Yes, this post is dated a couple of days after my birthday. I'm a little out of practice and I really wasn't going to put pressure on myself to post every day as I really wanted this to be a relaxing trip. Especially my birthday, which I had planned to be a totally laid-back day at the pool. I had decided to invest a bit of money in an "experience" and rented a poolside cabana at the hotel pool. I got myself a caftan, a big brimmed hat, and a good pair of shades. I was going to pretend to be bougie.
Pool opened at 9, so there was no big rush to get there. Got up late, threw on my suit, sunscreened up, and tossed my stuff in a tote bag. I plopped on my flip-flops and my hat, grabbed my ticket (you reserved these things online like you were buying concert tickets). I got there early enough to grab the shadiest cabana, right next to the Eifel Tower and waited for Christi.
We hung out for a bit and decided that we wanted more breakfast than the poolside menu could provide so we drew the curtains on the cabana, and we headed into Hexx Kitchen and Bar, one of the restaurants in our hotel. I was a vision in my tie-dye caftan and sun hat.
The French toast with seasonal berries was yummy. Got a scrambled egg on the side and tried the sparkling sangria. OMG...it was amazing. Highly recommended.
We headed back to the pool, where we settled into our Eifel Tower view cabana.
We didn't get that close to the actual Eifel Tower back on our trip to the real Paris back in 2019, but I can't imagine it was this pretty. We took a dip in the pool and just hung out for most of the day. I was waiting for my friend SUe to arrive (capitalization intentional) and, unbeknownst to me, Christi was trying to arrange festivities. Well, at first, it was deliveries of snacks and medical supplies (she had gotten blisters on her feet from all of the walking) which got cancelled on her a couple of times.
However, the part stressing her out the most was her attempt to get me a birthday cake. I had mentioned that I had been thinking of ordering myself a strawberry shortcake that I had found in a bakery search online. They made small cakes that served 4 people, but I ended up not following through. However Christi was trying to get Uber Eats to deliver one to her at the hotel.
I forgot to mention that we had decided to order a pitcher of mimosas after our dip in the pool. I was getting pretty drunk when Christi disappeared for a bit. I know I was drunk because she told me she was going to leave the pool and be back in a bit...but I don't remember that. I do remember wondering where she had gone for so long and texting her only to get a short "I'll be back soon" response.
She came back empty handed and we decided to order some sandwiches because I *clearly* was in need of food. That's when she told me she had been trying to get a cake delivered but the driver never showed up even though it showed that her food had been delivered. She did get a full refund but....no cake.
My family has a history of cake issues in Las Vegas. My sister got married there and my mom went to be there (this is my baby sister) and she wanted to get a cake for them. No matter where she tried, she could not find a cake. She ended up calling someone who made coffee cakes who had one fresh out of the oven and could deliver. My sister's wedding cake was a cinnamon pecan coffee cake (although Mom said it was really delicious).
Anyway, SUe had something going on earlier in the day that ended up taking longer than planned, so she didn't get to the hotel until a bit after 4 and got lost finding the pool. It was really nice to see her and we did get to talk for a bit. Pool closed at 5 and she came up for a little while to talk until she turned blue from our AC preferences (Christi and I are both hot blooded post-menopausal women). I walked her down to the parking garage and we said goodbye.
Christi finally got our poolside snacks and medical supplies...
We showered and got dressed and headed out. I was soon to learn that we were still in pursuit of strawberry shortcake and there was a Milk Bar at the Cosmopolitan. In case you were unaware, the Cosmopolitan's claim to fame is their 3 story chandelier, which encompasses 3 separate lounges. It's pretty fantastic.
We didn't stop and drink at any of the lounges as our quest was actually cake, but it was fun to look at it
We got my cake, which ended up being dinner. It was an interesting take on strawberry shortcake as it didn't have fresh strawberries, but was layered with strawberry jam. It was still tasty, the cake was flavorful and moist...but I had to eat it in shifts.
We sat to eat our goodies in a little Alice in Wonderland themed area called "Down the Rabbit Hole" where we were observed by the hookah smoking caterpillar.
Our hotel looked pretty at night! We headed back, had a drink (we had bought some hard seltzer for our room fridge) and I finished my dinner/cake.
Plans for the next day were pretty fluid. We bought a bus pass for the Deuce, the line that runs up and down the strip. Not very socially distant, but we were not used to all of the walking. We ended up the little area between The Flamingo and The Linq near the High Roller ferris wheel.
