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Old 15 Aug 17, 08:54 PM  
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Lisa_Lollipop
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Our West Coast Adventure - May 2017 - Day 10: Renting a supercar, Fremont Street & Planet Hollywood

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Saturday 20th May 2017

Steps: 22,101
Miles: 9.02

We hadn’t set an alarm on going to bed the previous night so woke up naturally at 9am and then had a good snooze, finally getting out of bed at 9:50am. After a quick shower and getting ready we were heading out of the room by 10:20am, collecting the car from the TI car park and then heading north up the strip back to the Royal Resort Hotel ready for Paul’s supercar dream to come true at 11am!

It was an easy process in collecting the car as we had arranged everything the previous day. Paul had to leave his passport with them as a further deposit… I was a little dubious about this when it was first mentioned the day before but after a good Google we found nothing but positive reviews for LV Cars so my mind was put at rest. Leaving our SUV in the hotel car park we loaded ourselves into the Audi R8 V10, got that roof down and away we went… I think Paul’s happy face says it all about just how he was feeling at this very moment!



Leaving the hotel we made our way back towards the south end of the strip. I was feeling quite peckish so we made a plan to stop in Town Square as I was sure there must be come sort of coffee shop there that I could grab a quick something to eat on the go!



On entering we drove towards the back of the complex and found a Coffee Bean on the way so I jumped out and grabbed a chocolate croissant and a bottle of water ($8.05 total). Paul said he didn’t want anything; he was far too busy enjoying the car to eat it seemed! As I knew we were on such precious time with the car I opted not to wait and have the croissant warmed and just took it as it was… big mistake, so dry and not very appealing! But it filled a hole and after quickly scoffing it down it was back in the car to carry on our cruising!



Leaving town centre we carried on making our way south and pulled off the strip slightly further down as Paul wanted to stop on one of the side roads to take some photos of the car and get some video footage of him driving it (to send back to the boys at home of course!). Now I know nothing about cars but even I was pretty impressed by how lovely it was and couldn’t resist a little sit in the driver’s seat (for photo purposes only, there was no way I would have been brave enough to drive the thing!)









With the car sufficiently documented we headed back on the strip and made our way northwards. It was lovely having the roof down for cruising but it was so hot! It makes you appreciate how vital air con is!







It was great to take the strip in from the road and there were plenty of chances to stop and admire the hotels as we must have stopped at every single set of traffic lights! I also was most excited to spot a road with the same name as me!







We spent the rest of the time with the car cruising around, Paul enjoying the time driving and me loving the scenery as we made our way up and down the strip. We had to return the car with the same amount of gas that we had left with so just before the return time of 1:30pm we started to head back in the direction of the Royal Resort Hotel as the guy at the car rental company had told us there was a gas station at the end of that road. Well for neither love nor money could we find that gas station and after taking a few turns in hunt of it we found ourselves on the freeway heading away from the strip! I was a little panicked as it had now passed our return time and I was slightly worried how much extra these additional minutes were going to cost us! Paul on the other hand seemed quite happy as he was getting the opportunity to open the car up and put his foot down!

We did eventually make it back to the hotel, a whole 7 minutes late! But on returning up to the desk we found no one there so didn’t really have much to worry about after all! Paul explained to the guy that we hadn’t been able to find a gas station and he didn’t seem concerned at all, we just gave him $20 to cover the fuel we had used… no drama at all!

All in all it was a great few hours and seeing how happy it made Paul was worth the price a million times over. The company (LV Cars) we hired the car from were great too, I definitely would recommend them should anyone fancy a little treat when in Vegas, they have a great range of supercars available!

Getting back into our Dodge (what a comedown!) we made our way out of the hotel car park and headed straight into the McDonalds on the other side of the strip as Paul was now feeling the fact he hadn’t had anything to eat yet, not the most exciting place to stop for lunch but it was quick and convenient!





Paul ordered a large quarter pounder with cheese meal and a strawberry milkshake, and I of course had a strawberry milkshake too (as if I was going to miss the opportunity!)





On leaving McDonalds we headed back to Treasure Island, parking the car and then making our way back up to the room. Buy now it was 2:50pm and we had intended on getting some pool time but on having a look down to the pool area it was looking completely rammed so we decided to give that a miss!



With the pool idea abandoned we instead found ourselves lying on the bed for a quick rest… you can guess what happened next (no, not that!)… we both fell asleep! These afternoon naps really were starting to have their appeal. After a good hours snooze we both woke up feeling very refreshed and raring to go so we decided to head out onto the strip for a bit more exploring. I’m not sure why but it seemed necessary to take a photo of the lift buttons on the way down!



Turning onto the strip we headed south, walking first past the Mirage for a few photos… it really was the most beautiful sunny day.














