Eat, Drink & Turn 25 | Part 1

A little over a week ago (January 10th) I turned 25! Since my birthday wouldn’t fall on a Saturday again for awhile, I made the most of it by taking a trip to Las Vegas, for the 4th time! (Read all about why I’ve been to Vegas four times here.) It was a wonderful three day trip where we literally made the  most out of every single moment. We managed to get a free hotel room, so we took my parents as well. Since it was my mom’s first time, we filled our three days to the brim. I love to plan these things. I wanted to make sure she had a great first Vegas experience:)

Thursday morning started out a little crazy for us. First of all, I didn’t sleep very well because I was so excited for vacation. We were scheduled to fly out of our little hometown airport at 6 a.m. Sometime in the night my husband received a text message from the airline saying our flight was cancelled due to fog! He didn’t wake up and see it until 3 a.m., at which point we had to haul ass to get ourselves ready and out the door so we could drive to Seattle and catch our 7:25 a.m. flight. All’s well that ends well though, because we made it! Over the passes, through traffic, passed security, and onto the plane! We were literally the last ones on- but we made it!

Since I didn’t have time to hit up Starbucks in the airport as originally planned, I got some complimentary coffee on the plane. Thank goodness they serve Starbucks!

After an easy 2 hour flight, we were on the ground in Vegas by 9:30 a.m. Time to get my Vegas birthday vacation started!

We headed outside to grab a shuttle to take us to our home for the next three nights- The Flamingo. This was my third time staying here, and it’s a really basic, convenient option with an ideal strip location. Plus, we got a free room for this trip, so we definitely couldn’t complain. Once we got on the shuttle, we were thrilled that the weather was so lovely. We actually needed sunglasses! (It’s the little things!)

When we got to the hotel, we were upgraded to an executive room on the 27th floor with a strip view! It was fabulous. The other rooms we’d stayed in before were basic, no-frills rooms. The executive room was a little larger, had a couch, a mini fridge, and a coffee maker.

After freshening up, we were absolutely famished. We had plans to go to Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, so we headed toward Caesar’s Palace- which is just right across the street from The Flamingo. The weather was in the upper 60s and even hit 70 while we were there. So nice compared to the 30 degrees we had come from.

We got a table for lunch with no problem. Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill is really large and wonderfully decorated. The seating consists of huge comfy sofas and chairs, and the decor is warm with homey yet pub-style touches. My mom and I split the chicken pesto sandwich, which is wonderful. Everything we ordered here tastes “from scratch” right down to the ketchup they bring out with your fries. The fries, by the way, are aaaaamazing. The seasoning they use is perfect- I’m going to say they’re the best fries I’ve ever had at a restaurant before. They’re just that good. And back to that ketchup- we determined something is done to it to make it slightly spicy which we just loved. Definitely going to have to try sprucing up my own ketchup one of these days.

My husband got the fish and chips- delicious, especially with their tartar sauce. My step-dad got the bangers and mash which came with a couple different types of sausage and was also really good. This was our second time eating here and we would go again and again. Really, really good!

After lunch we explored Caesar’s Palace a little bit. The men gambled while my mom and I ventured outside to the Spanish Steps Mojito Hut. I’m so glad we did! There was no line, as I’m sure there usually is in the summer- and the bartender makes the drinks with fresh fruit right in front of you. I ordered the Black Dragon Mojito, where he crushed fresh blackberries, muddled fresh mint, poured, shook, and served it all right there. It. Was. Delicious. My mom ordered an adult raspberry lemonade which was also with fresh fruit, including half a lemon! We were joking that we got a drink and a snack, because when our drinks were gone we had a ton of fresh fruit at the bottom! Ahhh, so delish.

By the time we met up with the guys, Marty had won $100. (Score!) We took that as a sign to leave the casino and head for the Forum Shops.

From Caesar’s Palace we walked over and through the Mirage. From there we walked over and into Treasure Island. We did this so my mom could see the different hotels. From there we headed back down the strip to Margaritaville for a little afternoon pick-me-up:)

I knew I wanted the blueberry pomegranate margarita because I had it last time and it is pure deliciousness! My mom, who trusts my taste, ordered the same- and while they’re normally $11 each, the sweet bartender gave them to us for the happy hour price of 2 for $12!! Such a steal. Yum.

Okay, Margaritas- check. Next on the agenda was dinner. I had planned ahead of time for us to go to happy hour at Sushi Roku inside Caesar’s Palace. Their website boasted a pretty awesome happy hour from 4-7. You know how things can seem to good to be true? Well, in Vegas, always keep this in mind. I had my doubts, even though the website blatantly said 4-7 on Thursdays. I called before we went to check, and the girl flatly informed me that happy hour was actually 4-5. When I mentioned the website, she said the manager changes the happy hour schedule depending on how busy they are in a week. UM. Really?! Okay, do what you want, but at least update your website! I quickly decided I did not want to spend my money at such an establishment, and we walked over to the Venetian to find a place to eat. We ended up at an adorable restaurant called Canaletto. It was awesome- a restaurant I’m glad we stumbled across. We were seated right away and served bread with oil and vinegar. The menu was one where you wish you could order one of everything just to try. My mom and I were both eyeing the two same dishes, so we each ordered one and split them both. Angel hair pasta with a delicious marinara sauce and a pizza with lots of goodies. The creamy pasta Marty got was delicious as well, and while I didn’t try my step-dad’s plate, he polished it off:)

Oh, and we had a glass of Prosecco- one of my faves:) After dinner, we kept walking down the strip through more hotels… The Palazzo, down to The Wynn. I love walking through The Wynn. It’s gorgeous.

We headed up to an outdoor overlook to catch the Lake of Dreams show they do. It’s their little freebie show that goes every so often every night. I’m pretty sure it’s different every time, but I’ve only seen the one we watched. And it was quite strange. I mean, it was entertaining-sure, but it was just bizarre. You’d have to see it for yourself.

After, we headed over to the Mirage to catch the volcano show- which is another free show you can find on the strip. It’s very short, but entertaining nonetheless.

After how early we had started the day combined with all the walking we had done, we were more than ready to call it a day. We headed back for our hotel room, where I got ready for bed and was asleep in record time.

Day one of my Vegas birthday vacation was a success! I’m sharing something special tomorrow, but check back on Wednesday for day 2!

xoxo,
Kayla