Carolyn Always Earley

Weekend trip to Las Vegas, Nevada – August 2025

My husband Zach and I decided to take a weekend trip to Vegas with another couple who are friends of ours as a last hoorah before we move to the East Coast. It was a lot of fun planning this trip since we had the input of two other people with different interests! Zach isn’t a planner but his buddy is (as am I), and we spent a one-hour phone call roughly planning each day out and making dinner or brunch reservations as needed.

We initially planned to fly (it’s only a 45-minute flight from PHX to LAS) and get there around 6 PM, but our flight ended up being significantly delayed. Once it was delayed enough to cancel for a full refund, we decided to get the refund and drive. So, unfortunately, we left later than we would have otherwise (~3 PM) and got in later (~8 PM), too. Our friends had also driven (but planned), so they arrived a few hours before we did and hung out for a bit until we were all able to check into our rooms.

We decided to stay at Paris Las Vegas. I haven’t stayed there before, but my husband has and he really liked the size of the room and the fact that it’s smaller and quieter than some of the other casinos. We booked a corner room and, although we didn’t have a Strip view, the room was a great size and I thought the bed was very comfortable.

Day 1:

Our tentative plan for Thursday was to grab dinner somewhere casual and ride the roller coaster at New York New York – not necessarily in that order. Since we had all had a late lunch, we Ubered to New York New York and had a couple of drinks first to get my anxiety level down to manageable so that I could ride the roller coaster (I’m really not a fan of heights). I had watched a video of it on YouTube and it didn’t have any crazy drops, but I was still a bit nervous. As we were waiting in line, there were quite a few kids and I reassured myself I’d be fine – and I was! (I mean, I knew I would be, but anxiety isn’t rational.) It was actually kind of fun and then we grabbed a slice of pizza from a little pizzeria inside the casino.

Afterwards, we headed back to Paris for some gambling – well, the men gambled and we women hung out and enjoyed the free drinks. Overall, it was a fun day despite the unexpected drive and we were more than ready for sleep by the time we went to bed.

Day 2:

We had a brunch reservation at Alexxa’s to get our day started. They have unlimited mimosas, which were delicious, and I loved that you could choose to switch up the juice at any time with your refill. The food was delicious and filling! Zach and his buddy went to go play in a poker tournament while we ladies decided to go shopping at the Miracle Mile. We immediately grabbed coffee at the Starbucks inside (hello, airport pricing!) and then began our shopping. She had forgotten to pack a dress and we wanted to do a dressier dinner the following night, so we were in search of a cute black dress and matching bag. We walked through the whole shopping area (I don’t think it’s a full mile, to be honest) and found what we were looking for at H&M.

Once we were done, so were the guys, so we headed down to Caesar’s to meet them. The Forum shops are some of my favorites to peruse – it’s so pretty in there with the ceiling painted and all the random statues and fountains. We went to Casa Fuente, one of Zach’s and my favorite cigar shops, for a cigar and a classic mojito.

On the way back to our hotel, we wandered through the Bellagio Conservatory. This is one of my favorite free activities in Vegas, and I love that it changes every season. The designs are always lavish, whimsical and beautiful. This place can get pretty crowded but I’ve found that people are generally courteous when it comes to allowing everyone a turn at taking photos.

We decided to spend our evening on Fremont Street. We started with dinner at Oscar’s Steakhouse in the Plaza Hotel. The food was delicious! (Unfortunately, we were seated outside so it was way too hot to be eating hot food. Pro tip: Book your reservation more than one week in advance if you want to eat indoors – or go during a month that isn’t over 100 degrees.) By the time we wrapped up our meal, the fireworks started, which go off from the top of the hotel every Friday night at 9:15 PM. It was quite a show!

Next, we headed into the fray to make our 10 PM zipline reservation. You don’t have to book in advance (we booked our tickets while at dinner), but it’s recommended if you don’t want to have a long wait. Zach chose to do the “Super-Hero Zoom”, which is 11 stories up and you lay face down, while the rest of us did the “Zip-Zilla”, which is only 7 stories up and you get to sit down. Again, I don’t love heights, so I’m surprised I was able to do this activity – but watching other people do it ahead of me helped (no one was screaming or panicking, except the drunk girl behind me in line) and when we started, I actually found myself really enjoying it. I would do it again!

