3 nights in Las Vegas

Las Vegas was the starting point to our 3 week honeymoon road trip, which would take us into California, down the west coast and finishing in Los Angeles. Las Vegas is quite an experience! To have so many outrageously flamboyant buildings, themed hotels and over the top attractions in the middle of a desert is quite surreal!

Where we stayed

We only had three nights in Las Vegas, the first one being the day we landed, so we had a lot to fit in! We stayed at The Cosmopolitan resort in the centre of the strip and I would really recommend it. Since it was the first stop on our honeymoon, we paid for a Junior Suite – it was actually really good value and much cheaper than some of the other 2 and 3 star hotels we stayed at later on our road trip! I would also recommend to get a hotel with a pool. It gets so hot, you’ll want somewhere to cool off. There’s also lots of pool parties if you want to get involved. The Cosmopolitan had a club with a pool and also a quieter pool for chilling, which is where we spent most of our time!

The Cosmopolitan has several pools plus we had an amazing view of the strip from our balcony!

Of course, Vegas is known for its wild party atmosphere, but it’s worth noting that even if you don’t like gambling and are not a huge party animal, there are still things to do. Here’s my recommendations for a couple of days in this crazy town… all-day parties excluded!

Wander the strip

Honestly, you could spend an entire day just walking the strip, taking in all the sights if it wasn’t so hot! Obviously you are in the desert but it is so easy to forget that, so the heat can sneak up on you. Luckily there are so many hotels you can dip in and out of all along the strip. Every hotel has shops, bars and of course, a casino. Many of the hotels inter-link underground so we found ourselves on a couple of occasions walking into a hotel at one end of the strip, getting consumed by the attractions in it, and then walking out of a completely different hotel half way down the strip!

There’s so much to see just wandering down the strip – night or day!

Shopping

There are so many places to shop in Vegas. Inside every hotel is a shopping mall, housing mostly designer brands, then there are outlets such as the Miracle Mile shops with high street brands and chain fast food restaurants.

Go for Brunch!

Food & drink is a big part of Las Vegas, and it’s not just fast food. There are so many cocktail bars, fine dining restaurants and places for brunch. Whether you choose a ‘liquid brunch’ or something a bit more substantial, there are so many options, including many places inside the hotels. We sat outside on a balcony for brunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and just watched the activity on the strip, which was a great way to soend the morning!

Watch the Fountains at the Bellagio

You can’t visit Las Vegas without stopping to watch the Fountain display at the Bellagio. The fountain display, complete with music and lights, takes place every 30 minutes in the evening and is free of charge to watch from the street.

*The Bellagio Fountains are a must-see in Vegas*

Take a gondola ride in the Venetian

Yes, it’s a bit gimmick-y, but it is Las Vegas after all! The Venetian resort offers both indoor and outdoor gondola rides on its man-made canals. The Grand Canal Shoppes are a great place to wander around by the canals through the ‘cobbled’ walkways and around the 160 designer shops. The Venetian also houses the Madame Tussauds wax museum.

Visit Fremont Street

Located at the end of the strip in downtown Las Vegas, Fremont street is one of the oldest streets in Las Vegas. The Northern Club gambling hall on Fremont street was one of the first casinos to receive one of the state’s 6 gambling licenses back in 1931. There’s definitely plenty of fun characters and unusual outfits down Fremont street and due to it’s ‘free-drinking’ vibe on the street, it is known for being one be street party, with a really fun, lively atmosphere.

Here are some of the best things to do in Fremont Street:

Visit the Neon Museum – this outdoor museum is dedicated to preserving vintage neon lights, many of them from historic downtown casinos
Take a ride on the Slotzilla zipline which launches you from the 12 story ‘slot machine’ tower and flys you above the crowds of Fremont street
Watch the free Viva Vision light show which takes place every hour from 6pm with a light display on the roof and surrounding buildings of Fremont street
Fremont street is the best place to see live music and entertainment for free, so check out the events calendar when you visit

Being typical tourists at Fremont Street!

See a show

There are so many different shows, events and concerts taking place in Las Vegas. With live music, cabarets, sports events, magic shows and circus acts, if you’re budget allows, book ahead to see a show.

Take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a 4 hour drive from downtown Las Vegas and there are many different ways you can see parts of the canyon with various walking, hiking, horseback riding and flying tours.

We booked a helicopter tour which included a ‘champagne brunch’ on the floor of the Grand Canyon. I would really recommend it, the helicopter ride was amazing and the views of both the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam were stunning. I’m really pleased that we opted for one of the packages which stopped on the floor of the Canyon as we were able to get a completely different perspective of the Canyon from the floor which was equally, if not more, impressive.