Yaaaay the second (more exciting) post from my 2 part Vegas Blog xoxo
Note: This is longer than the first one... You'll need wine and snacks x
This post will be a little bit more interesting, I'm going to cover where we shop, eat, drink and what attractions we've done and what we recommend. Any time I post stories on my Instagram (because snapchat got kind of crap #sorrynotsorry) I get bombarded with questions from people wondering where we are, what restaurant we are eating at, where we shop? So I'm going to cover as much as I can in this post, if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.
First things first.... Drink!! We are Irish, it's what we do best, the cheapest and most sensible thing to do if you plan on drinking for the entire trip is go to Walmart and stock up on alcohol, this will save you a FORTUNE as drinks on the strip can be quite expensive. Stock up on whatever beer, cider and liquor you want and keep it in your room, we buy a cheap cooler in Walmart and fill it with ice and water from the hotel, cheap and cheerful and it keeps your drinks ice cold. I suggest you do the same with bottles of water, you will go through loads of them and Walmart/Walgreens/CVS all do multipacks of water that aren't overly expensive, trust me when I say you'll save an arm and a leg if you don't have to buy bottles water every few blocks because Vegas is HOT!
When we do venture onto the strip for drinks there are a select few places we like to go that aren't a complete rip off. We usually gravitate towards PBR rock bar beside Planet Hollywood (we like to eat here but I'll get to that later) They serve an abundance of drinks, cocktails, fishbowls and shots that aren't going to break the bank, their fishbowl cocktails are massive and have quite a lot of alcohol in them, don't attempt to drink it on your own.
This is one of the Fishbowl Cocktails from PBR Rock Bar in Las Vegas
Another place that we like to go is Fat Tuesdays, they have loads of locations all over the strip but their novelty cocktails are gorgeous. You have the option to buy different sizes and flavours but be warned, they have quite a lot of alcohol, even though you cant really taste it, a yard of the frozen cocktail will have you on your ass.
Note how myself and Ross went for the smaller cups and Sean got the big one.... we know better :D Sean then went and got another one when he finished that one and he paid the price the next day. Don't say I didn't warn you.
To be honest we don't drink much on the strip, we usually bring drinks with us if we are going onto the strip for a stroll (yes it's legal to drink on the street in Las Vegas). If we go for dinner we buy drinks there, some places will put your drink into a plastic cup for you if you want to take it with you or if you are drinking beer or cider from a bottle you can take that too.
Next on the agenda...... FOOD!! If you've followed me for a while you will know that we love our food, maybe a bit too much especially when we travel. Vegas has that many restaurants that you could eat out every day for a year and you'd never visit all the restaurants, it would take you about 4 years to eat at them all, and that's probably not including all the fast food places. I could reel off a list of places that we've eaten but I think I'll just give you all a list of places that we love, there are a few places that we've eaten that I wasn't fond of, I'll list them after the good ones. First and foremost one of our favourite places to eat is.... Hooters! As I mentioned in my last post we like to stay in hooters when we go to Vegas, we love the hotel but the Food is soooooo good. Their chicken is amazing, the boneless wings are the nicest I've ever had (if you are from the states and know of any places that do good chicken, let me know) But we've never had a bad meal in their restaurant, we've eaten beef burgers, nachos, sandwiches, chicken wings and breaded chicken burgers and they've all been really good. Most of my food pics are from my insta stories because I don't really post food pictures on my feed.
We have a slight obsession with fried pickles, if you've followed my Instagram for a while you will already know the obsession is real, we order them everywhere :D
Next on the list of places we love to eat is Carmines. I'm not sure how many locations they have in Vegas but we go to the one in the forum shops in Caesars Palace. My first time in Carmines was a bit of a shock, when you are handed the menu don't be surprised at the prices, they seem to be quite expensive for a single meal but when you see the size of the portions you'll understand. They are famous for their large dishes and also famous for their ridiculously good food. They have a menu on their website so you can go and have a look before you go in, I'll post the link to the website here - https://www.carminesnyc.com/locations/las-vegas. I'm going to post a few pictures of our most recent trip to the restaurant and you can get a better idea of how big their food portions are, their main dishes usually serve between 3-4 people, or more if you have the appetite of a mouse.
