. What warmed my heart though was one of the staff members who seemed to be on a break, came out to just look at one of the tigers. She was talking so fondly about the tiger to another staff member. It seems like these animals are very loved.
After my amazing time at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, we met back up with the guys. Once the soccer game was over, we went to the High Roller, another attraction on the Go Las Vegas pass. The basic ride is included but we paid an extra $20 a person to have an open bar. This was my third time on the High Roller but I will go on it every single time I go to Las Vegas. It is my favorite attraction. For 30 minutes, you can see all of Las Vegas and the desert surrounding it. Nothing is better than sipping on a cocktail whilst taking in the unique Vegas landscape.
Once we got off of the High Roller we only had about an hour left until our buffet pass expired. We decided to go to the Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood, which was a first for me. This buffet focuses on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, but also has a little bit of everything else. We were all a little tired at this point so we took our time here, it was nice to have somewhere to sit for a while since we weren’t staying on the strip.
After dinner we crossed the street to watch the water show at Bellagio, always a must-see, and then made our way to the zipline at the Linq Promenade. It took us about an hour to sign our waivers and get our equipment on, but soon enough we were ready to fly. This was my second time on this zipline. The first time, I went with the ‘seated’ position down the zipline and this time I decided to try the ‘superman’ position. I’ll admit ziplines stress me out. I’m the kind of person who worries about dropping like a fly. But the funny thing is though, once I take off I feel so relaxed. One word of warning, if you're prone to headaches like I am, then choose the seated position over the superman position. As soon as I hit the brake, my neck jolted and I immediately got a migraine. We all had a bit of an adrenaline rush for this, but it was late at this point so we went back to our Airbnb for another wonderful night’s sleep.
We woke up on our last day deciding to wrap up everything on our to-do list. We had a later flight, so for convenience we stored our luggage on the strip, using a company called BagBNB. After dropping off our luggage at a restaurant that was partnered with the company, we made our way to Fremont Street. I really enjoy walking around old school Vegas and if you’re looking to eat or gamble it is far more budget-friendly than the strip. They also have a really cool zip line, called SlotZilla, which is underneath a canopy that is always playing a light show. We grabbed a slice of pizza here and walked around.
The very last thing we did was pay a visit to the world-famous, Gold and Silver pawn shop. I’ve never really watched the “Pawn Stars” TV show, but my husband has always wanted to go. It’s about a twenty-minute walk from Fremont Street, so now was the time to go. It was busy as expected and a little touristy but a cool experience.
It was nearly time to wrap up, so we headed back to the strip to pick up our luggage. Thankfully, all of the group had flights around the same time so we got an Uber to the airport and said our goodbyes there.
I always love Las Vegas and if you do it right it can be a relatively cheap destination. We did do some gambling here and there, but for me Vegas isn’t about winning big. It’s a magical oddity of a place, one that admittedly keeps hooking me
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