we had so much fun. it was fantastic to find a place that was a 1 1/2 hour flight, with warm weather, awesome pools, AMAZING and i mean AMAZING dining and great fun that we both enjoyed.
YES, if you want to meet us there for a long weekend we will. it's a new place that we liked A LOT (i know not knew to me but to Mr Bill the non gambler... completely new).
we were a little lame on picture taking, but i will try and relive it with what i do have.
the room was the nicest we have ever stayed in. i HIGHLY reccommend this hotel to anyone thinking of heading to the Nevada Desert. the location was great, the dining out of this world and the room was so elegant. they have great specials all of the time. it is connected to the Venetian and next to the Wynn.
we were thrilled with our room. we felt like we were in a loft apartment, sans kitchen, on the 43rd floor.
the details in the entry were even tasteful.
our luxurious bath. separate wc, vanity that i used to the fullest each day and night, huge soaking tub and glass shower, all marble. it was primo.
our bed that i lost Bill in each night. i suppose i have grown used to the queen sized.
such a lovely suite.
and the view speaks for itself.
our first night we decided to eat right in the hotel, the options seemed pretty wide. we choose Cranevino. we were shocked when we saw the prices... so we settled on pasta and salads. it was a meal to be remembered and yep, big boss guy Mario Batali was there. it was quite exciting! he had the orange crocs on and all. i tried to get a pic with my phone but it came out blurred, i was shaking i was so excited. anyway... his steaks are spendy, we found out a good friend had dined there the night before and the bill was 9k for 50. good thing we chose the pasta!
the next day we enjoyed exploring the enormous hotel we were staying at along with the neighboring Venetian. then we headed out to the strip to give Bill a first hand view of it. he was pleasantly surprised at how clean it is. he enjoyed the sites of Caesar's Palace reminding him just a bit of Florence.
our daytime view. pretty high!
a cool fountain in our hotel.
ta da da da!!!!
okay, i know he is just a person but.... the main reason we are on this little trip!
the only shot i have of the show. NO CAMERAS ALLOWED. thanks to cell phones though... i know it's a no no but i won't sell it. as you may notice in the picture parts of the show we quite risque yet very entertaining! Elton was better than fantastic and the visuals that went long with the songs were really good. it helped me understand the meaning of many of his songs. i was literally choked up seeing him live. it was a dream come true. SO SO FUN!
after the show we walked back to our hotel for dinner. we wanted one more meal at the place we had lunch that day. Dos Caminos. it was not only completely cool, look at the site, you'll see. it was hands down the best mexican food we have ever had. the guacamole was so unbelievable, luckily the waitress gave me the recipe and the 'secret.' we thought the margaritas were so fresh and wonderful... until the next night...
next day we delighted in the gluttony of shopping in Vegas. when you live in Central Oregon it is a rare thing to see shopping like this. we didn't even venture into many of the shops, feeling underdressed. we found that many Europeans come to Vegas for the amazing shopping, which made sense. the prices were so out of our league but we sure had fun looking at the fashions we would enjoy wearing (we think).
we watched the amazing Bellagio Fountains, had yet another fantastic meal in the Bellagio and just enjoyed a leisurely afternoon at the sparkling pools of the Palazzo. Bill decided we needed to see one more show before we went home the next day so he ventured out looking for another great one.
so another dream come true... dining once again at a Bobby Flay restaurant. (we have eaten at one of his in NYC and it was an unforgettable meal.) Mesa Grill proved to be the same. every single bite was superb along with the most amazing margaritas ever. i think Bill almost cried he enjoyed our time here so much. it was again... unforgettable.
cool thing is we have the cookbook for this restaurant and are excited to try and continue the flavors at home.
Bill had bought tickets for Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. it was just as good as Elton. it's Bill's favorite Broadway Show he has ever seen. stupendous!
every night i watched the Pirate Show across the street from 43 stories above. i just couldn't seem to get down there! i still enjoyed it, just knowing it was happening below. yep Leila... likes make believe.
our last morning we set out to find Bouchon, knowing it was in the Venetian somewhere... we found it and i ordered a perefectly brewed coffee along with a croissant filled with strawberries, worth every single calorie. mouthwatering!
if i haven't expressed it already i will now. we had a BLAST, we were not ready to come home but reality does exist. we found the food consistently the best we have ever experienced (sorry we are confessed foodies so i focus on that a lot). the restaurants in Vegas are superb and the entertainment delightful.
i will leave you with this, bad quality (the sound was excellent in the show... cell phones..) but a fond memory.
P.S. thank you Bill for the delightful surprise! also... no, we didn't even gamble a nickel (*v*) we ate it instead.
