Las Vegas Mommy Daughter Trip..What to Do & Where to Eat

My mom lives on the East Coast, so whenever we get to spend time together is special time. We are the best of friends and always spend our days together laughing, gossiping and sipping champs 🙂 A few ideas below for a weekend in Vegas sans clubbing. Although I wouldn’t call Vegas my favorite place ever, it’s such a short flight from SF and a fun getaway every now and then.

What to do:

• Most hotels in Vegas feel like cities within themselves! I love checking out the spas with a day pass. No need for a treatment unless you’re really on a treat yourself vacay. A day pass allows you to enjoy all of the luxury amenities of the spa, steam room/sauna, pool, tubs, showers, snacks, tea, etc. without the high price point.
• Shop! Vegas is filled with luxury designer shops in many of the hotels. I love spending the afternoon window shopping at The Bellagio. During my last trip, I spent over an hour in Zara, it was a good one.
• Sip cocktails at one of the hotel’s many pools and people watch (there are quite the sights to be seen!!)
• Enjoy happy hour at an outdoor bar right on the strip…more people watching! Never gets old in Vegas..
• Get a blowout at Drybar. Luscious locks for dinner, and the Vegas locations have full bars in the salons. Heaven.
• Take a bubble bath in your hotel room tub. The bathrooms in most Vegas hotels are swoon worthy!

Where to eat: 

Vegas is filled with big name restaurants, celebrity chefs, and restaurants *claiming* to be the best in the world. In my opinion, it’s always best to go off the beaten track, i.e. not on the strip. I also am not down with the dining spots inside the Venetian with “outdoor patios” that are actually in an indoor mall with cloud painted ceilings – WEIRD. Avoiding these types of places ended up working out well and we did not leave hungry to say the least!

• Mon Ami Gabi: Okay – I broke my word. This is directly on the strip, but it is such a classy little french bistro, it almost doesn’t belong in Vegas 🙂 This eatery is the perfect place to grab some bubbly and a cheese plate while people watching in the late afternoon, which is exactly what we did. I can’t wait to try out their dinner next time I’m in sin city.
• LAVO: Hidden in the Palazzo, this Italian restaurant and gorgeous lounge is the perfect place to grab a cocktail before dinner. We started out the trip here and the drinks did not disappoint. The entrees coming out of the kitchen also looked incredible. Super close walk if you’re staying at The Venetian like we did.
• Casa Di Amore: This Italian spot came recommended by a friend that lives in Vegas. Thats how you know its a good one! A hidden gem right off the strip. This spot makes you feel like you’re dining where the mafia used to eat every night. Old school Italian with flavor and portions to match. Service was also outstanding. A must!
• Esther’s Kitchen: I found this restaurant on Yelp. It caught my eye because of the high reviews and the fact that it was in old Vegas, which my mom has never been to. The kitchen is completely open, and when we walked in, we realized we saw the chef on TV that morning talking about how old Vegas is very up-and-coming, and has been growing vastly in the last few years! Such a coincidence! We also found out two of the bartenders are from San Francisco’s Cotogna. After majorly over-ordering – homemade pastas, burrata cheese, pizza, wine… I quickly decided this was one of the best restaurants I’ve eaten at. Side note- since it’s a car ride away from the strip, the prices are one third of what you would pay on the strip, with 10x better food. Add this to your next Vegas list!
• Bouchon: Everyone that has ever been to Yountville in Wine Country knows about the very sought after Bouchon restaurant and bakery. The Bouchon in Las Vegas lives up to it’s popular name. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but we came here all three mornings, and the waitresses began to notice us 😉 The fresh mimosas, complementary full-sized baguette literally thrown on your table without a plate and fresh butter for you to devour, omelettes, muffins, fresh berries, quiche, and eggs benny were some of the best brunch items. Can you tell we had time to try almost everything?! 😉

What are your favorite Vegas hidden gems?