A 4-Day Weekend In Las Vegas

Some of my blog posts contain affiliate links to products that I may receive a commission on when purchases are made through these links. This is at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

As self-declared foodies and winos, we love Vegas because of the unlimited options for good eats and delicious cocktails. We aren’t big on gambling but would happily sit at a Casino War table if we can find one or place a couple of bets on Roulette. Our recent weekend getaway to Las Vegas definitely did not disappoint and I found myself returning home in a food coma!

A few months ago, my husband and I had just finished watching the movie A Star is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and, once I had finally stopped ugly crying, we both agreed that Lady Gaga was a definite bucket list concert for us. Well, after scrolling through the Ticketmaster app and finding the bottom of our wine bottle that night, we agreed that we only live once and bought tickets to her Jazz and Piano show at the Park Theatre in Vegas. The praying that harvest would be done by then and the planning for our next Vegas vacation was on!

A part of those plans was to book a photo session with Flytographer. We first used this service in Paris a couple of years ago and I was so happy to have photos of my family that were professionally done and not selfies. You can read about our Flytographer experience in Paris here.

Our shoot was with Belinda of “Belinda and Tony in Las Vegas with Flytographer” on the LINQ Promenade and we spent a half an hour wandering the Promenade, enjoying a cocktail (and a couple of smooches) and laughing while she took a few shots. She was super fun and did exactly what we had requested…laid-back and not too posy.

I love this Canadian start-up company and think it is such a great concept. The process is so easy and the details are very well laid out. Plus, my photos were ready to download within 5 days. I’m already looking into photographers for our trip to Maui in April.

If you’re going on vacation and are interested in booking a photo session with Flytographer, use my discount code CODE1582 and save $25 on your first shoot.

How We Spent Our 4-Day Weekend In Las Vegas

I have been to Vegas a few times over the past decade or so and I always leave wanting more. I love it! From concerts like Bruno Mars and Madonna (twice now!) to Cirque shows like Michael Jackson ONE and Beatles LOVE, or Rock of Ages and the Piano Bar at New York, New York, I have so many great memories in Sin City! Fun fact: when I was 23 years old I was in Vegas and was called up on stage to do a magic trick with David Copperfield. I was shaking like a leaf but it was super cool and he actually kissed my cheek!

Where We Stayed

We had stayed at the Venetian several years ago after receiving 3-nights free through one of those timeshare deals. While three hours spent enduring the timeshare hard-sell was mildly uncomfortable, we fell in love with the Venetian during that trip so we decided to return.

This 5-star Italian-themed resort and casino has over 20 restaurants, the Grand Canal Shoppes and some of the most luxurious and spacious rooms on the strip. We absolutely love the King Suite with its large sunken living room, comfortable bed and marble bathroom with oversized soaker tub and separate shower. I realize it’s Vegas and you want to be out exploring but it’s also a heavenly place to return to each night and relax while drinking your coffee or sipping mimosas in the morning while you soak your tired muscles in the tub. You could truly build a vacation around your stay at The Venetian and never leave the resort!

What We Did

As I mentioned, our main purpose for this trip to Vegas was to see Lady Gaga’s Jazz and Piano show at her residency in the Park Theatre at Park MGM. The Jazz and Piano show is a “stripped-down” version of some of her hits along with songs from the American Songbook. This show was unreal. Lady Gaga is a true talent and sensational performer plus, she was surrounded by unbelievable musicians. I loved this show so much I want to go back and see the Enigma pop show now!

We discovered that Madonna was also going to be in Vegas while we were there so my girlfriend and I got tickets to Madame X at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace while our husbands headed down to Fremont Street. I had seen Madonna in Vegas 11 years ago but my girlfriend had never seen Madonna in concert so it was a no-brainer that we were getting tickets to this concert as well. I will admit the concert was a bit of a bummer because Madonna didn’t show up until just after midnight. We arrived at the Colosseum at 9:30, had our cell phones locked up in baggies and then waited for 2.5 hours for her concert to start. This girl was TIRED by the time old Madge hit the stage. People were clearly irritated and it basically set the tone for the concert. There were actually people sleeping around us. Imagine, people sleeping at a Madonna concert! It was a bit bananas but, according to Madonna, “a Queen is never late.” Hmm…I expected Madonna would have a bit more respect for her fans but all in all, it was a fun night with my bestie.

