I’m In The U.S.of A!

I am writing this before I go on my familiarisation trip taking in the sites of Seattle, Washington State and Las Vegas, however when you read this I will actually be there! The itinerary is jam packed full of amazing experiences & culinary delights (which is my favourite part). I also get to stay in some amazing hotels which to be quite frank my pocket wouldn’t generally stretch to pay for. Here’s what’s in store for me:

Day 1 – Fly London to Seattle. On arrival we are whisked off to The Oyster Bar at Bow which is one of the area’s most famous seafood restaurants for lunch. We land at 11.05 local time, although with the 8 hour time difference this will feel more like supper than lunch. After this we are taken to our first hotel, the Bellwether in the city of Bellingham close to the Canadian border. An early night will be in order as I will have been up for almost 24 hours at this point.

Day 2 – An early start to Bellingham Ferry Terminal for a cruise excursion to Vendovi Island Preserve in the Salish Sea and enjoy a Nature Walk & Picnic Tour, then back to Bellingham to explore the historic area of Fairhaven & take a tour of a craft ale brewery. Following this we are off to our next hotel which is on an Indian reserve called Tulalip. This is a self-governing state within a state and therefore has it’s own laws. Should be interesting.

Day 3 – We depart for Seattle where we get to stay at the stunning Loews Hotel and take in the Aviation museum, the Pop Culture musuem (with lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s highly rated restaurant) then over to the Space Needle where we get to go up to the observation deck towering 600 feet above the city. Following this it’s off to Chihuly Garden gallery then in the evening off to downtown Seattle for dinner at Pike’s pub.

Day 4 – A historical underground tour of Seattle’s old downtown then off for a foodie tour taking in Pike Place Market and tasting lots of local produce. We get time in the afternoon to explore the city at our leisure before dinner at the hotel in the All Water Seafood & Oyster Bar. Yum!

Day 5 – First stop is the  Fairmont Olympic Hotel which looks beautiful for an inspection. We get to fill up at the hotel’s Georgian restaurant on a 5 star brunch, before another hotel visit at the Edgeware Hotel down on the waterfront before heading off to the airport for our flight to Las Vegas where we have 3 nights at the amazing Vdara hotel with a cocktail drinks reception before an evening of exploring the bright lights of the party capital of America.

Day 6 –  This is conference day. Well…it can’t be all play & no work. In the evening it’s dinner at the Hotel Bellagio’s Grand Patio.

Day 7 – On our last day we have a day all to ourselves and with the weather forecast set to be around 28 degrees and having a hectic week I can foresee at least a couple of hours chilling round the pool before our farewell dinner at the MGM Grand’s Fiamma restaurant and then heading off to watch Cirque Du Soleil before going to our private reserved area at the Hakkasan nightclub.

I think you’ll agree that this is certainly the trip of a lifetime and I know I am one lucky lady to get paid to experience this.