7 Date Spots in Las Vegas for a Special Weekend

As most of you know by now, Kevin and I were convinced that we hated Las Vegas. Okay, I’ll admit it. We’d totally judged our friends who’d drive 5 hours from LA just for a concert. Like ‘J.Lo’ won’t come to LA? We both cringed at the thought of spending a weekend with screaming bachelorette parties… Or visiting during some weird convention. Our luck, a clown convention would be in town.

But then something snapped a few years ago when we booked a fancy hotel on the strip and put together an itinerary for Las Vegas for those who hate Las Vegas. We went on desert hikes, shopped for antiques in the cool downtown arts district and explored museums most people don’t know exist. Basically, the least Vegas things possible!

Now a trip to Vegas has become our tradition, typically right before Christmas, when you can snag the best deals of the year (and when the bachelorette parties and events, say like the taxidermy enthusiasts convention, are far far away from town). We just got back from a weekend getaway, celebrating our 1-year wedding anniversary (well, technically 1 year and a month… but who’s counting, especially when a free dessert is involved?). Below you’ll find our top recommendations for a Vegas honeymoon or just a special trip with your partner. And soon you’ll be on the Vegas bandwagon like us. Who knew?

7. Splurge on a Luxury Hotel on a Budget

As mentioned, the best time of year to visit Las Vegas is leading up to a big family holiday (when many people go home rather than doing a big Vegas trip). Think along the lines of Thanksgiving, Christmas or Mother’s Day. When it comes to Vegas hotel pricing, it all comes down to supply and demand. When the big conferences roll into town, that’s typically the worst time to visit. Before planning your trip, you should always check out the Vegas convention calendar here.

Snagging the best deal might take a few tries — at one point this time, I made 4 different reservations. But I eventually went with Caesar’s Palace in the recently renovated Octavius Tower.

We loved the room and it ranks up with other luxury hotels we’ve stayed at on the strip including The Venetian, Waldorf Astoria and The Cosmopolitan. But if you don’t like walking, a room inside Caesar’s Octavius Tower might not be the right choice for you. It’s a hike! It took me 20 minutes just to walk from the parking garage to the room. And I’m basically a speed walker. But which tower is best for you? If you don’t mind the walk, go with Octavius. If spending your trip by the pool is more your speed, we recommend going with the Augustus Tower.

Our biggest tip is to call the hotel directly and see what specials they have going on. We were able to snag a room for just over $120 with tax by joining the free Caesars Rewards program. And if you’re active military or a vet, your card will go even further with free parking. We love a deal!

6. Check out Some Funky Art in the Desert for Free

Who said a romantic trip needs to be expensive? Seven Magic Mountains is a quick 30 minute drive south of the Vegas strip. It makes a fun stop for any road trip between Los Angeles and Vegas. And if you’ve ever done this drive, you’ll know there isn’t a whole lot to see off Interstate 15.

Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone stacked up 7 pillars of neon-hued boulders as his way to show “creative expression of human presence in the desert.” Whatever the case, it is pretty wild to see this sculpture in the middle of nowhere and snap some photos. Parking is easy, even on the busiest days since there is a dirt lot. It’s just a 30 second walk from the lot to snap those Instagram shots and ponder the meaning of it all. But for me, it brought back memories of the ever-so-1990’s Umbro shorts. I mean, the two-tone Umbro shorts were the coolest, right?

5. Chow Down on the Best Pad Thai in Vegas…of Course Off-Strip

Sure, Vegas has it’s share of celebrity chefs and buffets. But it’s also home to a large and diverse Asian community offering authentic Thai food (mostly all off strip). According to local newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun, Nevada’s Asian population has doubled in the past 15 years (with no other state having a bigger surge). On previous trips, we’ve really enjoyed Le Thai located near the Fremont Street frenzy. Must order foods include the Waterfall Beef with sticky rice and the 3 color curry (which even at no spice, was pretty hot. You’ve been warned!). Lotus of Siam is another Thai hot spot where you’ll find locals lining out the door to try their signature crispy duck, garlic prawns and stuffed fried chickens wings (probably not very healthy but well worth the extra calories). If you’re looking for another solid, low-key option, we went to Weera Thai this past visit, which is a 5-10 minute drive from the strip. Be sure to call ahead to find out the wait time. They offer discounted happy hour on select food everyday from 4 – 10 PM

4. Get Physical at a Trendy Workout Studio

After all that Thai food (and Vegas’ excess in general) you might want to do a workout. Or at least feel guilty about it, and drag yourself out of bed…Not that we ever felt that. If you’re staying at The Cosmopolitan (or anywhere near it), take a Sweat 60 class at the Cosmopolitan’s gym ($15). This 1-hour high-intensity interval training class involves boxing, plyometrics, strength training and core stability exercises. Prepare to sweat and burn as many as 600-800 calories. Classes are held during the week as well as Saturdays at 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM.

