The BIG Las Vegas Surprise - 17th Feb 2019 - Shopping, Exploring North Strip & Grand Lux Cafe

[smithlane]

Day 1

My day started at 2am, yes that’s right 2 in the bloody morning . I was not just awake but WIDE awake with no chance of going back to sleep!
I Dibbed for a while and read then at 5am when sleeping beauty next to me woke up we put the TV on.

We got up at 6 to get ready and left at 7.30, got the car and drove round to the Paris/Bally self parking. Found Le Village buffet easily and paid for 2 breakfasts. $51.94 altogether. This place had been recommended by a friend.

Got a Diet Coke and hot chocolate for me and a coffee and orange juice for Jim.
I went round first sussing everything out and taking some photos.

I started with a hot plate of a cheese omelette made to order with hash browns, bacon, sausage and tater tots. Tasted lovely but could have been hotter.

Now to a plate of sweet stuff!
Waffles with maple syrup, sticky cinnamon pecan roll with caramel sauce and some strawberries for one of my 5 a day! Ha yeah right, covered in whipped cream I don’t think that counts . I did share this with Jim so not quite that bad.

I also picked up a couple of chocolate doughnuts and bear claws to take for later. I know it’s frowned upon but we really hadn’t eaten our monies worth!
We now rolled ourselves out and luckily made it back to the car within an hour so avoided the $9 fee.
Plugged the North Outlets into the Sat Nav and off we went.

Took us completely out into the back of beyond and quite frankly a part of Vegas I wouldn’t want to return to. Finally got us back on track and parked in the multi storey.
It was dead! Reminded me of the Ellenton Outlets in Tampa, why can’t the Orlando ones ever be this quiet.

Started in Ugg but no great reductions in here. Saw a lovely dressing gown but decided to think on it.
Tommy Hilfiger next, saw some nice bits but thought we would come back last so we weren’t carrying round a big bag with us.
Into Ralph Lauren where we were finally successful. $202.67 later we bought 2 chunky knit jumpers for me and a t-shirt, polo shirt and 3/4 zip jumper for Jim. I had a 30% off voucher for in here.

Adidas next where I got a gym t-shirt for $11.99 then into Nike to get some gym leggings for $34.09. I really need to get my back side fitter as I’ve put on so much weight recently!

Into Timberland next but we came away empty handed. Jim was after some black chinos as he likes their fit but they didn’t do that colour.
I stopped in Perfumes 4 U as I was on the hunt for my favourite perfume Gucci Gucci. They seemed to have discontinued it in the UK which I’m gutted about so you can imagine my delight when I see they have it here and a large 100ml bottle is $61.70. I snapped it up right away! I also had a $10 off voucher which brought it down even further.

Into the Disney outlet where I came away with this adorable Eeyore cuddly for Hope. This was $22.67.

American Eagle now where I bought Hope the most expensive pair of denim shorts at $47.59 . The problem is she really struggles with clothing in this country as she’s so petite and AE clothes seem to fit her perfectly. Plus I had Mum guilt for being away

North Face next for some tracksuit bottoms for Jim. $36.81. I’m normally quite lucky in this shop but nothing took my fancy today.

We were now parched so stopped for a drink from a gelato shop. It was getting quite warm now so took off a few layers!

Onto Levi’s where the deal was buy 3 or more pairs for $39 each. I’m sure in Orlando it’s buy 2 or more pairs but anyhow I got myself a dark denim and black pair and a black pair for Sam. Unfortunately even the shortest length are way too long for Hope which is a shame as they are so comfy! I had a $10 off over a $100 spend so including tax these came to $119.04.

We were now running out of steam so made Tommy Hilfiger our last stop. I got a striped dress and 2 sweaters then Jim a lovely Navy jacket and finally found some black chinos. These fit him really well so may well be converted from Timberland. I can’t find the receipt but I do know I had a 25% off voucher and I recall the final balance was $180ish. Not bad going for what we got.

We were now done in so went back to the car. Had to pay $10 parking fee which really annoys me . Straight back to the hotel now, luckily the Sat Nav took us the direct way home.

