I just don't know what to expect! Vegas, LA and Disneyland TR - UPDATED 8 AUGUST 2013

[izzie-wizzie]

Sorry I am late!

Just popping in to say hello and now I am going to go back and read

Looking forward to it

Nice to see you here! You will be glad to know I now have an impressive collection of Trader Sam's Glasses

 

[izzie-wizzie]

Day Two – Part Two

After we had settled into our new room – we decided to go out for a couple of drinks. We had been recommended to visit Cabo Wabo – which was just outside Planet Hollywood and has an outside patio to sit on overlooking the strip.

It only took a couple of minutes to walk from our room to Cabo Wabo - It was quite busy at the time we got there but we got a seat facing the strip – perfect for people watching!! Scott ordered a beer and I had a strawberry margarita and we split some tortilla chips.





Seriously – that moment of the sun beating down on us, tasty cocktail in hand and watching the world go by was just bliss – I could have happily sat there the whole two weeks!!



We had our first experience of seeing the infamous ‘card slappers’ on the strip and also the people who dress up and pose for pictures. Right in front of us was someone posing as Alan from the Hangover which was pretty funny to watch people getting their pictures taken with him.



We had another drink at Cabo Wabo – the waiter recommended I try a coconut margarita - I LOVE anything coconutty but I wouldn't think the two would go together - I decided to try it and wow - it was fantastic and sooo much stronger than the strawberry margarita too – win!



We paid the bill and went back to our room, we chilled out for a bit - I connected to WIFI and caught up on what was going on at home, before getting ready to go out for the night.

We had reservations for dinner at Sugar Factory that night – I had read so much about Sugar Factory whilst planning the trip, it has quite a bit celebrity following in US and after drooling over countless cocktail and dessert concoctions online – I was really quite excited to finally be going!

The walk from Planet Hollywood to Sugar Factory @ Paris took less than five minutes, and although we were late for our reservation it was actually quite quiet and we got sat straight away.




I could actually see the Bellagio Fountains from behind Scotts head – don’t get me wrong it was obviously not a ‘prime view’ and we couldn’t hear the music etc (Sugar Factory is across the big road) but still – was cool to see it whilst having dinner!!

I had a tasty glass of Sauvignon Blanc and Scott had a beer then we ordered our food – I had Chicken Fettucini which was tasty, but nothing to overly write home about and Scott had the BBQ Pizza – OMG he gave me a slice of the pizza and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I don’t even know if it looks that amazing in the picture – but it really was good! Scott sooo won in menu picking that night!! I so wish I had ordered that pizza too it was just amazing. If I were to go back, I wouldn’t even look at the menu I would just be all BBQ Pizza Please!!



We didn’t come close to finishing our mains however as they were huge and we wanted to save room for dessert!! After much consideration we decided to split the cookie jar sundae – Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, Warm Fudge, Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Chip Cookie Chunks, Oreo Cookie Crum and Whipped Cream - and look at the size of this baby……



We did a pretty good job between the two of us…



We were going to split one of their goblet cocktails after dessert – but were too eager to go out and explore some hotels! We said we would come back another day but never did get the opportunity

Overall – I really enjoyed the sugar factory – it was nice inside, the service was good, that pizza and dessert were soooo tasty and for the vegas strip – it was so reasonable. I do regret not having a cocktail there now that we're home and can't just head on over! We would be back for breakfast before we left Vegas too.

After dinner, we went into the Paris Hotel and had a wonder inside there. It was only the second hotel we had been in in Vegas and we weren’t as blown away by the inside as we were by Planet Hollywood – although don’t get me wrong it was still stunning inside - but so different. It was a different vibe too and we found it seemed much more geared towards an older crowd. We did have reservations at Mon Abi Gabi for our last evening, but actually ended up reshuffling our plans.

It was nice to wonder around and we eventually found ourselves in the Ballys Hotel. This was awful and we couldn’t find our way out either!! Did not like Ballys – it didn’t seem to have anything to it.

