Newlywed Adventures: March 2011

We just got back from Vegas on Wednesday and I have a lot to share! We had a fabulous time and did a ton of fun things like club hopped, ate great food, visited the Hoover Dam, and saw a Cirque du Soleil show. We stayed at the Paris Hotel, which I would definitely recommend. It's right in the middle of the strip so it's easy to get to the Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Bally's, and the Monorail. We didn't have a strip view from our rooms, but they were very big. We had 2 queen beds and a huge bathroom with marble floors. The walls were pretty thin, but I didn't have any trouble sleeping. Overall, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars for location and room size.

Saturday March 5
Unfortunately, our flight was delayed an hour leaving the airport, so we didn't arrive in Vegas until after 5pm. We checked in quickly to the Paris Hotel and grabbed dinner at Le Burger Brasserie. The food was pretty good and everyone enjoyed their burgers. We then got ready to head out for a night on the town. Our first stop was at Tabu at MGM Grand. It has a lounge feel but the DJ was playing really good music.

We then headed over to the Luxor to LAX nightclub which was probably my favorite stop of the evening. The music was good and everyone was having a great time.

The last stop of the evening was at Pure Caesars Palace. We danced for a bit and then made our way up to the terrace that had amazing views of the strip.

Thanks to Club Viva Las Vegas who hosted a wonderful night! We had a great time, but we were exhausted by the end of the night. After traveling and the time difference, we were up for about 24 hours, so we were ready to go to bed. Lots more to see and do!

Sunday March 6

We slept in the next day and had breakfast at Sidewalk Cafe at Bally's next door to Paris. The food was pretty good and cheap. We then took the Monorail down to the north end of the strip.

We walked for awhile and also stopped to gamble at a couple places along the way. We then took the monorail back to our hotel to rest up before dinner. Before arriving in Vegas, I made reservations for us at LAVO at the Palazzo.

Here's a cool fountain outside the restaurant:

Inside of LAVO:

We had an amazing dinner. LAVO is known for their kobe beef meatballs, so we had to try one. They were huge so the four of us split one as an appetizer. It was delicious! Jill and I had pasta for dinner, my husband had beef ribs, and Ryan had lobster risotto. Everyone enjoyed their food and the service was great.

At a waterfall at the Venetian:

Monday March 7

We decided to rent a car and drive to the Hoover Dam for the day. It's about 30 miles south of Las Vegas, so it's a pretty quick drive. They do offer tours, but there is quite a bit you can see on your own. In 2010, a bridge above the dam was completed, giving awesome views.

We also stopped to look at Lake Mead, which was formed by the dam

After we got back to the city, Jill and I had to get ready to see the Cirque du Soleil show Mystere at Treasure Island. It was an amazing show! Neither of us had seen Cirque du Soleil before and we were both glad we went. While we were at the show, the guys went downtown for awhile. Afterwards, Jill and I went to Kahunaville for a couple drinks until the guys picked us up.

My big drink with dry ice :)

Tuesday March 8

For lunch, we decided to eat at the buffet at our hotel. It was pretty good. We came in at the end of breakfast and beginning of lunch, so we had a little of both. I was pretty worn out from everything we had done the last few days, so I rested for awhile in the afternoon while the guys went and gambled. We decided to head to downtown that evening to check out Fremont Street.