Hi Guys,

Hope you’re having a nice week and getting ready for Christmas! I’m fairly organised this year because I want to actually enjoy the few days before Christmas, not like last year and my constant last-minute running around missions. So I know it’s literally months later but I’ve eventually gotten around to posting my Vegas blog! I’ve been working on it gradually for the past while and really I’ve just needed to sit down and finish it, which is what I plan to do now! I also know that it’s a bit random posting it in December, but I’m just trying to check things off the list before the new year and you never know, you might book a quick holiday in Vegas when you’re sitting around drinking mulled wine Christmas day!

Anyway if you remember, I was on a J1 last summer in Chicago– best summer ever! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you have to do a J1 if you have the opportunity, it was such a fantastic experience and one that I will never forget! So around the 10th/11th of August we left Chicago and went travelling for almost 2 weeks before coming home. We only booked the flights to Vegas a week before we left so they were more expensive than if we had been organised enough to book them earlier! Ours were about $150 including the check-on bags but we probably could have gotten them for around $100 if we hadn’t booked so late!Because our flight was a late night one, we decided to book a cheap Holiday Inn for the first night in Vegas because we were only going to be staying there for about 5/6 hours anyway so it wasn’t going to be worth paying for an extra night somewhere nice. But in saying that, we also had a bit of an interesting start to our Vegas stint. When we arrived at the hotel, the place was in darkness and it didn’t even look open, but I went into the reception and the woman said all the electricity was gone in that part of Vegas, so they couldn’t check us into our room because the keycards needed electricity to work. You can imagine the form at 3am, when we were wrecked after an already delayed flight, to find out that we had no room to check-in to. It was also a Saturday night in Vegas so after ringing over 10 other hotels, I had to succumb to the fact that we were sleeping in the hotel lobby- which is what we did until around 6am when the noisiest cleaning lady I’ve ever heard decided it was time to tidy the reception.

So our great idea of saving on the first night in Vegas didn’t exactly go to plan, but we did get a refund so we got over it😂. Anyway after that shitty start, we checked into the Flamingo Hotel which was really cool and it was just across from Caesers Palace and the Bellagio Hotel- so fantastic location-wise. It was really close to lots of restuarants and the high-roller, and had the most amazing pool- which we discovered as we were checking-out! I would say to actually just splash the cash and spend your money on a nice hotel on the strip because you spend more time than you think there and there’s so many more facilities/activites etc in the fancier hotels. I really think it was worth it for the few days because you want to experience the best of Vegas while you’re there. We also got upgraded when we checked-in, so we were on the executive floor with two huge ( and super comfy) beds and another single bed and I think it was only about $40 each per night which isn’t much for Vegas. The hotel had it’s own casino (obviously) and lots of restaurants and shops too so there was always something to do. And in keeping with the name of the hotel, they also had an outdoor wildlife habitat with actual real-life flamingos! It was like an episode of the zoo!

So in terms of things to do, a lot of the main “must-see” attractions in Vegas are actually in the hotels.

• Bellagio

The Bellagio is a fabulous 5 star hotel and probably one of the most famous in Vegas. We had a stroll around the hotel and went to see the floral conservatory which I loved- everyone knows I love flowers! The designers change the displays each season and it is a fab insta-shoot location if you want to get some nice photos! The Bellagio also does the famous fountain shows everyday. They were on every 15 minutes from 8pm-12pm while we were there but I think the times change so check it out when you arrive and make sure you see at least one of the shows.

• Caesars Palace.

This was like living the Hangover movie! The hotel is so cool and absolutely huge! I walked as far as the forum one day which is the huge shopping centre in Vegas attached to the hotel but I didn’t go any further unfortunately! Really there’s not a whole lot to do here just look around, shop and maybe gamble if you’re in the mood! I don’t think they take coins though because one of the girls planned on using all her tip money from the summer on the slots and she couldn’t when we got there!

• The Venetian.

This was probably one of my favourite hotels in Vegas and I didn’t actually get to spend much time there because we literally ran in one day just to see the canals. If I ever go back to Vegas though, I would love to go back to the Venetian and do it properly.

When we were there we also went to a pool party at Rehab Beach club which was amazing! Drinks were $19 so definitely pre-drink before you arrive and make sure you get the app to get free entrance- I think some of the guys had to pay $50 just to get in!And of course we saw FloRida perform which was much better than I could have anticipated! We were actually wrecked afterwards and we were home around 6pm and still had the Chainsmokers to go to that night- which was also absolutely amazing! The whole show and the lighting and fire effects were absolutely crazy and we got in for free with the app too- so we saved another $100. The show was on at XS nightclub at the Wynn which is a fabulous 5 star hotel in Vegas and it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re there!

So other than that we just strolled around the strip and had a look in some of the other hotels- New York New York, the Cosmopolitan, Aria Resort and Casino. We also had fab food and had to try In-n-Out burger while we were there.

Other things to do in Vegas:

• High Roller
• Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck
• The Neon Museum
• Gondola rides at the Venetian
• XS nightclub at the Wynn

I really enjoyed Vegas but I think 3/4 days there is definitely enough and make sure you have shows lined up or a pool party or something because they are brilliant.

Hope you enjoyed the blog and as usual if you have any questions at all ask away!

Enjoy Christmas,

Eva