The servers are amazing and so nice, if you have any questions about the menu, because alot of it we didn't understand, just ask and they are happy enough to explain what everything is. The food is so good, the service is amazing and the restaurant is beautiful, a must visit if you are travelling to Vegas.
Another restaurant we love to eat at is The Cheesecake Factory, I don't have any pictures from our last trip because we couldn't get a reservation but we've eaten there quite often and the food is beautiful. The menu selection is very overwhelming, possibly the largest menu that I have ever seen so you won't be stuck for options. Save some space after your meal for the cheesecake though, they have every cheesecake that you could possibly think of and they are extremely luxurious, we usually take ours to go because the food is so good we are stuffed after dinner.
This is the menu for the cheesecakes and desserts, if you don't like cheesecake they have a massive selection of other desserts too.
Some of the desserts available in the display case, you can also buy whole cheesecakes/cakes, the price list is on their website.
Some people look at us like we have 10 heads when we recommend the next restaurant and I don't know why? I'm not sure if it's a thing in America for so many people to dislike this restaurant but we absolutely love it. We stumbled on the Olive Garden by chance when we were shopping and we decided to pop in for some dinner before we went back to the hotel and we fell in love, we've eaten in it almost every trip since and we've always had amazing food. When you order an entree you have the choice of bottomless soup or salad as a starter, Ross usually gets the gnocchi soup and I get the salad, the dressing on the salad is to die for, I love it. We've had multiple items off the menu and all of them have been delish. It's very reasonably priced and the portions are generous. When you order and get settled you are served the most amazing garlic and salt soft breadsticks and they are sooooo yummy, I'm not sure if they are bottomless but we sometimes ask for more and they are happy to oblige.
Breadsticks and salad to start
Deconstructed lasagna dip and pasta chips as a main
Somewhere that I would definitely recommend is the Yard House in The Linq. This is by far one of our favourite restaurants, we usually we have a couple of drinks before we arrive, some more drinks when we get there, we order way too much food and make absolute pigs out of ourselves :D. The food is so good you guys, the location is perfect and the views up and down the Linq are gorgeous (its kind of like the Temple Bar of Vegas but waaaay nicer) if all you Irish people get my reference. This is where on my Instagram I asked the question of how to pronounce Edamame started, we were after drinking quite a bit and I wanted to try something new on the menu so I ordered Edamame but couldn't pronounce it, our server got a right laugh at the hack of us trying to pronounce... So I posted it on my Instagram and asked my followers how it was pronounced and so many people messaged me trying to spell it phonetically, I even got video replies of people pronouncing it for me :D :D
Two places that I have to mention are In-N-Out burger and Five Guys, both are fast food restaurants and both are delicious. In-N-Out is exactly what it sounds like, they have maybe 5 burgers on their menu (they have some secret menu items so google it and you can have a look at the menu) along with fries and a few other things but no fancy menu with hundreds of options, quick, delicious food that doesn't cost and arm and a leg. Five Guys (it has recently come to Ireland but I think its ridiculously overpriced) we ate here a few years ago, before they started popping up everywhere in Vegas and it was quite possibly the best burger that I have ever had, and I'm quite picky about my burgers, I would definitely recommend giving these 2 places a try.
In-N-Out
Five Guys
We're nearly finished with food places I promise. Next on the list is also a favourite of ours but be warned, don't go to this next restaurant if you aren't hungry because the portions are even bigger than Carmines. Hash House a GoGo is another place that we stumbled upon by chance, we saw Adam Richman from Man vs Food eat at this restaurant and we found it randomly in The Linq. Before it was the Linq I cant remember what hotel it was in, I think it was the Imperial Palace we stumbled on Hash House a GoGo and another love story began. This restaurant is famous for its "twisted farm food" I cant even explain how massive the portions are, just go and see for yourself if you ever get the chance. Don't be fooled by the pictures, the portions are bigger than my head, and I have a big head.
