A Whirlwind Weekend in Las Vegas-A Guide

I can’t tell you how much I wanted the header image for this post to be a picture of me with my hands in the air in front of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, but with so much to fit in to our 4 day trip, that was one of the things that dropped off the bottom of our to do list just like the Neon Museum and my mission to find a fire truck for insta shots. However, I did manage to take some shots at the super glam rooftop pool of our hotel.

Can we just take a minute to talk about this stunning kaftan? Miss Tunica kindly sent me their crystal white Maya Tunic for my trip and it’s the perfect amount of glam for a Vegas pool party. This is the perfect tunic as you are covered up but the material is sheer so perfect for the desert heat. Miss Tunica is a Swedish brand and all of their tunics are handmade with stunning sequin embellishments. Perfect if you like all that glitters. They retail for around £60. I think I’ll be stocking up on a few brighter designs (they do the most amazing lilac one) for my trip to Tenerife in February.

I’ve always wanted to write a mini Las Vegas guide but the city changes so fast that most guides become irrelevant pretty quickly but I thought I’d share a few highlights from our trip regardless.

Where we stayed…

We stayed at the W Hotel for the first time (last time we stayed at the Aria) and it was the perfect choice. It’s boutique-ey and everywhere you look there’s super cute things to instagram. The striped cabanas, the glittery walls, the room decor and the rooftop pool. Oh and it’s connected to the SLS hotel which has its own pizzeria.

I’ve never been to Vegas in November before but I’m a huge fan of 26 degree temperatures and while it was quieter than usual, it was nice to lounge by the pool without feeling overcrowded. It’s right down at one end of the strip near the Stratosphere but perfect during the off season as without pool parties to go to, you can afford to be away from the hustle and bustle. It really has everything you could ever need, a spa, a gym, 2 pools and lots of restaurants and cocktail bars.

How we got there…

We found super cheap flights with Thomas Cook for around £470 direct from Manchester. If I’ve learned anything from travelling to Vegas, it’s get a direct flight. I repeat, ALWAYS get a direct flight. I think the reason these flights were fairly reasonable in price is due to the outbound flight being an Air Tanker plane which means you have to download an App if you want to watch TV. It’s just as nightmarish as it sounds and I didn’t manage to work it but luckily it was a night flight so I managed to sleep most of the way. Here’s a tip, if you do travel on the Air Tanker service, download lots of Netflix shows to your phone for the flight.

What we did…

The thing I love about Vegas is you can spend as little or as much as you want. If you have cash to splash, drink Cristal at a fancy Bellagio Brunch, if you don’t, take advantage of the free casino drinks while you play on the slots. We managed to pack lots and lots in to our four days in sin city including a trip to see the Queen herself (Britney obvs). On the day we flew in, we hopped in a taxi, checked in, ordered 2 champagne mojitos and had a nap before getting ready to explore the strip. We went to Drais nightclub on Thursday night but it was really quiet so we casino hopped and kept it fairly low key. The Friday was spent wandering the strip, stopping at the Cupcake ATM, sipping yard long drinks and having mimosas under the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel. Vegas is one of the few places where you can drink while walking down the street so grab a yard long drink as you stroll down the strip. We shopped at Sephora (not to be done after 5 mimosas) and went to Maggianos for lunch at the Fashion Mall, tried on too many sparkly dresses in Forever 21 and made a wish in the fountain. Friday night we saw Britney live in concert, (when I say live, she mimed the whole thing) and the production was amazing. Saturday we relaxed by the pool for most of the day and then went to Hakkasan at the MGM. Steve Aoki was djing and it was INCREDIBLE. We ended the night in our hotel’s 24 hour diner. At this point, I want to issue a public apology to the person who we sat next to. It is never acceptable to eat someone else’s grilled cheese sandwich. It was a moment we are not proud of.

What we loved…

This is my 4th trip to Vegas so I thought I’d leave a little list of amazing things to do and see should you be visiting soon:

1. Check out the mardi gras bead drop at the RIO (and if you like naked men see the Chippendales if you venture here)
2. Try the rollercoaster at the top of the Stratosphere
3. Get Britney/J Lo/Celine Dion tickets (my granny side taking over here)
4. Spa at the Aria
5. Dance the night away at Hakkasan at the MGM (even if you aren’t a club person this is not to be missed)
6. Swing by the Welcome to Las Vegas sign
7. Get a Yard Long Drink
8. Buy all the clay masks in Sephora
9. Champagne Mojitos in the W bar
10. The Botanical Garden at the Bellagio
11. Watch the fountain display while you are here
12. Place a bet or three
13. Hop on the High Roller (get a happy hour ticket especially if you are scared of heights)
14. Tour the neon museum
15. Get a blow dry at Miracle Mile
16. Shop in Ceasers
17. Check out Seven Magic Mountains (off strip)
18. Cocktails at the Cosmopolitan

Other hotels I would recommend if you want to be more in the thick of it:

The Aria/The Vdara 

Tips and Tricks:

Getting around: The cheapest way to get around the city is on foot but the hotels are actually miles apart and while they might look close, trust me and the 234785 steps on my pedometer, they are not. If you are visiting in the summer, it is just waaaaaaay too hot to be walking a short marathon every day so the second cheapest way to hotel hop around the strip is the monorail. You can get a $10 day pass that allows you to take unlimited trips. Loaded? Get taxis/limos but you might have to sit in traffic.

Don’t forget about resort fees: All hotels on the strip charge a daily resort fee. The more expensive the hotel, the more expensive the resort fee. Staying somewhere fancy like the Aria will set you back $39 dollars per day while a cheaper hotel like Tropicana will be more like $25. Resort fees are added on at the end of your stay so save a hundred dollars or so for this.

Stay on the strip: You might think staying off the strip will save you money but you will just spend any savings you made on Taxis getting to and from the strip. You won’t save much and you won’t benefit from an authentic Las Vegas experience. It’s all about the fun hotels. If you like fancy/posh opt for Bellagio/Wynn/Aria/Vdara/, trendy go for Cosmopolitan/The palms or if you prefer 100% glitz/lights/costumes/lookalikes/Pirates head to Treasure Island/Ballys/Flamingo/Paris/Circus Circus/Luxor etc.

Downtown is not for the fainthearted: Yes it’s home to the biggest souvenir shop in the world Glitter Gultch and the world famous Golden Nugget hotel but even my inner magpie could not tempt me back to Downtown Vegas. Now, it has changed and been revamped since i went and I’m glad I’ve seen it but for me it wasn’t worth another visit. However, many argue that you haven’t experienced Vegas unless you’ve taken a trip to Freemont Street, but for me it’s busy to the point of overwhelming and on the whole a little scary. Do some research to see if it’s your cup of tea.

Never pay full price for show tickets: There’s a booth somewhere near Ballys that gives you 40% off show tickets.

Have you been to Vegas?