Next, we headed to Circa to hang out at Mega Bar (ha!) and grab a drink. Circa, in my opinion, is a unique hotel among the rest of Fremont Street in that it’s newer and feels more upscale. Although I generally like Fremont Street, or “Downtown Last Vegas”, for it’s old-timey vibe and free concerts/live music, it can be a bit rough and chaotic, which is definitely not my vibe.

Day 3:

Since we’d been staying out so late each night, we cancelled our brunch plans at Mon Ami Gabi. While our friends planned to sleep in and then get pastries, Zach and I chose to go to Café Hollywood at Planet Hollywood to try their croissant French toast and biscuits and gravy (pictured below). It was so good – I would definitely recommend checking out their breakfast!

After breakfast, we met up with our friends to begin our journey to Venetian. (I say “journey” because we were planning to walk the 0.6 miles in 100+ degree weather.) We first stopped at Ole Dominion to grab a cold beverage and check out the view. Then we continued, walking through each casino on the way there to enjoy their A/C temporarily. (When walking back, we discovered this was actually faster than taking the sidewalk.)

We first stopped at the Minus5 Ice Bar. We decided to buy the Coolest Experience, which includes entry, gloves, parka and 2 drinks. The drinks come in “glasses” made of ice (hence the gloves) and they were surprisingly delicious. (They also have non-alcoholic options if that’s your preference, and kids are welcome, too.) I liked that they had several different games you could play, many ice furniture options (covered in small rugs) you could sit on, and cute places to take pictures. There was even a small “speakeasy” alcove.

We stopped in our favorite pastry shop, Le Macaron, for a quick macaron (or three) and to watch the gondolas beneath us. Next, we headed over to Emporio d’Gondola to purchase our same-day tickets for an indoor gondola ride. We had never done the gondola ride before, and I was excited to check it out. The gondola… driver?… was great – very personable, and he had a good singing voice. Overall, I felt the experience was worth the price.

After the gondola rides and a quick bite to eat, we headed back to the hotel to relax, shower and get ready for our “fancy” dinner. Since we were headed back to the Venetian, this time we took an Uber to make our reservation at Mercato Della Pescheria. I hadn’t been to this Italian restaurant before, but I’ve dined at Canaletto multiple times (across the same plaza) and it always looked busy plus it had great reviews. I would definitely go back! My gnocchi al pesto was amazing, and Zach loved his cacio e pepe. One of the things I love about the restaurants in St. Mark’s Square is the view (below), especially how it changes from daytime to sunset to evening.

After dinner, we planned to visit 1923 Prohibition Bar. The entrance was right by Minus 5 Ice Bar, down a hallway where you then take an elevator up to the bar. Of course, the actual entrance is hidden and the elevators look like bookshelves. Once we entered, we were taken into a room that had all kinds of eclectic “voodoo” decor. Pretty standard speakeasy vibes – nothing too crazy. The drinks were delicious and strong.

We had talked about going to Waldorf Astoria to check out the view from the bar on the 23rd floor, but we didn’t realize they closed at 6 PM, so we ended up heading back to Paris. The guys wanted to gamble, so we ladies headed up to the Chéri Rooftop bar/restaurant to grab a drink and check out the view. It did not disappoint.

It was getting to be late in the evening (around 10 PM) at this point, so there was a dance floor set up and a bit of a club vibe happening. They were playing great dance music, but it started to get pretty busy after 11 PM, so we left there and headed back to Ole Dominion. (If you go there, definitely try the cider on tap – it’s delicious!) They had a live (country) band playing and it was more of a sit down and relax kind of vibe, which is what we wanted for our last night in Vegas. One of the things I thought was cool about this place was the fact that there were 4 different floors you could hang out on. At night, we sat downstairs, but during the day, we checked out the view from the top floor and you could see this upside down tractor hanging from the ceiling, plus all the floors beneath you.

Day 4:

Checkout time was 11 AM, so we decided to check out on time and get on the road nice and early. Our friends opted for a later check out (which you can do by requesting it and there is a small fee per hour that you stay late). We headed to Costco for gas, Starbucks for coffee and breakfast, and grabbed lunch for the road from Jersey Mike’s (all in the same shopping center).