LAS VEGAS: This is the second time that we have been to Las Vegas with kids, and we all loved it. Although, having a 15 year old son as well as the world's most responsible 8 year old daughter meant that we could leave them in the room upstairs while we had a grown ups dinner downstairs. We didn't leave the Venetian and DS and DH texted constantly - so I felt OK about it and they loved their time alone. When we arrived back to the room, they were both in bed, one on his phone and the other on her ipad, watching the basketball on TV where Justin Bieber was in the crowd - talk about 2 happy kids (thank you technology)!!
We spent a morning at the Premium Outlets South, this is our preferred Premium Outlets because it's an 'inside' shopping centre, all of the shops open up from a central air conditioned mall area - which is great considering it was 111 (44 degrees!!!) outside. We bought a new suitcase and shoved all of our shopping into it. A great place with every shop that we wanted, like - Nike, Gap, Hurley, Jockey, Nike, Vans, Coach and Nike!! There is also an IHOP in the car park outside - we spotted it from the main road and DH read all of our minds when he told the cabbie to "just drop us at the IHOP please"!!!
We spent lots of time checking out the other hotels on the strip, kids are able to go just about everywhere, but you have to walk fast past a few different things depending on the ages of your children! For instance, when heading to the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace with a 15 year old boy, pick up the pace when you go past the Pussycat Dolls blackjack table - they are swinging around the poles above the tables like crazy - dressed, but barely!!
We didn't come across any of the people on the side of the road that hand out the cards for the strip clubs. I had heard lots of stories about them, and having such a tall son, I expected him to be offered these cards....but we didn't have to deal with it at all - maybe it was the heat, but they were nowhere to be found.
We ate at restaurants in the Venetian Hotel for dinner and they were fabulous. Australian me with my English husband eating Mexican food in an Italian themed hotel in America - loved it!! Also, the $5 margaritas were delicious!! The Venetian has a food court as well, so the kids were very happy to eat Chicken Now - there is a Chicken Now at the Premium Outlets and DS got a sample, DD was very peeved that she didn't get some "I want some Chicken Now, Jack's breath smells delicious"!! So, when we spotted the Chicken Now at the Venetian, dinner for the kids was done. We had a taste and it was AMAZING - it's no wonder people want their Chicken NOW!!
We went down to Fremont Street, which is the old part of Las Vegas, it's very different to the Strip up in the newer section! The draw card down here is better odds at the tables, cheaper restaurants and hotels (blah, blah, blah) and the only reason that we went - the giant roof/canopy that spans the entire length of the street. Every hour there is a "show" beamed onto the roof that stars a different band - there are rockets zooming from one end to the other, fireworks, dice, roulette wheels spinning - all on the roof along with the band. We arrived in time to see Heart at 8pm, my family thought that it was OK, but I really love me some Barracuda, so I loved it!! DS decided to go on the zip line - 67 feet above the ground, it goes from one end of Fremont Street to just past halfway along - he loved it, and no, his long legs didn't drag on the ground!!
There are some pretty weird people down in Fremont Street, there was a bridal party...gowns, tuxes, flowers, beers!! Girls in showgirl outfits dancing on bars...yawn, and people dressed as gladiators, showgirls, Stevie Wonder, Gene Simmons etc. that you can take your picture with for a tip. We did not do this!! The Gene Simmons was 80 in the shade, in full lycra with cut outs on the legs, platform shoes, top knot hair and tongue wagging away. He looked the part - even his motorised wheelchair had flames painted on it....seriously!!!!!!!
We made it to 9pm and the Bon Jovi show.....there was Jon right above me, further down the roof, further further down the roof - it was a JBJ kaleidoscope!!! DD said "look Mum, Jon Jovi"!!! The whole crowd gathers to watch the show and everybody was singing along, it was a fabulous show with all of my favourite songs in it, the 10pm show was Queen which we would have loved to have seen, but there's not all that much to do with kids in Fremont Street, and we were happy to leave. It's a bit of a 'been there, done that' place. So I'll just watch the Queen one on YouTube!!
We really didn't get to see enough of Las Vegas, it was hot so we were at the pool, also a lot of shows aren't on on Mondays and Tuesdays - so DH and I will just have to go back on our own!!
The Venetian is a gorgeous place to stay - there seemed to be a lot more to do there than at the Bellagio where we stayed last time, although the Bellagio seems like the 'centre' of the strip to me - so everything has it's pros and cons. Our room had 2 giant beds and a sunken living room area as well as a huge marble bathroom and entrance. There was a TV in the living room area as well as the bedroom part, and even the hallways are beyond gorgeous! The shops, gondolas and St. Mark's Square section downstairs are beautiful AND they have their own Sephora - hooray!!!
We loved Vegas, even though I didn't run into Bradley Cooper, and I would stay at the Venetian again, every morning I would lie in bed and look across the road to the Mirage - the Cirque De Soleil show Love is on there and they have giant billboards right across the top of the Mirage....the sun glinting off Ringo's nose was a memorable sight!!
Las Vegas is a great place to stop off on your way back from the East Coast if you don't want to go to LA, when you leave, you just check your bags all the way through to Australia and it's a 39 minute flight to LAX - it's a great place to have a 'stop-over' on the way home. Las Vegas - love it, not a must-do, but a 'you should really try to'!!
