Vegas Travel Guide

Finally sharing my guide to visiting Las Vegas! We recently went for our friends 30th birthday and spent 3 full days in Vegas.

Getting There:

We flew Southwest from BWI directly to LAS. The flight time said 5 hours but we actually made it there in more like 4 (thank you tail winds). This was my first time out west, and flying over the mountains was the coolest thing! Pretty sure the last hour of the flight, my head was glued to the window. lol Once we arrived, we got an Uber to our hotel. The airport isn’t far at all from the strip, and our Uber ride was only 10-15 mins.

Where to Stay:

Harrah’s – This is where we stayed! We wanted something on the cheaper side and having previously stayed at Harrah’s in Atlantic City we were able to get a pretty good deal. Overall, the hotel was nice. The rooms were average size, although one thing the rooms didn’t have were mini fridges. The hotel had a decent size casino – nothing too fancy and nowhere near the amount of bells and whistles as other resorts but it worked for us! We absolutely loved the location of this hotel, we felt it was right in the middle of everything.

I’m listing some other places I would love to stay at in Vegas. Most of these resorts literally have EVERYTHING you could think of inside, to the point where you technically never have to step outside the resort.

Cosmopolitan – This hotel was definitely on the fancier side but one of our favorites! The entire place has an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme, so you’ll see that throughout the various areas. They have a huge chandelier in the middle of the hotel that has a three story bar inside it! We ate multiple times at this hotel and everything was so good!

Caesar’s Palace – The most impressive and most massive resort I’ve ever seen! This place is huge and I would definitely get lost if I stayed here but the inside was insane! From the painted ceiling that looks like the sky (you literally couldn’t tell if you were inside or outside) to the shops and casino, I loved this place. They also have a Vanderpump cocktail bar here (for all my fellow Bravo fans).

Flamingo – Personal fave! In case you’re new around here, I have an obsession with all things flamingo, so naturally I loved this hotel! We wanted to stay here in the new bunk bed rooms, but they were all booked for our nights. This hotel was just recently updated & the rooms look super cool!

Mandalay Bay – It may have been that this was the first resort/casino we went in, other than Harrah’s, but I loved this one! It also connects to the Luxor and Excalibur so you have direct access to three resorts without ever stepping outside!

Where to Eat/Drink:

Citizens (Mandalay Bay) – This was our first meal in Vegas and we just happened to come across this restaurant. The food was really good and you can either sit down to eat or get food to go if you’re staying at the hotel or in a hurry.

CATCH (Aira) – This restaurant is GORGEOUS! It’s well known for it’s entrance way covered in flowers & greenery (definitely an Instagram moment)! We made reservations ahead of time but ending up sitting in the bar area at a high top (hint… no reservations are needed in the bar area!). This restaurant serves Asian-style food including sushi, which is what I had.

Beauty & Essex (Cosmopolitan) – This speakeasy style restaurant had the coolest vibe! Don’t be fooled by the store in the front, simply walk in and to the left side is a door that leads to the restaurant. This restaurant serves more tapas, or small plates so it’s a good idea to order multiple items for the table to share! We made reservations ahead of time.

Hash House a Go Go (The Linq) – We went here for brunch and it was amazing! Their menu is massive and so are their portions! I ordered the avocado toast with egg and it was delicious. This is a very popular restaurant so you may have to wait a while and they do not take reservations.

District Donuts. Sliders. Brew. (Cosmopolitan) – We went here for breakfast one morning and got donut sandwiches and some pastries. I had one of the ‘Kolaches’ which is basically a breakfast sandwich but wrapped in a sweet dough and it was so so good! This is a to-go place and I will say finding a seat in the hotel was a little difficult.

Taco Bell Cantina – In case you don’t know, I LOVE Taco Bell, so this place has been on my list to visit for years! They have a whole wall of slushies, which you can choose to add alcohol to if you wish. I will say the food tasted much more fresh than it does back home and you can actually watch the people make your food.

Chandelier Bar (Cosmopolitan) – The iconic bar located inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel. It’s a 3 story bar inside a chandelier, with each level serving different drinks. The Cosmopolitan Hotel is Alice in Wonderland themed so many of the drinks will be based on that. I had seen people talk about this cocktail called Verbena and how it apparently does something to your taste buds so of course, I had to try it! It’s not on the menu, so you just have to ask for it. You take a sip & swish it around your mouth then eat the flower that’s on top and then take another sip. I thought it was super cool & basically like eating pop rocks but everyone else did not enjoy it. LOL

What to Do:

Neon Museum – Located just 15 mins away from the strip is the Neon Museum. This museum holds old neon signs from hotels & shops. You must buy a ticket for $30 to access the museum, but it’s not necessary to purchase in advance. You can also go there at night if you want to see the signs all lit up. We spent roughly an hour walking around & taking pictures of the signs.

Las Vegas Sign – This iconic sign is located about 5 mins away from the main strip. There will most likely be a line for pictures when you arrive unless you come super early in the morning. You can choose to wait in line and have your picture taken by an employee or you can go off to the side and take them yourself! I ended up liking the pictures off to the side much better, so there really isn’t any need to stand in the line. Also, the sign is so much smaller in person! In pictures, it always looked so big but it’s actually pretty tiny.

The Linq Promenade – This promenade area was one of our favorite areas to explore! Located between the Linq Hotel and the Flamingo Hotel is this palm tree lined street with shops, bars and restaurants. It also backs up to the High Roller ferris wheel, which lets you take a 30 minute ride and provides amazing views of the strip!

Freemont Street – A 10-15 min Uber ride away, this famous street in Las Vegas is known for it’s old casinos and bright flashy lights. This is where you’ll find The Golden Nugget, Binion’s Horshoe and other famous casinos. If you like to gamble but don’t like spending much, these older casinos are known for having lower limits! This is also where the famous zip line is. We didn’t spend much time here, so I would definitely check this out again next time!

Walk the Strip & Explore! – Honestly my favorite thing to do was just walk around and explore! There’s so much to see and do on the strip, just wander in and out of the different casinos/hotels.

Getting Around:

• Uber/Lyft – Other than walking, we used Uber/Lyft for getting to places on & off the strip. The fares were pretty reasonable, especially if you have a group of people to split with.

Feel free to leave any questions about Las Vegas in the comments below!