Back in March I decided to book a trip out to Vegas for Lord Blond's birthday. Neither one of us had ever been, and this was BUDGET trip in all its glory. I knew I wanted to spend a good amount on food and entertainment once we got out there, so we were very frugal about flight and accommodations
I booked us a package deal through Travelocity for the flight and hotel for two nights, three days. The whole trip total, including insurance was $550. We flew Spirit non-stop from Tampa, and overall had a very good experience (more about the flight later).
After much deliberation, I decided to book us at The Linq which is part of the Cesars Palace group. I was very happy with the choice, especially since we were there for only two nights. I would not, however, stay there again. We made it a point to explore as many hotels as possible, to see where we would want to stay on our next trip out. I highly recommend doing this. What we found after touring a lot of the properties, such as Cesars Palace, The Bellagio, etc, is they really didn’t resonate with us. They were absolutely gorgeous, and unlike anything we had ever seen before, but just not our speed. We really prefer more eclectic, prismatic decor and moods at the places we stay... I mean how much gold and off-white detail can you look at before it all starts to blur together?
The hotel that mesmerized us the second we stood in front of it was the Paris. The outside is a complex recreation of the Eiffel Tower, and an outdoor Parisian Cafe. It truly takes your breath away, and for a moment I forgot I was in Las Vegas. As you enter into the lobby, the normal bright casino atmosphere is noticeably softer and more comfortable then in other hotels. The ceiling is painted like a Spring blue sky, and all around there is French decor and architecture. Inside the Paris is the famous Gordon Ramsay Steak, which we had reservations for the second night of the trip.
I highly recommend checking out Groupon deals a couple weeks before you are set to travel, especially when in Vegas. We got reduced price tickets for the monorail which is a great alternative to walking, and The Highroller at the Linq, which is a giant enclosed Ferris wheel that overlooks the strip. Spend the extra money and go at night, its very much worth the view (Side note: Chris decided to propose at the top of the Highroller, which was quite a shock to all of us).
All in all, we were in town for less than 72 hours but we definitely made the most of it. The city itself was extremely clean, the people were very kind, and the weather in February was perfect for us. We will absolutely be back, hopefully sooner than later.