The other show we went to while in Vegas was Absinthe. This show is fowl and not for everyone. If you don’t have a sense of humour, I’d stay away because it is X-Rated and downright crude at times but we were amazed at the performers and were roaring with laughter in our jammed in, rickety seats. In this circus tent, you are right up close to the action but beware, if you sit too close you just might become part of the show. 

We also spent two afternoons at Carnaval Court at Harrah’s watching the 80s cover band, The Whip Its. This was so much fun!  I was introduced to Carnaval Court 3 years ago when I was in Vegas with nine other girlfriends. We had a blast there one night dancing until the wee hours of the morning. It’s an open-air bar where cover bands and DJs play all day and night and the bartenders are fun and quite entertaining themselves. It’s a laid-back vibe and the perfect place to hang out when the weather is favourable, which it was during our entire trip.

Where We Ate

We ate so much food this trip I practically waddled onto the plane home.

Our first stop was to one of our favourite restaurants in Vegas, LAVO Italian Restaurant in the Palazzo. I love the warm and hip vibe in this restaurant. If the weather is nice it’s awesome to sit out on their terrace which overlooks the Strip. I dream about the one-pound meatball at LAVO. It is literally one pound of meat with some spices, sauce and big dollop of ricotta cheese, and it is absolutely decadent.

We have tried several dishes during our visits to LAVO and found them all to be excellent. Try the Spaghetti Carbonara, it is mouth-wateringly good. And don’t leave without experiencing the 20 Layer Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. It is sinful.

We discovered Yardbird Southern Table and Bar in The Venetian during this trip so ducked in for lunch one day. It’s not hard to see why this restaurant has been recognized as one of America’s Best New Restaurants. The menu is made up of farm-fresh, from-scratch Southern cooking and absolute deliciousness. Buttermilk biscuits, grits, brisket, and the best Fried Chicken I’ve ever tasted. I ordered the Chicken ‘N Watermelon ‘N Waffles and it was so good that I basically gorged myself and couldn’t eat for the rest of the day. We will definitely return to Yardbird when we visit Las Vegas again. Just a note for country music fans, it turns into a bit of a country bar at 10:00 p.m. on the weekends. A DJ plays country hits while you enjoy Southern bites and bourbon cocktails.

Eataly is basically our version of Disneyland and we were so excited to learn that it had opened in The Park MGM. We first discovered Eataly while in New York a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with this Italian Market Place. I think in my past life I was an Italian! We chose to check out Eataly before the Lady Gaga concert because they are in the same resort.  We needed way more time to hang out there, though. It’s over 40 000 square feet of Italian food and wine and a variety of cooking classes and wine tastings are also offered. You can order food and drinks from one of the counters or bars or you can make a reservation in one of the restaurants. We chose to order food from the counters and snag a seat in the market place.

My husband selected a cut of beef from the butcher and they prepared it to perfection. We also built our own charcuterie and enjoyed our meals with a delightful bottle of Italian red wine. The Tagliatelle with Beef Ragu sauce is also really good at Eataly but the line was quite long so we didn’t have time to order it during this visit. I love Eataly. We could hang out there for hours.

A couple of girlfriends recommended Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at The Colosseum in Caesar’s Palace so we wandered in there after the Absinthe show on Friday night. This is a unique and beautiful cocktail lounge where they serve hand-crafted cocktails and delightful small bites. I recommend the Warm Bacon and Gruyère Mini Tart it was so good we ended up ordering a second one but both were devoured before I remembered to take a picture. This is a great place to have a cocktail before or after a Vegas show.

I also have to mention that we had our very first In-N-Out Burger while in Vegas. Our friends had recommended it and judging by the constant line-up in the place, we knew we had to give it a shot. It was your basic but delicious burger. I had mine wrapped in lettuce and it was perfect.

There is so much to see and do and eat while in Vegas that we could spend weeks there taking in all it has to offer but I don’t think my poor feet could take it. That is the beauty of Vegas, you can keep on returning and creating a new experience with every visit.