At this point we had been walking quite a bit so we had digested our dinner and were ready to sit and have some more drinks.

We walked across to the Cosmopolitan Hotel – and really liked this hotel – definitely very trendy. We went to the Chandelier Bar – we were a bit confused by all the levels and just trying to get our bearings in the whole place – but found a table on the top floor and had a mojito each. The interior of this place was stunning! However, the mojito wasn’t the tastiest – the waiter had went crazy with the sugar syrup – I had quite high expectations for this bar – don’t get me wrong the interior was STUNNING and it was a lovely cosy spot – the drinks just didn’t deliver. I wasn’t overly inspired by their cocktail list that day either – although I believe it changes regularly.



After our cocktail, we went to explore the casino to do our first bit of gambling of the trip – however we felt too intimidated to sit at the tables at this point in the holiday (we would soon get over this!) and sat and played electronic roulette. We were sat playing for about thirty minutes and we had our first experience of getting our ‘free’ drink whilst gambling!

I really enjoyed sitting, playing the machine and just soaking up the buzz and atmosphere.

We then went for another little walk – getting a good view of Planet Hollywood at night and also came across some floral bunnies and lady birds as you do...





We then ended up back at the casino at Planet Hollywood – we were seriously impressed with this hotel and honestly could have spent every night here and been happy (and it’s always such a nice feeling knowing that you are back in your own hotel, and just have to go upstairs when your ready for bed!)

We sat and played some 1 cent slot machines – and must have been there for ages – again some ‘free’ drinks and enjoying some little wins!! We are not serious gamblers at all – so seeing like a $2 win was exciting for us!

We then decided to go on one more machine before bed – I chose the hangover slot machine. If I remember right we both played separate machines and decided just to put in $5 each (see not big gamblers here!!) – well I was playing and somehow ended on a bonus round – the next thing I knew I was having to hit a button as much as I could in ten seconds to win more money – I was up $15! The machine lit up and said “BIG WIN!!”

Scott just looked over all and I was soooooo excited – I didn’t even try act all cool – I was just like “YAAAY!!! I got a big win!”

Scott took a photo to commemorate how excited I was – and in all my coolness I covered up my win amount with my finger… 100 cool points for me right there haha!!



With that excitement, I was keen not to ruin my winning streak and we called it a night about 2.00am.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Loving your report!

 

[Linda67]

Nice to see you here! You will be glad to know I now have an impressive collection of Trader Sam's Glasses

I am so proud !!

 

[izzie-wizzie]

Day Three – Part One

After another stop-start sleep (still getting used to the time difference), we got up out of bed about 9am and got organised to explore the some more hotels on the strip.

We crossed the road first and headed across to the Bellagio, stopping to take some pictures – it was a lovely sunny morning.





First stop at the Bellagio was to find some breakfast. I had read about Jean Phillipe Patisserie whilst planning the trip and we went to find it – although we pretty much walked around the whole hotel before we finally got there!

The cakes and pastries were at amazing to look at as expected – we also saw the worlds largest chocolate fountain - warning you may put on a few pounds just looking at the next few pictures!







It was quite tough to chose what to have – but we decided to split a chicken and mushroom crepe (you could watch them making the crepes fresh) and a pain au chocolat. Both were wonderful – there were some seats overlooking the pool area and we sat and enjoyed breakfast.




After breakfast, we wondered around the conservatory at the Bellagio – which was lovely to see (I think I expected it to be a lot bigger if I am honest though!) and we wondered through the casino to the box office to pick up our tickets for the Terry Fator show which we were going to see that evening.

It was quite funny – I presume that to get from the spa to the elevator to some bedrooms you had to walk through the casino in this hotel – and we saw so many people in the casino in dressing gowns! The Bellagio was a lovely hotel though – would be one of the more family friendly hotels that we visited on the strip.

