Back in June, Luke and I headed on a long weekend trip to Las Vegas. It’s somewhere that we both had always wanted to go and can now cross it off our list. Honestly, it’s a shocking place. For a lot of different reasons. The colors, the lights, the money, the non-stop night/day life, the shows, the food, the unmentionable things that are just out and about… all of the things. With so much to see and do, I thought I would compile our Las Vegas travel diary so you can reference if you’re taking a trip out there in the future or browse through if you’re just curious as to what our agenda consisted of. This is a city you definitely need to see to believe and get a grasp on. We had a nice little weekend away together and are glad we went, but I don’t think it will become our regular getaway spot by any means. The pace is a little to “go, go, go” for us. Also, for those people who say “Nashville is the next Vegas”… um, have you ever been out there? Because no, no we aren’t haha.
Where We Stayed
The Bellagio: This place. WOW. I went back and forth between a few different resorts when booking our trip and this one ultimately won. I am 100% confident that I made the right decision and if we go back to Vegas, we will book here again. It’s not hard to see why The Bellagio is a Vegas icon… it’s spectacular in every way. The details, the service, the fountains, restaurants, pools, shops, casino, location, just all of it. You know all of those pretty pictures/videos you see of dancing fountains out in Vegas? Well, that happens here. The fountains are right in front of the resort (with the Paris hotel as the backdrop) and it’s just magical to watch. We did not get tired of that “show” one bit. One of my favorite parts of this resort was the conservatory. They change out the theme a few times each year, but it was showcasing Japanese gardens while we were there. It was breathtaking and a pink, floral heaven.
Where we ate
Sadelle’s: I told Luke that if I were a restaurant, I’d like to be Sadelle’s. He agreed that is was a very “Karis” spot. When then food and service compliment an incredible interior and ambiance, I’m in heaven. Sadelle’s got an A+ in all of those areas. Honestly, the breakfast food here is incredible (Luke was obsessed with the juevos rancheros) and we returned to this spot more than once. It is located in The Bellagio, right off of the conservatory (which, again, is just amazing). Picture heavy below because this place was a dream to look at. 
Lago: We ate here our first night in town. It is located in The Bellagio, so it was very convenient. Lago sits right on the water at the resort and we were fortunate enough to get a last minute reservation seated right at the back window with stunning views of the fountains. The food was good and it was a great way to unwind after a long and busy day of travel and exploring.
Hexx: This was the first meal we had in Vegas. It’s located in the bottom of the Paris hotel which was right across the street from The Bellagio. It was Saturday mid-morning when we arrived, so naturally we opted to eat brunch food. Our favorite. It was good, but nothing to write home about. In my opinion, kind of overpriced for what it was (but when you’re in a tourist city, there’s a lot of that). The environment was super busy and loud… not a relaxing meal by any means.
In-N-Out: We first experienced the glory that is In-N-Out last year when we were in Arizona. We became obsessed and understood what all the hype was about. We knew we would be able to go to In-N-Out while in Vegas and couldn’t wait. We popped in here for lunch on our way out to the Hoover Dam. Again, it didn’t disappoint. If you’ve never been, you must go if you’re out west. If you have been, do you think it lives up to the reputation?
Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak: We ate at Craftsteak before going to David Copperfield’s magic show. Located in the MGM Grand hotel, the restaurant provided a peaceful and secluded dinner ambiance which was surprising based on the atmosphere of the resort itself. It felt very “partyesque” to us… more so than some of the others. The restaurant was dimly lit and each table or cabana/booth felt very private. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and time here.
Park on Fremont: This place is a must! It’s branching out a little bit because it’s located in “Old Vegas”, but oh my goodness the food was incredible. We dined outside and the people watching was equally as incredible haha. This was a really chill spot to just eat, chat, and see all the things. Our service was great too. 
Our bodies were kind of messed up from the time change, even though it was only 2 hours, and so we found ourselves really just eating two meals a day for the most part (with some snacking in between). We would wake up pretty late, have a big brunch, and then just eat a couple of snacks until dinner. There’s no shortage of amazing places to dine in this city, let me tell you.
