My trips usually are about things we do as a family, but my husband and I recently returned from a four-night stay in Las Vegas (without kids). Although he has been many times, this was my first ever Vegas trip without kids. So, I was very excited, to say the least. It was nice to get away without the kids.
Packing for the four-day trip was a bit stressful only because I had no idea what to expect, weather-wise. I packed dress pants, dresses, leggings, work-out clothes (although I don’t work out but had good intentions) and four pairs of different shoes! We are women, right?! However, I found myself most comfortable in my leggings and t-shirt dresses the whole week. At night, I didn’t even dress up! Although that is pretty common I noticed for the men and women to do.
Cheap Flights to Vegas
I flew with Frontier but my husband flew Delta. When we first planned the trip, he had to be there for a conference and booked his flight back in October. His ticket was almost $600! Being that I am the deal finder that I am with traveling, I opted to shop around for airfare. I knew I could get it much cheaper. Y’all, flying into Vegas does not have to be expensive! Frontier Airlines is my first airline choice when it comes to great prices. I especially love their “Kids Fly Free” and their “Discount Den Club Rates.” My advice is to always check Frontier Airlines first for price comparison. I can’t promise you they will always be cheaper, but so far I have good luck with them!
Our Stay At the MGM Grand
We stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel. We went during Chinese New Year, so the lobby decorations were fitting for the celebration.
They have a convenient monorail system that takes you from the hotel to the Las Vegas Convention Center which was important for business travelers. MGM Grand is conveniently located on the famous Las Vegas strip and directly across from New York New York and the famous Big Apple Roller Coaster.
They have a great food court and plenty of fine dining restaurants to choose from right on property. Our personal lunch favorite was Tacos & Ritas in the food court. We had salad bowls every day and did not leave a bite to spare! For dinner, we ate at HECHO en Vegas and Michael Mina’s PUB 1842. Can’t complain about any of the food, actually. It was all delicious. There are so many restaurants to choose from on the MGM Grand property, we had a hard time deciding and didn’t have any reason to leave.
If you do decide to stay at the MGM Grand, I would highly recommend upgrading to their Queen or King Strip View room for best views. If you are sensitive to cigarette smoke, I found that this was bothersome for me in the casino area only. This property does not have an indoor pool, but believe me when I say there were people swimming in January! It is a heated pool and with a consistent temperature of 86 degrees. They offer five pools, three whirlpools, and a lazy river. When I do visit Vegas again, I would like to try other properties. There are so many other wonderful resorts to choose from.
Four Day Itinerary in Vegas
With an early flight Saturday morning, when we got into Vegas we were pretty tired. We rode in luxury and comfort to the hotel with Limo Find, which I highly recommend by the way.
The first evening we decided to take it easy, have a nice dinner and walk around the hotel. It was too chilly for me to walk the strip that evening. We wanted to get to bed early enough because Sunday morning we had a very special trip planned for us.
Early Sunday morning, we headed downstairs around 6:05 AM. We had scheduled a tour to the Grand Canyon West Rim with Detours of Nevada. It was honestly the highlight of my stay in Vegas. If you ever visit Vegas, you need to block out an entire day and make this trip!
We were picked up in a nice private van and headed out on a three-hour drive to the West Rim of the Grand Canyons. It was absolutely amazing. Everyone knows intellectually that the Grand Canyon is massive, but you really can’t appreciate it until you’re there.
We didn’t return back into Vegas until around 5:30 PM, so we were pretty exhausted from the day, and again failed to walk the strip that night. I know, call me a party pooper! We had a nice dinner and went to bed early. My husband had to get up early for his convention.
Monday, I mainly hung out in my hotel room to catch up on some school and work. But, that evening we decided to head out for a quick dinner and see a show – because you can’t go to Las Vegas without seeing the Blue Man Group!
They performed at the Luxor Hotel. We had a quick snack and drinks at the restaurant adjacent to the theater before heading over to the show. It was a fun, family friendly show and definitely one I would recommend. The Titanic Museum and Body Exhibit is also located in the Luxor Hotel. I wish I had more time. I definitely will go back and visit them on my next trip back to Vegas.
We did attempt to walk the strip afterward but didn’t get far. Performers were out on the street so we stuck around for a few minutes to watch. It was still chilly weather wise for my taste, and walking the strip wasn’t really my thing I quickly realized. We definitely saw some interesting things, more than I care to mention. Then my tired ole’ self was ready for bed. At this point, I haven’t even touched the first casino machines yet. Shocking?!?!
Tuesday, was our last day in Vegas. So we decided to see an Elvis ALL SHOOK UP Tribute to the King show! It is ranked #1 on Trip Advisor and I scored half off coupons on Groupon! My husband and I both really enjoyed the show. Although we did not grow up during this era, we were very familiar with all of his music.
This Elvis. performed by Travis Allen, did an incredible job in his performance and actually looked very much like the real Elvis. In fact, he is known for winning best impersonator for all of Las Vegas in 2015 and 2016. Overall, a fantastic show and I even received a kiss from the King!
After the show, we headed over to Cabo Wabo for dinner! You can’t leave Vegas without eating here! The weather was actually warmer this night, so we decided to eat outdoor next to the heater. They had a live band that night playing some acoustic guitar. It was fun! The food was decent, the calamari was tasty, the Vojitos were delicious, and overall we had a good time.
Finally, after dinner and a few drinks, we headed over to see the Fountains at the Bellagio! If you are looking for something free to do, make sure to include this on your list of things to see! The music and lights are choreographed and spectacular to watch. They play music anywhere from opera, Broadway, pop, you name it! They have different shows running every fifteen to thirty minutes depending on the time of day. I recommend seeing it at night!
Sadly, my trip to Vegas had to come to an end. Wednesday morning, we headed back to the airport and I waved goodbye! I feel like the trip was a little rushed and I definitely didn’t see everything I wanted. Oh, and never played the first casino! I wanted to, but those darn things looked to complicated so I passed. I was afraid they would gobble all my money up! I was tempted to play at the airport but I was too tired to bother.
The trip to Vegas without the kids was nice. Overall, I had a great time and spending some much-needed quality time with my husband. The trip helped me reset when I came back home to the kiddos. I definitely want to go back, but maybe next time I would like to take the kids along. There are some great family-friendly things to do in Vegas! Everyone needs to visit Vegas atleast once in their life!
Olivia S Douglass says
I’ve never been to Vegas but will be going in the next few months! My husband surprised me with a trip for my birthday. Thanks for the recommendations on things to do and see, I will be definitely trying some of them!