Chicken and Waffles
Chicken Pot Pie (this pastry hat is the size of an actual hat)
Flapjack (aka massive pancake)
Am I boring you yet with restaurant recommendations? I have a few more to add and then we will move onto shopping. A few more restaurants that we love are Famous Dave's BBQ, hearty comfort food that will warm your soul. PBR Rock Bar is another one that we love, I mentioned this in my drinks section but they also do amazing food. Last but not least for dinner we absolutely love Panda Express..... It is kind of like a fast food place but the food is amazing (as far as fast food places go, we don't usually eat fast food at home) Everything is super tasty and very reasonable, we eat there regularly when we've been on the go all day and want something quick and yummy to eat. They have locations all over Vegas so you'll never be stuck for somewhere to go.
I'm going to add some of the places we like to go for breakfast, it was requested so many times on my Instagram. We usually stick to the same places for breakfast, IHOP and Denny's. These are a go to for so many people in Vegas, the food is amazing, the prices aren't astronomical and it's usually quite quick. The food selection in both restaurants is really good so you wont be stuck for something to eat, I highly recommend the omelette's in both locations, the pancakes in IHOP are divine and the sandwiches in Denny's are massive. We've also eaten at The Peppermill and it was really good, the wait time is usually quite long so be prepared to sit for a little while. Another place that I would never go at home for breakfast but find myself gravitating towards in the states is Starbucks, I love their coffee but if you are in a hurry and want something quick they do amazing scones, muffins and pastries, super handy if you are in a rush.
That's about it for food places, we've eaten in so many other restaurants and fast food places but these would be our favourites. We've eaten at a few dodgy places too, Virgil's BBQ at the Linq was just Meh, the heart attack grill was a very stressful experience and I would definitely NOT go back, we ate at the Top of the World restaurant in the Stratosphere YEARS ago and it was a disaster but the good food has outweighed the bad a million to one.
One more place that I have to mention before we move on is CreamBerry, I follow them on Instagram and we had been meaning to take a trip to it for a while but our most recent trip to Vegas we actually found it and OMG it was soooo good. If you don't follow them I highly recommend that you do, Ill just post a pic of what we got and the menu so you can decide if you want to visit it yourself.
We got the cotton candy burrito and OMG..... Gorgeous
Shopping
Moving on from food I'm going to talk about shopping, we've mastered shopping in Vegas at this stage but if its your first time it can be a bit messy because the the best places to shop are at opposite ends of the strip. We always hire a car, my hubby is used to driving in the States so its quite easy for us to get around but if you don't drive it's still quite easy to get from one place to another with public transport. There are busses that go from all over the strip that that will take you directly to the outlets, one of the busses is called the SDX but there is also the Deuce and you can buy tickets at the kiosks at the bus stops. Another, slightly more expensive but quicker option is a taxi, you CANNOT hail a taxi in Vegas you have to go to a designated taxi rank but most hotels have them so usually they're quite easy to access. It should be approx $20 to either outlet from the middle of the strip but obviously cheaper the closer you are to each outlet. Or if you want to be really Boujie you can get a limo ;)
Lets start with the North Premium Outlets. We really like this one but we prefer the South Outlets. The north outlets are an outdoor, village style centre and they have quite a lot of designer shops.
Most of the stores in this outlet have from 25% to 65% off items. Some of the stores at this location are Adidas, Alex and Ani, Boss, Converse, Aldo, Armani Exchange, Bose, Charlotte Russe, Coach, Disney Outlet, Gap, Guess, Jimmy Choo and Kate spade but there are about 180 stores altogether., I'll leave the link to the store directory here https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/las-vegas-north/stores. They have a variety of food places including The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, Auntie Anne's, Fatburger, IHOP, Buffalo Wild Wings, Starbucks and Subway but there are many many more. We enjoy this Outlet, we aren't really designer mad so there are only a few stores that we shop in but the bargains are worth it, there are some really good deals and it's a beautiful centre.
Our Favourite of the 2 Outlets is the South Premium outlet, as I said we aren't really big designer shoppers so we tend to shop in the same stores every time we go. Some of the shops in the South Outlets are Adidas, Clarks, Converse, Levis, Fox, Hot Topic, Journeys, Lids, Under Armour and Aldo but there are over 125 stores at this location, I'll leave the link to the store directory here https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/las-vegas-south/stores.
