Viva Las Vegas 🇺🇸❤️

Viva Las Vegas.. Literally an adult playground! I don't even know where to start? 

One of the best weeks of my life wouldn't even do Las Vegas justice, it's just out of this world. Sin City is a must! 

I chose Las Vegas as a destination for my partners 30th. As it was a milestone birthday and we love to travel, and with it being on our bucket list I took it upon myself to book a trip of a lifetime and keep it a secret for a long 4 months!

Once the secret was revealed the excitement was high.. We were like kids at Christmas watching Movies and Documentaries on Las Vegas and ways to win against the dealer in the casinos, where to go and what to wear, the weather.. Everything! We couldn't settle! The hangover was on on the flight and we watched it four times! Not joking either!

*Where to book?

Personally, as I was paying to take my partner for his special birthday I obviously had the expense of his flights and hotel and my own, and my spending money. So I had a budget!
I planned ahead from last summer keeping an eye out on offers through travel agents and online Facebook offers! I emailed a few travel agents directly and looked on online package holiday websites. The local travel agents seemed great, offering direct debits and throwing in free travel insurance but 'lastminute.com' really was the best option! I saved nearly £400 booking through them! I saved before hand and booked once I had the full amount. If that's something you could do it is worth it, it gives you the extra money for spending when you get there and trust me you need it! We flew with American Airlines and the flight food was actually nice and the movie selection was great too! Flight was comfortable and great staff.

I also am signed up to 'Quidco' which got me £80 back in cash back on my holiday and works through lots of different websites!

I kept my options open in flying out of Dublin/Belfast/Gatwick and Dublin was the handiest and cheapest with parking for a week only costing 28 Euro.

Keep in mind your Esta.. (USA holiday Visa) it costs £14 each and clears within 72 hours unless you are on Donald Trumps hit list.

Getting from the airport is extremely cheap you basically land on the strip. We shared with a random couple who happened to be staying at our hotel and split the price!

*How long should I go for?

First timers - a week for sure. There is so so much to see and do! We wore our fit bits and walked over 14 miles a day! You also need to take in the travel time, the flight is long and adapting to the time difference which was 7 hours takes a day or so. If you've been before and done activities then yes 5 days would be a good amount of time there also. We were there a week and didn't even get time to sunbathe once. Our hotel was that massive that we only found the pool on the last day! It is also the kind of place you could go with any age group, guys or girls. It's just an adult playground!

*Where to stay?

This all depends on your budget. Mine was a little tighter paying for the trip myself but I also didn't want to bring someone all the way to Vegas and stay in a crap hotel. I picked the Luxor. It's one of the MGM hotels. It's the pyramid one. Compared to what we are used to with hotels here in the UK it was only 3* but it was amazing! Buzzing with people, had its own food court, Starbucks, a theatre where they held big shows, the architecture was class. It was also very reasonable. Location wise we were happy enough.. It's towards the end of the strip but it's close to the MGM and you are five minutes from all the hustle and bustle!

One tip to keep in mind though is the resort fees, all of the hotels charge you a resort fee and state tax once you check in. It is also mandatory. It is for use of the facilities and the WiFi. It was 300 dollars on check in for our resort fees and that was on top of the hotel room! So always bring extra money for that!

*What to do?

Flip me.. What not to do! There is just far too much! We got a couple of the Las Vegas travel guides given to us before we went and we joined the Las Vegas Facebook group/forum and sussed out what was to be on our agenda.

The first day or so we literally spent it walking around and finding our whereabouts! The place is incredible. The buildings are enormous and the strip was never ending. To get across the street you had to go through hotels and over bridges, it's insane! There are actual escalators on the strip lol!

We would definitely recommend from our own experiences there..

- The Range Shooting.
There are lots of different shooting companies but we came across this one in our hotel concierge. It was very reasonably priced. I shot 3 guns for 49 dollars! My other half shot 4 including a fire arm for 99 dollars. We got picked up and dropped off to the strip for free and free tshirts! It was indoor which was good but if we went back we would try outdoor.

