I have travelled to a number of different places in my lifetime and while Barcelona is high on my list as a place to visit again one day, Las Vegas is high on my list as well. And because it is only a three hour flight versus a 10 hour flight, it is a place that my husband and I can, and do visit quite often. Every time we go to Vegas there are new places to visit, new hotels to check out and new restaurants to try. While most trips are only for a few days, we once went for 10 days and still felt like we didn’t have enough time to do everything we wanted to do. Whatever we miss simply goes on our list for the next trip. Here is a list of the five top things I love about Las Vegas, and why we go so often.
The Shopping in Las Vegas
Without venturing too far from the Las Vegas strip you will find many shopping malls with something for everyone and every budget. As Canadians we often look for deals on products that are not readily available in Canada, or we do have them here, but the prices are way too high (ie: Skechers).
One of the most popular malls on the strip is called the Fashion Show Las Vegas mall. It is located right across from the Wynn Hotel.
It contains over 250 shops and restaurants including major department stores such as: Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales.
One of the other malls that we always check out is an outdoor mall known as the Las Vegas Premium Outlets – North. It is not far from the strip and you can easily take a taxi or drive to it if you have access to a car.
Being from Canada, I love being able to go there in December and walk around outside, from store to store, with a simple light jacket on.
The mall is well designed and you will find stores such as Calvin Klein, DKNY, Hugo Boss Factory Store, Kenneth Cole, Rue21 and Perry Ellis, just to name a few.
The Delicious Gelato
The last time we went to Las Vegas our favorite location was City Center. As we wandered through the new Aria Resort and Casino we came across an amazing place that offered a wonderful selection of unique desserts, chocolates, pastries and gelato.
This place is Jean Philippe Patisserie and it can be found on the Casino floor of the Aria. Of course we ended up having a cup of gelato for lunch, and it was the best ever.
The Bellagio
We like to drop in to the Bellagio each time we visit Las Vegas. You cannot go without watching the amazing Fountains of Bellagio show out front. It is always fun.
Next we like to go inside to see what type of garden design they have displayed on the main floor in the atrium behind the lobby.
The garden display is quite large and seems to be seasonal. This last time it was filled with lovely autumn colors and amazing Halloween designs.
Our absolute favorite display is the spring display of beautiful Lily flowers and other spring arrangements.
And of course we cannot leave without spending a bit of money in the casino itself. While my husband enjoys playing Craps, I love playing slots with jackpots because you have a chance to win a large sum of money. And even if I do not win I always get excited when I hear that someone else has won the jackpot.
The Dining Options
Dining options are constantly changing in Las Vegas, which is wonderful.
The newest addition to the Las Vegas strip is a restaurant in a recently renovated hotel. The Cromwell Las Vegas, formerly known as Billys, was recently renovated and Giada De Laurentiis has opened her first-ever restaurant, GIADA inside The Cromwell, overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. Her menu includes Italian cuisine, of course, along with gluten-free and vegan choices.
Be lucky enough to score a table by the windows and you will be able to watch the Fountains of Bellagio show as you have your dinner.
The Weather
Coming from Canada, where it is cold at least seven or eight months of the year, the warm weather in Las Vegas, almost all year round, is so inviting. Being able to walk down the street in November in a light sweater, or go swimming in one of the large hotel pools in April, is very exciting for us. In fact our last trip was in November and the weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately we returned home to a foot of snow and sub zero temperatures. Definitely a quick way to bring us back to reality.
