Full Run Down of our Recent Trip to Las Vegas
We are just back from a 4-night, 5-day trip to the one and only Las Vegas! This was our first-time visiting Vegas, and we just have one thing to say – it was awesome! We knew that it was going to be like something we’ve never seen before, but man were our expectations met and then some! From the minute we stepped off of the plane, we were so overwhelmed (in a good way). There honestly isn’t one thing we didn’t enjoy doing or one meal we didn’t enjoy eating. It was all great. So, for this blog, we are just going to highlight the activities we enjoyed and the restaurants we indulged at.
We will also be posting some short videos and additional pictures highlighting our favorite adventures in Vegas. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
We traveled to Vegas with 2 other couples and thought it would be fun to surprise them with a limo pick-up from the airport. We booked the limo reservation with VIP Limousine. Their communication while booking was top notch. Fast email responses and very helpful. We requested a limo to seat at least 6 people. We were also able to request any beverages that we would like the limo stocked with upon our arrival. They had a list of beverages that we could choose from; they would take care of picking them up and charge you the amount of the requested items, plus a $25 convenience fee.
We ended up having a 2-hour delay from Chicago O’Hare, and our driver Cammie was tracking us along the way, so they were aware of the delay, and we had nothing to worry about. Upon arrival in Vegas, we headed over to the baggage claim, grabbed our bags, and there was Cammie holding our welcome sign. She helped us load our bags and offered us a cold beer. She took some group pictures of us in front of the limo, and we were off to the famous Las Vegas sign. We had requested this additional stop before our hotel.
Our group was staying at the Marriott Grand Chateau, which is just a block off of the main strip. We had a 3 Bedroom Villa booked and it was perfect for our group. We all had our own bedrooms with a bathroom attached to each bedroom. There was also 2 kitchenettes and 2 living room areas, along with a nice dining room table that sat all 6 of us. Our room was located on the 20th floor and offered us a nice view of the Strip. The hotel had 2 pools; one was on the rooftop. We enjoyed the rooftop pool a couple of times. Bar service was also available at this pool, and we were also able to bring our own beverages to the pool.
It seemed like every time we turned a corner there was another site to see or another activity we wanted to do, but there just wasn’t enough time in the day. We did pre-book some of our activities to ensure that we would have a spot or a seat reserved. Others we had planned to check out once we arrived in Vegas and some we just happened to run into while on a walk, and we are certainly glad we did!
The Bellagio Fountains are a MUST SEE during your trip. The Bellagio is located right on the Strip. We have seen the fountains on various movies throughout our lives, but it is nothing compared to seeing them in person! The showtimes run Monday – Friday every 30 minutes from 3:00pm – 6:30pm and every 15 minutes from 7:00pm – midnight. On the weekends the show runs every 30 minutes from noon – 6:30pm and every 15 minutes from 7:00pm – midnight. They have different soundtracks and songs with each fountain show, so each show is unique and different. We saw at least 5 different shows and they never got old! Our favorite had to be the show at midnight with Whitney Houston singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Unbelievable! We’ll post a video of it on our Instagram pag
The Bellagio also had another attraction we had to visit during our recent stay, The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This 14,000 square foot botanical garden is transformed each season into a grand spectacle with inspiring sights, sounds, scents and colors of each season. During our visit, the summer display was on display, “Majesty – The Grandeur of Nature.” It was cool to see with the vibrant colors of flowers, birds, and butterflies, all weaving through the waterfalls and lush green landscape. As we said, they swap out the gardens each season – Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. They also have a special display for the Lunar New Year. It was neat to see and would be curious to see what the other seasons look like.
The High Roller Observation Tower was also on our must visit list. This 550-foot observation wheel is located on the Linq Promenade and happens to be the largest observation wheel in North America. The wheel features 28 spacious cabins, which offer you a complete 360-degree view of the strip as you make the 30-minute rotation. We opted to purchase the High Roller Happy Hour, which puts you in a cabin with a full-service bar and bartender. All the drinks were included in the 30-minute rotation. We were able to consume about 3 beverages while rotating and grabbed one as we were about to exit. The sites of the Strip were unbelievable, and we’d highly recommend checking this out after the sun goes down. Seeing the Strip all lit up from that angle was breathtaking.
The Beatles Love by Cirque de Soleil features thrilling aerial acrobatics, extreme roller skating and trampoline acts, and so much more! The show is set to hit Beatles tunes and is performed on a stage that is set in the middle of the arena with seating all around the stage. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house! The 90-minute show is said to be one of the top shows in Las Vegas. They kept the show moving and there really was something exciting to watch the entire time. It is amazing how many people work to pull a show like this off, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Side note – We did pre-book this show prior to our trip, but we did see employees in various casinos selling tickets for the headliner shows at those locations at discounted prices. Not saying you should take your chances, but if you’re not set on a specific show, you may want to wait until you get to Vegas and see if you can score a deal on a show.
