A girls’ trip to Vegas is cliche.  But that does not mean it is not fun and worth doing!  I loved Vegas in my 20s.  And I discovered recently that I love it just as much in my 40s.  There is an art to making a magical Vegas girls’ trip, regardless of your age.  By mixing good food and drink, a great hotel, and some luxury, my friends and I create an epic Vegas girls trip that I am sure we will remember for years to come.  Check out what is the recipe for a fantastic girls’ trip in Viva Las Vegas!

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Returning to Vegas in my 40s was much different than the last trip I did in Vegas 10+ years ago.  But I found there are definite advantages to returning with my girlfriends at this age, in a solid and stable place in my life, and with much more flexibility in my budget to spend and have fun.   After reflecting on the weekend, I think these are the top 5 things you need to make a fantastic trip:

5.  A lot of alcohol

For those of you who abstain, skip to the next paragraph.  But if you do like to indulge, then having alcohol is a must – especially if you are away from your husband, kids, and all your responsibilities.  Alcohol is plenty available at any restaurant, pool, bar, casino, food court, etc., in Vegas, but buying mixed drinks can get expensive after a while.  One way we saved some money is by buying alcohol to have in our room.  The two girls who arrived first went to Costco and bought some bottles of hard alcohol, some sparkling wine, and a few mixers.  In Vegas, you are allowed to walk around with open containers, but in most casinos and restaurants it is only OK if it is in a cup from one of their establishments.  Pro tip – a rinsed-out Starbucks up with lid are excellent containers and looks like you are drinking your morning coffee.  Not that we would have done that to sneak alcohol into places…

4.  Great Food

One of the reasons to go to Vegas is the food.  And we had some fabulous food while in Vegas.  One of the top meals we had was at Yui Edomae Sushi where we chose the Omakase menu with sake pairing.  We had 8 courses which included specialties such as Wagyu beef, blowfish, and a black cod with a divine white miso paste on top.  (My friend Chef McKean tried to steal the recipe…) We did the sake pairing with the meal, and it was one of the best meals I have had in a long time.  We also had a fantastic brunch at the Lucky Penny Café, where we ate eggs benedict, lemon ricotta pancakes, and yummy mimosa and coffee brunch cocktails. 

However, you can really break the bank by eating out every meal in Vegas.  One of the ways we saved money is by purchasing snacks and other food to eat in the room.  We had cheese, meats, peanut butter stuffed pretzels, chips and dip, and granola bars.  This allowed us to spend some time in the room chatting and catching up, and not only saving money, but also spending more time together and enjoying each other’s company without little ones pulling at us at all times. 

3. A Luxurious Experience

Sure, you can do Vegas on the cheap.  But one thing Vegas is known for is excess.  And to really get in the mood you should do at least one luxurious experience.  Maybe it is staying in a swanky hotel like the Bellagio (I have done that once).  Maybe it is taking in an amazing show by Cirque du Soleil.  Maybe it is a shopping spree at Caesar’s Palace and getting a luxury bag or shoes.  Maybe it is a fabulous meal, as we did at Yui Edomae Sushi. 

My favorite luxury experience of the trip this time was renting a cabana poolside.  We rented a cabana in the 18+ area so we could be kid free (which mean that we did not miss our little ones as much).  We had a hostess who catered to us all day long, and she made sure we had plenty of fun.  With the cabana you could do bottle service, so we got a bottle of Tito’s and some mixers, and she helped us drink the rainbow (We did drinks in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet).  We ordered food and it was brought right to our cabana.  We had plenty of room to sit in the shade or sit out in the lounge chairs in the sun.  And when we wanted to cool off, we just took a quick dip in the pool.  Having a waitress that comes right up to you, having things at your fingertips including, and being separated in a VIP section made it feel ultra-luxurious, and we took advantage of every minute of our time, closing out with the pool. 

2.  A Great Hotel

Vegas has no shortage of great hotels to choose from.  The most expensive are large, 5 star luxurious, and right on the strip.  I have stayed at the Bellagio which is quite simply a beautiful hotel.  Large comfortable beds, a TV in the mirror in the bathroom, and a tub and shower, and a concierge that can help you arrange whatever you need.  I have also stayed at some economical options that still have great rooms, such as Excalibur, Circus Circus, and the Flamingo (which surprised me as the best value to room luxury on the strip).  If you are going to be casino / club hopping in the weekend then you want to stay on the strip, where it is easier to get from casino to casino, as well as stumble into your room at whatever hour in the morning you make it. 

For this trip, we wanted to be off strip.  We were all vaccinated, but this was just as Vegas was opening to 100% capacity (when we booked, they were still at 50% capacity) and were not comfortable with the crowds that could gather at the strip.  We chose to stay at Red Rocks Casino and Resort.  Besides being off strip, it was economical enough for us to get two rooms (and therefore we all had generally had our own bed each night), had a nice spa and most importantly, an amazing pool.  We wanted a relaxing trip, and the Red Rocks allowed us to do just that. 

1. The Best of Girl Friends

Here, let us just say I am lucky.  I met this group of girls through my best friend.  They mostly grew up together, and I became close to them in my 20s. Now friends for 15+ years, we have gotten together through various times in our life to be together to celebrate weddings, birthdays, baptisms or just girls’ trips to have fun.  During the pandemic, our group texts and video chats were a lifeline.  As soon as we were all vaccinated, we decided to celebrate friendship by getting together and letting loose for one weekend.  We laughed, we cried, we drank way too much.  We hugged, we celebrated being together.  I love each and every one of these women and cannot wait for the next time we get together.  Get yourself a good group of girlfriends and you can get through any of life’s challenges. 

What is your advice for a Girls Trip in Las Vegas?  Share in the comments below!