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Weekend Getaway: MGM Grand Las Vegas

caesar's palace

Oh Vegas. I will say I prefer a weekend getaway to Las Vegas in the summer when all the pools are open. I much prefer to hang out at the MGM’s lazy river pool and drink, float, lay in the sun, and then repeat. But we were in Vegas to celebrate a family member’s birthday so our agenda was a little bit different and a little bit more laid back…and a little bit more full of gambling then the last time I was in Las Vegas.

This was a special stay though. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to check in through the VIP guest services lobby again. Or have access to the VIP lounge. Though, my goal is to stay in the Skylofts at some point, so here’s to hoping that happens sometime.

A weekend getaway to Las Vegas from Seattle is easy. It’s a little over a 2 hour flight if you fly direct. So after a very turbulent flight out of Seattle we arrived and caught a shuttle to the MGM Grand.

Our first night, we went to Craftsteak, Tom Colicchio’s restaurant in the MGM. This was my favorite meal of our stay.

craftsteak las vegas mgm grand

The lobster was to die for, the puréed potatoes were creamy and decadent, and the rosé was one of the best I’ve ever had. The waitstaff was kind, attentive, and funny. All around a 10/10 experience and I would definitely go back.

It was cold in Vegas, and the forecasted 75 degree weather didn’t seem to hit so walking the Strip was out of the question. MGM is also at the south end of the Strip and the last time I was there, I made the mistake of thinking Caesar’s palace was in walking distance.

Ermahgawd, no it isn’t, and I didn’t have walking shoes on then. I came prepared this time.

caesar's palace shopping

We took the monorail to the Flamingo & headed over to Caesar’s Palace. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to convince my partner that I most certainly did need these Gucci sneakers with gold spikes. So we wandered through the shops some more, I was maybe a little bit pouty, thinking about those shoes. Oh how I wanted those shoes.

But then we walked by the Michael Kors store. And if there’s one thing that always has something I like, it’s Michael Kors. I found a pair of shoes that took the edge off not buying the Gucci ones. These studded sneakers were in the window. I bought the black ones. Considered the white ones, but decided to stick with one pair. Though I’m now pondering the blush and gold ones because they’re comfy and so perfect.

We stopped in the Ugg store and bought a few things before meandering over to the Venetian and Canal Shoppes. This was high on my list of to-dos for the weekend. I didn’t make it this far up the Strip on the last visit.


(There are soooo many giant geodes randomly throughout Vegas. I was oogling this $42000 amethyst one.)

On our way back to the monorail we stopped for lunch at the Tilted Kilt…because Scottish themes. The food was pretty good, they had mac n cheese with pulled pork on the menu and that was a staple dish of my time in Bellingham so I ordered that and it was damn tasty.

The girls were nice and the drinks were strong. This is one of those places that might be considered a Vegas stereotype: scantily clad girls serving you. It’s not everyone’s scene, but I didn’t mind.

We tried the Michael Mina Pub 1842 later that evening (in the MGM). My food experience here was unpleasant, as in food poisoning unpleasant, and the waiter got my partner’s order completely wrong & didn’t try to fix it. A strong “do not recommend” from me for this restaurant. My night ended here, I felt disgusting and went straight to bed.

Our last full day in Vegas we went over to the Luxor to explore. I was disappointed to see they didn’t have the King Tut exhibit my partner and his cousins had talked about anymore. Disappointed we grabbed a taxi and headed up to Fremont Street to check out Old Vegas.

Again, it was cold, it was daytime and it was getting ready to rain. I’m sure the street is fun at night when the lights are on. I was happy to find this Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas mural at the end of the street. So we hopped back in a cab and headed back to the Strip.

We loaded up on M&M’s at M&M’s World just down the street from MGM, and headed back to grab a bite before our final dinner with the family. We ended up at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. It was just as tasty as I remember. I had some wonderful house speciality cocktail with bourbon and sage and a thin crust pepperoni pizza.

For dinner, I went fancy. This is Vegas after all. The Alexander McQueen dress came out, of course, and the Louboutins and I was feeling fabulous. (Thank you Pure Barre classes!)

alexander mcqueen jacquard dress

Dinner was at Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House. Good food and kind staff, it was a nice way to end our family time in Vegas.

After dinner we went and saw the Cirque show Ka. I had already seen it but we had awesome seats in the middle front section and I actually enjoyed seeing the show again.

It was a fun and quick getaway from the Seattle snow, and I’m so thankful I was able to experience some of the VIP perks. Also a tip: you seem to win more on those high limit slot machines (if you can get past what the minimum bet is).

Looking forward to another visit to Vegas when the sun is shining and the pools are open.

xx
Steph

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