Vegas Travel Guide 2020: When to plan your next trip and what to do when you get here

This is my favorite post of the year! When I get to outline my favorite times to be in Las Vegas, and what you should do once you get here for each of those times. I can not wait for you to come through and check them out for yourself.  First things first, no matter when you decide to come, make sure you check with my hotel team for the best rates and book with us every time you come to Vegas. We also keep rates for different cities, so check with us every time you need a vacation or a staycation.

Vegas staples are going to be available year-round, like the amazing scenery, nightlife, gaming, shows, and restaurants so don't forget to add those to your itinerary and budget.

WINTER

Specifically, January 11th - 17th is a great time to get here. We just went through the craziness of the New Year and the holidays so we are kind of in a "settle down" phase and things aren't as crowded or surge priced. Here are a few things to do outside of clubbing, shows, and tours:

• Ice Skating @ Rock Rink
• Minus5 Ice Bar (Kids 7+ in before 8PM)
• Snow Boarding and Skiing
• Hiking Red Rock Canyon

VALENTINE'S DAY

I love LOVE you guys, and every reason to celebrate it.  Las Vegas is an amazing place for a Valentine Day escape for you and your boo. This is not the time to penny-pinch though, this is the time to go all out. Book the upgrades, call the limo, get the flowers delivered and spring for dessert every time! This year we are lucky to have Valentine's Day fall on a Friday, so we get the whole weekend to keep the romance going. Plan for the weekend of February 14-16. Book your room and plan for some of my favorite luxury romantic activities:

• Heart of Romance treatment at the Waldorf Spa
• Carbone for dinner in the ARIA or TAO in the Venetian
• "O" from Cirque Du Soleil in the Bellagio (My highest client rated show)
• Shopping at Crystals or Fashionshow Mall 
• Romantic stroll through the Neon Museum
• Luxury Rides other than Uber X to sightsee

POOL SEASON

The start of pool season will vary based on the weather and the venue but they all seem to open within the first week or 2 of March. I like the first few weekends of pool season because it's not as crowded but just as fun! Here are my favorite pools and pool clubs to visit and where you should pick up your swimwear.

• Swimwear: Non Brand
• Encore Beach Club
• Daylight
• Drai's Beach Club

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Fremont Street Experience

St. Patrick's Day falls on a Tuesday (March 17th) this year, but we still plan to drink ALL of the green things before the day is through! I highly recommend booking a room Downtown in the Fremont Street Experience area as that's one of the best places to be, and I don't want you to have to worry about driving or finding your Uber. I am a fan of the Golden Nugget, book your room here. Feel free to get as decked out as you see fit, as the Downtown Las Vegas area draws the crowd that takes their celebrations very seriously. You will run into more Leprechaun Elvi(Elvises?) than you can count! My green drink of choice is a Midori sour. If that's not strong enough for you, find a bar that still serves hypnotic and get yourself an incredible hulk (2 parts hypnotic to 1 part Hennessy)! A few places will also have green beer ready and waiting. I'll be sharing everything I find in my Instagram Story and on Twitter. 💚💚
Here's a list of green beverages to try:

• Midori Sour
• 1oz Midori
• 1oz Vodka
• 2oz Sour mixer
• Splash 7up
• Sour Apple Margarita (Frozen or on the rocks)
• 2 oz Tequila
• 3 tbsp Sour Apple Liquor
• 1 oz Triple sec
• 1 oz Lime Juice/Sour mixer
• Mojito
• 1.5 oz Rum (white)
• 4oz Club Soda
• Syrup or sugar to taste
• Fresh Mint 
• Lime slices

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL 

Life Is Beautiful 2019

Art, music, and comedy combine in our Downtown Las Vegas area to bring you the amazing Life Is Beautiful festival! When you're here for LIB, September 18 - 20, you're going to get a whole vibe! Staying anywhere in town would be okay, but downtown is recommended. I like The Plaza and The Downtown Grand for this weekend's events. The Downtown Grand is the "Official Hotel Partner" so staying there is going to give you a few extra perks if you plan on doing some extra partying outside of the festival. Book your room with me here. With the festival, we are getting some of today's best music creators, artists that keep the city beautiful year-round, comedians, and big thinkers all in one place. They also give us a whole culinary EXPERIENCE with different vendors offering a variety to please every pallet.  As far as entertainment and eats, you really don't need to look further than what the festival offers but the city also hosts different events in celebration of LIB. Keep an eye on my social channels for further details when that drops.

HALLOWEEN

Fremont Halloween Costume Contest

I love Halloween almost as much as I love Vegas. Getting dressed up in something spooky or sexy or maybe a superhero is SO much fun! Then I get to play in makeup in a way that I don't get to normally. And in Vegas, it's LIT.  I will definitely have an October post up covering what will be happening. Just touring our haunted houses is enough to keep you shook all year long! But, of course, we have SO MUCH MORE than just scaring you out of your pants. For families, we have at least 3 Pumpkin Patch kind of fair's setup for the kids that have rides, carnival-style games and of course hot chocolate/apple cider with carnival snacks. We have a few escape rooms that are a great addition to a Halloween outing that are more fun and puzzle-like than scary (but we DO have scary ones too). And the clubs go off! We have costume contests all over town with cash prizes for spookiest, sexiest, most original...ALL THE THINGS...and again I love Downtown Las Vegas as a home base for your stay. I recommend staying at the D, book your room here.

NEW YEAR

This is the busiest time to be here hands down. The fireworks, the shows, the celebrity, the vibe. We definitely bring out our best for the last night of the year. We book up near capacity everywhere, and there is NOTHING cheap and very few things free. This definitely isn't a budget-friendly trip, but it is worth saving for because this will be one of the best nights of your life and an amazing way to ring in the new year. The strip completely shuts down so that you can walk up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, see the news filming everywhere, party with your favorite celebrity or watch them perform and then watch the best fireworks show we can put together. For this, The Strip (area) is the place to be. I recommend Planet Hollywood's Panorama suites, Hilton Grand Vacation Suites at the Elara with Strip View, strip view at the Delano, and any room with a Strip View at the Palms and Palms Place (I highly recommend the fantasy suites). Get your hotel rates from my team here.

Overall I think weekends are the best fun wise and for entertainment options. I recommend using an Uber instead of renting a car, as you will have to pay for parking everywhere anyways. And PLEASE venture outside of your hotel/the area you are staying in! If you are staying on the Strip - go see DTLV and not just Fremont street, go all around to the Mob Museum and the Container Park. If you're staying in DTLV, go check out Summerlin like the Red Rock Hotel and Casino and DTSummerlin Shopping center and Red Rock Canyon. Vegas has so much to offer. I am available via email or social media DM if you are stuck in your planning and need some help, or if you are already here and need some tips on what to do.

Have you been to Vegas before? Leave me a comment with your favorite time to be in town!

🖤Nikki