What happens in Vegas…

The saying ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ isnt true, what you always take away from a holiday in Las Vegas is a memory that will always stay with you of 24hr non stop adventure.

We began by flying into Los Angeles and picking up a great fun Carnival cruise down to Mexico, a 7 day trip on the Splendour at just over 3000 passengers just the right size ,following the coastline to Cabo San Lucas,Mazatlan,Puerto  Vallarta and back to Los Angeles, followed by a few days of sightseeing taking in Universal studios, then hired a car and travelled to San Diego with a stop at the excellent San Diego Zoo before driving through to Palm Springs for 1 night at the Hard Rock style Zoso Palm Springs Hotel on Canyon drive for a real chilled out evening and great food.it sounds a lot but we were really chilled and relaxed all the way through this trip.

The next morning we had breakfast at Lulus’s and drove the Interstate 15 towards Vegas in searing heat.Tip, dont bother with a convertible, there are too many flying bugs and you need the air-conditioning full belt.

We dropped the car at the airport  as that was enough driving then settled into our suite at the MGM Towers with a great view of the strip  just minutes walk away.There are so many Vegas options for transport, the monorail, great bus services and cheap taxis.The Miracle Mile center was just on our doorstep with great shopping at reasonable prices and it brings you out onto the strip.Now, apart from the gambling Vegas can seriously damage your wallet, the stats show its one of the most visited cities in the U.S.The stats from 2018 show 42 million visitors last year,150,000 hotel rooms with average 85% occupancy mid week and 94% at weekend with an average room rate of $138 and 6.5 billion spent in the casinos on the strip.Just take your time, explore around , take the bus to Fremont Street(the old part of Vegas), explore the little cafes and bijou restaurants around that area and look out for discounted tickets at the booths on the strip (always check with the hotels as well) and enjoy.

There is no in-between , you will either love it or hate it, but do explore.We decided to spend the day at the Grand Canyon and took a bus tour rather than a flight tour but it was perfect and another Seven wonders of the World ticked off my bucket list, The best way to drink it all in is to walk part of the rim or take a horseback tour, its a wonderful experience.

Highlights had to be the informal cruise,Puerto Vallarta was stunning,San Diego Zoo, breakfast at the Wicked spoon in the Cosmopolitan in Vegas and the awe inspiring Grand Canyon.

Carnival Cruises sail year round  from Los Angeles and San Francisco.