We then went next door to Caesers Palace – which is where the Hangover was set – I also remember it being used in Friends. It was a fab hotel inside – I really liked it. It was HUGE – but quite handy in that there were maps inside (some hotels had no maps at all and finding something in particular was impossible!).



Scott bought a tshirt that had the guy from the Hangover and the quote “Did Caeser live here?” haha – we then video tapes ourselves quoting the movie with the reception behind us … because cause were that cool!




We walked through until we were at the Forum Shops which were fantastic – I would have loved to spend even more time in here! We found a shop there that had so much signed movie, music and sport memorabilia. There was also a huge fountain (actually there were fountains all over the place in Caesers… but this one seems to really stick out as it was so noisy!).



We then came across something which really impressed Scott and I… an escalator that curved!! We were very excited to go down on that.



It was about 1.00pm by that point, drinks time!!

We went outside and it had got really windy and actually quite cold! We nipped across the road and went to Margaritaville – which was huge - about three floors and had about five different bars!

After scoping out where we wanted to sit, we sat and ordered some cocktails! Scott got a “Sailors Delight” and I had a “Whose to Blame” – we both loved the drinks and the overall atmosphere here – and stayed for another round.





We were hungry for some lunch at this point – the plan had been to have a late lunch as we wouldn’t be eating dinner until after the show that evening.

We went back across by Caesers Palace to Serendipity 3. We had a short wait for table, and decided we would order a mix of appetisers and split it.

Our eyes were a bit bigger than our tummies and we ordered Chicken Strips, Hamburger Sliders, Onion Ring Tower and Sweet Potato Fries. The Sliders were absolutely delicious – so, so good. The chicken strips were also tasty.

The onion rings looks the coolest – but actually were just ‘meh’.





I couldn’t resist at least tasting their ‘famous’ frrrooozzen hot chocolat so we got one to split – it was tasty enough, but I prefer a smooth, thick chocolate milkshake rather than this – which was a bit ‘gritty.’ We didn’t even come close to half finishing this – although it was MASSIVE.



We paid up and were sooo full!! Then headed back to the hotel to get all organised for the evening.

 

[Chilly]

Your TR is bringing back great memories.

 

[tink too]

I'm taking notes of all the restaurants you visited - all the food (and drinks) look so tasty!

Our trip in the summer will be a bit different from yours as we'll have our DD11 with us, but we'll still need to eat - and I'm sure we'll manage a cocktail or two.

 

[Linda67]

We love Caesars Palace, it's our fave hotel in Vegas.
We stayed there in a ginormous suite when we got married
The shops are fab there aren't they!?!

 

[iHEARTflorida]

Enjoying the TR, keep it coming. I'm see Big Bang Theory on the itinerary...if you got to watch a taping I'm going to be soo jelly...I presume thats it! lol

 

[irongirlof12]

Wow, everything looks so supersize fab trip

 

[Verity Chambers]

Really enjoying your reports and looking forward to reading more

 

[izzie-wizzie]

I have fell so so so behind on this - sorry!! Life has been nothing short of crazy busy this past month!! Work has been insane and me and Scott became auntie and uncle to the sweetest baby boy, Kyle! He is such a sweetie and we feel like the proudest auntie and uncle going!

I have a week of work now though - so hopefully I can update this a few days... at least finishing off Vegas and getting to LA!!

Day 3 - Part Two

After we had finished our delicious feast at Serendipity 3 we went back to our hotel to relax and get ready for the evening.

It was pretty cold and windy, and we had to go to the Mirage hotel for our show - we did consider a getting a taxi but decided to just walk it and it didn't take too long really.

We arrived at the Mirage, and it seemed like a really nice hotel - we walked straight through to the Terry Fator Theatre for the Terry Fator Show. Terry Fator won America's Got Talent a number of years ago and for the past few years he has performed in Vegas. He is a ventriloquist / impersonator / singer.



