{Travel} Viva Las Vegas!

Oh man, this post is SO long overdue, but as usual, life has its way of interfering, My 30th birthday was a few weeks ago & I knew J had something up his sleeve but all I knew was we were going out of town for 2 nights.  I didn't know what clothes I had to bring, I didn't know if we were flying or driving & I certainly had no idea that when I arrived in our hotel suite, my friends, sister & brother-in-law would be waiting in the room ready to scare the crap out of me! The funniest part? Getting to the room, the key not working & me trying to figure out why J was getting so upset! The destination was Vegas (which if you know me is one of my favorite places) & the surprise was a complete success! (Please note, all photos taken from my iPhone, so SUPER high quality here) 

We stayed at V'dara & everything was simply perfect.  From what J has told me, Edward Giustiniani in Guest Services/Concierge was phenominal to work with & nailed every detail. From the champagne that was waiting to the chocolates brought by later that evening, it was just perfect.

 

 

 I have to give some MAJOR credit to my friends/sister/brother-in-law for 1. Keeping their travels a complete secret from me, 2. For trekking across the country to come surprise me (& then getting stuck/changing plans due to the damn snowstorm) 3. For just being awesome. 

I also owe a huge THANK YOU to my family & friends who couldn't be there, but sent champagne, cake, flowers & appetizers at dinner. And of course, J gets the BIGGEST thanks for pulling off one of the best weekends of my life. What an awesome way to start this new decade!  I only wish we could go back & do it again!! You all know how to make a girl feel loved.

 

At the recommendation of my old boss, we went to China Poblano for dinner on Night #1. The restaurant was Chinese/Mexican...but not exactly fusion. There were Chinese items & Mexican dishes & it was all glorious!  After dinner, we decided to take in the strip via The High Roller at The Linq. It's basically the worlds tallest ferris wheel & the best part? Some of the pods had a bar, all you can drink. PARTY POD!!!!

 

 

After floating above the strip, we went back to Aria (which was across from our hotel) & spent the rest of the evening gambling & sipping cocktails in one of their many lounges. Perfect first night! The next morning, we headed over to The Bellagio for their infamous all you can eat buffet. I'll spare you my food picture. After the night we had, a big meal was incredibly necessary.  After brunch, we played around a bit in the hotel & their Botanical Gardens which were celebrating the Chinese New Year.

 

 

It was then necessary to spend some dough, so we hit  City Center & The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace.  From there, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at my favorite Vegas restaurant, STACK.

 

After dinner, it was time for more gambling because I just hadn't lost enough. Oh...and more cocktails. The next morning, we lost some folks to early flights (thanks winter storm) but those that were left ate a casual lunch, then it was time to get back on the road home. Such an awesome weekend!