Las Vegas, Nevada
They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas….
But in this case what happens in Vegas goes on Sunny In The City!
I recently traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for my best friend Veronica’s bachelorette party. We had a wild time, as one would imagine while tearing through Sin City with a group on 12 girls!
While this was my second time in Vegas, the two trips were completely different. Funny enough, that trip was also with the bride! But we were just 21 years old, in college on a limited budget, and celebrating a friends birthday.
While we had a ton of fun, we had A LOT more stamina at that age.
We not only went out all night to clubs and concerts, but we woke up every day and explored the entire city. When I left Vegas ten years ago, I was exhausted from the nonstop action over four days, and I told myself I’d never go back. Not because I didn’t have fun but because I had truly seen it all!
Well, obviously that didn’t hold true. I went back excited to return again knowing that we had a great group of girls, an amazing itinerary, and four days of fun!
I’ll be spilling the tea on all the excitement from the weekend including where we dined, where we partied, and where we stayed (if you can even count the approximately four hours of sleep per night).
In the end I consider myself to have gotten very lucky that weekend! I walked away with only having lost $20 on slot machines but gaining tons of great memories with my besties.
Where we stayed
While there likely are some good airbnb options in Vegas for a big group, I highly recommend staying at a hotel for the full experience. This way you can be right in the middle of the action, save on Uber costs, and take advantage of all the hotel amenities like the Casinos and pools.
We stayed at the Encore at the Wynn Resort, which is towards the end of the Vegas Strip. The Encore is connected to the Wynn which made the property feel endlessly expansive.
There was so much to explore! Not only were there tons of restaurants, but also two of the clubs we planned to visit are conveniently located at Encore, XS and the Encore Beach Club.
If you end up booking your stay here, definitely spend some time checking out the space!
The rooms were really large and modern, with massive bath rooms. The double beds conveniently fit four of us in each room, so splitting the cost was more affordable. It felt comfortable and spacious for a group of four too. Plus we had some great views from the 34th floor. I’d definitely recommend staying here!
Here are some of the other great hotel options in Vegas
Where to dine
The first night we went to NoMad Library. It was a very cool and moody atmosphere within a two story library. It’s based on the old library space within the NoMad hotel by my apartment in New York which sadly closed, so it was great to see this gorgeous space recreated in all its glory!
The food and cocktails were delicious. We kicked off the night with some espresso martini’s and some fresh tuna tartare made table side.
The second day we ordered juices and coffees from Urth Cafe at the Wynn for breakfast, and after the pool party we got tacos from Tacos El Gordo delivered for dinner as a quick meal. It worked out well to have something to fill up with as we got ready and before our evening events!
The last night we dined at Tao within the Venetian hotel, which I’m sure most people are familiar with since its first location downtown is a New York icon. The Vegas restaurant is also a scene too. A large asian themed bistro with an oversized buddha and koi pond.
We really enjoyed the flavorful but light dishes, and the lychee martinis. But we loved that they let us pick a price we wanted to pay per person (for food) and bring out shareable plates that would meet that total. It was plenty of food in the end, and we had so much fun kicking off the night here. It was a great place to go with a bachelorette!
Where to party
The first night we got bottle service at Hakkasan Nightclub at the MGM hotel. If you’re in a group of girls or a bachelorette party like we were then I recommend working with a promoter to set this up and secure a space so you can cut the line.
The first night there was a DJ but not a huge headliner. But we had a great time kicking off the weekend!
On Friday we went to the Encore Beach Club, a huge and crazy pool party that usually features live performances and great DJ’s. On Saturday the Chainsmokers played at the club which we could see and hear from our hotel rooms!
We had a table here for our group right in the water in front of the DJ, but we ended up heading over to a cabana later in the afternoon. We ordered some pitchers of vodka lemonades, plates of chicken fingers, and had a great time people watching here! We had a long night ahead of us so the day didn’t get too wild, but I can see why so many people rave about this place. So I’d recommend checking it out at least once!
The second night we went out to see a show at Thunder Down Under at the Excalibur Hotel, which was a hysterical experience from start to finish. We sat in single file seats facing a stage, and the Australian gentleman performing took their storytelling to heart and did some theatrical “dances” to different recognizable songs.
They pulled a few ladies up on stage, and though my friends and I entered a little skeptical but a little excited, we left as fans. It was a hoot and just something funny to and unique to experience in Las Vegas.
After the show we went out to see Sam Feldt perform at Marquee at the Cosmopolitan! If you visit Marquee I highly recommend grabbing a drink at the Chandelier Bar beforehand. It gets crowded but there is no wait to stand at the bar (versus sitting at a table) and it was cool.