Before we went in to the theatre, we picked up some drinks at the bar and I got a huge glass of some kind of fruity green cocktail and Scott got a beer. Both were fine - and lasted us most of the show as they were so big! We did consider snacks but we were honestly still soooo full from our big lunch.

Overall - it was a great, funny and entertaining show - really cheesey but it is Vegas - what do you expect!! He covered lots of popular songs, and even threw in a bit of a Kermit the Frog impression which won me over!!!



After the show we had planned to go to the Forum Shops @ Caesers Palace to go to the Cheesecake Factory - but really, we were still not that hungry at all. However we knew we had to have something to eat if we were to continue drinking...

We went to Kahunaville in the Treasure Island Hotel - we sat down at a table and ordered our drinks.



Before our drinks had even arrived, one of the bar staff started up a flair cocktail show in the centre of the bar! Everyone gathered around and cheered him on - it was so cool! They even poured some drinks straight in to everyone's mouths - such a fun party place and we hadn't even got our first drink!

When that calmed down a bit, we ordered a bbq ribs / chicken main course to share between us. It was nice enough, quite sweet - but considering it was already quite late it fitted the bill perfectly.



After dinner, the place started getting really quiet, which I did not expect. I suppose it was a Monday evening though. We got the bill for Kahunaville, and chatted with our waitress for a bit before walking across to Senior Frogs - which was a lot busier!

We got ourselves two palm tree glasses - and had mojitos in them, which were so good and sooo strong.



The DJ then got everyone on the dancefloor to do some Senior Frogs dance - we joined in although I kept getting muddled up which Scott found hilarious - clearly his coordination is much better than mine! It was fun though and we got free shots poured in our mouths for taking part!

We then found a table and just sat enjoyed our drinks, soaking in the atmosphere... I think we ordered another round too! It was around this point the evening started getting hazy



Senior Frogs then started quietening down as it was getting pretty late, so we went to the casino floor where we played some blackjack and got some free drinks...

We eventually wondered back to our hotel - and the strip was sooo quiet! It almost felt like we had the place to ourselves. We did take some hillarious pictures on our walk back ... but they are all a bit too messy to post on here!!

Back in our hotel, we sat by our window looking at the lights of the strip, and had a Jack Daniels Honey each. Overall a fun night... but would we have sore heads in the morning?...

 

[izzie-wizzie]

Day Four - Part One

As entirely expected and deserved, we both woke up with rather sore heads today. However, we couldn't let that hold us back as this was our last full day in Vegas and we still had a LOT of things to do and see!

Our first 'plan' of the day was to go for brunch at the Wicked Spoon buffet at Cosmopolitan - although the way we were feeling we just couldn't face it and knew we would not get the value of it. And there was an Earl of Sandwich downstairs calling our name...again!! So we got all organised and headed back to the Earl and split an 'Original' - we had never had one of these before, it is beef and horseradish mayo and omg it was good - so so good!!



After our Earl hit - we summoned the energy to go all of about 10 steps across to the Sugar Factory so that I could buy a pic-n-mix which came in a cute little tin that said 'Sugar Factory' which would be a nice little souvenir for back home.



We then walked down to the Coke Shop - met the Coke bear and had a wonder around.



On our way to the M&M shop from the Coke shop, we came across an oxygen bar - these seemed to be everywhere in Vegas. In the hope that it might perk us up a bit, we paid and sat down and got all hooked up to the machine. Really - really - really, this was a bit waste of money. we didnt notice any difference and it just made me a little sad that we looked ill being connected to breathing apparatus.







We then went to the M&M Shop - which was sooo cool, but we had recently been to the one in London - which blows the Vegas one out of the water! The Vegas one did have a little 3D show though which was cute. There was also a good photo opp in there of the NYNY hotel in the background.







After leaving the M&M shop we made the journey to the Luxor Hotel, cutting through MGM, NYNY and the Excalibur to get there (we would spend more time at these hotels on the way back up)





We wondered around the Luxor Hotel, which was lovely outside and inside. We stopped at Starbucks for bit and had some tea. Then sat and played some slot machines, and managed to walk away with some profit! Yay!

