When most people think of Las Vegas, the obvious thing that comes to mind is gambling. But there is so much more to Vegas!
I have been there five times now and whilst I confess to have played on the odd slot machine, it is certainly not the gambling that brings me back. It’s the numerous other activities and the bright neon seduction of this ostentatious town surrounded by scenic desert landscape.
Most visits have been as a couple, with my hubby, but we have also taken our children: once our son when he was only 1 year old and then 10 years later, we took the two children, when they were aged 11 and 7 years – we never had any problem finding kid friendly activities to enjoy.
After seeing an airfare sale we decided at short notice to take a trip to the USA to mark our 25th anniversary of being together (we left our children at home with their grandparents since it was during school term).
We have been to the USA a few times so planned our itinerary with a combination of places we have been before which we enjoyed (like Universal Studios and Venice Beach in L.A.) and also added in some new places we wanted to experience for the first time around Las Vegas and Palm Springs. We had a really enjoyable time and fortunately everything went smoothly, thanks to some good planning and resources such as the TripHobo app.
The first time we visited Palm Springs was July 2015. Our first impression couldn’t have been better. We arrived on a Wednesday evening, a little tired after driving from San Diego and a day at Legoland with our two children, then aged 11 and 8. After checking in at our accommodation, we all walked up the quiet main street to look for somewhere for dinner. Timed perfectly with the sunset, we saw gorgeous musky pink colours reflecting off the palm trees and buildings, hazing over the surrounding mountains. The vibe of the town was relaxed with a vintage feel, thanks to the architectural design and resort style of houses & buildings, combined with interior artwork and retro décor. I felt like I had stepped back in time and almost expected to bump into Elvis or some other old movie star. We all instantly fell in love with this town.
PS Florist (May 2017)
Despite what you might hear, Palm Springs is not just a place for retirees. There’s a great selection of things to do, as well as bars and restaurants, appealing to all generations. It’s also very stylish. Walking back from a restaurant later at night and browsing in the windows of the art and furniture stores, you will always see something interesting and unusual that catches your eye.
Having driven past the signs for Death Valley several times on our way to Las Vegas, this is a destination we have always wanted to visit but were discouraged due to the extreme heat. According to the nps website it can reach 120F (49C) on a summer’s day and others claim this to be the ‘hottest place on earth’.
When we were planning 3 nights in Las Vegas for May 2017 and considering new places to experience during the day, I wondered if being Spring, this might be an ok time of year to visit Death Valley? We only had one free day due to other attractions we wanted to see around Vegas, so I started researching to see if a day trip would be possible. I was pleased to learn it was a manageable 2 hours drive from Las Vegas to Death Valley Junction and that you can visit quite a few of the ‘must see’ popular spots in one day. Although I also discovered that even though we would be going in early May, it could still be quite hot… low 100’s!
We decided to go for it, and thanks to research and careful planning, this turned out to be a successful trip. However, I will say straight up, while it is possible to visit as a day trip from Las Vegas, there is a lot to see in Death Valley and if you truly want to appreciate this national park and intend to do some hiking, you should consider an overnight stay or two.
Fortunately, it all worked out and turned out to be a very enjoyable, although long, day. We made it to all but one of our planned stops.