- Pool Party
Flip there are day time pool parties and night time ones, all different djs and appearances but we picked David Guetta at the encore.. as it fitted into our schedule! It was a brilliant day. Really worth it. If I could suggest finding someone on the strip to get you on guest list definitely do it. It was 100 dollars a person entry but I ended up getting in free. It was also 26 dollars for a vodka and tonic and 14 dollars for a small tin of cider! It's so expensive. Cabanas are 5k so make rich friends like we did lol.

- Road Trip
This was our main activity on the agenda. We rented a gorge white mustang for 149 dollars for the day. Gas was so cheap.. 30 dollars did the tank! And that mustang was a flying machine. We also upgraded 16 dollars for the sat nav. Totally worth it.
We took the car to see hoover Dam and the grand canyon. And Walmart lol. If you drive I definitely recommend it. Some of the tour guides really do rip you off and your stuck on a bus on a time schedule. Renting a car you can stop off for food and do your own thing.

Hoover Dam is free entry and you can park up for free also. The grand canyon is a bit pricey though with 50 dollars each to enter and then your tour on top of that which is 3 hours long. It is worth it to see though but give yourself the whole day at it!
It's great to see the wee towns in Arizona on the way and we stopped into a diner in Boulder and had the best dirty cheeseburger ever for a quarter of the price of the strip. We also stopped at a dollar store and got some candy and treats for the last few days of the holiday for dimes!

-Coca Cola World
Not being biased haha, but this place was cool. I even got a cuddle off the Coca cola bear I see every Xmas on TV! You can also try different Coca cola drinks from all around the world. You can get everything with coke branding and it is really reasonable! The mnm world is also good and is Hersheys!

-The Bellagio Fountains
They are on every half an hour and are incredible. Worth seeing at night time and in daylight!

-Shopping
There are literally like 7 Malls. We hit the outlets first which had all the big brands. If I'm being honest with the rubbish exchange rate it wasn't that any cheaper than shopping at home. Disappointing. There's also the likes of the Mall at the Mirage/Ceasars which has Prada and all the big designer names I just couldn't afford lol along with Abercrombie etc. The ceiling was like a sunset sky. It was amazing. It also has the gondola which links into the Venitian and we seen Drake there in Rolex lol. There is the Mile High Mall which is in the Cosmopolitan hotel it is a mile long and has everything in it! It's class! And the fashion show mall is worth a go with forever 21 and most high street brands. If shopping is what your going for bring lots of money. There are shops everywhere. There was a sephora at every corner!! Lush!

-Down Town Las Vegas
Definitely somewhere to go and visit. We hopped on the bus it was 6 dollars for a day pass and 24 for a weeks pass. Downtown is the original Las Vegas, you see the likes of the Golden Nugget Hotel which is in the hangover and the Zip Line is down there also. It's a little bit cheaper for drinks and food and they have concerts on the street. They have all the big pawn shops down there too which are pretty cool. Just be careful of your surroundings as it is a little crazy down there for sure!

-Las Vegas Sign
We didn't make it down at day time it is quite a walk but we went at night and it is class. There is a lady standing with a torch thing and she kept trying to sell it to us for our pictures but our own photos on our phones were crap. When she used her torch they were brilliant you could see the sign so clearly. We tipped her a few bucks.

- A night club.
We hit 1Oak. Most definitely because it was a Scott Disicks birthday partyyy! Do not listen to the club promoters on the strip trying to get you to sign up and pay in advance for club tours. They are ripping you off. Make friends with the individual club reps on the street and get them on WhatsApp and they get you on the guest list. We saved 40 dollars each in the club and got us a free drink each.
Bare in mind clubs are expensive. It was 26 dollars for a vodka and tonic. It's extortionate. We as per usual made rich friends who gave us drink from their bottle but if it wasn't for them we would have drank water as the prices they charge are wild! But we met Scott Disick so we were happy! Hakassan in MGM is one of the most popular ones to head to.

*Where to eat?

