Day 7 - Las Vegas

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Off to a nice relaxed start this morning as there isn't really a lot to do in Vegas during the day. We set off to have a look at some shops across the road at Planet Hollywood and then took a taxi to the Premium Outlets where most of the big brands have outlet stores, exactly like the DFO's.

There really wasn't much there that we liked so that didn't take too long and we headed back to the other end of the strip to have a look around. Our first stop was back at the Venetian Hotel where we were the night before. As the name suggests, the hotel is based on the city of Venice and they have done a great job. Having never been to Venice before, I could only rely on pictures that I have seen however Lauren said that it was very life like.

Obviously Venice is most famous for their water throughout the city streets and the Gondalas. We took a ride on the Gondala and it was really good. Our rower (not sure if that's what he is called) was all dressed up and looked authentic. He sang Italian songs to us as we went down the river and told us that it was bad luck not to kiss when we went under every bridge. We complied at first until we realised that there were about 20 bridges and that we had to turn around and go back under them all again, we gave up after about three kisses.

He had also told us that the Venice city centre at the hotel had cost $3billion over the last few years to create, that's a lot of money however you can see why it would.

We moved on from the Venetian and took another taxi to the hotel where I stayed about 20 years ago, Circus Circus. Again I remember a few things about it and remember there being a kids type casino where you would play for stuffed toys, etc. Not sure if that's what we saw today but if not, there is a big indoor theme park in its place.

We played all the standard games like shoot a basketball, throw a dart at balloons, etc and then played a game of Mini Golf. As we were playing Lauren kept eyeing off this giant rollercoaster and I was dreading her asking me to join her after the golf. She did and I guess she saw the look on my face and was nice enough to suggest that I hold the bags and she goes it alone. I said I had a headache so maybe a rollercoaster was not a good idea (finally us guys can use headaches as an excuse to get out of something!). Lauren went on the rollercoaster and said it was probably a good idea that I didn't go as I would have needed a change of pants afterwards.

We headed back to the hotel and looked at the choice of shows to see at night. We settled on the Holly Madison Peep Show which was a cabaret show type of thing with lots of singing and dancing and lots of girls taking their tops off, something for everyone! Holly Madison was made famous from the Playboy Mansion show and you can see that this show is built around her purely because of her fame because she doesn't do much at all. Her performance was a bit plain but the show was good.

We also had dinner at a Japanese restaurant within the hotel and it was pretty good. Not the best meal we've had so far but we've had some great ones. After dinner and the show we headed back to the gaming area and had a drink at the Chandeleir bar which is probably the most famous part of the Cosmospolitan hotel. It would have cost heaps to build but great for photos.

The night ended with us having a go at the tables for the first time. I've always played blackjack since I was 5 however never played at a casino. So we were a bit scratchy on the casino rules at first however the dealer did not hesitate to yell at us as soon as we slipped up, he wasn't having a good day. We only put down $30 and were playing $10 a hand so our plan wasn't to stay long, however we got it up to about $150 and left with $100. As soon as a few extra guys turned up and then the dealer changed, I thought our luck was about to run out.

The day was over and we were very tired. Tomorrow is our final day in Vegas and we have booked in to do the Grand Canyon helicopter tour. It takes about 4 hours and cost about $850 however it is a once in a lifetime thing to do and we don't want any regrets once we leave. We have charged up the camera and hopefully we can take some great photos.

Vegas has been good however we both thought it might have been better. Maybe we had built it up too much or maybe we are comparing it to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. We have still had a great time but I think only a couple of nights is just the right time.

Fly out of Vegas late at night and have to endure a stop over in Atlanta and then we arrive in Cancun before a car trip to Playa Del Carmen. We're both really looking forward to this part of the trip and it gives us a chance to recharge the batteries before New York.

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