What happens when you mix five friends, New Year’s Eve and Las Vegas? So many amazing memories. I’m sure I’m breaking the ‘What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas’ motto, but this trip was too much fun not to write about!

We got the idea to take a Vegas trip a few months prior to the new year. I jumped at the opportunity to go because it would be my first time there and gambling in Vegas was on my bucket list. Arriving early to the airport on December 30th meant I ended up drinking three mimosas while I waited to board my plane. I then made friends with the flight attendant and got three rum and cokes for free…I DO NOT recommend this path while flying to begin a weekend of fun with your friends. Let’s just say I got off that plane feeling like a million bucks.

Our hotel was The Excalibur and we loved its location and the different events offered right there in the hotel. The room rate was very decent for it being a holiday weekend, so we were happy with our stay there. That night we went to The Bellagio to eat at Lago…AMAZING. If you’re looking for somewhere nice to eat with really great food, this is the place. The plates are smaller but absolutely perfect for sharing with friends. The service was wonderful and I hope I can come back someday!

We ended up heading over to a nightclub inside of The Bellagio called Hyde and it was a lot of fun! Great music, a cool outdoor area with heaters and some great drink specials! We fully expected to spend an outrageous amount of money on entering clubs and buying drinks while in Vegas, but if you pay attention to people handing out promotions for clubs, you can really find some great deals!

After a slow start the next morning, we made our way over to Yardbird for brunch. Reasons to love this place: 1. The food is incredible. Like every single one of our plates was good, you can’t go wrong. 2. The restaurant itself is really cute and even down to the dishware they used, we loved it all. 3. They understood the hungover struggle and kept water flowing constantly. 5 out of 5 stars for me!

Up next was Cirque Du Soleil, the O show. This show was aquatic themed and literally blew us all away. We talked afterward about how our mouths were open in amazement the whole show. The talent behind the performers in the show was unreal. I now want to go back just to see all the Cirque shows they have.

Then began the preparation for a fun New Years Eve night. The hair, the makeup, the dress, the pregaming and the pedialyte…if you aren’t on the pedialyte train to help you before and after drinking, you’re missing out. Trust me. 

We had a motto while walking from place to place since the streets were so crowded…”Elbow to Elbow…” And it worked. We all stayed together and traveled safely over to Hakkasan Nightclub for a performance by Drake and plenty of celebration of the New Year. If you have plans to travel to Vegas for New Years, I would recommend finding a club you want to spend the night at, seeing what specials they have for that night and also purchasing a private table. That was my one regret of the weekend, having to stand in heels in a very crowded bar for 3+ hours with nowhere to sit down.

We did a little bit of gambling throughout the weekend, finding one brand of slot machines we liked best and tried to win as much money as possible. Three of us stayed an extra night in Vegas and spent some time learning the ins and outs of Blackjack. We found helpful dealers and also other people at the table gave us tips and suggestions on the best way to play the game. I can happily say I didn’t leave Vegas with less money than I arrived with…but broke even. Which is pretty successful for my first experience in Sin City.

We even had time to check out the Tournament of Kings show that was held in our hotel. You pick a nation to support, they give you an authentic meal(no silverware either) and you watch as knights from various countries duel it out. Definitely a family friendly event with lots of laughing and cheering. We loved it!

Las Vegas is that place that you always hear about, but never really know what to expect until you’re there. It’s full of entertainment, nightlife and great people. I feel like everyone should go at least once, just to say you’ve been there and seen it for yourself! I hope to go back to check out more shows(CELINE DION) and maybe win a bunch of money. Have you ever been to Vegas? Gambled and won big? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Happy travels! 🙂