My recent trip to Vegas was about 4 days and truthfully that’s a little long. Don’t get me wrong, there’s tons of awesome stuff to do but if you’re on a budget hedonistic voyeurism gets a little tiresome. You could probably conquer the oasis in two days, which is great if you’re from the distant city of New York and want to squeeze in some hiking in Zion or take a peek at the Grand Canyon (all day trips).
The guide:
Hop off that plane and get right into a big black shuttle – its only ten minutes to the strip.
Time for grub – the Breeze by the flamingo sanctuary in the Flamingo serves up a yummy French toast and Burgr by Gordon Ramsey (@ Planet Hollywood) has the most divine Parmesan onion rings and chutney burgers. (If your 21 the green tea martini is aces too!)
Explore – Now that you’re fueled go check out the infamous strip. From the fountains at Bellagio (sorry there is no cafe overlooking these – best you can do is the semi-obstructed view at the Paris), the Eiffel Tower, and the shops at Caesar’s you’ll get the idea of what’s on offer in this town.
Shop – the spending fever is pretty hard to avoid here. All the shops are A list but there are some sales. We each picked one item and bought it on sale the last night of our stay (hence Judith Leiber and Pucci tweets – yay 80% off!).
Break – while the weather in Vegas seems to always be next to perfect, it’s exhausting walking around the casinos which are a maze miles long. Head to the Chandelier bar at the Cosmopolitan for young Hollywood glamour and a blackcurrant whiskey or to the Flamingo sanctuary for a bottle of water and some sun.
Buffet – It’s quintessentially Vegas and a good buy, the one at the Bellagio includes sushi!
Casino – gamble and drink to get amped up before dancing (drinks at casinos are free… Just saying).
Head to Tao in the Bellagio to dance with pretty people next to giant stone vats of floating rose petals.
Sleepy time
Vegas isn’t exactly known for their food, just the prices, hop on the monorail and head to the Luxor where you can sit in a pyramid and enjoy a Starbucks (not as amazing as it sounds Luxor needs a little Jonathan Adler love on the inside but I think they’re working in it!).
Now you’re in the perfect place to begin an exploration of the ‘other’ side of the strip. The Tropicana, MGM, and Mirage are all down here. Mirage has beautiful paths and beaches. There is gambling and souvenir shopping.
Dinner – if you want a last night splurge go to Mesa Grill by Bobby Flay in Ceaser’s, the food is always good and ranges from burgers to salmon tar tar nachos.
See a show, another standard Vegas thing to do. All concerts sell out months in advance but you can buy Jubilee showgirls (weird but a conversation starter) or Cirque de Soleil (you need to really like circuses) night of.
Point of interest – get in a cab and head down to the Pawn Stars Shop. It’s too expensive to cab it just for a look but if you’re headed to Freemont you’re halfway there.
Freemont Street Experience – basically an all night block party. If you get dinner here it will also be cheap, this is not on the strip and it’s a $40 rt cab ride. A huge tent puts on a light show, multiple stages hold up bands, and street performers both amaze and terrify. Also home to the Golden Nugget – my fav casino- which has an old Vegas vibe.
Good luck!
M&R 