A little preview of how we ended our first time in Las Vegas with a bang, but there are a few stops first.
Brunch at Mon Ami Gabi Inside the Paris
The first stop of our third day was an amazing brunch at Mon Ami Gabi within the Paris hotel. It was lucky that Carly made reservations long in advance, as we were able to secure a perfect spot on the patio. We were halfway inside and halfway outside, which helped keep us cool. The patio is right on the Strip, which might make for good people watching when it isn’t so hot. I think it speaks for the meal and the restaurant that the only pictures we took the whole time were of our drinks. This might’ve been my favorite place of the whole trip and is worth checking out!
Paris Hotel
The only other real plan we had for Day 3 was going to Tiesto at Resorts World, but that didn’t start for a long time, so we had some time to kill after brunch! Since we were already there for Mon Ami Gabi, we explored the Paris casino a little bit first after brunch. This hotel is well known for being built around an exact replica (to a smaller scale) of the Eiffel Tower. The legs of the tower are visible within the casino, and it really gave it a different feel than the other casinos.
This was the first time either one of us was introduced to electronic craps tables. We ended up seeing them a few other places afterwards, though. If you’re unfamiliar with electronic craps, as we were, there is a “dealer” like normal. The difference is the placement of chips and payout of winnings are all handled electronically. It was intriguing to us because it was cheaper to play than the real craps tables. It also helped us learn because you can play around with bets on the screen without being nervous, because you can cancel more easily. It’s an easy way to make an intimidating game a little less intimidating!
Walking to the Venetian Canal Shops
The Flamingo
Once we were finally able to leave the Paris hotel, we walked down The Strip towards the Venetian Canal shops. The first place we visited was the Flamingo. It was quite the walk to the Venetian, and we had nothing but time to kill. We weren’t really interested in gambling here. We just wanted to see the flamingos. They were surprisingly easy to find in their enclosure in the middle of the casino. There were other animals in the exhibits too, but it was too dang hot to be walking around out there. It was a little underwhelming, but the flamingos and giant koi fish were definitely the best part about it.
The Linq – Ice Bar
We ventured back out into the hot sun on our journey to the Venetian, looking for the next place to offer us some air conditioning. Luckily, we didn’t have to go too far before we stumbled upon the Linq. I’m not sure how to describe the Linq, because it’s so many different things at once. First and foremost, there’s a hotel and casino. There’s also the High Roller, which is the massive Ferris wheel that you’ve surely seen in photos of Las Vegas, and a zip line. We didn’t do either one of these this time, but we’ll see if I can convince Carly for next time! On top of all that, there’s an enormous shopping center that you can walk through. That’s where we found ourselves.
One thing on our Vegas bucket list was to go to an ice bar. So when we came across Minus5 Ice Bar walking through the Linq, all it took was one look at each other for Carly and I to decide to go in. We figured we might as well, right?! We purchased tickets outside, and went through the doors to obtain our insulated coats and gloves. Now we were properly outfitted to enter the freezing cold bar. The employees guided us into another smaller room first, and then we were allowed to enter the bar itself with a few other people.
It was a really cool experience (no pun intended!) with everything being made of ice, including our drink glasses. The bartender poured us each a drink, and we proceeded to walk around the entire place taking pictures with everything. There were just too many cool things to look at.
Blackjack at Harrah’s
After a little while in the ice bar and all the pictures that we’d taken, it really did start to get a little bit too cold. It was a great little stop to beat the heat and a cool experience overall, but now it was time to venture back out. The last stop on our journey to the Venetian was Harrah’s Casino. Carly and I went to the Harrah’s casino in New Orleans years ago, so this brought back some memories. It was also another good place to stop to get some air conditioning.
One of my favorite casino games is blackjack, and up until this point, I only had played the slots and craps. Places like the Cosmo and Caesar’s had $20 minimums as the lowest per hand for blackjack. That’s just a little too rich for my blood when I’m not the greatest in the world. When we got to Harrah’s, it was only $10 per had. I joined in with a couple other folks at one table, and had a really good time. It seemed like I was only playing for ten minutes, but I’m sure it was more like an hour.
The Venetian Canal Shops
After all the walking and many stops along the way, the Venetian and its Canal Shops were the next places along the Strip. It’s hard to pick a favorite between the Bellagio, Caesar’s, and the Venetian when it comes to Italian themed hotels that we visited this trip. The first two were spectacular the last couple of days when we were there, and the Venetian was no different. Taking a series of ornately decorated passageways, we eventually emerged in the Canal Shops.
It didn’t take long before we encountered our first gondola on the water, complete with a boat captain singing in Italian. The Venetian Canal Shops were much like the other shops we visited at the Bellagio and Caesar’s, with the added feature of the canals. Our experience was much the same too, window shopping as we tried to explore as much as we could. All in all, it was a really cool experience. I’m just not sure I’d make the walk all the way down there again for it though. Maybe if it were cooler outside it wouldn’t be so bad, but I’ll likely opt for an Uber from the Cosmo on any return trips.