There are still a few designer stores in the South Outlets so there's something for everyone. They have quite a big food court with loads to eat but we usually pick up some Auntie Anne's cinnamon pretzel bites and a Starbucks to snack on while we shop. Just a heads up about the concession stands.... they're everywhere and you will have people in your face trying to sell you hair products, jewellery cleaners, t-shirts, toys and ornaments amongst the many other random things that no one really wants. They are your 2 main outlets but there are so many other places to shop in Las Vegas.
Another place that we like is The Galleria at Sunset, located in Henderson it is one of the largest malls in Nevada and apart from the South Outlet this is our favourite mall to shop in, I'll leave the link to the directory here https://www.galleriaatsunset.com/directory/. This mall has EVERYTHING, if you aren't a big outlet shopper then I highly recommend this centre.
A few locations for shopping on the strip and closer for people to get to are the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and the Fashion Show Mall.
The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
The Forum Shops are possibly the fanciest shops on the strip, located Caesars Palace they stretch about 138 sq foot and have 157 stores and food services. This mall isn't for the feint hearted because pretty much most the stores are high end or designer so be prepared to drop big bucks when shopping here, The forum shops are also home to Carmines and The Cheesecake Factory so it's definitely worth a visit for those, and the mall itself is absolutely stunning so have your cameras ready to take some fab pics. Sore directory - https://www.simon.com/mall/the-forum-shops-at-caesars-palace/stores
The Fashion Show Mall
The Fashion show mall is located on the strip across from the Wynn Las Vegas. I forget how much I like this mall until we actually decide to go in :D They host Fashion Shows on a retractable runway in the middle of the mall so that's definitely worth a look. They have a host of stores (including the Alex and Ani that I spent a small fortune in) and quite a few restaurants (the California Pizza kitchen is definitely worth a visit, YUM!) Parking is free at this location in their underground garage if you are driving but busses go to and from it regularly and a taxi is cheap enough to get there. You can walk to it if you are staying on the strip, for example, it's about a 30 to 40 minute walk from the MGM Grand, if you aren't familiar with Las Vegas don't be fooled by how close everything looks, it is a lot further away than it looks, be prepared to walk LOADS.
Last but not least is Walmart, we have a small obsession with Walmart and always spend a fortune on crap :D It really is a one stop shop for all your shopping needs. They have clothing, electronics, makeup, skincare, luggage, kitchen utensils, camping equipment etc, they literally have everything and we usually grab our drinks, water, snacks and random stuff from here, we could visit Walmart 5 or 6 times during our visit, they do amazing food aswel so win win.
We literally buy the most random stuff but we still have these onesies from last year and they are toasty af :D
I actually didn't think this post would be this long but the last thing I'm going to cover is Attractions. I know I cant speak for everyone because everyone's tastes are different when it comes to shows and tours so I will cover what we have done and you can make up your own minds about what you want to do. You can go to Vegas.com or Tripadvisor if you want a list of things to do in Vegas. First things first and it's one of the most asked questions about shows in vegas.... The Cirque Du Soleil.... We have seen 5 of these shows, some we preferred over others but they were all spectacular non the less (bar 1 but i'll come to that one) We've seen Ka (our favourite) Mystère (a bit weird but still good) Zumanity (a very ahem! sensual, cabaret style cirque) O (a cirque done completely in water) and Believe (this one stars Chris Angel, its no longer a Cirque and it has a different name now but it was crap when we went to see it, his illusions were really good but the production was poor) We've still to see LOVE (the Beatles themed cirque) and ONE (the Michael Jackson cirque) but we are in no rush, as much as I love MJ there are other shows that I would like to see before that one.
Mystère
Zumanity
O
KA
One of my all time favourite shows and a must see if you like Rock and Roll is Rock of Ages, we've seen it twice and I plan on going back to see it again, I absolutely love the movie and the show is amazing.
Another show that I would recommend is Tournament of Kings, we've seen it 3 times, this medieval knights of the round table show features jousting, sword fights, dancing, drinking and loads of fun. When you buy your ticket it includes your seat and a 3 course dinner, don't expect 5* gourmet food though, there are hundreds of people to serve and you have to eat with your hands but its a fun experience none the less. There are options for dinner less tickets but they have to be bought at the box office.