The last night after Tao we surprised the bride with a neon green hummer limo tour around the city, followed by seeing Diplo DJ at XS Nightclub.
These are the most popular bars and clubs in Las Vegas, and though there are plenty of other places to go out, I would recommend seeing what DJ’s and performers will be around and trying to plan around it! When we came to Vegas in 2012 we also saw Diplo at XS, so it was like deja vu.
That time we were a lot closer but our iPhone cameras were horrible (here is the only evidence that we were there)
Things To Do
I think I’ve done it all. Just kidding, I haven’t seen Celine Dion at MGM Grand yet BUT I’ve done A LOT.
At any hour of the day in Las Vegas, there is something to do. Clubs are open all night. Casinos are open all night. Food and alcohol are available 24 hours a day. But there are a lot of choices which can be overwhelming.
Here are some ideas to get you started!
Explore the Vegas Strip
This is a great way to see the city and get the lay of the land, which you can do during the day or at night! The last time we came in the winter and the weather was a little too cool for a pool party. We spent one of the days checking out all the hotels and attractions in the area instead, and we covered so much ground.
Here are some stops on my self guided Vegas tour:
Checked out the Eiffel tower at the Paris Hotel
Took a gondola ride through the canal at the Venetian
Visited the pawn shop from Pawn Stars
Rode the Big Apple Rollercoaster at New York New York Hotel
Saw the water fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel
The next stop on our list was taking in a once in a lifetime view from the top of the Strat hotel, which was pretty surreal. We saw the entire city.
But we didn’t trek up there just to be spectators on the observation deck. My friends and I decided to experience one of the biggest thrills in Vegas, a ride on the Big Shot.
The needle on top of the observation deck pictured below is actually a ride that launches people in the air at a super fast speed, almost 1,000 feet above the city. It was insane!
It was a pretty terrifying experience, but also fun and exhilarating. And I guess that is what people look for when they go to Vegas right?
I leave you with this incredible souvenir photo from our ride. Please enjoy:
The last stop was a trip to the Freemont East District where we waked around and explored the huge offering of shops, bars, restaurants, comedy clubs and casinos! Then we decided to ZIPLINE THROUGH A CASINO 11 stories above the ground. I highly recommend watching the video of what this looks like here.
Take a Limo Ride through Las Vegas
I’ve done this on both of my trips and it can either serve as a great easy way to get around all night if you plan on casino hopping OR it can be booked for an hour of time simply to explore! We spent an hour driving around in a bright green hummer limo just sipping drinks, blasting music, and visiting the WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS sign for some photos. It was so fun!
See a Show or Concert
One of the biggest attractions in Las Vegas is who is performing there. Every night you can find someone great! Whether someone on an upcoming residency like Adele, or a great artist traveling in for a night, you can find tons of concerts. But there are also plenty of entertaining shows ranging from musical artists, to plays, to theatrics like Cirque du Soleil.
Be sure to check out what is happening around town during your visit!
Relax with a the Spa Day
Some of the girls enjoyed a relaxing morning at the The Spa at the Wynn which was really beautiful. I booked a custom massage and with any treatment you are able to access the facilities as long as you want. The Encore also gave a $100 credit per room towards the spa so I was happy to take advantage of that.
We took advantage of the spaces included and spent some time detoxing in the sauna, taking dips between the jacuzzi tubs and cold plunge pools, and it was very hard to get us off the heated tiled chairs. This is a great activity to break up all the drinking and running around! I felt rejuvenated.
Bachelorette Party Antics
Though Vee is not one to love the attention, we still wanted to acknowledge that we’re on her bachelorette party with some fun bridal games. Veronica’s sisters were so adorable and picked some hysterical challenges out for us to compete to win. Though I won’t go into details these games involved some lemons on a string, hot dogs in a cup, and the groom even phoned in a few answers for us.
We had such a blast celebrating her!!
One other very Vegas thing to do… check out some of your favorite characters from The Hangover. You’ll see them around the strip next to the cartoons and superhero dudes.
And a final recommendation for when you land in Las Vegas is to actually LEAVE IT.
There is a lot to do within a few hours drive from the airport! Including…
The Grand Canyon
Hoover Damn
Zion National Park
Lake Mead
Seven Magic Mountains
So there you have it folks
Four days in Vegas at 31 years old is not for the faint of heart, but we did it! And I like to think our group of friends is still just as fun that we did our younger selves proud.
If you are heading out there for a trip, start hydrating now! And maybe do yourself a favor and take a day off from work when you return.
Cheers to the bride and an amazing weekend!
