Whilst in Fort Collins with Holly Whitby and her friends Holly and Sophia, we hatched a plan to all go to Vegas when we were all 21. By the 15th April this was a reality. We were finally all 21 and were flying from Denver and Salt Lake to spend a wild weekend in Vegas. Although not being too impressed with Vegas when I landed there in August with my family, this time I absolutely loved it. I think the jet lag and heat didn’t help me enjoy the atmosphere when I first visited but this time I was wide awake and ready to take in the action. We successfully managed to coordinate our flights and I met Holly, Holly and Sophia at the airport. After a minor bump in the trip with a kerfuffle over Shuttle Buses we all were safely transported to our hotel, the Flamingo. I had been inside this hotel before in the summer, and it was perfectly placed along the strip to have easy access to all the main sights. The hotel had a really young vibe and was definitely the perfect place to stay for 4 newly 21 girls. It felt safe and was filled with a number of younger guest like us. I didn’t see one family in sight! After dropping off our bags we headed to Margaritaville, a restaurant inside the hotel. We had our first drinks of the day, some food in our bellies and were ready to take on Vegas! First, we needed to freshen up and went and collected our bags from the baggage hold, ready to see our room. The view was amazing, looking over the High Roller and our pool. The bathroom even had a tv in the mirror! We explored the Venetian and Palazzo first. Having stayed in the Venetian with my parents I knew my way around and it was fun to see the reactions of my friends faces when they saw the Grand Canal in the middle of a shopping center, complete with fake sky and clouds! We then headed back to our room, making sure to grab an essential vodka slushie on the way back. We got ready to go out, had a few drinks and started to make our way towards the Wynn where David Guetta was performing. After waiting for an hour and a half in the queue, we finally were allowed in. The atmosphere was amazing and David Guetta killed it. We had a great time dancing along, however, I got tired easily as waiting in the line for so long, killed all our vibes. We stayed until the end of his set and continued to party afterwards. We started the next day off right, with a trip to Denny’s. It was just what the hungover doctor ordered and I loved every bite of it. Fueled up for the day we then headed to the pool to catch some sun and just relax. The flamingo has a daily pool party from 9am-5pm. However, the vibe was great. Whilst I sunbathed and enjoyed the music, across the pool there was a group of people far more energetic than me pouring champagne over themselves. There was something for everyone! I was even tempted to join in on some drinks, until discovering a small vodka slushie was $17! After a well needed rest by the pool, we decided to go to Downtown Las Vegas to see the street artists and other side of Vegas. The scene was completely different to that of the main strip and whilst the others enjoyed the vibe, I much preferred the atmosphere of the main strip. Even though there was a hotel with a water slide through a shark tank! After returning to the main strip we watched the Bellagio fountains show and wandered through Caesars Palace. Unfortunately my travel buddies had not seen the Hangover or couldn’t remember it so I had no one to reenact the famous lines with. We then headed back to our hotel room to get ready for night #2. Before heading into our hotel we spotted a promotion man standing on the corner. We went back to talk with him and found out Nelly was performing in the hotel next to us that night. After being promised free entry into the club we went back to our room, excited and ready for the night. It seems however, that the promotion man told us a few porky pies. He promised us that the tickets would be free until midnight, but at the door, we were told this offer was only until 11. After some sneaky negotiations and nice people we managed to get in for $10 each. And after seeing Nelly it was 100% worth it. Although, looking back on the snapchats, Nelly may not have been completely on point, I loved every second of that night. We were on top of a hotel in Vegas, at a beach club, whilst watching Nelly performed live. For me, in that moment, it didn’t get much better than that! After the concert, we headed back to the flamingo and me and Sophia decided to try our hand at gambling. We couldn’t figure out where to put our money into the machines however, and had to ask a man how we gamble. After being shown though, we were on our way. I managed to win 20c on the 1c machine and was pretty pleased with my winnings. At the atm however, we met a fellow Brit. After introducing ourselves and where we were from, she told me that her friend was also from Lichfield, my home town. We ran over in excitement to introduce ourselves. I can’t remember for the life of me what her name was now but we had a few mutual friends, what a small world! She had just won big on the 25c machine and I decided that this would also happen to me. $1o down and with nothing to show for it, I left the casino disgruntled, Sophia bouncing along besides me since she had just won $30. The next day, I felt very much worse for wear. Everything hurt and the heat, exhaustion of zero sleep, and alcohol was not a good combination. Although Denny’s had worked wonders the day before, it had the opposite effect on me the second time round. However, we soldiered on and visited New York, New York and the Las Vegas sign. I’m glad I went on the New York, New York roller coaster when I first visited as I could have not completed it this time in one piece. We then headed back to the hotel to grab our shuttle buses back to the airport and to say our farewells. I left Vegas excited to get some good sleep, but so pleased with the experience I had had. I saw two amazing artists, had two great nights and days, and spent it with some great people. So glad I’ve been able to travel and connect with Holly this year and can’t wait for more adventures at our final year in Swansea! Holly and Sophia, I expect you to come visit in Swansea, but I don’t know if the Swansea nightlife will fully live up to Vegas! The drinks might be a bit cheaper though!
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Hi! I'm Holly, a twenty something traveller from the UK. Over the years I've been lucky enough to live and travel in many countries. I've studied in America and working holidayed in Australia and New Zealand! I currently live in South Korea. Learn more about me below!
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