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I was debating whether we need another Las Vegas trip report on here, but then concluded we had such a lovely time it would be a shame not to share!
We flew out on Christmas Day with BA in the first row of premium economy There was enough space and I have nothing bad to say about the flight, although at nearly 11hrs it was a tad tedious!
Arrival was as smooth as people have described on here before – BA was the only international arrival at this time, so the immigration hall was empty. We were seen within about 2s and, to my great surprise, the officer agreed to do the Global Entry interview for my husband there and then. This saved us half a day going back to the airport for the interview he had scheduled.
I can’t say I expected to love Vegas, but I found it absolutely fascinating. I hadn’t really appreciated that each of the big resorts/casinos is about the size of the Shepherd’s Bush Westfield…! We ended up going to pretty much all the big ones as we had plenty of time and the variety was really quite interesting. We were a tad shocked by the smoking everywhere, but it did mean we only gambled (and lost!) $5!
In terms of highlights, we loved the Sphere Experience as a chance to get in there for around $100pp and experience the super cool venue.
Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at AREA15 was really fun as well and a bit of a change to the Strip and casinos.
The Old Strip / Fremont Street was totally worth visiting. We did the SlotZilla zipline which was a highlight and felt super safe, went to a bunch of the older casinos (although they do feel very modern too), visited the Downtown Container Park for some Mexican food and just walked around. We didn’t make it to the Mob Museum, which sounded interesting. The Neon Museum was a brilliant way to end that day – a collection of old neon signs from the various casinos and a fair bit of history of the city.
The Venetian, Palazzo, Paris, Caesars, Bellagio, Luxor, Flamingo were all definitely worth exploring if you are a bit more limited on time.
We stayed at the New York, New York which was good value, in a good location and the room was modern, huge and comfortable. I would probably opt for a cheaper base off-Strip next time as we don’t really gamble, but it was great for a first stay. Interestingly, we did not interact with a single live hotel employee during our 5nts there – everything was done through the app!
We picked up our hire car from Avis inside the hotel and drove to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. We flew into the Canyon itself with Papillon Helicopters and then did a boat tour on the Colorado River. This was a total highlight of the West Rim. There were only five of us and it felt like we were alone inside the Canyon. The weather was beautiful and the boat guide went above and beyond to make it a special experience.
Once back from the helicopter tour, it was very busy and the West Rim shuttle bus operation was slow. We did get an amazing table overlooking the Canyon for our pre-paid lunch and then shuffled around the Skywalk bridge at Eagle Point. Guano Point was a bit quieter. Overall, if it wasn’t for the brilliant helicopter and boat tour, we would not have enjoyed the West Rim. It is very much the day-trip option from Vegas.
Important detail we missed – there is a time zone change from Nevada to Arizona. This could have been a problem for our helicopter tour, but apparently it happens all the time and they’re used to accommodating numpties like us!
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon was a different story. A National Park, the vibe is a lot less commercial than at the tribal-owned West. The shuttle buses were well organised and ran on time and the whole place was quite serene. Staying at the Kachina Lodge right next to the rim was an expensive, but worthwhile option. We did a bunch of hikes into and around the Canyon and really enjoyed the scale and serenity – particularly at night when most people would leave the park. Definitely need to prebook the nicer restaurants, though.
We then drove to Kanab, Utah and did a hike with Dreamland Safari Tours. Sadly we did not get a permit to see The Wave, but White Pocket, which we visited, was phenomenal. Dreamland were really top-notch in every respect.
Then onto Zion National Park, which at this time of the year doesn’t have a shuttle bus operation. Sadly, we also didn’t win the lottery to hike all the way to Angel’s Landing, but we hiked up as far as you can without a permit and did various other hikes in the area. It’s an absolutely mesmerising place and our photos from there almost look fake!
Then it was back to Vegas to fly home, but with a stop at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead before jumping on the BA A350. Both totally worth a stop, but the Dam in particular is awe-inspiring and worth paying for a tour.