Got back to the room and dumped all our bags. We then did the unthinkable, we went down to the hotel gym Got changed into my new gym gear and went downstairs. Jim had to show me what to do as I worked out it’s been 18 years since I’ve been in one! Did 30 minutes on the cross trainer, after 5 minutes I felt like jacking it in but somehow survived the full 30! It helped that ‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’ was on the TV so I got engrossed in watching that.

A very unflattering photo of us looking like hot sweaty messes!

Back to the room and had a lovely jacuzzi bath. It was bliss!
We then both had a nap and set the alarm to wake up at 5pm. We could have slept so much longer but dragged ourselves up and got ready to go out.
We started by heading north up the Strip passed Planet Hollywood and Paris.

We went into Flamingo as I wanted to find the wildlife habitat. Took a while to find it but got there eventually! Friends were staying here the week after us so sent them some photos.

We had a flutter on the slots but lost it all. Only $6 though

Walked further north towards the Venetian.

What a beautiful hotel, would love to stay here.

Walked through the Grand Canal Shoppes to the Grand Lux Café and got seated immediately.

Had to have the mashed potato spring rolls as featured in Abi Knox’s trip report so got some to share.
I went with Crispy Caramel Chicken and Jim had the BBQ Burger. We were right under air con vent and it was freezing so we asked to move. Not entirely sure why it was on as it’s only about 2 degrees outside! It was no problem to move a few tables down so we weren’t directly under it.

We got the lovely bread to start with. This restaurant is part of The Cheesecake Factory chain so you’ll see a lot of similarities.
The food soon came out and was quite simply amazing. Mine was so tasty and hit the spot. The spring rolls were very nice too!

Once finished our server very kindly brought out this dessert for Jim after being asked if we were celebrating anything. It’s small gestures like these that stand out.

I was far too full for dessert but I couldn’t not get my favourite Key Lime Pie so got a slice to take away.
The bill altogether was $66.41 so left $80 including tip which we thought was very reasonable.

From here walked through the Palazzo, out towards the Wynn and crossed the road.

Wanted to pop into the Fashion Show Mall but it was closed. It was 8.30 on a Sunday evening so must shut early compared with rest of strip.

Did I mention how cold it was? God it was bitter outside! We needed to get indoors pronto so went into Treasure Island. We didn’t really like it in here, felt far smokier than other casinos.
We walked past the Mirage and had just missed the volcano eruption but was far too cold to hang around for the next one. They were on at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm every night.

Into the Forum shops to warm up again and up the curved escalators. These are so cool.

I wanted to find Bath & Bodywork’s to stock up on my favourites.
This was right up the far end. This shopping mall is huge!
Popped into Victoria Secrets to get Hope 2 body sprays in her favourite Velvet Petals. These were $6 each.
We saw the tale end of the Atlantis Show.

Got myself 5 foaming hand washes and 3 body lotions. Had a 20% off voucher so $43.30 altogether.

We were now completely shattered so decided to get an Uber back from Caesar's Palace. This is where it all went wrong. We walked through the hotel to the designated Uber pick up zone and requested one.

It said it was showing as arrived but was nowhere to be seen. After 5 minutes it cancelled. I ordered another and the same thing happened again! I was spitting feathers at this point so we decided to just walk.

It was blinking snowing outside . Told you it was cold! It took about 20 minutes and we cut through Miracle Mile shops to get out of the snow. Couldn’t believe this weather!

Got straight into our night stuff and into bed to warm up! Were soon fast asleep after a very long but very enjoyable day

[KarenG]

Oh great day!

But... GYM?!

We got the Venetian for $80/night on Hotwire once and it is amazing - the room was massive. Can’t afford it for our April trip at £350 a night :O

I always feel like I want to dislike Grand Luxe Cafe, because surely such a huge menu must mean freezers and microwaves are the mainstay of the kitchen - but we’ve always had good meals here.

When you’re exhausted, there is something very draining about Vegas - I felt for you with your Uber problem :-(

[Tinkermom]

Originally Posted by KarenG

Oh great day!

But... GYM?!

We got the Venetian for $80/night on Hotwire once and it is amazing - the room was massive. Can’t afford it for our April trip at £350 a night :O

I always feel like I want to dislike Grand Luxe Cafe, because surely such a huge menu must mean freezers and microwaves are the mainstay of the kitchen - but we’ve always had good meals here.