On this last trip, we walked 20 minutes from Caesar’s Palace to do spin at the fancy SoulCycle near The Wynn. This celeb-favorite workout — from Lady Gaga to Lena Dunham — is taking over the world with its Zen-like mantras and thumping club music. The Las Vegas studio is a lot nicer than the studio I visited in West Hollywood where you’re practically sitting on your neighbor’s lap. It isn’t cheap with a 45-minute class starting at $38. But just think how much better this is than the all-you-can-eat buffet at that same price?

3.  Soak in Caesar Palace’s Sprawling Qua Spa

You’ll be ready to relax those legs after that spin class. Head next to the massive Qua Spa inside Caesar’s Palace (open 6 am – 8 pm daily, with entry to the spa running $55 Monday-Thursday and $65 for Friday-Sunday). Whenever Kevin and I make the trip to Vegas, this spot is always on the agenda. The facility is separated by gender with relaxing hot tubs, saunas and a large lounge with water, coffee and fruit. The spa also includes access to the hotel’s gym. But Kevin and I were ready to just take a break for a few hours.

2. Take in a Vegas Show That Isn’t Cirque du Soleil

One of our favorite evening activities in Vegas is fitting in an over-the-top show. On our previous trip to Vegas, I lost count at the number of times someone recommended that we see Absinthe, conveniently located outside Caesar’s Palace in a bigtop tent. We clearly didn’t have to go very far from our hotel room on this trip.

Leave the kids at home or book a sitter since this show is full of raunchy, non-PC humor along with a mixture of acrobatics, comedy and burlesque. The space holds just 600 chairs — with no seat more than 11 rows from the stage. With that said, I recommend booking your seats FAR AWAY from the center stage. You know, unless you want to be picked on. I actually chose the middle seats in the very last row just because I’m paranoid. Though, it still didn’t stop the line of questioning from Kevin upon seeing the letter “X” painted on his chair. “What does it mean?” “Will they pick on me?” “Why doesn’t anyone else have that on the chair?” And as you might expect, the only correct response was, “I have no idea. Let’s just switch seats!”

Luckily, there were plenty of other audience members willing to jump into the comedy bits and I never got called up.  The full show is 90 minutes without intermission. So make sure you use the bathroom outside the tent before the show starts. Ticket prices start at $99 without tax.

1. Dine on the Bellagio Fountain at Wolfgang Pucks’ Classic Spago

One of the very first places Kevin and I dined at in Los Angeles was Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, located in one of fanciest parts of Beverly Hills. We even got to meet the celebrity chef himself, since our waitress pulled him over to our table. I don’t want to admit how long ago that was — but let’s just say, I didn’t even have a camera on my cell phone. Fast forward to present day, and Spago in LA has gone through a complete face lift (as most do in Beverly Hills!). And Puck’s eating empire has expanded to Vegas, taking prime real estate overlooking the Bellagio Fountain.

The spot is about as good as it gets for a dinner and show — with the fountains shooting every 30 minutes between 3 – 8 PM then every 15 minutes from 8 PM to midnight during most of the year. Sundays are a little more low-key with the show beginning at 11 AM and running every half hour until 7 PM.

Spago’s re-imagined menu features mostly California fare inspired by Puck’s trips to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. At lunch and dinner, you’ll find handmade pastas, seafood, steaks, alongside cocktails and wine. Be sure to tell the host if you’re celebrating anything special. I totally forgot that I mentioned it was our wedding anniversary when I made the reservation. To our surprise, they brought out a complimentary dessert just when we didn’t think we could eat any more loaves of bread.

And there you have it. Now soon you’ll enjoy Vegas as much as we do. Unless of course there is a clown convention in town — in that case, take our advice and stay far far away. Maybe those bachelorette parties aren’t looking so bad after all?