Your 4/5 Day Itinerary for a Long Weekend in Vegas Vegas, Nevada

Is Sin City Calling you? Although Las Vegas is technically closed / inaccessible for most of us right now it is a place one must visit and embrace at least once in their lifetime and I am sure is on most people’s bucket list. For those of us Europe based this is a 7-hour (give or take) flight - so a commitment in itself. Vegas is a place for all celebratory occasions, Hen weekends, Stag Weekends, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, Graduations – you name it any excuse to get to Vegas. I went on a 4-day trip with a few of my girlfriends for our 30th Birthdays over 4th July weekend last summer (yes we were Vegas Virgins it was a first time for all of us) and this trip really blew all expectations of out the water. Be prepared for a weekend filled of debauchery and indulgence on every level, Hangover style…

As we were quite tied for time we really did pack a lot into this little mini break and I needed about a month to recover when I got back to London but whatever occasion you are planning I hope get a few useful take always from this itinerary!

TOP TIP: LAYER ON THE SUN CREAM AND STAY HYDRATED. Pack some eye drops too – and an electric hand-held fan, they might come in handy, you are going to the desert after all.

Accommodation / Where to Stay

OK, so we wanted to base ourselves on the main Las Vegas Strip to be in the middle of all the action. There are of course many options from the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, the Venetion Hotel and the infamous Bellagio hotel to chose from, but we opted to stay in the newest kid in town – The Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, and I am so glad we made this decision – it is perfectly located in the heart of the strip beside the Bellagio hotel and overlooking the infamous Bellagio Fountains and has everything you would want from a Las Vegas Hotel including A Casino, Multiple Swimming Pools, Top Notch Cuisine and Air Con! The Cosmo ticked all the boxes for us – slick, clean and sophisticated I would highly recommended it and also caters for absolutely everyone.

Day 1: Arrival, check-in and exploring our new Home

We arrived late afternoon at the hotel for check in and wanted to explore the hotel and Casino straight away there was so much to do and see contained within each hotel complex (they are designed like that to keep us spending our money in their establishment and there is so much choice you wont want to leave). On the day of our arrival – it was the 4th of July – we had planned it like this so we would be in time for the big Independence Day Celebrations. We went straight to our room – admired the view over the Bellagio fountains, freshened up (after the long flight) and put on our best red and blue gear in full glam and hit the Casino. After a couple of hours of playing Black Jack, sinking copious amounts of cocktails and having no idea what we were doing, we went to the delightful Beauty & Essex Restaurant for Dinner (and more cocktails). Make sure you book in advance! I love this restaurant, we went to the one in New York for my birthday a couple of years prior – it’s a real fun and chic restaurant and the food is delicious!

After dinner we wanted to keep the party going so we went back to the hotel room to avail of our balcony and we watched the 4th July Fireworks across the strip with some champagne. It was the perfect first day in Vegas – following which we went back to the casino to try our luck at winning some more dolla before eventually retiring to bed at the early hour (be wary of time – this place is like a time warp – the hours just disappear and days roll into nights and nights roll into days!) you’ve been warned!

Day 2: Pool Party & (more) Indulgent Dining

Aside from the fact that you are in the desert and its summer – you cannot go to Las Vegas without going to their raucous pool parties ! We had a late brunch (at the all you can eat hotel buffet) after our indulgent night prior and got back in our bikinis and glam for the 4th July weekend pool party at Wet Republic at the AGM Grand. We made sure we had pre-booked a cabana to get out of the sun – have table service and poolside access. I would highly recommend clubbing together with a few mates and getting a cabana or bed with covers as it is a long day in the sun boozing and you will need some rest bite. It probably didn’t help that we were hungover – I stayed in the shade for the most part and had a little plunge in the pool and a dance when the notion took me. Such a great day. Cannot wait to get back !

After the pool party and the day in the sun, we went back to the hotel for a little freshen up and quick power nap and then headed over to Hakkasan Restaurant at the MGM Grand Hotel for some Asian Infused Indulgence – and guess what – more cocktails! Again – a table at Hakkasan is highly sought after so we had booked a few weeks out in advance. We then proceed to check out the Casino at the AGM. It was a long day so we retired fairly early (by Vegas standards) back to our hotel. Oh and then we went to a penthouse party in our hotel with some Aussie guys we had met at the pool party and they were musicians so we had a private serenading party – and then we went to bed!

Day 3: Explore the Strip and Iconic Vegas Hotels and Landmarks + See a Show

We decided to take a chilled morning at the hotel – grabbing breakie at the Egg Slut (Highly recommended) and then chilling by one of the main pools at the hotel. We stayed here for lunch whilst having more cocktails then freshened up and headed out onto the strip for the afternoon. It was about 1000 degrees so you dint want to spend too much time outside – more so exploring the other hotels on the strip with the delightful Air con. Make sure you visit the stunning Venetian hotel and admire the gondolas and opulent décor. Inside, St. Mark’s Square is replicated complete with gelato stands under a perpetually sunny sky in Italian-inspired gardens. You can spend some time here in lavish comfort. We were out for the evening now, I would highly recommend booking into see a show at the infamous “O” Theatre at the Bellagio hotel – the home of Cirque du Soleil’s most inventive Las Vegas show.

Day 4: last Night on the Strip – Make it Count

Another luxurious morning of brunching and pool time, we were all broken by now so decided a relaxing pool day was just what we needed before putting our glad rags on for our last night in sin city! We decided to dine in our hotel and went to Rose.Rabbit.Lie for a nice change of scenery and alternative dining experience and cocktails. We went all out on our last day dressing up in black and Gold and hitting the strip hard - Casino after Casino, Cocktail after Cocktail before ending up at Omnia Night Club in Caesar’s Palace for resident DJ Calvin Harris.

Day 5: Lazy Pool day, Brunch and depart

Vegans done – we had an afternoon flight to catch back to London so were grateful or the late check out which meant we could have one final indulgent breakfast at the hotel and soak up the rays at the pool before making the journey home – KG's heavier and wallets lighter. Vegas Done!

If you have more time…

If we had went for the week in Vegas I would have loved the opportunity to include the following in our itinerary. If you do have the little bit for extra time when in Nevada, make sure you check out:

The Hoover Dam – this amazing feat of engineering is only 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, or 45 minutes by road, near the Arizona–Nevada border. I am regretful that we didn’t build this into our itinerary initially but I will come back!

The Grand Canyon - The Grand Canyon is located about 250 miles from the Las Vegas strip so you really would need at least 1.5 days to get there (4.5 hour road trip each way) unless you opted for the helicopter tour. I would love to see this natural wonder one day soon.

#Vegas #explore #travel #USA