We booked a Las Vegas ATV Dunes Tour through Viator. We were looking for a fun activity to do off the strip and an ATV tour sounded like a blast. The tour was through SunBuggy Fun Rentals. We selected the 8:00am tour with hotel pick-up. The tour guide called us the morning of the tour to give us a heads up and to let us know that he would be at the hotel at 7:50am to pick our group up. From there it was about a 15–20-minute drive to SunBuggy’s facility.
They checked us in, gave us appropriate equipment and gear, and then we watched a safety video. Upon completion of the video, we loaded back onto the van for a short drive to the Las Vegas Recreation Dunes area where we met our tour guide. He gave us a quick rundown of how to operate the ATV and we were off! Our 60-minute tour had us speeding through the twists and turns of the dunes and allowed us to enjoy a view of Vegas that we were not able to enjoy on the Strip. It really was an exhilarating experience! Next time we said we’d try the dune buggies.
Battlefield Vegas is the ultimate shooting range. A member in the group we traveled with set up this activity for everyone. Battlefield Vegas offers a FREE Humvee pick-up at various locations on the Strip, so we arranged for one to pick us up at Planet Hollywood. It was pretty cool to drive down the Strip in a Humvee. Upon arrival, they indicated that we could go explore the outdoor museum of tanks and other war related equipment or head right into the shooting range.
We opted to start outside and take a look at the tanks. It was neat -and we really wanted to climb up in them! After we were done exploring outside, we ventured inside and were greeted by the very knowledgeable staff. We’ll be honest, we don’t know much about guns and shooting ranges, so the employees really helped us select a weapon to shoot in the range. They have over 1,000 different weapon systems to choose from, all at different price points. You can also create your own package if you’d like.
We stumbled upon The Piano Bar at Harrah’s on our final night in Vegas. While we were passing by The Dueling Pianos were playing. Before you knew it, we were hooked and ended up staying for at least an hour. The show was SO entertaining, and the piano players were very talented. It made for a lot of fun as the audience sang along to various well-known hits. The bar area was full, but there was an open concept to the outside area, which is where we found a place to stand.
We overheard the lady in front of us say that there was a little store just a minute or so from the bar that sold tall boy beverages for about $7 each, so we headed down that way to grab a beverage to enjoy during the show. It really was a great way to spend the last night of our trip!
According to their website, they also have Karaoke, Big Elvis, and a Saxophone player. Be sure to check this place out!
Fremont Street, or the “Old Las Vegas” came recommended by several friends who have visited Vegas in the past, as well as from every local we talked to during our visit. Fremont has several stages of live music playing throughout the day, bars, casinos, food options, zip lining, and the Viva Vision Light Show. This place was hopping and had such a fun vibe! We had to grab a cold drink at the D Bar as we strolled the street and we had to put in some money in some of the older casinos slot machines.
We had one person in our group that enjoyed the Superhero Zoomline, which had him ziplining over the street. It looked like a lot of fun, and a neat angle to see Fremont Street. It was also neat to stop and see some of the various street performers they had along the street; really one-of-a-kind. We really could have enjoyed a full day on Fremont, and this will be one of the first stops we make during our next visit.
You really could shop until you dropped in Vegas (and spend all of your money at some of the stores!). During our trip, we enjoyed shopping on the Linq Promenade and Miracle Mile.
The Linq Promenade is an outdoor concept and had Disney Spring vibes, which we loved!
The Miracle Mile was located right by our hotel and had a lot of stores to browse through. This was an indoor shopping area, but the ceiling was painted as the sky, and to be honest, it really did feel like we were in an outdoor strip mall. We found a souvenir shop here and their prices were VERY reasonable.
Both the Linq Promenade and Miracle Mile had a ton of dining options too, which was nice to grab a quick bite while strolling the shops.
We also walked through The Shoppes at Mandalay Place. This was probably our least favorite out of the 3. But be sure to catch the free tram from Excalibur to Luxor to Mandalay Bay. Saves you some waking!
Again, there is SO much to do in Vegas. A few other things that we enjoyed doing were:
1. People Watch – Let’s just say that there are some interesting people out there. We are not ones to judge, but you will see things that you may have never seen before and when the sun goes down, the Strip completely changes.
2. Gamble – If you go to Vegas, you have to put a little money in the slot machines. We put some money in here and there, but no luck winning. We did find some of the old slot machines on Fremont Street that were really neat.
