We Ran Away: To Las Vegas

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James and I celebrated a very nontraditional (for us) Thanksgiving this year.

Although this is was our second Thanksgiving and Holiday season without my family, both of us are finding it harder than it was last year. We followed one of the suggestions I offer to those who are grieving during the Holidays and decided to leave home and do something totally different. We ran away to Las Vegas!  We have now made Las Vegas an annual trip for the last three years. This is an interesting fact considering I kept putting the idea of a Vegas vacation off for years. I didn’t think I would like Vegas and didn’t think I was a “Vegas” girl. Neither of us are into gambling and those wild party days are long gone. However, regardless of your likes and preferences – you can find it in Vegas. We’ve now learned the in’s and outs of what we love about Vegas and I wanted to share a few things about our trip. We treated ourselves and had a driver meet us at the airport. We have used Presidential Limousine twice and have always received excellent service. We prefer getting a driver as you can make additional stops if you would like (last year we visited the Vegas sign), and it gets you to the hotel quicker. This can be a nice perk, especially if you have been flying several hours. Additionally, the drivers are always personable and willing to share Vegas history and information. We didn’t get a picture of our first driver Chris but he took one of us. (You can choose a variety of car options and we choose an Escalade) IMG_0606 This was our second stay at the Aria Resort and I love it as much as I did last year. This hotel is part of the MGM Entertainment family and is five years old. The style is open and contemporary from the outside to the front lobby and has over 3,000 rooms.. We arrived Monday of Thanksgiving week and were told this begins a series of “light” weeks for Vegas until New Year’s Eve celebrations. It was by far the lightest we had ever seen but it also meant there was little to no wait for restaurants and the spa was almost empty.

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Last year we stayed in a corner suite (which I highly recommend) but felt we did not need that experience this trip. We were not disappointed with our Deluxe Room City View. As you enter your room, the shades open to greet you with your view.

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Each Aria guest room has a touch screen pad that controls every element of the room. You are able to adjust the lights, open the shades and turn on the television all from one space.

Our room was spacious with a large comfortable custom bed, dual granite sink bathroom with soaking tub and shower, and most importantly ample closet space.

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The highlight of the room was the view!.

ariaroomview A MUST do at the Aria is a trip to their spa. Unlike any other in Vegas, Aria Spa has some of the most wonderful spaces to relax in that I have ever been to. On Tuesday, after receiving a body wrap and facial, I spent the afternoon enjoying the heated stone beds and the shio salt room. The stone beds help to soothe muscles and accelerate metabolism while the salt room provides a wall of salt bricks and vibration therapy which assist in relaxation breathing. I could seriously spend the day doing only these two things and returned to the spa on Thanksgiving day for some more relaxation.  As I said earlier, there were times on Tuesday that I was one of only a few people using the public spa spaces and it felt like my own little world. Although not a typical way to spend Thanksgiving. we spent the week enjoying great food and experiencing new events. Next week, I will be sharing a post on our favorite restaurants and other adventures. For now I leave you with a hint of what is to come.  toddenglishpub redrocks Battlefield Vegas   IMG_3905

Have you ever been to Vegas? 

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6 Comments

  1. Treva G. Macy on December 16, 2014 at 9:53 am

    Thank you for sharing! This is a wonderful idea.



  2. In Due Time on December 16, 2014 at 11:40 am

    Looks like a great time! Love your pictures!



  3. Ann Odle on December 27, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    I went to Vegas (Hotel Paris) one Christmas; and I was at Caesar’s Palace last year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get away this year. The Aria looks like a fantastic place to stay; can’t wait to check it out myself!



    • Sheryl @ How to Make a Life on December 27, 2014 at 6:33 pm

      We’ve also stayed at the Bellagio. It’s hard to try other hotels after you have such a good experience. We always keep saying “next time, we will try…..”