I’ve been to Las Vegas countless times to visit family, but I’ve never really experienced Sin City as an adult, aside from one night of bachelorette festivities to celebrate my sister-in-law a few years ago. My boyfriend and I thought it would be a fun (and relatively easy to plan) vacation to squeeze in before the end of the summer. We spent it lounging by the pool, getting dressed up, eating delicious food, and of course, gambling! I didn’t take that many photos and tried to enjoy just being in the moment for once, so here are only a few pics from throughout the weekend.
Where We Stayed
We stayed three nights at the Cosmopolitan in one of their Terrace Suites on the 37th floor, which had the most incredible view of the Strip and Bellagio Fountains. My boyfriend is a Bonvoy Marriot member so he used points to book the room (yes, the Cosmo is a Marriot property!). Because he’s a member, we got to skip the ridiculous check-in line and instead check in right away through the Autograph Lounge. Such a nice perk.
Our room was huge, with two bathrooms and a massive balcony, which made for the perfect morning reading spot. My boyfriend has stayed on the Strip a couple of times and the Cosmo is his favorite hotel, especially for gambling. I don’t really have any experience myself, but he says the Cosmo generally has a younger and more fun crowd compared to some of the older hotels.
There are lots of bars and restaurants in the Cosmopolitan, so we hardly left the whole weekend. I’ve never been on a vacation where we didn’t go anywhere (I’m definitely the type of traveler who tries to see everything instead of “relaxing”) so it took some effort for me to be comfortable just lounging. But boy, did I get the hang of it!
What We Did
Lounging by the Pool
After letting ourselves sleep in as late as we wanted, we spent most of our days lounging by the Cosmo’s two pools—the Boulevard Pool on the fourth floor and the Chelsea Pool on the 14th floor. We both preferred the Boulevard Pool because of the view of the Strip and the more spread out lounging areas, but both had pretty much the same options for drinks and food.
Gambling
I’ve done a few slot machines before, but this was the first time I really gambled, sticking to Blackjack and Craps tables in the Cosmo. I was nervous and practiced by playing both games on my phone first. It didn’t take long for me to get the hang of it, though, and I ultimately really enjoyed myself! (I can see why people get into trouble.) There was, unsurprisingly, lots of good people watching, and I learned quickly that the dealer and other people at a table really affect how fun it is. I was so impressed watching the dealers and how good they are at mental math. I found myself wondering if they ever have off days—I definitely could not think quickly enough if I had a poor night of sleep or wasn’t feeling well.
The Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails
Even though my boyfriend had been to the Cosmo a few times before, he only recently found out about a speakeasy behind the barbershop on the main floor and wanted to check it out. Funny enough, when we went there was a long line out the door, so the bar’s existence wasn’t much of a secret. After waiting for probably half an hour and then walking through the barbershop to a backdoor, we entered what was, essentially, a mosh pit. The bar was one large, very dimly lit room with a stage on the far side and way too many people crammed into every corner. A rock band was playing very loudly, and before we knew it, the main guitarist was passing off his instrument to the bartender, who stood on the bar and riffed away. After wrestling our way to the front of the bar, we managed to order our drinks and proceeded to slurp them down as quickly as possible, just to get out of the chaos. It was one of those experiences where middle-aged people would complain, “I’m too old for this,” except in this case, my 25-year-old boyfriend and I were too old for it.
I think the bar would be worth trying again during cocktail hour because our drinks were admittedly really good, but visiting at 10:30pm on a Friday night was way too loud and cramped to be enjoyable.
Every time I’m in Las Vegas, I try to visit the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden to see what seasonal display they’ve put together. This time it was a fall fantasy theme with lots of red and orange flowers, mushrooms, and fairies, sort of like an autumn-colored enchanted forest. It wasn’t my favorite display (the room felt surprisingly dark, despite the ceiling windows), but I’m still glad we made the short walk over to see it.
Sunset Cocktail Hour at Boulevard Pool
I read online that there was a free cocktail hour at our preferred Cosmo pool, the one that overlooks the Strip, so we decided to check it out before our dinner reservation. Once we got to the rooftop and assessed the vibe, I wasn’t sure if we should stay, but my boyfriend convinced us we should get at least one drink. I’m so glad he did because this lil’ rooftop party turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for me! There weren’t many people our age there, but a DJ came out and started playing all the hits (mostly old stuff for the older crowed, which my boyfriend and I preferred anyways). After losing some of our inhibitions we started dancing with everybody and it was SO fun. I didn’t want to leave.