Tiesto at the New Resorts World Hotel and Casino
Somehow, we were able to make the long walk back to the Cosmo after the Venetian. There was just enough time to rest a little bit, before we needed to get ready to go to Resorts World. At the time we visited, Resorts World was the newest casino in Las Vegas, opening only about a week before. It isn’t on the Strip and is quite a ways from the Cosmo, so this is another one that we were forced to opt for the Uber. It was a fairly short drive from the Cosmo, and we were dropped off at the Ayu Night Club entrance.
Inside the New Resorts World Casino and Hotel
We purposefully left time to check out the casino and hotel itself before the show. From where the Uber drop off point is for Ayu, it’s a little bit of a walk until you reach the casino, but we were able to find our way. Inside, we were greeted with the massive, 40-foot tall LED globe that you’ve probably seen in advertisements for Resorts World.
After we took our obligatory pictures and videos with the globe, we headed into the casino to do some exploring. The first thing we did was go to the closest bar we could find. Feeling a little bit fancy on our last night out, we both decided to order special cocktails off the Resort’s World’s menu. I had the Genting Old Fashioned and Carly had the Cherry Blossom. Let me tell ya, they did not disappoint. If we go back again, I’ll opt for these over the free drinks while gambling every time.
Now It’s Time To Party! All Night with Tiesto at Ayu Dayclub
Our first time in Las Vegas wouldn’t be complete without seeing some sort of show. Resorts World came through for us when they announced Tiesto’s residency. Tiesto happens to be one of Carly and I’s favorite artists, so being able to see him at the brand new Ayu Dayclub was a treat. Leaving the casino, we retraced our steps back to where we were dropped off earlier, finding only a minimal line. For a split second, we wondered if we were in the right place or not with so few people in line, but the electronic music pumping through the door told us we were. Entering Ayu Dayclub was like being transported to another world. It’s hard to describe.
When the sign says “your first drink 20 feet”, with an arrow pointing you in the right direction, it’s the only logical way to go. We stopped by the bar and got a couple cocktails before heading up the nearby stairs to check out the place from up top. Ayu is massive, and you can only really grasp that from up top on the balcony. There were too many cabanas to count, and someone was occupying every single one of them.
We were content with our place on the balcony overlooking everything. A security guard escorted a couple of VIPs right next to us, and asked if we could move over a little for them. Of course, when security asks you to move, you move. We started talking to the couple, and apparently they asked the security guard to bring them to the very best place in the club. It just so happened to be right next to us.
Serious Lack of Relief from the Heat at Ayu – Dress Code
With the club being so new, there wasn’t a ton of information on dress code. What little information we found was constantly changing, so it wasn’t any help. I ended up wearing pants wanting to make sure I met the dress code, but it was still over 100 degrees outside even at 3am. There’s also absolutely no air conditioning anywhere within the club. The bathrooms were a little cooler, in the way that a cave is a little cooler than the outside air. It was the only relief I could get, though.
In the weeks after our trip, we started to see more videos and get a better idea of the dress code. Shorts seem to be allowed, and I would highly recommend them if you visit in the warmer months. Don’t wear a swimsuit, but make sure you don’t show up in pants like I did or you risk overheating.
Time to Join the Crowd and Make Our Way to the Stage
There’s no way that we were going to leave this show and not head down into the crowd. As we approached the mass of people, it was thick and it didn’t look good at first. People were incredibly friendly, though, and didn’t have a problem as we politely weaved our way further and further forward towards the stage. We made it all the way to the front, and almost as close to Tiesto as we could get without being on stage with him.
The brand new Ayu Dayclub didn’t disappoint, and I would highly recommend catching a show there if you get the chance. It was the perfect way to wrap up our first time in Las Vegas, and go out with a bang!
Final Thoughts on our First Time in Las Vegas!
If you read the first post of this series, you’ll remember that I was skeptical about taking a vacation to Las Vegas. I can happily say that all my preconceived notions about it were wrong. There is a little bit of everything that you can think of there for everyone, and you can make the trip whatever you want. We tried to live it up as much as we could this first time, and some of the experiences were once in a lifetime.
We’re planning a return vacation in December, and are so excited to see the Christmas decorations! Can you imagine the Bellagio conservatory display for Christmas? The fact that we’re returning only a few months after our first trip speaks volumes about how much we enjoyed our first time in Las Vegas. There are still things on our list that we didn’t get to this time, and I’m sure we’ll find many more before we get there. This will probably be the first of many trips!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our first time in Las Vegas. Please subscribe and visit our social media to keep up with all our adventures.