Vegas, Baby! | Part 1 | IHOP, Hoover Dam, The Grand Canyon & More

Vegas Baby.

Oh hello, Las Vegas. I’m missing you!

As some of you may know, at the beginning of March I took a vacation to Las Vegas with my best friend Emily, can I just take a moment to say how has it been a month already? This time one month ago, I was loving life in Las Vegas. I miss it so much but finally, my Vegas posts are here. Exciting!

So we arrived in Vegas on the 2nd of March, a Monday evening. After a delayed flight, we were pretty tired so after checking into our hotel – Paris Las Vegas – from memory, we quickly grabbed some food at Pinup Pizza (thanks Hunida for the recommendation) and headed to bed, after unpacking. We were so exhausted from our flight, we were just ready to sleep.

The next day, our first full day, we headed to IHOP for our breakfast. After visiting in New York, we were eager to get back for some more yummy food asap. I got pretty much the same as before, only this time I had fried eggs as opposed to scrambled and they were so good. I obviously ordered a hash brown because IHOP’s are the best and of course, what we went for – the pancakes. I ordered my favourite chocolate pancakes and I can’t even look at my picture of them without my mouth watering, I need again ASAP. Goodness I love IHOP!

Earlier that morning, pre IHOP, we also took some really cute photos. Hotel Paris is very Instagrammable!

AFTER IHOP, we had a look round Walmart where we got some treats, and I picked up a bag of Hershey’s Hugs for myself and my family based on Emily’s recommendation. Yum!

Then, we headed back to the Strip where we grabbed some of the giant novelty cup alcoholic slushies (which you can purchase almost everywhere on the Strip), checked out the pool at our hotel, which is absolutely stunning, with views of the replica Eiffel Tower, then in the evening we went to see a show we had purchased tickets for earlier on that day. I can’t remember what we had for dinner that evening, but of course, I do remember which show we saw.

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My first ever Cirque du Soleil ‘O’ at the Bellagio. I believe this was recommended to me by a friend, which definitely helped to form our decision on which show to see that evening. Wow! What an incredible performance. These performers are unbelievably talented, phenomenal is the only word for them. What they are capable of is incredible, and they put on a fantastic show.

‘O’ is a water based performance, with the performers doing amazing acrobatic tricks both in and out of the water. I would 100% see this show again and I definitely recommend.

The show was so good, we decided we wanted to see another one that week but FIRST Grand Canyon time!

On our second full day in Vegas, Emily and I had booked a trip to the Grand Canyon. We had to get up bright and early ready for our coach to pick us up around 6am, where we were then taken to a ‘coach station’ type of place where we were given the options to upgrade our tour, and Emily and I decided to upgrade ours to include the ‘Buck Wild Hummer Tour’ around the Canyon.

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We grabbed some snacks, settled onto the coach then headed off on our journey. Before stopping at the Grand Canyon, we were first able to stop at the Hoover Dam where we saw a lucky sheep, we spent around half an hour here and then it was time to get back onto the coach and onto the Canyon.

Our bus driver / tour guide was such a great guy, providing us with lots of interesting chatty information on the way, and generally being friendly. He definitely added to the wonder of the tour!

After a couple of stops along the way (stopping at the petrol garage for example, Hoover Dam etc), we were finally at the Grand Canyon. The journey was a LONG one, but SO worth it, for those views at the Canyon are breathtaking. I can’t believe how lucky we are to have the Grand Canyon, I can’t believe Mother Earth has blessed us with this gift. It is a sight to treasure, and one I hope I am blessed enough to see many, many a time.

As I mentioned previously, we decided to enjoy the ‘Buck Wild Hummer Tour’ on our visit to the Grand Canyon which definitely gave us one of the best experiences. Our tour guide Taylor was brilliant, driving the tour group around some of the best spots at the Grand Canyon, providing us with information and knowledge and taking us to the best photo spots – taking us to view points we likely wouldn’t have visited had we not done the tour.