When you’re exhausted, there is something very draining about Vegas - I felt for you with your Uber problem :-(

See more...

Total agree re Grand Luxe Cafe

[JoS]

Another fun packed day. Glad you got some bargains. We love the Venetian and stayed there last year for 4 nights for our wedding anniversary. Had a few meals in Grand Luxe. Sounds as though you are liking Vegas a bit more?

We were there just before you and it was so cold. First time we have ever experienced that, its usually at least warm! Thanks for posting and enjoying reading along.

[samx57]

Loving this report so far.

I'm going in July so its nice to see trip reports so close to my trip

could i ask where you got all the coupons/vouchers from you used on your shopping?

[Goldia]

Oh no that was an early start for you, I'm not surprised you needed a little nap in the afternoon.

Great shopping haul as ever, fingers crossed Hope liked her shorts!

I can't believe you went to the gym, oh my goodness.

Shame about the uber faf and then having to walk back in the end. It sounds really chilly.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by KarenG

Oh great day!

But... GYM?!

We got the Venetian for $80/night on Hotwire once and it is amazing - the room was massive. Can’t afford it for our April trip at £350 a night :O

I always feel like I want to dislike Grand Luxe Cafe, because surely such a huge menu must mean freezers and microwaves are the mainstay of the kitchen - but we’ve always had good meals here.

When you’re exhausted, there is something very draining about Vegas - I felt for you with your Uber problem :-(

See more...

Haha I know right! Don’t worry it didn’t happen again 😂
Wow $80 a night is ridiculously cheap, the rates vary so much in Vegas it’s crazy.
It was probably one of our best meals, it shouldn’t taste so good but it does!
I have never had a problem with Uber before but with our jet lagged brains we were probably on the wrong level but wasn’t about to traipse around the huge hotel to find out 😳. It was a very chilly walk back though!

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by JoS

Another fun packed day. Glad you got some bargains. We love the Venetian and stayed there last year for 4 nights for our wedding anniversary. Had a few meals in Grand Luxe. Sounds as though you are liking Vegas a bit more?

We were there just before you and it was so cold. First time we have ever experienced that, its usually at least warm! Thanks for posting and enjoying reading along.

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We love shopping in the States, the bargains aren’t quite as good because of the exchange rate but you can still get a few especially when using the extra discount codes.
Would love to stay in the Venetian or the Palazzo they feel very luxurious!
We were definitely starting to enjoy our time there more for sure.
I honestly couldn’t believe how cold it was. It was the wind that was so biting that made it feel far worse and as for the snow, I was shocked!

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by samx57

Loving this report so far.

I'm going in July so its nice to see trip reports so close to my trip

could i ask where you got all the coupons/vouchers from you used on your shopping?

See more...

Thank you Sam
Ooh you’ll have some lovely weather in July. I’ve said to Jim the next time we go it has to be in the summer months!
If you sign up to the Simon Premium Outlets VIP club and download their app then there is a list on there that has the extra discounts for a lot of the stores. You just choose whichever store you’re visiting. We have done this for Florida as well. You just need to show the cashier the barcode on the phone so no need to print anything off. For Ralph Lauren though we get an extra discount for signing up to their mailing list. It’s usually at least 20% extra off but sometimes up to 30%. If you sign up and the codes don’t come through go on the Shopping part of the forum there is a member called Toonarmani who regularly posts the discount codes from RL so just screen shot the one for your dates (will be much nearer the time of travel) and again show the cashier when paying.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Oh no that was an early start for you, I'm not surprised you needed a little nap in the afternoon.

Great shopping haul as ever, fingers crossed Hope liked her shorts!

I can't believe you went to the gym, oh my goodness.

Shame about the uber faf and then having to walk back in the end. It sounds really chilly.

See more...

I couldn’t believe it when I saw the time, I felt like I’d had a wonderful long sleep so honestly thought it was later. My body clock told me it was 10am so time to be up! The nap felt good though.
Hope loves the shorts thank god! She says they’re her new favourite item of clothing which is just as well as they can’t go back 😆
I know neither can I to be honest it’s really not like me at all!
The Uber faff was so annoying but even worse is they charged me $5 each time for cancelling even though I was there waiting😡