72 Hours in Las Vegas

With so much to do in Las Vegas from partying to shopping, shows to fine dining, it can be hard to decide how to spend your time there! Our 3 day schedule which we put together for a mid-week break might give you some ideas of what can be achieved in a few days if you sacrifice a little sleep – and gives you a few tips on things to avoid too.

Day 1 (Tuesday)

• Check In at MGM Grand – We stayed at the MGM Grand via a great midweek deal with Allegiant Air. With modern room designs, amazing pools, a great casino and enough restaurant options to last you a month, your only concern will be not getting lost in this giant complex!

• Lunch at In and Out Burger – a cult Californian burger chain, this super cheap lunch option comes with secret codes for crispy fries and thousand island sauce. Highly recommend getting a taxi given its location on a major intersection unless you like dodging cars at high speed in the heat!

• Shopping at Fashion Show Mall – Vegas is littered with shopping malls but the biggest of them is the Fashion Show Mall next to Treasure Island. Worth bringing a spare bag to take your purchases home with!

• Walking the Strip – You can’t visit Vegas without walking The Strip and admiring the sheer scale of the hotel resorts! Suggest you carry water and be prepared to be offered show tickets every 20 meters! Our favourite push back line was “saw it last night”……

• MGM Pools – you should make time each day to enjoy a few hours by one of the MGM’s many outdoor pools. With only 12 days of rain a year, and an average temperature of 40 degrees in summer, you are almost guaranteed warm sunshine! You are allowed to take in your own drinks (no glass), or the poolside bars offer refreshing cocktails. The main challenge is working out how to keep them cool!

• Roller-coaster at New York New York – if you love the thrill of being thrown around at high speed, then a roller-coaster that goes through the New York New York casino is probably a must do. Cost is $14 per person for a 2-3 minute ride.

• Gambling at…anywhere – You can gamble whenever you want, and when you do the drinks are generally free! We tried to give ourselves a time and budget limit as the casinos have no clocks and they pump oxygen in to keep you awake! #DontChaseThoseLosses

Day 2 (Wednesday)

• Buffet Lunch at Wicked Spoon (Cosmopolitan) – Vegas is famed for its Champagne Brunches but these tend to be only on the weekend. An alternative midweek choice is the elegantly decorated Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan which serves to 2pm each day everything from eggs benedict, to roast meats, to Asian sides to a very impressive dessert selection. $26 per person including soft drinks makes this a must do! #Stuffed

• MGM Lazy River – the best way to recover from a 4 course buffet brunch is to head to the ¼ mile long lazy river at the MGM Grand. Make sure you hire a tube for $10 (half day) and enjoy a relaxing ride with a cool beverage in hand! Watch out for human dams (guys trying to pick up girls in their tube by blocking the river) and powerful waterfalls which will dent your beer can, and knock the sunglasses right off your head if shoved under one!

• Drinking game in a taxi…or anywhere – so if you forget your ID to pick up your show tickets, you might spend a bit of time in a taxi going back to get it so why not make the most of your time by grabbing a few drinks and playing some drinking games – recommended the Name Game! As visitors from Canada with its super strict drinking rules, the option to enjoy a beverage anywhere, whether in a taxi or walking down the street – is pretty exciting in itself!

• Cirque Du Soleil – you can’t go to Vegas and not take in one of the legendary shows, which sell out fast. We booked Mystere at Treasure Island a couple of weeks ahead of time for around $100 person including all the booking fees. Our great centre seats were fantastic value for money and the amazing Cirque Du Soleil acts did not disappoint – although we still can’t work out what the plot was all about.

• Senor Frogs Yards – we decided to ensure we did not go thirsty on our nighttime walk along The Strip so used a 2-1 voucher to buy a yard of pina colada each from Senor Frogs, as well as throw a few token shapes on the dance floor. You get to keep the foot long glasses and the hangover!

• Bellagio Fountain – the fountain runs every 15 minutes, but is most spectacular at night. Last show is at midnight so arrive early to get a good spot and the classic “I was here” Vegas snap!

Day 3 (Thursday)

• Gondola at Venetian Hotel – a good way to recover from a sore head is to take a 12 minute ride on the Venetian Gondola. There are 2 options – indoors (signposted) and outdoors (not very well signposted..). $18 per person. Staff are super friendly and will sing on request!

• Lunch at BurGR at Planet Hollywood – Gordon Ramsey has taken the humble burger and turned it into a mouth-watering treat at a reasonable price. The hog burger with its English cheddar and apple butter along with the hand cut truffle parmesan dusted fries were sensational, and left you wanting more!

• Wet Republic at MGM. This “day club” runs from Thursday to Sunday with world class DJs playing to packed pools. Entry is $20 for men and $10 on Thursday. There is a dress code and security check! Don’t forget your ear plugs, this place is loud!

• Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill at MGM – situated on the casino floor Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill restaurant offered wonderful flavours with the Halibut being the stand out dish.

• The Mix at The Hotel – if you want to see a phenomenal Vegas view with a great cocktail in hand, The Mix on the 64th floor of The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is your perfect spot. Leave your fear of heights at home, don’t forget your camera and make a visit to the bathroom for the best washroom view of your life.

• Tiesto at Hakassan nightclub (MGM) – a world renowned DJ playing one of Vegas’ latest and hottest clubs meant we were more than happy to fork out $50 for men and $30 for the girls on tickets. However, with a 1 hour wait for the ticket line and a dance floor which could only be accessed by those paying extortionate prices for table services this place was more about image than dance music. We left after a couple hours after being only able to dance in the packed gangways with no view of the main stage. Overpriced and over-hyped. #Avoid.

• Checking out – always make sure you check your bill, and don’t be tempted to do an express checkout. It took the super unfriendly and unapologetic front desk assistant 3 attempts to get our bill correct. The MGM has great rooms, a superb central location on The Strip and fantastic outdoor pools, but the front desk service on check out was less than ideal.

Top Tips for Vegas
– Get taxis where you can as it takes longer than you think to walk given the maze of lights and walkways. Budget around $10 per taxi
– Plan a bit in advance – the hottest shows and clubs sell out
– Sleep when you get home – there is just too much fun to be had!!