Passing the Mirage we found ourselves at Caesars Palace so popped in as I wanted to grab a photo in the reception… it’s pretty impressive with that huge fountain it has to be said!







Next up was the Bellagio and as it was approaching 5pm we decided to stop and wait for the next fountain show. Whilst taking some photos a nice lady offered to take one of the both of us together, how very kind!









It was at this point I decided I needed a toilet break and a drink so I left Paul to hold our spot whilst I hot-footed it into the hotel to relieve my bladder and pick up some sort of refreshment. I could only find a Starbucks so settled on a can of lemon San Pellegrino (a steal at $4.50! ). Desperate times call for desperate measures, I was so thirsty!



I made my way back to where Paul was waiting just in time for the fountain show to begin, this time they seemed to be working perfectly and as always it was great to watch (the photos aren’t the best I am afraid, we were staring directly into the sun so made it tricky to get any decent ones!)









Once the fountain show was over we headed across the road towards Planet Hollywood, stopping to have a look in Urban Outfitters. I am not the biggest fan of this store back home as everything feels a little to trendy for a simple gal like me but I did end up finding a t-shirt in the sale for the bargain price of $4.99 (more loungewear!) and I also really liked that in the fitting room they wrote your name on the door as well as how many items you had, a nice touch!





From Urban Outfitters we headed inside Planet Hollywood and through to Miracle Mile to have a look around the shops there. I made a stop into Bath and Body Works as I wanted to pick up a couple more hand creams (after trying the one I had bought the day before I needed to stock up on more - $4 each) and I also couldn’t resist yet another hand sanitizer when I was up at the counter paying ($3). I adore the smell of coconut so this was irresistible to me!



Next we popped into Vegas Souvenirs as we were on the hunt for some gifts and managed to come away with four Vegas mugs for Paul’s parents and their partners (2 for $16) and also a magnet for Paul’s Mum ($4.95). Who doesn’t love a good holiday souvenir right?!



As we were making our way out of Miracle Mile we walked past Ben & Jerry’s and I couldn’t resist stopping for an ice cream… who is going to defy a pregnant woman of ice cream?! I Despite the huge choice of flavours available I opted for a small scoop of chocolate fudge brownie ($6.59). Absolutely delicious!



As we were making our way back up towards Treasure Island we realised it was close to being 6:30pm so we decided to stop once again at the Bellagio fountains to catch the fountain show… they never disappoint!









Once the fountain show was over we carried on our journey back to TI, arriving back in the room at 6:55pm. It was at this point it dawned on me I hadn’t taken a photo of the very long corridor! Our room was the first on the left (does it annoy anyone else that that strip isn’t central on the carpet?!)



We had decided earlier in the day that as this was our last night in Vegas we would head off the strip and over to Fremont Street. Paul had visited here for the first time when he was In Vegas for the stag and had really enjoyed it so was keen to go again to show me around. Before heading over there though we decided to stop by the Mirage to see the 8pm volcano eruption as we were yet to see this so far on this trip.

After showering and getting ready we were back out of the room at 7:45pm and made our way straight to the Mirage to get a good spot to view the show. It was such a beautiful evening and with the sun setting the strip couldn’t have looked more beautiful.











The eruption took place at 8pm and is definitely worth a watch should you be in that area around the show times (I think they are hourly throughout the evening).









We needed to collect the car from the TI car park and as we hadn’t used it before we decided to hop on the tram from the Mirage that takes you over to TI. It is probably just as quick to walk but it was nice to tick it off as something new to try!





Alighting the tram we headed straight to the car park to pick up the car and then drove straight to Fremont Street, arriving at 8:40pm and parking up in a car park close by.







We stopped by at the Heart Attack Grill to have a look, I had seen this place featured on quite a few TV shows (including A League of Their Own US Road Trip) and was intrigued to have a little nosey! The premise here is that diners wear hospital gowns and indulge in heart attack-inducing food offerings… only in the US!







Also if you weigh over 350lbs you get to eat for free… Paul checked himself out on the scales and he wasn’t even close!



We carried on making our way down Fremont Street and it has to be said the screen on the ceiling was pretty impressive. Not long after we arrived they started laying a Green Day medley which I particularly enjoyed (I was quite the grunger back in my teenage days!). Also if you look carefully you can see the zip wires that people are flying down on… terrifying!







Our next stop as at one of the stages where a group called 80’s Station were performing (I bet you can guess which era of music they were showcasing!)







