Going to Vegas with all girls is an absolute blast and I am sure it is a completely different experience than what you would have with a spouse/bf or family – so I recommend you try to experience it both ways.
Me and two friends arrived a day earlier than the rest of the gang, and we were staying at the Excalibur, while some of the other girls were staying at the Flamingo. The Excalibur was great, other than being on the south end of the strip making it a bit of a walk to get anywhere (which I guess was a good exercise to make up for all the food and booze), everything else was great about our hotel. The Flamingo was also great, and is an ideal location as it is right in the middle of the strip.
We arrived on a Tuesday night, which we had done our research before going and had a list of things we wanted to do and see and made sure to check out what days certain places had things going on that we wanted to see. Tuesday night was ladies night at DB Pong’s at Planet Hollywood – it’s a beer pong bar – it was $10 for ladies to drink all night (the bar didn’t close until after 4am). We definitely got our $10 worth of vodka cranberries that night while kicking ass at beer pong for the night. We then ventured off the strip with a few locals and a clan from Calgary for one of the best hot dog’s ever – it was very sketchy and I would not recommend going off the strip!
Wednesday we chilled by the pool for part of the day with our flippy floppy’s, bathing suits and sunscreen ready in hand – which we definitely lucked out and had amazingly awesome hot sunny weather our whole week there. The pools at the Excalibur are great! We did a bit of adventuring down the strip. For a good cheap meal – Hooter’s – it is across the street from Excalibur and it was great pub food for cheap (probably the cheapest meal we had while there). We had seen a Walgreens only a couple of blocks down the strip and thought we would walk there to stock up on some water, booze, and snacks – what we thought would be a 10-15 minute walked turned out to be over an hour. Note: Nothing is as close as it looks on the strip, if you think it will just be a block or two away and only 10-15 minutes it will be a good hour.
The rest of our posse arrived just after supper time and we all met up and walked up and down the strip several times until the wee hours of the next morning. We found a casino in Harrah’s that sells beer for $1 (it’s a weird name beer but after a few it tasted just like any other beer) which we felt was worth the walk back and forth. There was also a great outdoor concert outside of Harrah’s the Carnival Court which we took in, not only was the band awesome they also sure weren’t hard on the eyes and the Flare Bar bartenders were freakishly amazing doing endless tricks and fancy moves serving every drink.
Thursday was the big day! Morning at the pool, afternoon of shopping and then the surprise stagette (or as known down there as the bachelorette party) began! We went for an early supper to Dick’s Last Resort - one of my favorite restaurants for atmosphere and service, but the food was nothing special – still worth the experience – we all ended up with hats on with crazy crude sayings (see photo for sayings). After supper we made our way over to the Piano Bar at New York New York (which after a week in Vegas, New York New York was like home – it was where we spent most of our time and loved it). The Piano Bar is a must see – the talent is amazing – you must go early to get a seat otherwise it is standing space on the dance floor and they do charge a cover charge. We had pre-arranged for a stripper limo bus to pick us up at New York New York at 11pm which it was on time and nothing like any of us had expected.
Let’s just say “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. If you are ever planning a stagette and are considering Vegas, ask me for more details! After being overly wowed from our stripper tour of Vegas and a stop at the famous Welcome to Vegas sign, we were dropped off New York New York where we finished off the night by dancing on the stage at Coyote Ugly’s until the bride-to-be got kicked out so we went and gambled for a bit and some of us had to call ‘er a great night, but some lasted longer. One of the girls met a boy at the slot machines and they hit it off and spent the next couple of days meeting up and then started dating and as he is a pilot he flies to Canada (as he is from the U.S.) on a very regular basis still to this date (nearly 10 months later) as they are madly deeply in love.
Friday consisted of the majority of us sleeping in, and I believe a few of the girls made it to the pool for the afternoon, but a few of us napped. We did check out more of the strip and visited the wax museum – it was okay – it’s very expensive and if you are going to Vegas on a budget, I don’t think I would recommend this tour. A few of us went and did the Gondola ride in the Venetian – which is a great little relaxing tour and sure makes you feel like you are in Italy. The Roller Coaster at New York New York is awesome for the thrill seekers! That evening we headed over to Freemont Street - located in Downtown Vegas – the “old strip”, Fremont Street offers visitors the ultimate Las Vegas experience. With free concerts, shows, and millions of lights, the Fremont Street Experience is not to be missed. A zip line goes down this awesome light show, but none of us were gutsy enough to attempt it that night. It is strongly recommended not to stay on Freemont Street past midnight as it starts to get a lot of crazies out and about and is not a safe place to be.
