The mantra for a Las Vegas-based babymoon should be: spa, food & shows.
Some of you may be wondering why we choose Las Vegas for a babymoon destination.
Well, the answer is a simple one.
I was going on my last work trip to California prior to having our baby and I needed one more flight on my airline to achieve status. We thought about staying in California, but we’ve spent a ton of time there over the years and my husband had never once been to Las Vegas.
I had been there countless times on trips that surely didn’t look like this last one (read: work conferences, bachelorettes and birthday parties where we danced until the break of dawn). But I also knew Vegas had the three pillars of any great vacation: spa, food and shows.
Given my travel writing experience and just the sheer amount of time I’ve spent in Vegas before, I curated two and a half days of fun for my husband and I to celebrate before having our first child.
Read on below to see what I put on our must-do itinerary:
Buffet at the Bacchanal in Caesar’s Palace
When in Vegas, you have to go to at least one buffet! The one at Caesar’s is the best buffet in town, in my humble opinion. You can find great deals with drink packages for this on TravelZoo, Yelp and other sites. My suggestion is to do a mid-day meal prior to the end of the lunch seating. Get in there around 1pm, stay until 3pm, and you’ll be able to see some of the food change throughout your time there. Just when we thought we were done eating, they brought out the steamed crab legs, so we had to go for one last plate before dessert.
Legends in Concert at the Tropicana
Be sure to see AT LEAST one show during your stay in Vegas. Sadly, due to our mid-week dates, we missed prime time acts like Jerry Seinfeld, The Eagles, Lady Gaga, etc. So instead I went onto Goldstar to see what was playing and where we could get a deal. The famous Vegas show Legends in Concert was brought back to the Tropicana after touring, featuring the best impersonations of “legends”. The show we caught included Pat Benatar, Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury and Elvis himself. For all the times I had previously been to Vegas, it was my very first time seeing an Elvis impersonator. You better believe that I couldn’t stop singing Suspicious Minds for days on end afterwards.
Spa day at Canyon Ranch in the Venetian
Vegas is about luxury and excess, so why not do it right and make sure you’ve indulged in a spa day throughout the course of our stay? A friend suggested trying out the famous Canyon Ranch outpost in the Venetian Hotel. My husband and I booked a couples massage (a prenatal for me, a signature massage for him). I’ve been receiving countless prenatal massages since getting pregnant, but this one had all of the bells and whistles a gal could ask for. I was rubbed down on an amazing moveable spa table where I could relax comfortably. I was positioned to have a cut out for my belly, so the therapist could give me a proper back massage, after which she gave me a warm heating pad for ultimate relaxation. While I couldn’t indulge in the other awesome amenities like saunas, steam rooms, etc. while pregnant, they did have a halotherapy room (salt cave) where we were able to sit and relax together in. I also loved snacking on bananas and nuts and sipping on organic herbal tea after our treatment.
Bougie long lunch at Jaleo in the Cosmopolitan
I’m pretty sure we stumbled upon one of the best lunch deals in town when we decided to dine at Jaleo. For $30 dollars per person, we were treated to a 3-course tapas lunch with a variety of dishes to choose from. The tapas plates were larger than we were expecting and every bite was delicious. We could have easily been in Barcelona or Madrid for the quality of the food we were eating. We had to wait for a second course at one point and the server sent out a free dessert to make up for the delay, a true hallmark of good service.
Dinner at Lupo in the Mandalay Bay
Lunch at Jaleo wasn’t enough for us. We needed to get all gussied up for dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Lupo in the Mandalay Bar hotel and casino for good measure. My dinner picks? The assorted bread basket, the osso bucco with saffron risotto and the veal saltimbocca. For those not expecting, there’s also a bar cart that comes around with a bartender willing to make you any type of classic cocktail your heart desires.
Placing bets at roulette (my favorite game)
We all have our games and mine happens to be roulette. The tables were quite crowded in all of the casinos we visited, but we did stumble upon new electronic versions of roulette where you can sit down and play next to others on machines. I made about $200 bucks one night before cashing out! (Fun fact: I only bet $20).
Strolling through the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
For those who haven’t been, the Bellagio is well worth a drive-by. The conservatory and botanical gardens alone is a reason to visit. We loved seeing the stunning floral displays during the day and stopping for a quick photo shoot. We also returned one evening to catch the last fountain show of the night!
Luxury cocktails in the Wynn at the Tower Suite Bar
My husband loves a good cocktail and fancy bar, so I knew he had to at least swing by the Wynn to see how fabulous it is. We wound up hunkering down at the luxurious (and quiet) Tower Suite Bar. He ordered himself his favorite gin martini (no vermouth) and I had a club soda with a splash of cranberry with a twist that the bartender put in a fun cocktail glass for me.
Pool morning at the Marriott Grand Chateau with Water Aerobics
We stayed at the Marriott Grand Chateau as Marriott timeshare members and we found the experience to be a wonderful one. The one bedroom suite was equipped with a sizeable kitchen, a lovely bath with jets, and two pools on the property. The 5th floor pool offered a morning water aerobics class that I dragged my husband to. My doula kept mentioning to me that besides walking and yoga that I should look into water aerobics while pregnant. I haven’t been able to find anything convenient at home, so when I saw this on the activities counter I knew we had to sign up. The 35 minute class was pure fun from beginning to end and we both felt like we got a great workout out of it!
Have anything to add to a Vegas babymoom itinerary? Please share your suggestions in the comments box below.