maryr1oz
Down Under Disney Lover x
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
We arrived into LAX on September 10, 2007. From there we caught a bus to Anaheim and spent 9 nights exploring Disneyland, Universal Studios, Tijuana, Hollywood, LA city and relaxing.
We were staying at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel on Harbor. We had organised to catch the LUX bus from our hotel straight to Vegas. I can't remember how much it cost us, but it was cheaper than flights on that day, and since we were travelling we were happy to sit back and watch everything pass by. The bus was comfortable and we were provided with snacks and drinks, and they played the original version of Ocean's 11 to watch. We made 2 stops - 1 in Barstow at the Bus Depot where we got 20 minutes for a bathroom and lunch break, then at Primm to drop several people off at a hotel.
We arrived in Vegas and were dropped off at the Riviera Hotel on the North end of the Strip. From there we caught a taxi up to the Flamingo Hotel which is where we were booked. We checked in in 5 minutes and were given a room on the 26th floor overlooking the pool area. The room was a renovated 'GO' room and was quite luxurious. We spent some time unpacking and showering and then headed outside. We went over to Caesar's and explored the hotel and casino, then walked the block down and back over the road to the Flamingo to clean up and get ready for Dinner.
We were given vouchers before we left home for dinner at the Paris buffet, Le Village. We were super impressed and sat down feeling a bit excited. The dining room had a great atmosphere and the food was fantastic. We ate vegetables like there was no tomorrow as they seemed to be hard to come across so far this trip. We sat there after eating way too much and enjoyed the surroundings. The grilled vegetables and grilled chicken were the best thing we ate by far.
I had gotten a bit of a stomach bug the week before when we went to Mexico for the day, and the bug did not like the food i had eaten. I had to return straight to the hotel and ended up in bed by 9pm on Friday night in Vegas. The boy came to bed but after some gently coaxing from me got up again and headed downstairs to enjoy the atmosphere. He returned at about 4am with a packet of cigarettes (doesn't smoke) and red rose for me. He spent the next day feeling sick due to the cigarettes, i had a good laugh.
The next day was Saturday and we had tickets to see the LA Kings play the Colorado Avalanche at the Garden Arena in MGM Grand that night. We spent some time by the hotel pool sipping cocktails and wandered the strip to NYNY where the Boy rode the rollarcoaster. From there we returned to the hotel to put on warmer clothes for the hockey. We bought a 24 hour monorail pass and caught it up to the MGM for the game. It was a fantastic atmosphere and our first live game of ice hockey. The game was a tie, then went into a penalty shoot out which was very close and entertaining.
From the MGM we walked back to the hotel, stopping to watch the fountains at Bellagio which i hadn't seen at night before. We loved them.
Sunday morning we had to check out of our fancy room and had a reality check by moving into the Imperial Palace Hotel 2 doors down. It was much much cheaper per night, and i had stayed there once before so knew it was bearable for the location it was in. We checked in there and then caught the monorail back up to MGM station, then began at the Luxor and walked back down the strip. We ended up having a champage buffet lunch at the Monte Carlo which was nice, although my tummy still wasn't that great. After lunch we finished walking through the hotels and ended up back at the Imperial Palace, we stuck with the theme of our room and got a very cheap dinner from McDonald's and went to bed.
Monday was spent exploring Harrah's, Wynn, The Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island and also the Mirage. We visited the Wildlife Habitat which was pretty fun - although not sure whether the price is quite justified, but hey this is Vegas. Monday evening we packed our suitcases, set our wake up call and then went for one last stroll up the strip to Paris for a drink... the weather was perfect and we would be sad to say goodbye the next morning.
Tuesday morning we awoke early and caught a cab to the airport, and then the shuttle bus to the Car Hire facility. We were using National Car and they were great. Quick to process us, they even found us a better rate then we were ushered into the car park and told to pick a car from a whole aisle. We had fun sitting in and testing out cars then decided on a PT Cruiser. This car was going to drive us from Vegas to Chicago in the next two weeks.
