VIVA LAS VEGAS! : Bachelorette Trip

“I live for the nights I can’t remember, with the people that I won’t forget.” – Drake.

To date,  my trip to Las Vegas has been the best vacation I’ve taken in my lifetime. To be completely honest, I often catch myself daydreaming about it more times than I’d like to admit. Getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; at least we all hope for it to be, Lol! With that said, I believe you need to go big or go home!

Initially, I was hesitant to have a bachelorette trip, let alone one so far from where I live. I was extremely conscious that my bridesmaids were already spending a lot of money by simply agreeing to be in my wedding. I did not want to add to their budget by planning an elaborate bachelorette trip, including airfare, hotel stay, activities, and food. I contemplated just getting an Air Bnb on South Beach and having a great time locally. However, my bridesmaids (mainly my maid-of-honor/best friend, Jhaneal) were highly adamant that we at least look into a few potential locations out of town.

Jhaneal and I got to the drawing board. We thought about Cancun, or possibly Puerto Rico, but ultimately decided to go to Vegas because it’s the “bachelorette thing to do”. My mother turned out to be the real MVP of this whole trip. Over the years, she has accumulated a plethora of points for her timeshare, which she never uses. Ironically, one of the locations provided was the Diamond Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. My mom was gracious enough to allow us to use some of her points for our trip. With that being said, our stay ended up being free! We had a two-bedroom/ 2 bathroom villa complete with a kitchen at no cost, courtesy of my mom (thanks, mom!). Although I was initially hesitant to go on this trip, all the stars were aligning. Everything was coming together; all we had to worry about was purchasing the tickets. We still had six months to go when we started planning the trip, which was more than enough time to get a good flight. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe we all paid $206 each for our round-trip tickets. Yes, $206 round trip from Miami to Las Vegas!

It’s about a 5-hour flight from Miami to Las Vegas. Our trip was four days and three nights, and I honestly don’t think I would be able to handle a day longer. This was my first time traveling to a location with a significant time zone difference, and I was exhausted. The days and nights seem to last longer on the West Coast. So naturally, our bodies woke up at 6 am, which would be 9 am in Miami. We would go none stop during the day and crash by the time the sun came down. By the time it hit 9 pm, we would all be ready to head to bed, but we still had a whole night ahead of us. The Friday, we had a little too much fun during the day, and we had reservations for TAO that night. We coordinated our outfits and looked forward to trying this restaurant that everyone said we had to visit. However, that night we were all at the dinner table in the middle of TAO with our heads on the table fast asleep. We partied so hard that day and didn’t give our bodies enough time to recoup.  My advice to anyone planning to go to Vegas would be to plan enough time to rest in the afternoon, so you can make the most of what the day and night life has to offer.

Things to Do:

Day Life:

• Pool Parties:
  • Marquee:
    

    The Marquee Hotel

    This is where my infamous bachelorette picture was taken.  The pool is located on the rooftop of the Marque Hotel, which gives you a great view of the Las Vegas Strip. By far, this day was the highlight of my entire trip. We got a cabana in the pool, which included food and drinks for $250. There was DJ who played every song imaginable. He catered to P.O.C, which we all know is very important. The energy of the place was amazing. They had fog machines, women walking around with streamers, and, most importantly- friendly staff.  The thing I learned about Vegas is that everyone is there to have a great time. It’s easy to make friends with strangers because everyone is there with the same plan: to TURN UP! I would recommend this spot to anyone who is looking to have a great time.

  • Drai’s
  • Tao
  • Lavo
  • Rehab at The Hard Rock Hotel:
    

    Hardrock Hotel Day Party: Rehab

    We also attended a pool party called Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel. This party was nowhere as fun as the Marquee; however, the party is always whatever you make it. I would recommend that you experience Rehab before you go to the Marque – save the best for last!

• Shopping on The Las Vegas Trip:

  It’s the tourist thing to do- shopping. However, if you’re balling on a budget like me, be prepared to do some window shopping. The strip is loaded with stores like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Versace, and other stores I can’t even pronounce, let alone spell. I love to fake it till I make it, so browsing the various stores was exciting. As I said, it’s the tourist thing to do so that I would recommend it to any visitor.

• Adventure/Exploration:
  • Old Vegas
  • ATV-ing
  • New York, New York Roller Coaster
    

    New York, New York Roller Coaster

    If you love roller coasters like me, I will encourage you to ride the New York, New York Roller Coaster. The coaster is located on the Vegas strip and is impossible to miss. You get a perfect view of Vegas before being plunged do what may seem like your death.  It’s thrilling and a definite activity to cross off your to-do list.

  • Hoover Dam
• Brunch:
  

  Brunch at LAVO

  This was a cute/ritzy spot. I don’t even remember what I had to eat, but the place was beautiful! If you’re looking for a spot that will make you feel classy and has a great ambiance, I recommend you visit LAVO. They also have a day party, but we only went to enjoy brunch.

Night Life

• Restaurants
  • Eiffel Tower Restaurant
  • Sky Lounge
  • RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay
  • Sparrow & Wolf
  • Tao
    

    TAO

    I have very little memory of this night because I spent most of my time at the restaurant fighting sleep. I was so exhausted from the day’s activities. However, I remember the ambiance being gorgeous, and the leftovers that I had the next day were terrific. If you like PF Chang’s, Tao gives you that feeling, but on an upscale level.

• Shows:
  • We didn’t get to attend any shows, but you can always google ahead of time to see any shows you are interested in seeing. Unfortunately, Boyz II Men was in town when I went, but I’m fully aware that not everyone is as into 90’s music as I am, so I took one for the team.
• Party: 
  

  DRAI

  Like I said earlier, we were all exhausted at night, so most of our nightlife consisted of wanting to sleep. However, we did go out one night to this spot called Drai’s that everyone kept saying we had to attend. It’s easy to see why this is the hot spot. The inside of the venue offers a lounge/club vibe, while the outside area is more of a laid-back pool party vibe. The party didn’t last long for us, but if you do decide to go, I recommend that you plan on looking into private seating because it is PACKED.

• Create your party:
  

  Slumber Party

  Seeing that this was my bachelorette trip, it was only fitting that we have a bachelorette party! So my bridesmaids came together and threw me a (surprise) slumber party, which was the sweetest gesture ever. I would love to say all that we did, but you know what they say “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Vegas is a place you go to when you want to simply enjoy life. Go with people you want to create unforgettable memories with, cherish the moments while they last, and take many pictures!