Welcome to the second installment of my Las Vegas Trip Report series! This trip report will cover the rest of my first day in Las Vegas where we explore a bit more of the Strip, go to a Cirque du Soleil show, have drinks at a secret bar at the Bellagio, and do one of the most absolutely crazy things I’ve ever done. So strap in and prepare yourself a Daiquiri to drink as we dive right into this report.
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A Room With a View
We soon arrived at our room. We didn’t have a view of the strip but did have a view of the pool and the nearby mountains. I personally loved the view and the automatic curtains that opened and closed with a tug. The room was simple but lavish (which I know sounds like an oxymoron but that’s the best way to describe it). The most impressive part of the room was by far the bathroom, which was elegant yet functional.
After resting in the room for a bit and channel surfing on the tv, we got ready to head to our first big meal of the entire trip. So we quickly got changed for the night, headed out the door, and went to the Park MGM, which was south of the Bellagio, to dine at Best Friend.
Best Friends Forever
Formerly the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Park MGM is a hotel and casino operated by MGM. Its design was based on the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. In 2008, when it was still known as the Monte Carlo, a fire occurred at the hotel’s rooftop, costing the property $100 million in damages. Then in 2016 MGM announced it was rebranding the property into Park MGM. The name change officially went into effect on May 9, 2018 after a two year refurbishment that cost $550 million.
Upon entering the casino, we realized we were too early for our reservation, so we decided to take a look at the Haus of Gaga. A combined museum and store, the space featured costumes and props related to Lady Gaga, her music, albums, and music videos. It even showcased the famous meat dress she wore on the red carpet.
After killing some time there, we then checked in at Best Friend. Best Friend is a concept restaurant created by celebrity chef Roy Choi. It’s features Mexican – Korean fusion food.
We were quickly led to our table where we then received our menus. We decided we wanted to try the tasting menu. After ordering and waiting, we received our dishes in phases over the next hour. And my God the food was excellent.
My favorite of the bunch had to be the tacos. They were juicy and flavorful and I honestly would have been satisfied with them alone. But then the rest of the dishes started to come and I was just blown away. Dish after dish of just the most superb fusion food you could possibly imagine. I left that restaurant feeling immensely satisfied.
After dinner, we then headed north, past the Bellagio, to the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino to watch Mystere by Cirque Du Soleil.
A Mystere-ious Night
Walking past the Bellagio, we ended up at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. We took a quick peek inside, and I bought a magnet at a nearby gift store. After purchasing the magnet, we headed over to the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.
Treasure Island was formerly created and operated by Steve Wynn and his company Mirage Resorts. It was a pirate themed resort that catered more to families, with Wynn’s goal to try and capture the growing tourist market. It opened on October 26, 1993.
However, it changed its focus in the early 2000s to try and attract a more mature audience and thus scaled back its pirate theme. After struggling during the Recession of the late 2000s, the resort was sold to Phil Ruffin, who changed the target audience of the hotel again, this time targeting the middle class.
Throughout the history of Treasure Island, one thing has remained constant during its operations: the Cirque du Soleil show Mystere. Opening 2 months after Treasure Island did, the show is now Cirque du Soleil’s longest running show ever. It’s also the first Cirque du Soleil to take up a residency in Las Vegas.
I know a lot of people would rather watch the other Cirque du Soleil shows like O or Ka, but I really wanted to watch the original Cirque show in Las Vegas. I’ve been a massive fan of Cirque du Soleil since I was a kid. I’ve seen 4 shows before Mystere: Varekai, Saltimbanco, Toruk, and La Nouba. All of them were fantastic, so I had high expectations for this show.
And it did not disappoint.
This was such an entertaining, jaw dropping show. So much was going on around the theater. From the clowns interacting with the audience to the trapeze and acrobatic acts, this was a rousing theatrical production and I can see why it’s remained popular all these years. Like most Cirque shows, it had a loose storyline that connected the different acts together.
The story focused on the origins of life and human evolution, with the acts representing the stages of development a person goes through when they’re brought into the world. The acts, by the way, were stellar. My favorite act had to be this act about halfway through the show where two girls were twisting and contorting their bodies together. I couldn’t believe the skill, and muscle strength, that’s needed to do all of that. These were impressive and exceptional feats of the human body, and that’s what makes me a fan of Cirque du Soleil.
The show ended at 9, after which we quickly got out of Treasure Island, made our way back to the Bellagio to get the car, and then drove to do what ended up being my favorite experience of the entire trip.
Take to the Skies
The show ended at 8:30 and we hightailed it back to our car, getting there at around 9. We caught a glimpse of the Bellagio fountain show as our car made its way out of the parking lot, down the strip, past the Pinball Hall of Fame and the Las Vegas Sign, and into the parking lot of Maverick Helicopters.
That’s right, we did something incredibly unique: a helicopter ride over the Strip. I wanted to celebrate my birthday in style, and we did just that with this. After parking we entered the building and checked in. During check in they weighed each of us to make sure they evenly spread out the weight distribution for the helicopters. They then had us wait and told us we would be group number four.
After waiting for about 20 minutes, the pilots came and called us out by group. One pilot called out group 4 and we went up to him. We were there with 4 other people and soon we were on the tarmac. We loaded onto the helicopter and off we went.
This was the most insane, jaw dropping experience. Seriously, it was so fun! We saw the whole strip lit up, and it was gorgeous. We could see the Bellagio fountain show, the Eiffel Tower, the Luxor beam, and the newly built Sphere. We made one big loop around the strip and then headed back down.
This was one of the best things I’ve ever done on a trip by far. I was speechless when we were in the air. It was hard to fully process that I had just done a helicopter ride around the Strip. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Vegas. The pictures don’t do it justice. It was incredible.
At this point it was 10:30 so we had to head back to the Bellagio as we had one last activity for the night.
Unlocking the Vault
After leaving Maverick Helicopters, we drove back up the Strip, parked at the Bellagio, and headed to the lobby. We had made reservations for this bar called The Vault. It isn’t marked on the Bellagio map and its location is only shared with you about 30 minutes before your reservation. To maintain the secrecy of the bar, I won’t divulge where it is but I will say it isn’t easy to find!
Once we checked in, they brought us to our table. The bar was immaculately designed. Black marble covered every surface and an amazing glass chandelier hung over the bar. My friend and I each got a drink and we were served some amazing snacks.
I’m not exaggerating when I say these were the best cocktails I had ever had in my life. They were strong but didn’t taste that strong. It was the perfect way to end our first day in Vegas. After finishing the drink, I started to feel sleepy. My friend was fading too so we quickly paid the bill, headed to our room, and crashed.
And that’s the end of our first day in Las Vegas! On our second day we went outside the Strip to see downtown Las Vegas and its attractions like the Mob Museum, Fremont Street, and the Neon Museum.
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