We then headed into the Excalibur Hotel. We stopped for lunch at their foodcourt - choosing to share a meal from Chopstix, which was honey chicken, rice and their special beef.



This really sorted us out - and we were no longer suffering from hangovers and were ready to have fun! We went in to Popcornopolis shop and tasted lots of popcorn before chosing to get a back of Zebra popcorn to take home.

We wondered around the Excalibur a little more, before heading through to NYNY hotel - which we both really liked - and decided if we came back we would either stay at the Planet Hollywood or the NYNY. We went to the roller coaster first - which I was actually soooo nervous about going on , but we went straight through and actually it was sooooo much fun!! It was so scary and fast, but probably in the top 5 coasters I've ever been on - I loved it!

All up on adrenaline, we decided to sit and play blackjack - as they had $5 tables here. We sat for a while, had a drink and some banter with the dealer and the other players.

It was almost 4.00pm by this point, and we decided we wanted to go up to the Stratosphere to visit level 107 for a view of the strip and to enjoy their happy hour. We took the bridge across to the MGM and wondered through there to get to the Monorail that took you right up to the north strip, and it was then about a 5 minute walk to the Stratosphere.



The area that the Stratosphere was in didn't seem the safest to me, but once you were in the hotel, it had a similar feel to the rest of the strip hotels. We found the elevator to the lounge and went up. The view really was spectacular, we sat at the bar and it was BOGOF martini's so we each had a mango martini - which was delicious and so refreshing! It was a lovely atmosphere in this lounge too - very relaxing and lovely to get a view of vegas too.





We decided to only stay for one drink, as we fancied playing some more blackjack before dinner, we went down to the casino in Stratosphere and sat down - and we had such a fun time we were on the same table for about an hour, had some drinks - and walked away over $50 up! win!

We decided to head back to the strip and go for dinner at the Wicked Spoon, in Cosmopolitan as we had missed going there for Brunch.

We had intended to get the monorail back but for some reason scott convinced me we should walk...it is quite a distance - and we had already walked a lot that day, so it was a hard walk.

However, we did get to see the Sirens of TI show as we walked past and we walked past the outside of the Venetian (we never did get a chance to go inside here... next time!).





We finally made it to Cosmopolitan, and the walk from the entrance to the hotel to the buffet seemed like miles! So you can imagine we had worked up quite the appetite for this buffet...which makes me feel less guilty about all of the food we had had... and all of these food pictures that I will post... just kidding i don't feel guilty really - it was all DELICIOUS!!!!!

Coming Up - Food of Wicked Spoon

 

[izzie-wizzie]

I'm taking notes of all the restaurants you visited - all the food (and drinks) look so tasty!

Our trip in the summer will be a bit different from yours as we'll have our DD11 with us, but we'll still need to eat - and I'm sure we'll manage a cocktail or two.

Ooh there is always room for a cocktail or two!! There are so many nice places to eat in Vegas, it's very hard to chose just a few to go to!

We love Caesars Palace, it's our fave hotel in Vegas.
We stayed there in a ginormous suite when we got married
The shops are fab there aren't they!?!

Oh wow - you're so lucky to have stayed at Caesers - it's in it's own league in Vegas!

The shops are great - there's something for everyone too, so Scott enjoyed it rather than me dragging him around!

Wow, everything looks so supersize fab trip

Yep everything is pretty extravagant in Vegas, it's like nowhere else!

Really enjoying your reports and looking forward to reading more

Thank you so much

 

[Tinkerbell1989]

How funny... I was just thinking about you the other day! Glad everythings okay, congratulations on becoming aunty and uncle!!

I was just telling DF about your trip, and as soon as I mentioned Popcornopolis, he was up for it haha! I am so jealous ;-)

Oh and Senor Frogs sounds awesome!!

