Once we were checked into our hotel, we set our bags down and immediately went out. We didn't necess

In June 2014, Sarah and I embarked on another journey – this time to Las Vegas! We flew in from Vancouver and stayed for three nights at Mandalay cheap european vacation packages Bay Hotel. It was my first trip to Las Vegas, so I was excited to see what the city of sin had to offer.
We arrived around 10:00 pm and took a cab to our hotel. The first thing I noticed when we queued for a taxi was the heat. It was around 38 degrees, cheap european vacation packages but it was that dry desert heat that reminded me of when I lived in Kamloops.
Once we were checked into our hotel, we set our bags down and immediately went out. We didn’t necessarily want to walk the strip since we would be there for three nights and would have plenty of time for that. We decided to walk across a parking lot and over to the Luxor hotel (the giant black pyramid). We were just in time to catch a late-night happy hour. We ordered a couple of beers, some pulled-pork sliders, and an order of spinach and artichoke dip.
The following morning we made a point to start our day off at the pool. Mandalay Bay has a spectacular cheap european vacation packages pool area and even at 9:00 am, the sun was plenty hot for us to go for a dip. We spent most of our time in the wave pool, which was fun, but it got boring after a while.
After about an hour or so at the pool, we decided to get a start on our day. We didn’t have much planned during the days, mostly just shopping and checking out the sights. When we arrived on the strip, the sun was in full bore and blasting down on us. It was well in the 40s and getting hotter by the minute. I felt sorry for all the homeless people, but even sorrier for the street performers wearing hot suits such as the minions from Despicable Me, various Transformers, cheap european vacation packages and even Chewbacca.
The sights were truly spectacular. If you’ve never been, Las Vegas is a place where anything seems possible. You cannot just have a hotel, you must have a giant pyramid or a roller coaster or a massive fountain or recreate the New York skyline or build an Eiffel tower replica… Everything cheap european vacation packages is grand and over the top, but that’s part of what makes Las Vegas special.
Another thing that makes Las Vegas special is the night life. It’s just as busy at night as in the day (perhaps even more so). At night, the strip truly comes alive with bright lights. The streets are filled with interesting people, and the entertainment seems to never stop.
I haven’t mentioned the food yet, so I should include a quick note about the buffets. We went to the one at Mandalay Bay, which was not ranked as one of the best in the city, but it definitely did not disappoint. For roughly $25.00 per person, you had access to an all-you-can-eat Smörgåsbord cheap european vacation packages of decadent food choices. There were fresh fruits, smoked salmon, Pad Thai, pasta made the way you like it, steak, pizza… you name it. Then if you had room, there was an equally impressive selection of desserts. We ate so much food at the lunch buffet that we skipped dinner (we had a late-night beer and nachos at the Luxor again – happy hour!) and we were still not that hungry the next morning.
On our second night, we watched Penn Teller at the Rio. Now, the Rio is a bit far from the strip – about an hour walk from our hotel. However, it is deceptively close. We found this to be the case with most things on the strip. Everything is so big that it seems like a stone’s throw away, but after thirty minutes of walking, you’re still nowhere near your destination. Then of course add more time for the foot traffic, photo ops, and shops along the way. The Penn Teller show was amazing, and as a fan of magic and illusions, I try to pick apart the tricks and learn their secrets. However, with many of their tricks, I have no idea how they are done. It was magic!
On our third night, we went to the Treasure Island hotel/ casino to watch Cirque du Soleil – Mystere. The seats we paid for were not great, but when we arrived, the usher offered us front-row seating, which we happily accepted. The problem with front row, we discovered, was our view was too narrow. It was hard to take in the whole show since much of it was taking place above our heads, and our eyes kept darting around as not to miss the action taking places on other areas of the stage. I think a mid-range seating is optimal. As an added benefit of sitting further back, you can avoid the risk of being selected to be a part of the show and embarrassed in front of everyone, cheap european vacation packages which was a concern of mine. The whole time I was like, please don t pick me, please don t pick me
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