3. Walk the Strip – The Strip is beautiful, especially at night when it is all lit up! Walk and see all of the hotels and casinos. Some of these hotels have the most beautiful lobbies – The Venetian was absolutely gorgeous! Beware though, you may look and think like your destination is just a block away, but 20 minutes later you are still walking. Things are a bit further away than you think!
Quick service, sit down, buffets, and quick eats, Las Vegas has SO many food options to choose from! It seemed like each time we turned the corner or entered a door, we had more and more options to pick from and we were pretty much full of food our entire trip! As you know we love trying delicious food while we travel! Everything we tried was delicious and we would definitely go back to all of these places!
Crack Shack
This was a last-minute lunch find via a quick Google search. It is located near Park MGM. Their website claims that they are not your average restaurant – and this is not your average chicken. They weren’t lying! We ordered the Firebird Sandwich with a side of Mexican Poutine. The sandwich was awesome with a spicy crispy chicken thigh, cool ranch, crispy onions, and pickles, all piled high on a potato roll. The Mexican Poutine was a huge order of shack fries, pollo asado, jalapeño cheese wiz, and cilantro. This order of fries could have easily fed the 4 of us that enjoyed lunch that day. When we visited, they had plenty of indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate their guests.
Gordon Ramsay’s Fish and Chips
Is located on one of our favorite spots, The Linq Promenade. This was the 3rd Gordon Ramsay restaurant that we enjoyed during our stay and once again, Gordon knocked it out the of the park. Their menu consists of fish, shrimp, lobster, chicken, and sausage, along with fries, specialty sauces and a few sweets to end the meal with. We opted for their secret menu item, The G Spot, which is a combo basket of fish, shrimp, and chicken. We also ordered a side of the Dirty #1 fries, which are topped with jalapeno, pork chorizo, cotija cheese, red onion, chives, and parsley. The entire meal was perfection, and you have to try Gordon’s Signature Tartar Sauce – the best!
Dirt Dog
This is a quick spot to stop for a loaded hot dog. When we say loaded, we mean it! We had a hard time picking one off of the menu but landed on the Elote Dog. This hot dog is topped with corn, lime mayo, cotija, chili powder, cilantro, and bacon bits. Oh, and did we mention the hot dog is wrapped in bacon! All of this goodness is piled on a lobster roll. It was probably the most expensive hot dog we have ever eaten but was worth every penny. They had several other loaded hot dog options to choose from as well as some loaded fries, and a couple of desserts. Dirt Dog has several locations around Las Vegas, so be sure to do a quick Google search to find one near you.
Now there were a couple other Quick Eats we had to try – In-N-Out Burger and Taco Bell Cantina.
In-N-Out is known for their hamburgers. With most locations on the West Coast, we have never tried it, so we needed to try this staple while we were able. We ordered the Double Double and shared it, just to say we tried it. The burger was good. I would compare it to a Culver’s burger, which we enjoy from time to time in Wiscsonin.
The Taco Bell Cantina is a two-story hot-spot located just off the famous Las Vegas Strip. It serves up your traditional Taco Bell favorites, with the addition of some shareable appetizers, beer, and boozy freezes. The restaurant also has a VIP Lounge and a DJ Booth. Upon leaving, we all said that we would never look at another Taco Bell the same way again. The food was what you would expect from a Taco Bell, but the environment was a fun upgrade from what we were used to.
You can’t go wrong with nachos, right?! Especially when they are loaded, gourmet nachos! We counted at least 15 different types of gourmet nachos on Nacho Daddy’s menu. We ordered the Thai Chicken Nachos and the Filet Mignon Nachos. Not much to say, except they were great! The Thai Chicken had a good kick to them, but we do love the added spice. Nacho Daddy also serves up fajitas, burritos, tacos, and enchiladas, along with their wide selection of flavored margaritas, and their world-famous scorpion shot. We opted out of any alcoholic beverages here just due to the fact that we had had a few prior to going out, otherwise the margaritas would have been a great addition to our meal.
Gordon Ramsay Burger was not originally on the list of restaurants that we wanted to try, but after walking past it in Planet Hollywood, we decided we needed to add it to our list. We went shortly after noon and we did not have any issues getting a seat right away for our party of 6. Now, there were other times we walked past and there was a good amount of people waiting to be seated, so you might want to look into reservations.
We ordered the Hell’s Kitchen Burger, which is topped with asadero cheese, roasted jalapeños, avocado, roasted tomatoes, and jalapeno aioli, and the 24 Hour Burger, which is braised short rib, BBQ sauce, white cheddar cheese, brown sugar bacon, arugula, vinaigrette, and pickled shallots. Both burgers were juicy and cooked to the medium temp we requested. We also split an order of the Truffle Parmesan Fries. These fries were by far the best fries we have tasted, and we could have drank the truffle aioli with a straw – it was that good! The food was outstanding, and we were excited to see a location close to home in Chicago. We will be visiting soon!