The tour was so much fun, and I can see the Grand Canyon in my minds eye now. It is so beautiful and whilst a little crazy considering there are SHEER drops everywhere, so worth a visit. Just don’t get too close to the edge right? Unless you’re Taylor the tour guide, who literally hopped about on the actual edge of the rocks, which I can still see him doing now. He really is living life on the edge!

I one million percent intend on visiting the Grand Canyon again, and I would love to camp there, and potentially get engaged there. Wouldn’t that be dreamy? It’s such a peaceful place, so breathtaking and truly a gift. I love.

Once our hummer tour was over, we had a little look around the gift shop whilst we waited for our coach back to Vegas, and as Emily was paying for her souvenirs, I walked outside to see MORE Grand Canyon. I spent the rest of my time waiting for the coach really soaking in the views, feeling grateful to have those extra moments with the Canyon.

We then hopped back on the bus, ready to go back to Vegas, but we had one more stop along the way.

Route 66!

We were lucky enough to drive through a part of Route 66, stopping shortly for us to get off the coach and have a quick look around. To me, this type of place is what America is all about, Saloons and vibes and the sun setting… oh, this is where my heart feels alive. I LOVE!

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We had a look around the area for a short while, got back on the bus, stopped off at McDonald’s where I was disappointed to order an egg McMuffin only to find it had BACON in it, then slept pretty much the whole way back to Vegas.

After a fantastic day exploring the Canyon and having such a fun, happy time, making treasured memories with my best friend, it was time to hit the hay, ready for day 3…


Have you seen a Cirque Du Soleil show?

Have you visited the Grand Canyon?

What are your favourite type of pancakes?

Please let me know all your thoughts in the comments below,

and stay tuned for part 2!

As always thank you so much for reading,

with lots of love,

Jennie

Instagram: @50shad3s0fj4y

18 Comments

  1. Love it. It all looks so instagrammable😍 I imagine route 66 feels so old school American, love it. The Grand Canyon looks so gorge, I’d love to hike through it x

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  2. Awe, I loved reading this! It sounds like such a fun trip! I LOVE Cirque Du Soleil! I have been to several shows and they are amazing! I haven’t been to Vegas yet but it is on my list! I also LOVE your pics beautY! You look so happy! ❤

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    1. Thanks so much hun! It was the best, so much fun!! ❤ Cirque Du Soleil is just the best, which ones have you seen? I wanna see them ALL!! AH well when you go pleaseee can I come with!!? We'd have a blast! & thank you hun, I was having the best time with my best friend. Take me back haha xxx

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    1. Yes we did! I can’t wait to go back & of course for more holidays with my friends! Exciting! They were so delicious. I can’t remember exactly, the ones in the picture were a fruity flavour, maybe pineapple or mango flavour? Then later on in the week we got refills and had a mix of the pink lemonade flavour along with the fruity mango / pineapple flavour pictured. They were so so good. Perfect for a hot day, so refreshing. Thanks so much for commenting hun xx

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  3. WOW, all the american pop culture references that I too am sooo excited to try! IHOP looks so yummy! My gosh, Cirque du Soleil sounds so freaking magical!!! And you got to see such iconic places my god! I’m excited to read part 2 already! HAHA

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  4. Sucks that you had a delayed flight on the first day, but I’m glad you got to try PinUp Pizza! it’s so so good I love it. I wish I could have grabbed some when I went but didn’t want to risk a tummy ache while on vacation LOL

    oh my gosh IHOP is so so good! haven’t been there in a while because I normally eat breakfast at home, even on the weekends, and the times where we went out to eat breakfast/brunch, we decided to try new places we hadn’t yet. Oh well, but great that you guys got their pancakes, they’re so good. 😀

    I LOVE your outfit from that morning! that flower wall is so gorgeous!!! we should have taken photos there too but it was so late already LOL

    I’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil performance even though they’ve been to my city a few times, I’m sure. I would love to see the one you see too. Acrobatics in the water look pretty cool!

