Six days in Vegas was all it took. 144ish hours spent enjoying the sun, drinking cocktails at noon by the hotel pool, doing one too many tequila shots with the Best Man and two Oklahoma guys at an Irish bar and of course, watching my best friend Faye become Mrs Dabek. I befriended people from the world over as well as attended a pool party where I was surrounded by hot topless men. Viva Las Vegas indeed!
Las Vegas is loud, bright and fabulous. I don’t think I came across any one in a bad mood. It’s almost as if as soon as you go through immigration at the airport, you leave your worries, your sorrows and all your issues at baggage claim. Once you exit McCarran airport and the Nevada heat hits you, the bright lights of the Strip already luring you to come hither, cue the excitement.
And was I excited. A lot of the Vegas experience comes from where you stay. The big casinos are towns and cities unto itself. Literally you can visit the Statue of Liberty, have dinner at the Eiffel Tower and ride on the Gondala at the Venetian all in one day.
I stayed in three places: Motel 6, Hard Rock Hotel and the Bellagio. Lets start with Motel 6. Had I known that it was literally opposite the airport I would have saved on the $11 cab fare on the first night! You should have seen the driver’s face when he asked me: “You sure you want the Motel 6 on Tropicana Avenue?” I actually thought the worst in that Oh no, is this place a dump?
To call it a dump is a tad too harsh to be honest. You know in the Hangover where the guys track down the stripper with a heart whose baby they found in their hotel suite? Or the shabby room that the brothers from My Name Is Earl rent? Motel 6 is exactly like that. It’s not particularly attractive but two nights at a total $104, you can’t go wrong. Walking down a dark, dirt road to get to my block wasn’t the most appealing (not my fault this time Ames!) especially at one point where I was convinced I was going to be caught in the middle of a crossfire as just like in a movie there were these two black SUVs slowly approaching each other – with me in the middle!
So anyways, my first Vegas night was spent inside my Motel 6 room due to jetlag as well as a 5am wake up call for the Grand Canyon. Another reason was turning on the TV to find George Clooney’s Up In The Air just starting. Clearly Mama wasn’t going anywhere! The second night’s sleep, after a 2am puking session outside the main entrance as a result of one too many tequilas, was a blank. But I still remember the pain in forcing myself to get out of the room at 11am to check out, drag my suitcase down one flight of stairs and along the dirt road where I am sure I was still unconscious.
Onwards to the next hotel – Hard Rock. This was definitely a big improvement from Motel 6. The King sized bed with its six pillows, access all areas to the spa and the faux beach pool area? Hello! I would also like to thank the hotel personally for the saviour that is the purple sofa in the main reception where I sat for three hours with my sunglasses on nursing my tequila hangover while waiting for my room to come available. It was much needed. The only downside to the Hard Rock is that it is a good 25 minute walk to the main Strip. Walking back at night is not impossible but on all occasions I’ve had cab drivers pull up insisting that I do not walk alone as well as one mall assistant personally escorting me to the nearest cab. You don’t get that kind of service back home!
After the Hard Rock came the Bellagio. It was money well spent for my last night in Vegas. The bathroom alone was the size of my bedroom back home. The shower could easily fit six people. At the press of a button, the TV comes out of the entertainment unit and turns at 45 degree angles. The concierge even bring up your luggage for you. Seriously! From my bedroom window I could see the famous fountains as well as a giant billboard of Donny and Marie Osmond. (My mum got very, very excited when she thought I saw them live.) But the Bellagio is all about the fountains. I probably spent in total one hour watching the spectacular display. Anybody who goes to Vegas must witness the fountains. The arrangements are out of this world and the finale where the water shoots in synchronised motion will stay with you always. Each display has its own special song. The three that comes to mind are: Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli’s operatic Time To Say Goodbye and The Star Spangled Banner aka the US national anthem to which at one point I referred to as the US version of God Save The Queen!
At night is where Las Vegas really comes alive. All walks of life are on the Strip, you’ll never feel in danger and everyone wants to be your friend. It’s also ridiculously cheap. It is the ideal place to come if you’re solo travelling. Before the arrival of the Dabek-Keane clan, I was on my own for the first two nights. By that point I had befriended two ladies from New Zealand, three middle aged Chinese men who invited me to the Bellagio for a night of gambling (more on that later), a pair from Puerto Rico and even the valet team at the Hard Rock. I was never alone and for all dear readers out there who have always wanted to go to Vegas, do it. You will never be alone for too long. Everyone is there for a good time. So smile, laugh, drink, gamble, go with it. Viva Las Vegas indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment