It's been 4 months since Jamaica and we are excited to share our newest adventure! We went to Las Vegas for Jeff's birthday. He had 2 COVID lockdown birthdays and it was time to celebrate in style! 🎉
They say 'What Happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". That's true, except for our blog… we’ll give you all the info!
Using a flight credit from our Mar 2020 NYC trip that was cancelled due to COVID, we fly to Vegas for the weekend, staying Fri-Tues. Currently, you need to have a negative antigen test to travel to the US and masks are still required on the plane and in airports. We got our antigen test at Walmart for $20 each and had the results in 15 mins. 🙌🏻
We spent the first 2 days exploring the strip and the next 2 days driving around in a sweet Mustang GT exploring outside of Vegas. We went to The Skywalk at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and the Seven Magic Mountains. Can't wait to tell you all about it! But, first ... the Las Vegas Strip!
❗TIP - to book tours in advance, in Canadian $, click this link to my personal Viator page.
The Strip is over 4 miles long and incomprehensibly huge! The hotels are massive and even though it looks like it's close to the next hotel, it's not. There are lots of escalators to walkways over the roads. But, a lot of them weren't working and climbed MANY stairs. We logged more than 80,000 steps over 4 days. I highly recommend that you bring your most comfortable shoes, even if they aren't the nicest looking. Your feet will thank you! I had to buy a pair of flip-flops because the pair of sandals I was wearing caused a blister our 1st night. And, my feet still hurt days later.
❗TIP - when it's hot, drink lots of water & a drink with electrolytes, like Gatorade.
Getting Around ...
The Monorail goes from MGM to The Sahara with trains arriving every 4-8 minutes between 7 am and midnight (2 am on weekends). It's less expensive than taking a taxi. There's lots of traffic on The Strip and Fri/Sat nights are very busy.
Plus, there are three free trams operating between Mandalay Bay and Treasure Island that help you stay off your feet and still enjoy the majority of Las Vegas Blvd.
It's worth walking from hotel to hotel, taking it all in. But, if you can only see 1 hotel, it has to be Bellagio! They have an amazing lobby, stunning botanical gardens and The Fountains of Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.
Lobby & Fountain in front of the hotel
'Each season, the enormously talented Horticulture and Engineering teams transform the 14,000-square-foot Botanical Garden into a showcase of inspiring sights, sounds, scents and colours. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter are all featured—along with a special display for Lunar New Year. When the seasons change so do the displays'. The current display is called Flights of Fantasy, through May 14.
Butterfly Display
Bellagio's also has a floral butterfly display in their Via Bellagio (closest to the walkway from Bally's)
The most famous part of Bellagio is The Fountains with daily shows from 3 pm to midnight -> schedule
Probably, the next most exciting 'show' on the strip is The Volcano @ The Mirage.
The Volcano fires on the hour at 7 pm, 8 pm, 9 pm, 10 pm and 11 pm to a soundtrack from The Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart & Indian tabla sensation Zakir Hussain.
Disclaimer: shows are subject to cancellation due to high winds. And, unfortunately, this happened on the night we went to watch. They tried to start the show 2 times but had to cancel.
Flamingo's at The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat (free) 🦩 Mon-Sun: 7 am-8 pm
'an idyllic escape from the buzz of Las Vegas. Roam the peaceful & relaxing four-acre gardens, complete with meandering streams, waterfalls, exotic birds, turtles and fish.' Make sure to say hi to the pelican who likes to hang out at the window.
Misc pics from The Strip: MGM, New York New York, Paris, Treasure Island, The Venetian & Mirage
There's so much to see and do! Make a list of the attractions that you want to see the most and save the rest for your next trip.
18 Best Las Vegas Hotel Attractions -> check out the list
Coming Soon... where we ate, Fremont St./Downtown Las Vegas and our day trip to The Skywalk at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, including Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.
We hope this inspires you to go out and explore!
Until next time, Diana & Jeffy #adventureswithDianaandJeff
** All images posted are copyrighted by Diana Johnson-Santos **