    Glad you got to stop by the Hoover Dam, that is honestly such a sight and is so grand. LOL. Grand Canyon however, is even more* grand* 😀 I wish I could have seen it too but too far away to go drive on our own. I would have if our stay was longer.

    It looks amazing!! I’ve been told there is no way to ever capture it whole in one single photograph LOL so so beautiful! I’m so glad you guys had a lot of fun that day 😀 perfect thing to tick off the bucket list 😀

    I cannot wait to read the rest of your week 😀

    as for pancakes, I think I really like the buttermilk ones, pretty much the plain ones, they’re just so delicious even without any toppings. to be fair I’ve never really tried anything else? LOL i have made some chocolate chip ones at home for my kiddo and even those are good.. actually you know what, I’ve gone to another place around here where I have tried lemon-ricotta pancakes. they were heavenly!!

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    1. I know. I was hoping we’d get some kind of compensation for it but I didn’t get a very helpful email back LOL, this was before everything went crazy though, I certainly wouldn’t expect anything now, the airlines have so much more to deal with!!! I was just trying my luck, haha.

      Pinup Pizza is just the best! That’s fair – maybe you’ll have to have one on your last evening next time, so you’ll be home afterwards!! Ah, I wish I could have one now!

      IHOP is just so amazing. We don’t have it in the UK, so it’s such a treat when we visit the US, a must!! It totally makes sense that you’d want to try new places though!

      Thanks so much hun, definitely one of my favourite outfits!! & I know the flower wall is SO cute – next time we will take pics there for sure!!

      The Cirque show was sooo good, I’d definitely recommend if you get a chance to see them! The water acrobats is so cool and unique!

      Yes the Hoover Dam is cool – I’d like to spend longer there next time!! The Grand Canyon is sooo Grand hahaha! Love it!! It’s such a trek though, around 4-6 hours there and back, I think more 6 than 4 actually. so altogether like a 12 hour drive. It’s so worth it though if you have the time.

      What’s crazy is that there’s the South Rim & I think the North Rim? Well – like two rims, but we opted for the one that was the furthest away, if we’d have gone for the other, the journey would have been at least two hours less. Isn’t that crazy? How big must it be for a journey to one part of it to take SO much longer? It’s just out of this world, so unique. I really really want to go back already, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s so special!! Thanks so much hun, definitely such a fun day and one of the best experiences ❤

      Thank you hun!!!

      I haven't really tried the buttermilk ones- I'm such a chocoholic! Lemon sounds yummy! What is ricotta? That's a cheese right??? Sounds so good!!! Ah, I'm hungry now LOL.

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      1. At least you tried!! 🙂
        I think I would prefer to the pizza an hour or two before going back to my hotel haha, last time I was there in November, i had so much dairy without meaning to, the flight back home sucked lol. And there was loads of turbulence too so that made the flight worse LOL
        I was actually looking at going to the Grand Canyon and it seems like it would be better to go to Arizona than Vegas. It seems like Courtney was about an hour away from it, she lived in Flagstaff which is about 3 hours north of Phoenix. If I remember correctly, when I looked into it, you can fly straight to Flagstaff but I would have to ask Courtney first to make sure. If that’s true, then that means I can go to Flagstaff, drive an hour out to the Grand Canyon and enjoy being there for quite a while LOL.
        OMG that’s insane that the rim is two hours apart!! Sounds like it’s HUGE! I definitely want to see it now 😀
        And ricotta is an Italian whey cheese? you know that white cheese that is used inside lasagna? I think they also use it in ravioli? it almost looks like cottage cheese? That’s ricotta. To be honest, I didn’t know that it could be used for pancakes but omg it was delicious! I wish I could make ricotta pancakes at home. I’m sure I can find a recipe on Pinterest, who am I kidding ? XD
        I’m hungry right now too and I just finished my breakfast haha