More soon!
We were staying at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel on Harbor. We had organised to catch the LUX bus from our hotel straight to Vegas. I can't remember how much it cost us, but it was cheaper than flights on that day, and since we were travelling we were happy to sit back and watch everything pass by. The bus was comfortable and we were provided with snacks and drinks, and they played the original version of Ocean's 11 to watch. We made 2 stops - 1 in Barstow at the Bus Depot where we got 20 minutes for a bathroom and lunch break, then at Primm to drop several people off at a hotel.
We arrived in Vegas and were dropped off at the Riviera Hotel on the North end of the Strip. From there we caught a taxi up to the Flamingo Hotel which is where we were booked. We checked in in 5 minutes and were given a room on the 26th floor overlooking the pool area. The room was a renovated 'GO' room and was quite luxurious. We spent some time unpacking and showering and then headed outside. We went over to Caesar's and explored the hotel and casino, then walked the block down and back over the road to the Flamingo to clean up and get ready for Dinner.
We were given vouchers before we left home for dinner at the Paris buffet, Le Village. We were super impressed and sat down feeling a bit excited. The dining room had a great atmosphere and the food was fantastic. We ate vegetables like there was no tomorrow as they seemed to be hard to come across so far this trip. We sat there after eating way too much and enjoyed the surroundings. The grilled vegetables and grilled chicken were the best thing we ate by far.
I had gotten a bit of a stomach bug the week before when we went to Mexico for the day, and the bug did not like the food i had eaten. I had to return straight to the hotel and ended up in bed by 9pm on Friday night in Vegas. The boy came to bed but after some gently coaxing from me got up again and headed downstairs to enjoy the atmosphere. He returned at about 4am with a packet of cigarettes (doesn't smoke) and red rose for me. He spent the next day feeling sick due to the cigarettes, i had a good laugh.
The next day was Saturday and we had tickets to see the LA Kings play the Colorado Avalanche at the Garden Arena in MGM Grand that night. We spent some time by the hotel pool sipping cocktails and wandered the strip to NYNY where the Boy rode the rollarcoaster. From there we returned to the hotel to put on warmer clothes for the hockey. We bought a 24 hour monorail pass and caught it up to the MGM for the game. It was a fantastic atmosphere and our first live game of ice hockey. The game was a tie, then went into a penalty shoot out which was very close and entertaining.
From the MGM we walked back to the hotel, stopping to watch the fountains at Bellagio which i hadn't seen at night before. We loved them.
Sunday morning we had to check out of our fancy room and had a reality check by moving into the Imperial Palace Hotel 2 doors down. It was much much cheaper per night, and i had stayed there once before so knew it was bearable for the location it was in. We checked in there and then caught the monorail back up to MGM station, then began at the Luxor and walked back down the strip. We ended up having a champage buffet lunch at the Monte Carlo which was nice, although my tummy still wasn't that great. After lunch we finished walking through the hotels and ended up back at the Imperial Palace, we stuck with the theme of our room and got a very cheap dinner from McDonald's and went to bed.
Monday was spent exploring Harrah's, Wynn, The Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island and also the Mirage. We visited the Wildlife Habitat which was pretty fun - although not sure whether the price is quite justified, but hey this is Vegas. Monday evening we packed our suitcases, set our wake up call and then went for one last stroll up the strip to Paris for a drink... the weather was perfect and we would be sad to say goodbye the next morning.
Tuesday morning we awoke early and caught a cab to the airport, and then the shuttle bus to the Car Hire facility. We were using National Car and they were great. Quick to process us, they even found us a better rate then we were ushered into the car park and told to pick a car from a whole aisle. We had fun sitting in and testing out cars then decided on a PT Cruiser. This car was going to drive us from Vegas to Chicago in the next two weeks.
More soon!