We put ourselves on a couple of waiting lists for brunch and ended up at Maxie's. I was originally attracted to the multiple choices of avocado toast...but got so excited to see both turkey sausage and turkey bacon on the menu that I ordered a waffle stack...that I, of course, could not quite finish. But it was goooooooooooooood.
Christi highly recommended The Venetian as a cool place to see, so we headed a bit north. We intended to hop on The Deuce, but it was not running on time at all and we got impatient. So up we walked. It was a gorgeous day.
The really cool thing about The Venetian is the indoor canal and the gondolas that you can ride up and down the mall area. There are a couple of spots where you are serenaded by musicians.
There is also a pretty fountain. I needed at least one selfie and thought this would be a good place.
We eventually crossed the street to Caesars and found a little bar right inside one of the doors. It's a part of the restaurant True Food Kitchen and has some really interesting drinks on the menu. I got the really cool looking (and very delightful) craft cocktail called The Monarch.
It's basically a gin and tonic with a shot of gorgeously purple elderflower. Very refreshing! We then visited The Forum to gawk at all of the high dollar shops. Fendi and Gucci and Versace, oh my! Nothing was purchased, but we needed another break...and another cocktail apparently. We headed toward the casino and found the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden . Honestly, never watched Vanderpump Rules, but it looked really pretty and unusual from outside, so we decided to go in.
It was equally lush and gorgeous inside. We had drinks. I had a Veni Vidi Lychee because I adore lychees and I think Christi had a sangria (pink). Both of us were happy with our choices. We were also a bit peckish, so thought we'd get a snack. There was a hummus board that looked interesting...
Not only was it interesting, but beautiful. It also hit the spot. We had a late dinner reservation for my birthday celebration (the place I decided on was not open Mondays) so we needed something light.
While out and about, Christi got a notification from the hotel with an offer of a free night's stay. She took the opportunity of our relaxing with cocktails to explore changing our flight. She ended up cancelling with our original airline and booking us back on American with her points for first class (oh boy!). However, unbeknownst to her the free room offer was limited to the first few who took advantage of it, so we did book another night, but not free.
Be aware that if you get a similar offer, you need to take the free night first, THEN arrange flights. We know better now!
We got back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. When I say got ready, I mean we *got ready*. I brought my little black dress, pearls, and heels. Yeah, I went with the backup plan for the heels because I knew that I'd likely need a backup plan. Otherwise, I put on actual makeup and used hairspray! The pearls did make an appearance as well is my new Coach bag. I even had a black velvet mask with rhinestones and pearls. I was dressed like a grown up.
Our reservations were for the Mayfair Supper Club at the Bellagio, right across the street...so we walked. We got there only a teeny bit early and got seated pretty quickly. We were given a choice of fountain view or stage view. I'm glad I went with stage view.
This place is pretty expensive, but when you consider you get a full floor show along with your very good meal, it's not that horrible. Our appetizers were delicious (I recommend the scallops, but the Tomato salad was very flavorful and visually appealing as well). Our main dish of the grilled black bass was amazing and perfectly complimented by the green beans amandine which was drenched in butter.
The performers were very good and I was very entertained. There were some surprises...like dancers dangling from the ceiling on hoops and bars doing gymnastic type stunts, but there was also light comedy and great jazz. A really good and entertaining mix.
Even if we didn't get fountain view, the Bellagio fountains would make themselves known outside of the large windows separating us from the outdoor seating area. So, I didn't miss anything really.
The food was awesome and we were stuffed, so opted out of desert. However, they did hear that it was my birthday (we mentioned it while figuring out inside or outside) so a surprise arrived...
It kind of looked like a candy apple, right? well the outside shell was similar, but it was actually more of a giant chocolate truffle. It was a white chocolate shell, with milk and white chocolate mousse inside, enrobed by a very think candy apple shell. It was small and just perfect. I still have that "Happy Birthday" sign, which is actually black glitter. Pretty!!
So, we paid our bill and sat around for one last song because *that hat!*
We took the long walk back as we were pretty tired at this point and Christi's shoes were starting to really hurt. She did go with her (low) heels, but she had those blisters to deal with. Still, it was a lovely walk past the fountains.
Las Vegas, the other city that never sleeps. It sure is pretty at night.
At this point, we were pretty happy that we didn't have to start to pack up. So, we took the opportunity to have another room drink and went to sleep.
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