Posts Tagged ‘vacation’
Loving Las Vegas: The bling report with giveaway! Part 1 of 2
Spectacular Las Vegas
A shining desert jewel
My favorite oasis
I’ll always be your fool
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I spent 4 days and 3 three nights at The Venetian in Las Vegas last week. If you’ve been watching my reports via Twitter you already know some of the fun I had there.
Day One: Spa!
Until last Monday I’ve never had a spa day. A professional massage in a studio? Yes. A mani/pedi at a nail salon? Yes. Have I spent a lot of money getting my hair done at salons that specialize in cutting my corkscrew curls? Yes. But I have never been to a spa, and on my first day in Vegas I splurged and got myself a massage at the Canyon Ranch Spa, which includes a day pass and use of the facility. I was rubbed and loosened and rejuvenated by a strong man who also put incredibly hot stones on my back and I loved every luxurious extravagant second of that 50 minute hour.
I baked in the jacuzzi, the sauna, and the Aquavana rooms with hydro-pools and “experiential rains.” I floated out after relaxing for nearly 4 hours. Oh la-di-da I spent the day at a spa!
I was treated like a Queen and the soft, plush, cotton terry robes are available up to 5x. I thought that $160 was quite the bargain for the whole experience.
Lunch before spa at Taqueria Cañonita. Shared a delicious meal by the side of the “river” with my friend. Perfect margaritas, but then again Patron Silver is always perfect. Appetizer $14 – Ceviche Trio: Ahi tuna with cantaloupe and rice vinaigrette, Veracruzano with manzanilla olives, Shrimp and Calamari sangrita. Entree $9- Smoked Chicken Quesadilla Platter Flour tortillas with shredded chicken, tomatoes, onions, serrano slaw, guacamole and Pico de gallo. Served with black beans and cilantro rice. Singing Gondoliers — priceless.
Dinner at the magnificent Tao. What can I tell you that you don’t already know about the famous Tao? The room design is sumptuous although I always find the music too loud and the sushi is fresh even on Monday. I don’t care what Anthony Bourdain says in Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (HARDCOVER)
Day Two: OMG WAYNE NEWTON
Breakfast at the Wolfgang Puck poolside restaurant, Riva. I had the American Breakfast $17: two organic eggs any style (over easy for me), chicken-apple sausage, and sourdough toast. I wasn’t in the mood for potatoes so the kitchen placed a very pretty mixed fruit arrangement on the plate and it was all decidedly yummy. Also, my waitress shared my first name so we totally bonded over coffee. I lingered and enjoyed the serenity for nearly 2 hours.
Most of the day was spent being lazy in the sun. Ummm I mean laying in the sun. Oh, same thing.
In the evening we headed for The Trop (Tropicana to the rest of you) because we had tickets to see Mr. Las Vegas himself Wayne Freaking Newton!
Is he old you ask? Yes, Wayne is old. Can he still sing? Um…that all depends on your definition of the word “sing.” But come on! It’s Wayne! And this is pretty much it, his last big (but not as big as it used to be) show called “Once More Before I Go.” There is a movie screen on stage and between stories about his career Wayne shows videos as a kid on different tv shows and of himself singing with celebrities. There was a medley with Dean Martin and he sang “You’re Nobody Until Somebody Loves You” with Sammy Davis Jr. Did you know that Wayne has released 165 albums and has had seventeen #1 songs?
There were too many jokes about little blue pills but the audience was filled with people who appreciated those jokes. And every time Wayne shook his tush every grandma screamed like she was 16 years old and that is a wonderful thing.
Dinner at Bacio, an Italian restaurant at The Tropicana. I had the sea bass ($22) and my friend had baked ziti ($17). I have to say that I was a little worried but both were pretty good, although the sea bass was the stand out dish. My only warning is that you might want to stick with a cocktail because the wine list is abysmal.
Late night snack: Delicate and delicious beef and shrimp Dim Sum at Zine, in the Palazzo — the more contemporary hotel tower on the other side of gondolas from The Venetian.
Tomorrow — Liberace, Scotch & Cigars, The Rat Pack AND A GIVEAWAY
Until tomorrow I leave you with a bit of Mr. Las Vegas.
Leaving for Mexico
The hubs and I are at JFK about to board our flight for Cancun. Thank you Jet Blue for the free internet service!
We will be staying at a resort in Playa del Carmen. This week we will be snorkeling, parasailing, and visiting Chichen Itza! I’ll update as I can depending on internet service.
Asta la vista baby!
Phoenix Day 2
I took out the camera to take digital picture last night and realized that I didn’t pack my battery charger. Off to yet another store for items not packed!
I love my husband’s family. They are close, they are fun, and they are really just great to hang out with.
We leave the beautiful Sheraton 4 Points at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow and drive to Joshua Tree National Park. I am so excited! This hotel is perhaps the nicest and largest hotel room I have ever slept in, and I travel on business very often. I see a lot of hotels and this is really gorgeous and affordable.
Today we drove with family to Fountain Hills, Arizona to see one of the world’s tallest fountains. They have a 560 foot tall plume of water. In the desert. That is really a lot of water.
The hubs and I are having the most fun we have ever had on a vacation together. We are sooooo relaxed.
More soon when I have the camera batteries charged.
Vacation Fun
The hubs and I are at JFK getting ready to go to Phoenix to visit his brother and sister-in-law. Then we rent a car and drive through Joshua Tree, up through the California desert to the Bay Area to visit friends this weekend. We fly out of San Francisco, back to JFK.
I highly recommend Park, Sleep, Fly because seriously, we spent the night within a 10 minute shuttle ride of the terminal, we didn’t have to fight rush hour traffic this morning, and our one night stay includes free parking for the week we are gone. In total, this cost us less than parking in the long term lot at the airport.
There is free wifi at the hotels we are staying at so I’ll posting travel reports and some pics.
OMG I just realized that I didn’t pack a razor. Off to the drug store as soon as we land!
Anyone know anything about Fox Car Rental? I had never heard of them but they have a desk at the Phoenix Airport and had a great deal.
More soon!