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      2. Oh no that’s the worst. For me, it’s fizzy that I try to avoid before flights, otherwise I am so uncomfortable lol!
        OH NO for turbulence omg, that’s bad enough without feeling uncomfortable on top of it. Oh no!
        Oh that’s so good, I think the Canyon is in Arizona right so that would make sense!! Honestly, when you say all that, I just can’t believe the vastness of America. It’s such a magnificent country! Wow. Also, it would be so nice to fly into Flagstaff, then you can spend lots of time at the Canyon, at your own leisure. I’d love to stay at a hotel on Route 66, that would be cool and still near the Canyon too. Life goals!
        I know it’s just baffling isn’t it? It must be ginormous. SO crazy!
        Yes I know what you mean actually because sometimes I have spinach and ricotta ravioli pasta. It’s so good omg!!! I know, I would never think to have a cheese on pancakes but that sounds so good. If you find a recipe and make them then please share, that would be amazing.
        Haha all this food talk, I just want ricotta now lol I was going to have a vegan day… must not get tempted !!!!!!

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      3. Awhh really?? I’m sorry! Fizzy is what we call soda correct? lol
        Oh gosh yes, there are so many sights yet unseen by me or unexplored even in my own state! I was very much looking forward to this summer but now that all of this is happening, i don’t think I will be able to do very much anymore 😦 I had all these things on my bucket list about traveling and exploring more areas in my state, oh well
        And yes, staying on route 66 would be so freaking cool!!! 😀
        oooohhhhh spinach and ricotta ravioli sounds amazing!! i’m craving some now that you mention it, i’ve been craving carbs but haven’t been satisfied with whatever i’ve been making and now I know why 😀
        i actually did* find a lemon ricotta pancakes recipe on pinterest, i saved it and will be sure to try to make it, hopefully the boys like it and I will be sure to share it with you too 🙂

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  5. I have never been to USA before, but every time I see someones photos or posts about it I am so jealous!! This sounds like such an amazing trip and defo one you won’t forget!! This was so much fun to read, so thank you for sharing – you look absolutely drop dead gorgeous (as always!). Grand Canyon sounds so incredible, my dad actually went to the states a few years ago and went on Route 66 then to the Grand Canyon and I remember he said how incredible it was!! I enjoyed this so much and cannot read for the next part! xxxx

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    1. Ahh the USA is my favourite place! I hope you get to go soon when we can travel again!! For sure, the trip of a lifetime!! Aww thank you hun I’m glad you enjoyed 😍 and thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Ah thats so amazing!!! The Grand Canyon is just so out of this world! I definitely recommend visiting and I for sure will be going back hopefully many a time! Its so amazing 😍😍 so glad your Dad enjoyed his trip and got to travel Route 66 and see the Canyon too 😍 thank you so so much for your lovely comment hun! Lots of love to you xxxx

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  6. Yayay!! Vegas, baby!! 🎉 It honestly feels like SO long ago to me that you were here but, at the same time, as if time fast forwarded. Crazy crazy.

    I am so glad you guys got to try Pin Up Pizza. 😁 & those chocolate pancakes from IHOP are making my mouth water, too!! You look FAB in that white skirt at the bottom of the Eiffel tower, what an amazing shot & background!! Those slushies are definitely iconic lol. Love that photo of you two holding them. 😄

    I would LOVE to see a Cirque du Soleil show. I didn’t even know they had a water-based one! So freakin’ cool!

    I am in love with your outfit at the Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon & a good host definitely makes a world of a difference. So glad you guys got a friendly one! & my gosh, the photos you captured are gorgeous. That would be beautiful if you got engaged there! What a dream!

    I SO wish all of America was like Route 66, saloon vibes lol. That’d be pretty cool! That photo you guys got by the sign is awesome!

    I enjoyed this post so much, Jennie ♡ thank you for sharing your adventures with us!!

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