My Family Travels...: Viva Las Vegas!

After Bill’s high school reunion in Hollywood, we packed-up our bags and head for Vegas. It has been about ten-twelve years since the last time we drove there. When we still lived in California, way before Alayna’s birth. This time, it is more of a family vacation. We have heard of some of the new stuff going on, hotels and casinos we haven't visited and different hotels and casino renovations since then.

With our rental car, which was quite a speeder and the driver as well (me :), we're on our way. It took us just about 3 hours to get to Vegas. Surprisingly, Bill and Alayna were both wide awake the whole trip. Usually in anything longer than an hour, boredom occurs and they just fall asleep leaving me all by myself, listening to the radio. The drive to Vegas isn’t really a scenic route. It was three hours of nothing, but desolate land, so make sure the car you’re driving is full of gas. It could be 40 miles or more before you’ll see another town.

driving to Las Vegas from California

Arriving in Vegas… 15 minutes closer, we get a glimpse of the city surrounded b y the desert. The place has expanded! A lot of new neighborhood sprouting along the freeway. Gosh, I hardly recognize the place. So much growth in the area in just ten years. The population must have doubled as well.

Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino

New York, New York Hotel & Casino

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

Planet Hollywood

HardRock, M&M World (etc...)

Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse

Paris Hotel & Casino

mono rail, stops at different hotels and casinos on the strip.

you can buy ticket passes for a day, three days or a week

more info: http://www.exploringlasvegas.com/transportation/monorail.html

must be the biggest Harley i've seen!

Entertainment @ the Hawaiian Shopping Village

off Vegas Strip

Polo Tower Suites

where we stayed at...

located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip

http://www.diamondresorts.com/Polo-Towers-Suites

Now, I personally don’t like staying in hotels longer than three days, no matter how nice it is. The square footage is just way too small. But lucky for us, we were able to exchange our timeshare unit to a two-bedroom villa at this place. How awesome is that! It has its own living area with a large comfy sofa and huge flat screen TV. The dinning area that sits four to six. The kitchen is complete with amenities that you’ll find at home. A huge deck that faces that strip. The guest bedroom has a full bath, mini-kitchen, a Murphy’s bed and its own TV. By the way, the channels are not restricted to what you can watch. When we were in LA, our hotel did not offer even one channel. They charge for everything! The valet parking was $29 per day/24hrs. But guess how much they charge in Vegas? It’s FREE! I could hardly believe it! What else could you want in a hotel that is also so close to where all the action is? We walked and we walked and we loved it! Seven days in Vegas, hurry!

Two-Bedroom Suite

living area

kitchen/dinning

her own room, equipped with mini kitchen, queen size bed and a full bath

though she just used it for tv viewing in the mornings and between rest periods :))

master bath... alayna's got her own bathroom as well

master bedroom

view from our balcony

day & night :P

Roof Top Pool of the Polo Towers

Alayna in the Kidde Pool @ Polo Towers... she found a friend to fight with

Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
opened: September 1, 1999
theme: Paris
It is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip
more info: http://www.parislasvegas.com

night-time stroll in the streets of Paris, Las Vegas :D

Bellagio Hotel & Casino

opened: October 15, 1998

theme: Bellagio, Italy

It is a luxury, Five Diamond award winning hotel & casino located on the Las Vegas Strip.

Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, which is famed for its elegance.

more info: http://www.bellagio.com

OMG! A Jollibee and Chowking in Vegas!

yummy :D

Aerial View of the Vegas Strip

night-time stroll on the Vegas Strip

The Crystals

Opened: December 3, 2009

located on the Las Vegas Strip

It is also known as Crystals at CityCenter and Crystals Retail District,

500,000 sq ft of retail and entertainment district that features fashionable clubs, gourmet restaurants, retailers, galleries, incidental offices and support areas.

more info: http://www.crystalsatcitycenter.com

view from our room balcony

Circus Circus Hotel & Casino

opened: October 18, 1968

renovated on: 1972, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2006

theme: Circus

It is located on the Las Vegas Strip

more info: http://www.circuscircus.com

no way i'm getting on those rides!

i've been there, done that in the Magic Mountain Six Flags

many years ago... had a stiff neck for a month

Caesars Palace

theme: Roman Empire

Opened on: August 5, 1966

renovated on: 1974, 1979, 1992, 2001, 2005

It is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip

more info: http://www.caesarspalace.com

@ the Cheesecake Factory

huge aquarium... alayna was fascinated the blind fish (seriously, no eyes!)

along the shops

future Burberry model

back at the hotel....

morning time with my darlings... working vacation for me

fun, fun, fun!

Stratosphere Hotel & Casino

Opened: April 30, 1996

It is a tower, hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. It is also the tallest tower and 5th structure in the United State and the tallest structure in Vegas.

more info: www.stratospherehotel.com

at the hotel's American Superstars show...

photo shoot with michael and elvis

just before the show started... camera's & videos are not allowed

ok, we have to have In & Out burger!

we have lived in Florida and now Texas, but In & Out can only be found in four states such as California Arizona, Nevada and Utah. why? Please expand In & out!

they have limited menu, but what they do, they do it best!!!

Treasure Island

theme: Caribbean

Opened on October 27, 1993

It was opened by Mirage Resorts in 1993 under the direction of Steve Wynn at a cost of $450 million.

In 2003, the hotel largely abandoned its pirate theme for a more contemporary resort in efforts to focus more on adults.

http://www.treasureisland.com

The Flamingo Hotel & Casino

theme: Miami/Art Deco

more info: http://www.flamingolasvegas.com

I have seen the movie “Bugsy”, which claimed that the mobster Bugsy Siegel put Las Vegas on the map when he built and opened the “Flamingo Hotel” way back in 1946. Only the Flamingo Hotel name has survived the 1940s era of Las Vegas Strip development. It was also the same year when the state imposes first gaming taxes.

back at the Polo Towers Villa

morning time

morning is not complete without coffee!

and swimming...

last day was overcast, but we still had fun... cooler temps

view from our two-bedroom villa suite

The Venetian Hotel & Casino

theme: Venice

opened on May 3, 1999, renovated on 2003

It is a luxury hotel and casino resort situated between Harrah's and The Palazzo on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip

more info: http://www.venetian.com

last day...

We thought that seven days in Vegas will be enough to see all the sights, but it wasn’t. This place is huge and so many places to see and so many entertainment to watch. We didn’t really want to do too much anyway. During the day was hot, so we tried to do some walking in the strip in the mornings. Such a different site, it was like a ghost town compared to the night-time.