So it’s said that New York City is the “city that never sleeps” - well, I’ve slept in New York City and didn’t in Las Vegas, so to me Las Vegas is now “the city that never sleeps”! This past Friday I flew out to Las Vegas with my wife and flew home at 7am on Saturday with no hotel!

Neither of us had been to Vegas before, so we thought we would experience it “Vegas Style” and stay up all night. I was amazed at how much there was to do in Las Vegas that didn’t involve gambling or clubbing – don’t get me wrong - that was fun and you need to experience that, but there is something going on at all hours of the day for everyone.

Shows

We didn’t get the chance to catch any shows but we wrote down a list of shows that we want to see next time we are out there and here they are:

1. Beatles “LOVE” at the Mirage – This is tribute to Beatles music put on by Cirque Du Soleil…how could you go wrong?!
2. “O” at the Bellagio - Another Cirque Du Soleil show but this one is in the water! I heard great reviews of this show while we were out there and people couldn’t believe the tricks they were doing in the water while holding their breath.
3. Blue Man Group at the Venetian – I’ve seen the Blue Man group in Chicago, but I had such a great time that I NEED to see them again, especially in Vegas.

I could spend a whole blog talking about all the other shows I want to see like Disney’s The Lion King, Stomp Out Loud, and The Phantom of the Opera but you can see a full list.  There are also free shows that happen at a lot of the hotels like the Bellagio Fountains, Pirate show at Treasure Island or the Lake of Dreams show at Wynn Las Vegas that you will want to see.

Hotels

We had so much fun just walking up and down the Strip and checking out different hotels and casinos. We didn’t make it in all of the hotels but here are our favorite 3 hotels:

1. New York, New York – All of the hotels in Vegas are impressive, but this replica of New York City as a hotel is unbelievable! The Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge are just a few of the elements that make this place so cool!
2. Caesar’s Palace – I might have a little bias towards this hotel because I love the movie “The Hangover”. It was a blast walking and reliving the tomfoolery of Alan, Doug, Phil and Stu. Luckily, we didn’t have any encounters with a tiger or Mike Tyson! Plus, the hotel is spectacular and has an amazing entrance!
3. Bellagio – I thought it was the most beautiful hotel in Las Vegas. Nothing crazy about the architecture or bold colors, but just a simply built white hotel that is appealing to the eye. The hotel is surrounded by luxury shops that match the Bellagio with the same look and in front of all of this is a large pond where they have their famous fountains show. The show runs every ½ hour from 3 – 8pm during the week and weekends 12pm – 8pm and every 15 minutes from 8pm – 12am.

Golf

Over time you’ll learn that I am a golf nut and it killed me not to golf while I was in Las Vegas. So I asked around to find out what some of the top courses were in Las Vegas and here is what I found:

1. The Bear’s Best – As the name precludes this course is made up of Jack Nicklaus’s most famous holes that he designed.
2. Royal Links Golf Club – This course is a tribute to 18 of the best holes from different British Open Courses. You can test you skills on “The Road Hole” from St. Andrews or “The Postage Stamp” of Royal Troon” without having to jump the pond. Plus, the clubhouse is a built like a castle.
3. Bali Hai Golf Club – This golf course will make you feel like you are playing in the South Pacific and not in Vegas but the skyline views will remind you where you are. All the bunkers are filled with Augusta white sand and the sand surrounds the edges of the rough. You can actually catch a glimpse of this course while you are landing at the airport.

I had a great little Las Vegas vacation and can’t wait to knock some of these shows, golf courses, and many other to-dos off my list. If you go to Vegas and don’t do anything I have said above please do yourself a favor and bring VERY comfortable shoes otherwise you’ll end up with what we like to call “Vegas Feet”…just ask my wife.

What is on your Las Vegas to-do list?

Sean
Delta Vacations

Everyone needs a vacation this summer. Below are our favorite tips to help you out before you leave on your Delta vacation to help you avoid the, “did I do this, did I turn that off?” feeling:

1. Make your house look lived in by stopping the mail and newspapers, or have a friend or neighbor pick them up, set lights on a timer, and turn on a clock radio. Also, make arrangements for someone to mow the grass in summer, or make tire tracks in the driveway and shovel the walks in winter.
2. Notify a friend or neighbor that you’ll be away, and leave a vacation itinerary with them. They can also check your house periodically to ensure everything is okay.
3. Notify the security system company to immediately consider any alarms as real. Leave them the names of anyone responsible to watch over your house.
4. If you’ll be traveling out of the country, make two copies of your passport and bring along a spare. Also, give a copy to a friend or neighbor at home in case your copy is lost or stolen.
5. Empty out the refrigerator of food that may spoil and take out the garbage.
6. Pay any bills that will come due while you’re on vacation.
7. Unplug appliances (like the toaster) and other electronics such as your computer to protect them from an electrical storm while you’re away. Check surge protectors to insure they are working properly. It’s also a good idea to turn off the water to prevent any water damage that could occur.

Do you have a pre-trip checklist? Let us know if you have any tips to add to our list!

Sean
Delta Vacations

Hello Delta Bloggers! Delta Vacations is glad to join the Delta blog and share the joys of travel with you.

Now you might be asking yourself, “Who is Delta Vacations?” We are the official vacation packages provider for Delta Air Lines. We get to spend our time bringing together all of the components you need to make your vacation a great experience. Our goal is to make your vacation easy, affordable, and most of all FUN! Yes, we actually get paid for this!

So, how do we make your vacation easy, affordable, and fun? Let me count the ways.

1. Easy

• We give you one stop shopping to get all of your vacation needs in one place. No need to go to multiple places to buy what you need. You can do it all, right here–air, hotel, car, attractions and activities
• We offer destination wedding vacations and luxury vacations
• We give you a web site with access to information about all of our great destinations, hotels & resorts, and attractions
• We give you tips and share our stories about ways to make your vacation experience an even better one

2. Affordable

• You get access to the best airfares available on Delta when you buy a Delta Vacations package–our specially priced airfares are only available when you purchase a Delta Vacations package
• You get access to some of the world’s best hotels and resorts at great rates. We negotiate savings with all of our hotel partners and pass them on to you.
• Affordable options for car rentals, transfers, theme park tickets, & other attractions.
• On top of the best prices available, you also get flight miles in addition to bonus miles!

3. Fun

• This is the most important part. With Delta Vacations you can go to some of the world’s most popular vacation destinations and make incredible memories.
• Pick from all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, go whale watching in Hawaii, tackle everything theme park possible in Orlando, sail in the blue waters of the Caribbean, risk it all in Las Vegas, experience the history of Europe, take a tour down the Yangtze River in China–we give you a world of choices
• What makes your vacation even more fun is sharing it with someone. We want you to share your stories, pictures, and videos on our blog with your fellow Delta Vacationers - either add in the comments or email us here.

We’re glad to be part of the blog. We hope that you will experience all that Delta Vacations has to offer and that you will share your ideas, tips, and experiences with all of us.

Michael Warnken
VP of Marketing
Delta Vacations