Flight home in Club Suites was uneventful – kudos to the crew for not locking out the front loo out of use for the duration of the flight. Shame about the fish dinner main being 100% tasteless and the breakfast worse than Denny’s.
Overall a super enjoyable holiday – we were lucky the weather was very much on our side, gorgeous sunny days every day with Vegas highs of about 16C and dropping to 6C. The more remote regions were colder, but still very dry so easy to wrap up warm.
Fantastic itinerary! For a first trip to Las Vegas, you’ve packed a lot in.
Many people avoid Vegas and are sure “that is isn’t for them” (I was one of them!).
Then you go and have the sort of experience you have had here – and realise how much there is to see and do, including all the trips out from there (i.e. flying in to Vegas, and then heading off elsewhere). Colorado river, Zion, Kanab, Canyons and Casinos all in one trip.
I now go every year and only seem to add more to my list for next time.You’ve done the usual thing here (same as I did), of staying at an MGM resort for the first trip.
Don’t underestimate how much more there is to experience with the strip hotels before going for a ‘cheaper base off-Strip next time’.
The rooms, pools, views from the likes of Venetian/Wynn/Cosmopolitan are well worth considering… if the price is right.
(As is Resorts World Conrad, if there is a great points deal to be had).*However* as a cheaper base off-strip: The Palms (and in particular the suites at Palms Place) is incredible value. The Palms is my new go-to (if there isn’t a bargain rate at the above properties). The rooms are huge, 1.5 bath, and the pool area was a multimillion pound day-club party pool project… which they then just turned in to the hotel pool!
I agree it was worth writing a trip report, as you’ve captured several highlights in one post should anyone be heading that way in the future!
Many thanks @Travel-Strong – definitely some good points to consider for our next trip. It probably won’t be in the very near future, but we’ll definitely be back in the medium-term for all the reasons you mention!
Just need the pound to strengthen a bit or for the dollar to fall – it wasn’t a cheap trip. But for under £2k pp excluding flights it wasn’t awful either I suppose, given how much we did.
@PeteM – Greet trip report, thanks for the tips you have added, I am glad you liked your first trip to Sin City! Yes you certainly put in the steps when walking along the strip, it’s deceiving, We’ve been several times and still like it, I would recommend visiting over new year, it will be chilly though, the fireworks launched from the casino roof tops on NYE is a great spectacle, I agree re the stench of tobacco smoke and especially Weed, it’s horrible.
Id second the Grand Canyon and Hoover dam,(shame that the security staff take peoples cameras and phones from them before they walk onto the skywalk, and charge a crazy fee for pictures) it was a fantastic experience, when we were there lake mead had receded massively, was it the same when you visited? Sadly we didn’t have time to visit any national parks, we normally stay on the strip, last year it was Aria and Palazzo for us,(great restaurants and pools) before flying to LA.
Fremont street is a must, we saw a band on stage at the end of the zip wire when we were there, a nice treat, when we stayed at the Palazzo we could see the sphere being set up from our suite, I always visit the North premium outlet when I’m there, one of my favorite in the US. The bus that runs along the strip is handy, but can get packed with strip workers.
We booked the hotels through Emyr, and was happy with the price point and stays, especially the breakfast at the Salt and Ivy at Aria, and the dining credit.
Just a shame it’s such a long flight to get there, as you say.
Thanks @Gordon! We did consider staying in Vegas for NYE (and a friend’s pictures from the Wynn looked brilliant!), but the quiet of the Canyon was similarly enjoyable!
I do understand why they don’t let you take photos on the Skywalk bridge – it would be total chaos and I imagine many cameras and phones would end up at the bottom!
Lake Mead is definitely a shadow of itself and if they don’t make some pretty sweeping changes I can’t see it ever recovering to its old levels.
Will need to tap Emyr next time – for some reason didn’t even cross my mind to ask him about Vegas!
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