We had planned on eating whilst there but as we continued to make our way through I was feeling less and less comfortable. Now I am not a nervous person but I must admit Fremont Street does not get my vote as a fun place to be… it seems to be a place where all the local weirdos and drunks hang out! Perhaps if I had been drinking myself I would have felt more relaxed there but I couldn’t help but feel a little on edge with so many rowdy people around (maybe it was my protective pregnant instinct kicking in too!). So after a rather quick wander around we decided to head back to the safety of the strip to find somewhere for food.

On getting back to the car park we ran into some slight difficulty in finding the car. We knew we had parked on level 4 but despite getting out on that floor from the lift we found ourselves on the slope of the floor above… it was most confusing! In the end we had to get back in the lift and get off at level 3 and walk up to level 4… Fremont Street just gets stranger and stranger!



By now it was 9:45pm and we made our way directly back to the TI car park to drop the car off, arriving there at 10:05. We were both starving by this point and not wanting to spend too much time wandering around trying to decide where to eat we made a quick decision to head straight to Planet Hollywood which is located at The Forum shops in Caesars Palace (not in the Planet Hollywood hotel as you would probably expect!)







We were seated straight away and put in swift orders for our drinks, a Stella for Paul and a Planet Island Punch for me… both in souvenir glasses of course!







For food Paul ordered the potato skins to start (that boy can’t resist potato skins!) and then a BBQ bacon cheddar burger and I went for the LA lasagne.









The food was delicious, I absolutely loved the lasagne, although of course was once again defeated and couldn’t finish it all!

By the time we made it through all that food and settled up the bill it was 11:35pm. Leaving Planet Hollywood we took a stroll down to The Bellagio to watch the last fountain show of the night which would be starting at 12am (it seemed only right on our very last night in Vegas!). Luckily we got there a little early as they actually started at 11:55pm!







It was lovely to see them one last time; they truly are a highlight when in Vegas and a perfect way to end our amazing week there.









Once the show had finished we made our way into The Bellagio to have a look around the conservatory. We walked past here earlier in the trip but hadn’t had a proper look around so we headed in to take a closer look at all the beautiful flower displays.











On arriving back at TI we stopped in the CVS situated right outside to pick up some Coke and Fiji water (we wanted to see if it tasted as nice as the bottle looked… to confirm, no different to any other bottled water in my opinion!)

We were back in the room by 1:10am and I was completely pooped and ready for bed… Paul on the other hand still had some life left in him as I crawled into bed at 1:30am he headed back downstairs to make the most of our final night there and hit the slots. He took down $40 dollars with him and came back with $50 so that can’t be bad… I woke up the next morning to find he had even sent me a photo of one of his cash-out vouchers, clearly very pleased with his winnings!



So that brings us to the end of our last full day and night in Vegas… tomorrow sees us checking out of Treasure Island and hitting the road to make our way to Palm Springs!

Day 11 can be found here

Edited at 08:49 PM.
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Old 15 Aug 17, 09:52 PM  
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Pussycat Doll
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Great day Lisa, I'm knackered just reading about it! Loving the car and the fact that you saw the fountain show 3 times! We had a fountain view room once, on the 14th floor, our first night when we fell into bed early, the final cannon shot fountain woke us up every half hour!
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Old 15 Aug 17, 10:08 PM  
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i love jack
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Great couple of days, I've just asked my other half if he would pay $420 to hire an R8, he said hell yeah!
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Old 16 Aug 17, 08:34 AM  
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clochette
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Another great day. Love the photos of the car! I was considering it as a surprise for DH as a 50th birthday present but I decided to mention it to him. I'm glad I did, as he doesn't want to do it! Just as well I checked really.

I'm looking forward to our trip even more now, so thanks for sharing your trip.
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Old 16 Aug 17, 09:03 AM  
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Ooh I'm so sad your Vegas time is coming to an end, a great last day though!

I love the difference in your must do (Disney) & Paul's (the car), 2 days worth of fun vs 2 hours ! The car does look good fun though, I would be firmly in the camp of too scared to drive it though!

TI pool looks insane, people soup springs to mind! Eew.

Freemont St was a good thing to see for me, I didn't feel uncomfortable but also wouldn't rush in going back. I think we were there earlier in the day though so I imagine it gets seedier by the hour as it gets darker! Would have loved to do the zip wire if I wasn't PG though!
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Old 16 Aug 17, 09:13 AM  
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A great day, I'm picking up a few tips from your time in Las Vegas, times of the fountain shows, the volcano show (hadn't heard of that) to name a few. I don't think I've fully researched Las Vegas, I was just planning to wing it a bit! Maybe I should look into things a bit more. Your time in the super car looks fab, you both so look the part in it. I've read so many reports about Fremont Street - I'm not sure whether to bother with it or not - although I think DH will want to go for the experience.
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Old 16 Aug 17, 02:50 PM  
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Lisa_Lollipop
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Originally Posted by Pussycat Doll View Post
Great day Lisa, I'm knackered just reading about it! Loving the car and the fact that you saw the fountain show 3 times! We had a fountain view room once, on the 14th floor, our first night when we fell into bed early, the final cannon shot fountain woke us up every half hour!
I loved being able to see the fountains from our room at the Vdara but you can’t beat standing right there in front of them can you? The final cannons go up with such a force, that’s amazing that they were loud enough to wake you up in your room!

