Valentine's Day in Vegas! Part 1.

I may have lost my voice a few days before Valentine's Day, and thankfully got it back on Saturday, but there was nothing that was going to stop Jamie and I from going to Vegas on Sunday for a little Girl's Trip!  We had talked about taking a spontaneous trip a couple days earlier and since it was Valentine's Day weekend, we figured it would be a little bit less crowded and the price was right!

I drove us to Vegas and we had booked a room at Mandalay Bay.  It was beautiful; floor to ceiling windows across the whole room, two huge fluffy beds, a double vanity/sink in the bathroom, glass shower and Jacuzzi tub.  Why didn't we take a little swim when we got back to the room that night, Jamie?!  Once we got settled into the room and freshened up we had a little bite to eat and wandered around the Casino before stopping at a Craps Table.  I had never played but Jamie said it was really fun, so we watched (and I tried to learn a little more about the game), had some cocktails, did some slot machine gambling and then went up to the room to get ready for Dinner.

Valentine's Day in Vegas with Jamie!

We took a cab to the Aria because we were having Dinner at Carbone which was one of the top-rated new restaurants in Las Vegas.  We got two spots at the Bar and were ready to feast.  Jamie and I decided on the Caesar Salad with White Anchovies and the Mushroom Fettucine.  Jamie was going to order another Appetizer but the Bartender stopped us saying we'd have plenty of food after their Appetizer course of Assorted Bread, Pickled Vegetables, and Charcuterie.  He was right!  I had started to lose my sense of taste and smell the day before and sure enough it was long gone by the time we got to Las Vegas.  I had tried eating Wasabi at Happy Hour earlier and nothing.  So unfortunately, I can only go off of how I imagined the food would taste as texture and appeal are all part of eating as well and I had a little sense of it.  I actually ate a White Anchovy and it didn't scare me and the Fettucine seemed perfect!  I want to go back and eat the meal all over again!  We got a little after Dinner dessert that accompanied the meal and I ordered a glass of Moscato from the elegant drink cart.  It was a beautiful dining experience and the perfect Valentine's Dinner Date.

Dinner at Carbone in the Aria Casino :)

Then we took a cab to the Luxor and we were able to find a $5 Blackjack table.  We did have to wait a little bit to finally get some seats but both of us were able to play and enjoy ourselves for a few hours.  It was amazing how quickly the time flew by as we were playing.  I ended up breaking even at the end of our gambling adventure and then we headed back to our hotel.  It was nearly 3 am by the time we were back and we had another full day on Monday!

Part two of Valentine's Day in Vegas is continued below...

Valentine's Day in Vegas! Part 2.

There's nothing like a little trip to Las Vegas on a whim...

On Monday we went to Wicked Spoon in The Cosmo for Brunch!  This buffet was crazy; it's voted as one of the best buffet's in Las Vegas and it had something for everyone.  Everything is already portioned out so you can take as many as you like from any of the stands, carts, cuisines, etc.  As you know, my sense of taste was completely gone, so I was eating as much as I could and imagining what it would taste like.  I knew it all would have been incredible.  This restaurant will also be at the top of my list to visit the next time I'm in Las Vegas.  The options they offered, and the quality of food, was better than anything I've ever seen.  I even tried eating horseradish to get some sense of taste back but that did not help.  It was almost like the Jackass episode where they feed the guy wasabi and he eventually gets sick.  I was getting to the point where I was so desperate to taste food, I was eating anything pungent and trying to get something out of it but nothing worked.  Jamie seemed to really enjoy it and they offer a $15 Bottomless Bloody Mary, Mimosa, or Bellini for two hours which I'll oblige in the next time we visit.  Also, you can't skip dessert as there is a whole section designated to it including a Gelato Bar!

Brunch options at Wicked Spoon in The Cosmo!

Until next time Vegas...

After Brunch we walked from The Cosmo to the other end of the strip to The New York, New York Casino to seek out another $5 Blackjack Table.  We found one with slightly different rules; they automatically bet for you when you could Double Down or Split, so no matter what, you wouldn't lose, but the Dealer also pushed on 22.  It still ended up in our favor as Jamie won back all the money she had lost the day before and while I had gone done at the table, I came back up.  Over the course of our gambling I only ended up $20 in the hole.  Not too bad for at least five or six hours of gambling over two days!  We walked back to The Cosmo to grab my car and decided to stop at the Secret Pizza Place there and get a slice; one with lots of garlic for me and I'm sure that would have been great as well.

By six pm we were ready to head back to LA so we made one stop at the Outlets at Primm for a little late night shopping.  Jamie made out really well there getting some fabulous deals while I just did a little browsing.  Then we chatted, listened to music, read quotes for the rest of the long traffic-ridden drive back to Los Angeles arriving around 1 am and so ready for bed!

It was seriously such a fun trip even though I was sick the entire time.  It was a Ladies Valentine's Day and I couldn't have asked for a better date!  We had great food, a blast gambling, a beautiful room, and of course, each other to laugh with.  It's a trip to Vegas that's still chill but super fun that makes me really excited to go back sooner rather than later :)