While in Vegas, we had to try at least one buffet. We had been seeing mixed reviews about the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace online before our visit, but we went in with an open mind and positive attitude. We did make reservations for the buffet about a month and half prior to our trip. Upon walking into the buffet, we were overwhelmed by all of the options! According to their website, they have more than 500 different dishes prepared on a daily basis. We enjoyed endless options from the 9 serving stations, including America, sushi, carving, Mediterranean, Latin, Middle Eastern, Charcuterie, seafood, and Asian.
By the time we got to the seafood section, we were so full, we unfortunately had to pass on the crab legs. The dessert station was also loaded with endless options to satisfy that sweet tooth. By the time we were done eating, we were all uncomfortably full. Yes, we could have stopped ourselves, but at $80 per person, we felt like we had to eat your money’s worth. We will say all the food was outstanding and the service was wonderful, but it may be hard for some to bite the bullet and spend that much money on a meal. We are happy we gave it a try and would recommend it.
Now, we have to give Hell’s Kitchen their own section because this was the best meal that we had the entire trip! Steven is a huge Gordon Ramsay fan so we knew when we were booking our trip to Vegas this was a must stop for us. We booked our reservations about a month and half before our trip. We were looking for a dinner reservation, but they were already full, so a lunch time reservation was made. If you plan to reserve a table at Hell’s Kitchen, do it sooner than later to ensure you have a seat.
We were seated at our table upon arrival and were presented with the drink and lunch menu options. We knew we had to order the Smoke on the Blvd, which is an old fashioned served in a cherry-wood smoked-filled glass cabinet. As you open the glass cabinet, the smoke is released. What a presentation! And it was also delicious.
We had looked at the menu prior to our arrival, and based on the TV show, we knew what Gordon was known for. We ordered from the Prix Fixe Menu. It came with the Pan-Seared Scallops, Beef Wellington, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. We also ordered the Lobster Risotto. You guys, this food was on another level and was outstanding! This was our first-time having risotto and the bar has been set so high now for future risottos. It was so flavorful and the lobster on top was just amazing. We’ve seen them cook the Beef Wellington over and over on Hell’s Kitchen and Gordon expects them to be cooked to the perfect temp. The Beef Wellington was just as you see it on the TV show. Medium filet wrapped in a golden-brown pastry. Unbelievable! Gordon’s signature Sticky Toffee Pudding was also amazing. We should have ordered 2!
Our experience at Hell’s Kitchen exceeded our expectations. The food and the service were beyond exceptional. Yes, it was the most expensive meal we ate all week, but it was totally worth it! Can’t wait to go back.
We have a brief video of our visit to Hell’s Kitchen on our Instagram page.
What’s Vegas without a drink in your hand?! We did stock up on some cold beverages at the Walgreens and Target that was near our hotel so we weren’t spending a ton of money at the bars, but we knew that we’d have to try some specialty cocktails during our trip. One thing that we really enjoyed about Vegas was that you were able to carry a cold beverage as you walked the street and weaved your way in and out of the casinos and hotels. It made it seem like all of the walking we were doing went a lot faster than it actually was!
One drink that was at the top of our list before our plane took off was the Frozen Baileys at O’Sheas. We followed a Vegas Facebook Group and everyone in that group raved about how good the Frozen Baileys was. We did make several stops to enjoy the frozen drink. The drink had a consistency of a milkshake, with the added benefits of a cocktail. It was tasty and perfect on the hot Vegas days. Now we just need to figure out how to replicate this drink at home! O’Sheas is an Irish Pub located on the Linq Promenade.
Lisa Vanderpump, known for her appearances on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has a new restaurant in Vegas, Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, which is located in Caesar’s Palace. The ladies in our group wanted to make a quick stop here for a glass of Lisa’s famous Rose. They also offer small bites to eat and enjoy with your glass of wine or specialty cocktail, but we opted out of any bites to eat. The overall atmosphere at Vanderpump was beautiful and the ladies said the wine was good, just a little pricey.
We found the D Bar while we were enjoying our time listening to the live music on Fremont Street. They served up frozen and handcrafted cocktails. We opted for the Vegas Tea, which came recommended by the bartender. Now, this drink was delicious and contained a decent amount of booze. We can’t seem to remember what was all in it. We’ll speak from experience and say that they can sneak up on you pretty quick!
We’ve heard several people say that Vegas is different every time you visit. After our first time visiting, we cannot wait to go back for all of the sights, sounds, and food! We packed so much into our trip, but barley felt like we saw anything! Anything we missed that you have to see every time you go for a visit? We can’t wait to go back and explore more of what Vegas has to offer.
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