Things to do
Hoover Dam: We rented a car (a shiny, little red convertible to be exact) just for the first day of our trip so that we could drive over here. It’s not too far out of the city, only about 30 minutes away. It was fascinating to see. I actually have never really felt like I was that afraid of heights until we were here (and on the bridge that looks back to it). We took the tour which was really neat and I would definitely recommend if you venture out that way. The tour takes you inside the dam and just the engineering and overall magnitude of it all is shocking. Another cool thing about the hoover dam is that it is right on the Arizona and Nevada line. Part of the dam is owned by Arizona and the other by Nevada. If you’ve ever wanted to be in two places at once, this is the place to easily straddle a state line (it’s right in the middle on top of the bridge/dam). Very cool place to go and see.
Resort/Casino Hop: Nothing is short of over the top in Vegas and the resorts/casinos are no different. While we didn’t go to every single one of them (there are a ton… who could ever manage that?), we did pop in and out of several different ones and just look around. All the resorts have casinos, they all have elaborate shops inside (I”m talking Gucci, Chanel, YSL, Louis Vuitton, etc.), tons of restaurants, theaters for different shows and residencies, and most have an overall theme to them. It’s almost like visiting different areas in one big theme park haha. Luke and I enjoyed hopping around and seeing the differences/similarities between each one. I know this sounds silly but, if you’ve been out there, you understand. It’s honestly visual stimulation to the max.
Fremont Street: AKA: Old Vegas. This is where we had our dinner at Park on Fremont. You’ll definitely need to Uber/Lyft over to this area if you’re staying back on the strip, but it’s a really cool place to visit. It’s still Vegas, but a much different vibe than the strip.
Pool Day: First off, it’s so hot in Vegas… pools are necessary. Second, the pools out there are so elaborate and gorgeous. They’re the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Google “Vegas pools” and you’ll see what I mean. 
Magic Show: Between Penn and Teller, Chris Angel, David Franco, and David Copperfield all having standing residencies, there is plenty of opportunity to go see some illusions while in Vegas. We went to David Copperfield at the MGM Grand. It was okay, but we were slightly disappointed to be honest. He definitely did some cool tricks but, for someone with his reputation, we thought it was a little silly. 
Cirque Du Soleil: There’s no shortage of Cirque shows in Vegas. If a resort isn’t hosting a music residency, they’re probably hosting a Cirque Du Soleil show. If you’ve ever wanted to go to one, this is your chance to take your pick and make it happen. 
Neon Museum: This is a spot where all the old neon signs in Vegas retire to. It’s out closer to the “Old Vegas” area that I mentioned earlier. This was on our list, but we didn’t end up going. Our waiter at Park on Fremont mentioned that it’s not in the best area so we wouldn’t want to walk over there because it was dark. We decided to just take a Lyft back to the resort. Everything I’ve seen about this place looks really cool though and I do kind of regret not going.
What I wore
swimsuit, coverup, hat, sandals, sunglasses
*Full post with this look here
duster, shorts, tank, sunglasses, headband, shoes (similar), gold hoops, bag (similar)
shorts, shoes, sunglasses, bag (similar), shirt (similar), earrings, belt
shorts (similar), shirt, shoes, bag (similar), sunglasses, headband
jumpsuit, cardigan, sunglasses, bag
jeans, top (similar), bag, earrings, shoes (similar)
blazer, tank, shorts (similar), shoes (similar), bag
romper (similar), shoes, bag (similar)
Sorry for the blurry mirror selfies. Night lighting in that spot wasn’t the greatest. Also, I tried to link items the best I could. Several things are now sold out (my fault for getting this up so delayed after our trip) so I added similar styles.
I know this was a picture heavy post, but that’s honestly the best way to describe this place. Let me know if I missed any of your favorite Vegas places. Happy Wednesday. xoxo.