Saturday we shopped until we dropped – enough said! We purchased tickets to “O” Cirque du Soleil which was spectacular, and it would have been even more enjoyable had we not had too many drinks during the day which then turned into what seemed like a hang over by the time the show started, but we still proceeded to venture out and about after the show. We stopped in for a few drinks at Senor Frogs then did the Roller Coaster at New York New York for the night view, which was awesome!
Monday we originally had intentions of going to see Carrot Top and then found out that he doesn’t play on Monday’s even though it had stated in the brochures that he did, so we ended up getting tickets to the Tournament of Knights at the Excalibur, which is a dinner theatre set back in time – it is a great show worth seeing and is reasonably priced.
Tuesday we didn't fly out until almost midnight - we were beyond exhausted at this point and could no longer walk, but we did go for a fine lunch at the Cheesecake Factory - mmm mmm mmm!
Do’s/Don’t's:
- Do walk the strip – it is an experience in itself – each hotel has its own theme to explore and witnessing the many “interesting” people walking the strip is also fun
- Budget before you go and don’t forget about the resort fees which usually range between $15-30 per day per room
- Don’t forget to bring a few shoe options as your feet will get sore – the strip is much longer than it looks and when stopping for photo-ops, exploring inside the hotels/stores and crossing crowded streets makes it even longer.
- Do see a show – there are plenty of shows in Vegas and most of them are worth investing some money into.
- Do gamble – even if you aren’t a big gambler or don’t know how to play poker or other card games, if the tables aren’t busy the dealers are really good to help newbies learn a game.
Things you should check out:
Siegried & Roy’s Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage: You get to lounge watch dolphins all day *sigh I sure loved it*, you will also get to see white lions, white tigers, panthers and leopards. A great way to spend an afternoon.
Cirque du Soleil: No trip to Vegas is truly complete without seeing a show. Although there are tons to choose from, Cirque du Soleil is among the more popular and fan favorite shows. The performances and acts are truly amazing!
Fountain Show at the Bellagio: Aside from the fact that it’s FREE, the Fountain Show at the Bellagio is an amazing Las Vegas attraction and a truly beautiful sight at night. You can view them every half hour between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. until midnight. It’s pretty hard to miss this show while walking the strip.
Fremont Street Experience: Located in Downtown Vegas, Fremont Street offers visitors the ultimate Las Vegas experience. With free concerts, shows, and millions of lights, the Fremont Street Experience is not to be missed. The light show starts nightly at 8pm and you can check out the schedule online to see what music will be playing each night.
Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood: Located in the Planet Hollywood hotel, the Miracle Mile Shops have a variety of stores and restaurants sure to please all visitors. From True Religion to GUESS, this mall has a little something for everybody, but is a bit pricey.
Premium Outlets: There are two, one south of the Strip and the other north of the Strip, the Premium Outlets is home to many popular department stores and great shopping. The north outlet mall is an outdoor style whereas the south outlet mall is an actual mall.
Fashion Show Mall: Located a little further down the strip, Fashion Show Mall is your upscale shopping destination! They have several brands and stores including BCBG, Forever21, Aldo, Nordstrom and more! If you need a last minute outfit, be sure to hit up this chic spot.
Roller Coaster in New York New York Hotel: Although it’s not like your local amusement park’s roller coaster, the coaster in the New York New York Hotel is a lot of fun with a great view. It runs on top/the side of the hotel and lasts a few minutes. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a thrill seeker.
Piano Bar at New York New York: True talent at its best with these duelling pianos.
Wild Habitat at Flamingo: By the swimming pool there are 14 penguins, 10 flamingos, assorted exotic birds, two albino turtles and koi. Open 24 hours a day on the terrace.
Special Tips:
- Drinks are FREE in all casinos if you are playing the tables or slots, if you tip they will return.
- Walk through as many of the hotels as you can, they are all so unique with hidden gems
- Drinking in Vegas 101: To be honest, drinks are the means for creating most of the Vegas stories that you and your friends will talk about time and time again. Keeping in mind the drinking age in Vegas is 21 and up. There are no ridiculous alcohol laws in Vegas like most other cities have, which means you will not hear “Last Call” at the bars/nightclubs – you can drink 24/7! And best of all, it is perfectly legal to walk around The Strip or Downtown Las Vegas with an open alcoholic beverage in your hand. If you are in a restaurant/bar/nightclub and have some of your drink left and are leaving just ask for a plastic cup and you can take it with you. But do note that drinks are expensive in Vegas especially in the nightclubs which is why it’s a great idea to hit up a Walgreens or Costco your first day and stock your hotel room with some drinks and take them with you.
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