Other shows that we have been to are Penn and Teller (we've seen them 3 times and they are AMAZING) and David Copperfield (his illusions are really good but he annoyed me so much). We've been to a few others but they were all low production shows that we got discounted tickets for so they aren' really worth mentioning and some where that long ago I can't even remember. I've been to Vegas 13 times and we always do something different.
Free Attractions
Some of the free attractions that are available in Vegas that are must sees are:
The Bellagio Fountains
These fountains have been featured in pretty much every movie or TV show shot in Las Vegas and they really are beautiful. The fountains are set to music and they run every half hour from 3-8 and every 15 mins from 8pm to midnight, they run even more frequent at the weekend so wherever you are on the strip you wont miss a show.
The Volcano at The Mirage
I really love the Volcano show, they have changed it up in the past few years to make it even more spectacular. This show runs in the evening time because to get the full experience it needs to be somewhat dark, this Volcano erupts Sunday-Thursday just before 7pm and 8pm and Friday and Saturday just before 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. This show although it usually goes ahead as normal can sometimes be cancelled if there is high winds, the volcano shoots water and fire into the sky so if there are high winds they will cancel it for safety reasons.
The Flower Gardens at the Bellagio
The flower gardens at the Bellagio are a must see. They change with the seasons and for Chinese New Year so there's always a different setting regardless of when you go. I've heard the arrangement at Christmas is stunning.
The Las Vegas Sign
I don't really need to go into detail about this one do I? There are photographers that take professional photos on site and then charge you for a print but you are definitely allowed to take your own pictures if you want, the queues for the sign can be quite long but they tend to move quickly if you are prepared to wait.
The Flamingo's at the Flamingo
We've seen the Flamingos when we stayed at the Flamingo a few years ago, I'm afraid of birds so its not an attraction that I would be rushing back to but the gardens and enclosure that they are in is really quite pretty.
Circus Performance at Circus Circus
If you are down the far end of the strip pop into Circus Circus for a little performance. The seating area opens at 11am and the show kicks off at 11:15, it runs all day until around midnight.
Fremont Street is definitely a must see, like everywhere in Vegas public transport will be your best friend (unless you drive but its not free to park) for getting to and from Fremont Street. Busses, taxis limos and town cars will take you to Fremont Street and you can go to a designated taxi rank or bus stop to take you back to your hotel. There's actually a lot more to do Downtown than most people think, from free concerts to the Viva Vision light show on the strip long monitor that runs from approx 6pm to 1am depending on the time of year you'll never be bored. I do find Fremont Street to be a little more sleazy than the strip but if you go with an open mind and just for fun you wont even notice that's it's kind of grubby.
I honestly cant remember most of the tours that we have done but one definitely worth mentioning is the Grand Canyon tour. Now there are LOADS of different tours that go to the grand canyon, some are 9 hours long some only 2-3 hours so depending on how long you want to spend there will depend on what package you buy. The tour that we did I think it was called like the Sunset tour or something like that, we got picked up at our hotel, transferred to the Maverick Helicopter centre, sorted into our helicopters, flown over lake mead and the hoover damn, landed in the Grand Canyon for a champagne lunch, flown back to the strip at sunset and flown down the strip at night to see the lights, this was about a 4 hour tour I think, it could have been longer, it was one of the more expensive ones at about $450ish each but sooooooo worth it, definitely one of the best tours that I have ever been on. To be honest I don't even know what else to recommend because everyones opinions vary and peoples tastes differ but there are hundreds of tours to choose from, I'll leave the link to Vegas.com tours here so you can have a look for yourselves - ://www.vegas.com/tours/
I think that's enough information for one Blog post don't you think? I think I've covered as much as I can, there's probably hundreds more attractions and shows that I could recommend but the best way to check what available and read reviews is through Trip Advisor, I find it the most honest and informative site because its reviews are from real people. If you have made it this far after reading everything grab another glass of wine you deserve it xx As always if you have any questions don't hesitate to send me a message, I'll do my best to answer them x Have an amazing day.
Love
Kim xoxo
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