Our first meal I think was one of our favourites, we hit Dennys for breakfast. Queued out the door but we put our name down and hung out with our friend Alan from the hangover for a bit until we had a table. The food was great, fast and proper American portions. Their hash browns are shredded and I crave them all the time since coming home :(

We also hit In-n-Out burger.. yum! Too good! Queued out the door but yep defo worth it!

Round the corner from there was a Gordon Ramsays fish and chips shop and the fish was AMAZING.

We also had a big giant burger in Ketchup Burger Bar in the Mall.. I couldn't even eat it all!

We had a Mexican meal in Tacos and Tequila in our hotel. It was class. Best Mexican ever! Margaritas weren't bad either!

The best meal of the whole trip was The Cheesecake Factory in Ceasars Mall. INCREDIBLE!! The menu is enormous and the cheesecake is to die for. Literally would fly out to America for their mashed potato alone!

Those were the places that stick in my mind.

We literally ate fast food the whole holiday haha. You are constantly on the go eating donuts and milkshakes and trying the American treats and candy! Everywhere is basically 24 hours.

*What to pack?

Comfy shoes. No joke!
Bags with straps.
Wee dresses/skirts that are comfy. Denim shorts are nott the one in the heat.
Dress up properly for clubs and men cannot wear trainers, shorts, or short sleeved shirts to clubs they won't get in.

*Best Casinos?

Our favourite Casino was in the Excalibur. It was linked to our hotel but had a nice crowd and smelt amazing lol. They pump in scents and cold air to keep you awake! We gambled a little in the luxor but we always got lucky in the Excalibur and met nice people. Quite a few from NI surprisingly. For those who don't know much about gambling, Roulette and blackjack would be the best to play and it's easy to grasp. Slot machines are a waste of money. Rigged to the gills.

Those who are into their cards and gambling, we found Single Deck blackjack which has better odds in Down Town Las Vegas El Cortez and in Hooters on the strip. Hooters also gives you single dollar bets which is good if you don't want to spend much gambling!

Any further up the strip to the flashy casinos it is full of swanky rich people and the atmosphere just isn't the same. The minimum bets are also higher.

*Prices for food/drink?

Give yourself between 60-80 each for food and drinks. That's not INCL if you head to a club. Most lunches are about 15 dollars. Even the burger bars are around 12. Dinner is average 25 a meal. It does all add up. It's las Vegas after all.. Set up to spend money! You also have to tip 15% on top of your bill which adds an extra cost every time. Eating in fast food places meant you didn't have to tip as there was no table service. Also keep in mind tax is added on at the till/time of bill and not included on the menu pricing.

Average drink is about 10/12 dollars in a restaurant and over 20 dollars in a club. It's crazy prices. We got a bottle of gin in Walmart and had a few drinks in the hotel and then played in the casino a bit before we went on out and you get free drinks while you gamble. You just tip the waiter. A dollar is usually fine each time. It's no joke 4 dollars for a bottle of water, so best to drink as much in the casinos. We put in 500 each for food, drinks and activities between us and we actually made it last to the last day without even trying! We just shopped about and didn't get ripped off.

*Trip Tips

-Bring ID EVERYWHERE. You have to be over 21 to drink legally in America and in the casinos they ID you every time.
-Comfy shoes. For the amount you walk you 100% need comfy shoes. Trainers are the best idea.
-Keep your belongings close. Theft is high. I unfortunately had my bag stolen with my money and phone in it in a casino in downtown Las Vegas, even though it was beside my feet it was still stolen. I was heartbroken. Definitely a learning curve. Do not set your stuff down!! Vegas isn't all glam and glitzy it does have its gangs and crime side too.
- Cash out if you are on a roll!
- Make it a must do trip!! Save and make it happen!

As much as it's an expensive holiday it is worth it and we would go back again in a heartbeat. The week we were there flew in! We had the best time and made amazing memories and got amazing pictures! It is a completely different world, I could tell you what I thought until I am blue in the face but you really need to experience it for yourself :)

Apologies this was a lengthy one! And if you are shooting off to Vegas.. Lucky duck!

Lanadelrich xo