Originally Posted by i love jack View Post
Great couple of days, I've just asked my other half if he would pay $420 to hire an R8, he said hell yeah!
Haha I think it must be a boy thing… but hey if it makes them happy eh?!

Originally Posted by clochette View Post
Another great day. Love the photos of the car! I was considering it as a surprise for DH as a 50th birthday present but I decided to mention it to him. I'm glad I did, as he doesn't want to do it! Just as well I checked really.

I'm looking forward to our trip even more now, so thanks for sharing your trip.
Definitely glad you checked with your DH, it’s a lot of money to spend if it’s not something he really wanted to do! Paul had been researching it for months in the lead up to our trip, it was always going to happen for us I think!

Originally Posted by abiknox View Post
Ooh I'm so sad your Vegas time is coming to an end, a great last day though!

I love the difference in your must do (Disney) & Paul's (the car), 2 days worth of fun vs 2 hours ! The car does look good fun though, I would be firmly in the camp of too scared to drive it though!

TI pool looks insane, people soup springs to mind! Eew.

Freemont St was a good thing to see for me, I didn't feel uncomfortable but also wouldn't rush in going back. I think we were there earlier in the day though so I imagine it gets seedier by the hour as it gets darker! Would have loved to do the zip wire if I wasn't PG though!
Such a good point, next time he passes comment about Disney being expensive I shall remind him of the cost of hiring that car!

I do wish we had visited Fremont street earlier in the day, I imagine it would be far less seedy in daylight! I am far from being a prude but some of the sights were even shocking to me! As for that zip wire… pregnant or not there is no way I would have braved that!

Originally Posted by Jake71 View Post
A great day, I'm picking up a few tips from your time in Las Vegas, times of the fountain shows, the volcano show (hadn't heard of that) to name a few. I don't think I've fully researched Las Vegas, I was just planning to wing it a bit! Maybe I should look into things a bit more. Your time in the super car looks fab, you both so look the part in it. I've read so many reports about Fremont Street - I'm not sure whether to bother with it or not - although I think DH will want to go for the experience.
So happy to hear my report is giving you some ideas for your trip! I personally think Vegas is one of those places that you don’t have to over-research, I think taking it all in once you are there really adds to the excitement (as you really can’t prepare for just how crazy it is!). I would definitely recommend stopping by Fremont Street if you have time, just for the experience of seeing it for yourself.. as Abi mentioned above, perhaps earlier in the day is a more pleasant time to go… less crazies around!
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Old 16 Aug 17, 07:44 PM  
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Another fun packed day in Vegas!

Paul looks SO happy with the car! Bless! Chris has often asked about getting a convertible in Florida, but I have always said it would be too hot and mess up my hair hahahaha!

The fountains and the volcano thing look so cool!

OMG only in America can you be rewarded free food for being grossly overweight! Unreal!

Oooooh I would SO be having a go on those zip slides! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Lovely photos from the evening, but I do think Fremont St looks like a place you would need to be drunk! Haha!

Looking forward to reading about Palm Springs! xxx
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Old 17 Aug 17, 12:31 PM  
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Originally Posted by Redrach1903 View Post
Another fun packed day in Vegas!

Paul looks SO happy with the car! Bless! Chris has often asked about getting a convertible in Florida, but I have always said it would be too hot and mess up my hair hahahaha!

The fountains and the volcano thing look so cool!

OMG only in America can you be rewarded free food for being grossly overweight! Unreal!

Oooooh I would SO be having a go on those zip slides! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Lovely photos from the evening, but I do think Fremont St looks like a place you would need to be drunk! Haha!

Looking forward to reading about Palm Springs! xxx
I did say to Paul whilst we had the car that I could never do a whole trip in a convertible... far too hot and blowy (there was a reason my hair was tied up that day!) but definitely fun for a couple of hours!

I bet that zip wire is so fun, I just don't think I could ever be brave enough to attempt it! It would be interesting to see the madness of Fremont Street from above!

Palm Springs installment coming soon! xxx
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Old 18 Aug 17, 08:02 PM  
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Brilliant day Lisa .
I'm not into fancy cars at all but I have to admit the super car hire sounds pretty cool! When in Vegas eh?!
Fremont Street sounds a bit crazy! xx
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