Xx

 

[tink too]

Great update - you certainly managed to fit a lot in despite your hangovers!

I'm guessing we'll be visiting the Coke Shop and M & M World too.

 

[izzie-wizzie]

How funny... I was just thinking about you the other day! Glad everythings okay, congratulations on becoming aunty and uncle!!

I was just telling DF about your trip, and as soon as I mentioned Popcornopolis, he was up for it haha! I am so jealous ;-)

Oh and Senor Frogs sounds awesome!!

Xx

Aww thank you

Popcornopolis is like a popcorn lovers dream - lots of free samples and so tasty!!

Great update - you certainly managed to fit a lot in despite your hangovers!

I'm guessing we'll be visiting the Coke Shop and M & M World too.

Haha we did ok - I don't think I realised how much we did until I wrote it all down!

 

[Chilly]

sounds like you are having a real fun time in Vegas.

 

[disney_princess_85]

I'm glad you're carrying on with your report! Vegas is definitely next on our list so it's fun to see what you got up to. Looking forward to more.

 

[izzie-wizzie]

Day Four - Part Two

We finally made it to the Wicked Spoon Buffet! Thankfully, we got seated straight away (so glad, as you could see a queue structure showing how busy this place could get in peak time!!). I believe we paid before we got taken to our seats.

We both ordered a diet coke, and then hit the buffet...warning - a lot of food pictures ahead!!!

Round One - the warm up:

Izzie - Bread, Salami, Mozzarella and Tomato, Devilled Egg, Brie, Shrimp with Sweet Chilli Sauce and the thing in the bowl was some sort of calamari which wasn't too good. Everything else was delicious!!!



Scott - Prawn with Sweet Chilli Sauce, Mushrooms, Devilled Egg, Ham and I think some sort of cheese flatbread?



Round Two - Izzie's winner

Izzie - Crab Leg, Shrimp and Polenta (I think) - cute in its own little pan and the Macaroni and Cheese. Wow. This macaroni and cheese was probably one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten in my entire life. On my first bite I actually stopped and and I was just like 'Oh.. My...' I was in shock - this was just so delicious! I know it's just mac and cheese but this was the mac and cheese to end all mac and cheese!! The best thing was that the buffet had a mac and cheese bar and you choose your cheeses and toppings and a chef makes it right there in front of you. I was completely blown away.



Scott - Crab Legs, Taco and Slider



Round Three - still going, Scott's Fave!

Izzie - Apart from the Turkey I'm struggling to remember what the other two pots were... one looks pumpkin/butternut squash like. I'm sure it was delicious - I think I just became a bit delerious over my romance with the mac and cheese if I'm honest!!


Scott - Roast Beef, Cottage Pie and Fried Chicken. This was Scott's favourite plate - he was very excited by the cottage pie and beef.


Round Four - one more plate before desert?

Izzie - Rib, Sushi, Noodles - how cute is this little noodle container? I wasn't blown away by the sushi or the ribs though.


Scott - Raviolli, Pizza, Sushi, Rib(?)


Round Five - Dessert Time!

Izzie - Chocolate Souffle (in the pan) - soooooo good! Chocolate Mousse Cone, Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, Ice Cream and Peanut Butter and Chocolate Slide - also soooooooo good. All the desserts were amazing.


Scott - Strawberry Ice Cream, Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, Rice Kripie Treat, Cheesecake and Chocolate Cone - Overall, all of these are pretty much as good as they look. nummm!


And after all that food, we were completely full! Honestly that buffet was just amazing - I was so, so, so impressed!! If I found out I could only eat their mac and cheese and peanut butter/chocolate slices for the rest of my life - I would not be mad.

After we left, we were pretty worn out and had to pack as we were leaving Vegas in the morning!!

We wondered back to the hotel and had a wonder around the Miracle Mile area of the hotel before going up to the room and packing. I couldn't quite believe that was our last night in Vegas - time goes by soooo quickly! But not to worry - we were off to Hollywood the next day!