Back in November we got in on a timeshare (say what you will...for us, it's a GREAT deal), but we haven't had a chance to travel with it yet. They sent us a certificate for two free nights at either Las Vegas, Palm Springs or Cabo. Okay, seriously...who wants to spend ONLY two days in Mexico? Cabo was out, and we're heading to Palm Springs in the Fall for another free trip we got just for going to the original presentation. SO...Viva Las Vegas!
We headed out Saturday after Kris got home from work and drove to Mesa (with a poor, carsick baby!) and then drove on to LV on Sunday. We stayed at one of the resorts within our timeshare company, about 3 miles from the beginning (or was it the end?) of the Strip.
Here we are on the patio/deck of our one bedroom villa. Hello, it was amazing! Oh, and there was a penthouse suite next door to us, so we got to see the jacuzzi...that was on their deck! Jealous much?
There were 2 pools, a bigger one, and then a smaller one with 4 water slides.
When we got in Sunday night, we just relaxed in our room and then went swimming, all topped off by a lovely Pizza Hut dinner.:) Monday morning we took a tour of the resort. Amazing! It has a spa (I would've given anything for a massage or pedicure!), game rooms for adults and kids, a bar/restaurant, plain ole' restaurant for those of us who don't do bars, a little store for snacks, plus the pools and hot tubs. We got an inside view of the penthouse suite, as well. 3 jacuzzis! One in each bedroom, and then the one on the deck. And yes, that is where I plan on spending my next vacation...
Monday afternoon we hit the Strip for some fun. We got free tickets to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. It was crazy hot, so when we discovered the FREE TRAM on that side of the Strip...man, oh man. We caught that down to Excalibur and then caught the one from the Monte Carlo to Bellagio. Kris watches alot of Travel Channel, and we caught a "Buffet Paradise" episode that featured the Bellagio buffet. Of course we had to go there. Annie loved all the people, and the attention they were all giving her, so dinner was pretty much impossible.
Here are some of the desserts I tried. Okay, the buffet was a HUGE disappointment. I guess I was expecting something where I liked EVERYTHING on the buffet and couldn't pick. I'm pretty sure there was about 5 things on the buffet I liked. On my first trip (after Kris got his food, so he knew what was up there), I came back to the table with a scoop of mashed potatoes and a slice of "still-kicking" prime rib. Literally, I could've stood among all that food and started crying. I was SO upset! Kris took my plate back to get my meat cooked longer, and he added some shrimp and some manicotti. I will say that the potatoes were good. Even the dessert was disappointing. The best thing was the peach sorbet which you can barely see above the eclair.:)
We walked around the Bellagio for a bit and saw the Conservatory. It was beautiful! I was a little sad we missed seeing the fountains, but being out on the Strip after dark with a toddler was not something we wanted to do!
On our way home Tuesday we stopped at the Hoover Dam. Truthfully, we sat in traffic waiting for so long that I had to go to the bathroom...stopping was a total must! The bridge is amazing (we're still trying to compare the Perrine Bridge in Twin with this bridge). Can't wait till it's done so there's no more sitting in traffic!
We had a really fun trip (besides the carsick baby and the heat), but seriously...sleeping in my own bed tonight will be the highlight!
She wouldn't stand still...she just kept running!
