Everything we did, ate, and wore in Las Vegas (on and off the Las Vegas Strip)
A little known fact about me is that when I was 13 I was obsessed with Las Vegas. Did I know about all the "sin city" aspects? Of course not! All I knew was all the bright lights, fun arcade games, and tons of swimming pools. My dad would watch the World Poker Tour and I got really into it, and actually got pretty good. I even wanted to move to Vegas and be a card dealer for poker. My parents are glad I didn't stay on that path.
But ever since then, I've only been to Vegas a handful of times, and always have a great time. It's also pretty ironic that I love Vegas but don't really participate in the main things it has to offer. I don't drink, I barely gamble, but I do like to go to shows!
For the last 2 years, Sean and I have taken a few trips to Vegas to get away and relax. Because he travels so much for work, we were actually able to get our entire hotel stays for free between Marriott Bonvoy points and a hotel deal off the strip.
Our entire stay was off the Vegas Strip. We spent one night in Lake Las Vegas and the other three in Henderson, NV. But I am happy to recommend some places on the strip! Message me and I'll send you my recommendations.
Where did we stay in Las Vegas?
The first night we stayed at the Westin Lake Las Vegas. It's about a 30 minute drive east from the Vegas Airport. I had never been to the Lake Las Vegas before, but it was a cool change from staying on the Strip. There are two hotels on the Lake - The Hilton and the Westin (owned by Marriott). Since we are a Marriott family, we were able to get a free night stay using our Marriott points. The hotel averages $150+ a night which really isn't bad for a Westin Property. It really doesn't feel like you are in Vegas because this is one of the few hotels in the area that doesn't have a casino. There wasn't too much to do because we happened to visit during the Hurricane Hillary that hit Southern California. But we were able to lay out by the pool for a little bit before the rain started. There is also a little Village about a mile from the hotel that has a bunch of restaurants and shops. When we went it was a little empty because people weren't sure how bad the hurricane was going to be, but it was still fun to check out.
The remaining nights we stayed at the Green Valley Ranch (GVR) in Henderson, NV.
Sean had stayed here previously last year for a work trip, and a few months ago he received a coupon in the mail offering him a 3-night free stay. It was a deal we couldn't pass up. I saw that this is pretty common for the hotels in Vegas. If you stay more than one night at a hotel, get one of the hotel's players' cards and gamble at least $100, you should be asked back to stay for free! Don't quote me on this, but we'll see if we are invited back next year after following these steps!
The Green Valley Ranch is about 10 minutes from the Strip. So it's close enough if you want to go see a show or check out a restaurant, but then you get to leave and go to a more relaxing hotel. And GVR makes it easy that you really don't need to leave, since it has all the same amenities that any other Vegas hotel has to offer. Huge casino floor? Check! Resort style pool? Check! Variety of restaurants? Check!
We were both fine spending the majority of our time just relaxing at the hotel. Our goal was to lay out by the pool, get a tan, and have some good meals (see below). But we did get out to the Strip once to see the most amazing magic show!
Where did we eat and see/ do in Las Vegas?
Lake Las Vegas:
- Sonrisa Grill - I got a taco salad served in a tortilla "bowl." They also had a really good N/A Mango Margarita (basically a mango smoothie).
-Rick's Cafe (at the Westin Hotel) - we got a free breakfast here as part of Sean's Marriott points. They have a whole breakfast buffet with omelet station! We also ate lunch here on the first day. The Asian Chicken Salad was good! The flatbread, not so much.
At Green Valley Ranch:
Bottiglia - We did their Monday Date Night special. It is $65 (per couple) and you get an appetizer, 1 entree each, and a dessert to share. Great deal and delicious food!
Borracha - We were hoping to do their Taco Tuesday special with all-you-can-eat Tacos and Margs, but the tacos were only beef and chicken and there weren't options for non-drinkers. It seems like this deal was for people who wanted mediocre tacos and to just drink.
Pizza Rock - It was almost overwhelming how many pizza choices there were. Imagine a Cheesecake Factory type menu but all pizza. We decided on a pizza that had goat cheese, peppers and pesto on a square pizza dough. It was more like a flatbread than pizza but still good!
On the Strip:
La La Noodle (At Park MGM) - We wanted a small meal before the Magic show were going to see and found La La Noodle. We just got a few appetizers - potstickers and wontons and it was the perfect amount as a snack.
Magician's Study Las Vegas - If you take anything from this blog post - this is it! If you have any small interest in good magic, run, don't walk to this show! I kept hearing how amazing and intimate this show was and I was lucky to find out the secret code to get tickets - Message me if you want the code :)
The show is in a small room at an unknown location until the day of, and only holds about 50 people. If you pay for the VIP tickets in the front row, you WILL be a part of the show! I was happy we just got to watch and not have to participate. The Magician is hilarious too, so you get a comedy and magic show 2-in-1! I cannot recommend it enough!
What did I wear in Las Vegas?
I feel like Denver didn't get much of a Summer this year, so I wanted to be able to wear all my cute sundresses and batting suits! Here's all the outfits (or close to it) and links to everything! The only bad thing about Vegas is that they blast the air conditioning everywhere inside. So I was pretty much bundled with this cardigan I got from H&M that I think I wore daily!
Pink dress (similar) here . I got this dress about 6 years ago from the store Francescas. It's actually a romper with a cape.
Exact sandals here. I wore them the entire trip and they are so cute and comfy!
Exact dress here - It's a great bathing suit cover up or light dress to wear out.
And my favorite hat to travel with is linked here! It folds up so nicely to make it easy to pack away in your luggage.
Black dressy shirt (Similar) here I got this shirt at an online thrift store called Thread Up. The shirt is by Ann Taylor Loft.
If you want to check out Thread Up for yourself - you can get 45% off your order PLUS free shipping! Check it out here
Exact Blue dress . This dress is super flattering and comfy!
This trip to Vegas was just what I needed to get away for a few days and relax!
If you have any suggestions for my inevitable next Vegas trip, let me know!
- Lex
ps. Any links you click on may give me a (super tiny) commission. I'd really appreciate it if you could!
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