Las Vegas | First Impressions

There’s something wonderful about a whirlwind trip that casts a hazy glow over the whole thing in your memories. Our week in America was already looking jam packed when, after spotting a flash sale, we decided to up the ante even further by adding another state into the mix. It was time to see what Nevada had in store.

Five hours of driving through the most incredible desert landscape was ahead of us so, pressing play on my roadtrip playlist, we passed the time singing and gawking at the distant mountains. Seeing random ‘drive through’ towns in the middle of nowhere was pretty crazy. There would be nothing for miles and suddenly three restaurants and a gas station would appear out of nowhere.
Our first pit stop en route was a town called Baker where we stocked up on ‘lucky’ baklava from The Mad Greek Cafe. Sweet tooth well and truly satisfied, it wasn’t long from here before we crossed the state line into Nevada.Driving onto the Las Vegas strip was everything I’d imagined. Larger than life buildings that didn’t quite look real, the warm sun beaming down and bright colours everywhere.
Our hotel, the Paris Las Vegas, was right in the centre of the strip. Marked by the iconic Eiffel Tower model and balloon, the location couldn’t have been any more perfect for exploring the delights of the city – although this became our daytime vantage point when we needed relax after seriously indulging at the buffet or just to cure a hangover.
It felt pretty surreal to be sunbathing next to the Eiffel Tower! Sadly, the pool was closed for maintenance so instead of splashing around in the water, we decided to investigate the other hotels.
Lady Liberty herself welcomed us to New York New York where deli-style restaurants and Brooklyn townhouse-like shop fronts created the feel of pounding the city streets – until you looked up, that is.
The Venetian charmed us with its winding gondola canals and a fabulous reconstruction of St Marks Square. Here, we indulged in a hefty carbonara before the shopping mall in Caesars Palace swallowed us up.
Las Vegas at night was just breathtaking. Okay, so I’m easily impressed but city lights get me every time. There in the heart of the strip, I was constantly looking around and being surprised by something new.Walking past the Mirage, a sudden volcano eruption took us by surprise and we watched in awe as the flames heated up the cool evening air.
Unfortunately the baklava didn’t quite work its magic in the casinos and, while I came out $20 up on Blackjack, the other two weren’t so lucky.Don’t worry, we didn’t let the evenings just slip away from us. It was time to get the gin flowing and we dressed up in our finest to show Sin City what we were made of.
Free to enter for hotel residents, it was truly a night to remember at Chateau Nightclub and Rooftop. Located right underneath the base of the Eiffel Tower, we had an unrestricted view of the Bellagio fountains as we danced and drank for hours. I also learned that posting a Snapchat story at 3am is unwise when it’s actually 11am back home and everybody you know is watching it completely sober. Yep, the next morning was a tough one.
Want to see more? Stay tuned for our trip to Santa Monica in a few days time or watch snippets of our entire week of fun here…
Laura x