Michelle's World

Michelle’s World

I've always wanted to go to Las Vegas,. Not because I'm a huge gambler or some wild, crazy woman, but because I've always wanted to walk the strip and see the varied hotels. I love the idea that each hotel is its own resort with its own theme. And so, this year I asked my husband for a trip to Vegas as my Christmas present. Now, my hubby isn't a city man, nor is he a gambler. Vegas holds no appeal for him. So when I asked for the trip, he knew it was to go without him. I am blessed with a trusting husband and I got my ticket to Vegas. Now the question remained, who to go with? As it turns out neither me nor my sister had ever been to Vegas and we'd never taken a holiday together. Since we're about the same temperament and we have similar likes and dislikes we decided to go together,

What a great time!

We didn't stay long but managed to pack everything in 3 nights. We arrived on Monday, Jan 30th and got to our hotel, the Treasure Island, about 7pm. We dumped our bags in our room, walked through our hotel and shops. After a buffet supper (holy smokes are those buffets huge!) we did a little gambling before calling it a day. Yes, likely the only 2 people in all of Vegas in bed and asleep by midnight!

Tuesday morning, though, we were raring to go and were out on the strip by 8am. We had no major plans on this trip, just to see the hotels and as much as we could. So we began walking up the strip, zipping in and out of the hotels on our way, looking at the shops and dropping a few dollars in each casino. By far my favourites were the Luxor, Caesar's Palace, Treasure Island and Excalibur.

As I mentioned, we had no set plans. But when we got to the Excalibur and saw the advertisements for Thunder From Down Under, well, we couldn't resist. We bought our tickets for the following night and kept on walking. By the time we crossed the street after Mandalay Bay and made it down to the MGM Grand and The Rainforest Café, we were in need of a drink! I love the atmosphere and seats in the Rainforest Café (see aside).

We made it back to the Treasure Island in time for the Sirens of TI show. I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I'd hoped it was more about pirates than sirens (in other words, more about sexy men than scantily clad women) but the effects were superb. By now feeling our age after 11 hours of walking, we ate, gambled a bit and retired to our room.

Wednesday, our last full day, started out at the North outlet mall. I don't know why I bother going to these things. I'm not much of a shopper and brand names mean little to me (other than Christian Louboutin). So we didn't linger there long. Next was a cab ride to Freemont street and the zipline (one of the few things we had planned to do). The zipline was fast and fun but we both preferred the feel and atmosphere of the strip vs Freemont street, so we cabbed back to Treasure Island. After strolling briefly through the Fashion Show Mall, we changed and began the walk back up to the Excalibur for Thunder From Down Under.

Along the way, we found a lovely Jack Sparrow impersonator. He had the character down to the gold teeth, costume and accent. And he was a good sport and let us take many pictures (see aside). Then we stopped for the absolutely brilliant water show in front of the Bellagio. It was superb! Can't recommend it enough.

Finally it was to the Excalibur and the Thunder From Down Under show. Now, and I'm being totally honest here, I've never been to anything like this in my life. In truth, I never wanted to. But the poster sold me and suddenly there we were, front row seats. I have to say this is a classy show. It's good fun and entertainment and not crass or cheap at all. We had the times of our lives! If you've never been, I highly recommend going. You won't be disappointed. At least, we weren't.

We cabbed it from there, figuring we'd walked enough and flew out of Las Vegas Thursday morning. We had a great time, created many wonderful memories, giggled like fools and really enjoyed each other's company. I can't say I feel the need to go back, but I'm really glad I went.

All my best to you. Always.

Michelle