We decided we had to check out the Cosmo’s nightclub while in Vegas, and boy, was it an experience. After a lot of debate about which kind of club pass we should get/what the best value would be, we decided to get the VIP entry passes for $100 per person, which included entry and a $100 drink voucher. After getting to skip most of the line and finding our way into the club, we ordered our drinks—and realized immediately that we made the right decision getting the VIP passes. One double Moscow mule was $67!!! Can you believe that?! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Thank goodness we paid for the pass that included drinks and entry—the alternative was paying a bunch just to get in the door and then having to pay even more for drinks.
We danced for a bit and watched a few performers, but I think the most entertaining part of the club was the people watching. One very drunk man came up to me at one point to say, “Thank you for your feet.” What a time. I’m glad we ended up going to the club (and extremely glad that we got the VIP passes—definitely the best deal), but it’s not an experience I need to have again.
Where We Ate
We grabbed a late lunch on our first day at Lardo, a sandwich shop in the food court on the second floor of the hotel. They didn’t have gluten-free bread, but I got my “sandwich” over fries and it was absolutely delicious.
We got dinner at Zuma our first night and it was SO good—turned out to be our favorite meal of the whole trip. It’s a modern Japanese restaurant that serves lots of small plates, and your waiter brings them out over the course of the meal (as opposed to all at once). They have the option of doing a set menu, which we both thought would be really fun, but I decided against it due to my dietary restrictions. Instead we ordered lobster miso, a plate of sashimi, and two sushi rolls—all delicious with even better cocktails. Highly recommend!
We got brunch the second day at Overlook Grill, a restaurant next to one of the hotel’s two rooftop pools. It was perfectly acceptable but nothing to write home about (expensive, as all hotel restaurants are).
Dinner our second night was at the hotel’s Italian restaurant, Scarpetta. It was a very nice atmosphere and we even lucked out with a table that had a view of the Bellagio fountains. The food and service were great! I wouldn’t necessarily seek the restaurant out again, like I would with Zuma, but I’d also be happy to eat there if someone invited me.
The line for this fast-food breakfast spot was outrageous, but boy was the egg sandwich good (especially after a night of drinking). They had GF bread—woohoo!—and the truffle hashbrowns were ah-mazing.
This was our third and least favorite dinner. The food was still good, but it was really expensive—too expensive for the enjoyment we got out of it. Next time we want to go to Beauty and Essex instead; lots of people we met during the weekend said it’s their favorite spot in the hotel.
*I highly recommend making reservations for these restaurants weeks in advance. They were already almost fully booked when we made our reservations two weeks early!
What I Wore
I had so much fun packing for this trip! I knew I had to wear my black sparkly jumpsuit, which I’d only worn once before at the psychology department’s ball while studying abroad in Scotland. I took it to the dry cleaners after that event and all the glued-on sequins fell off! I was worried it was ruined, but after spending hours picking off the lingering glue and sequins, I don’t think you can even tell the jumpsuit used to have a different texture.
I didn’t wear much during the days aside from my swimsuit and coverup, but I did break out a new floral maxi dress that I got at TJ Maxx just for the trip. I absolutely love it and got so many compliments—it photographed amazingly in front of the Bellagio fountains!
I also bought a spicy green dress while at TJ Maxx that’s completely backless and way out of my comfort zone. While I generally prefer classier pieces over some of the trashy things I saw other people wearing, I decided I did want to try something a little more out there while I’m young and can still pull it off. I love the vibrant shade and thought the dress looked so cute with my high ponytail.
I tried to go for old school Vegas glam on our final night there, wearing this thrifted black dress (didn’t get a chance to photograph it). I don’t think I’ve ever dressed up that fancy three nights in a row, but it sure was fun. I realized that next time I go to Vegas to gamble, I really need to step up my manicure and ring game—so many ladies had incredible jewelry and nails that caught my attention every time they rolled the dice or tapped for another card.
Have you ever been to Las Vegas? I hope this post gave you a few ideas for what to do (and not do) if you ever visit the Cosmo. Of course, it wasn’t a cheap trip, but we both had so much fun and really enjoyed treating ourselves for a change.
Miles of smiles,
Grace
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