Planning your first girls’ weekend in Vegas? You’ve come to the right place! It can be easy to get overwhelmed by all there is to do and see (and eat, and drink…) in Vegas, but we’ve got your itinerary all ready to go with more than enough for the ultimate girls’ trip. Check out the best places to stay, play, eat and drink, laugh until it hurts, take selfies, relax all day, and party all night!
STAY
The Wynn Las Vegas
If you’re going for all-out luxury, nowhere does it better than the Wynn, the name that is synonymous with “luxury” in Las Vegas. Staying at the Wynn or Encore also puts you right in the heart of the highest of the high-end shopping as well as the hottest nightclubs, so if you’re here to shop and party while living the “Suite Life,” look no further.
The Cromwell
https://www.caesars.com/cromwell
The Cromwell is located in the center of the Strip, and is a stylish retreat that’s somewhat more affordable than similarly hip properties. It’s also home to both Drai’s Beach Club & Nightclub, an open-air rooftop day- and nightclub overlooking the Strip, and Drai’s After Hours, a nightclub for those who aren’t quite ready to end their night at 3 a.m. when the other clubs close.
ARIA Resort & Casino
https://aria.mgmresorts.com/en.html
The AAA Five Diamond ARIA resort is a beautiful property ideal as a home base for your girls’ weekend in Vegas trip, with a massive spa, top-tier nightlife at JEWEL Nightclub, and ultra-trendy dining at CATCH, Bardot Brasserie, and Herringbone. Any room facing the Strip has an excellent view, but the Corner Suite Strip View is just that little bit of “extra” that all girls’ getaways need!
Palms Casino Resort
After a nearly $1 billion dollar renovation, the fully revamped Palms just a few minutes from the Strip is now one of the hottest hotels in Vegas. The jaw-dropping pool area featuring massive sculptures by the world-renowned artist Damien Hirst alone makes the Palms worth the stay, but there is even more Instagrammable public art throughout the property, several hot new dining options, and top-floor ultra-lounges for the ultimate Las Vegas experience, all for less than what you would pay on the Strip.
The Cosmopolitan
https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/
If you want just the right amount of wrong, book a suite at The Cosmopolitan and indulge in everything this impossibly chic and sexy casino resort has to offer, from the elegant three-story Chandelier Bar to the hot day- and nightclub Marquee, the hottest collection of restaurants (STK, Jaleo) and cultish national eateries (Egg Slut, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken), and the museum-worthy collection of contemporary art found throughout the property.
DINING
Party Brunch!
If you’re going to have the best girls’ weekend in Vegas, you absolutely HAVE to hit a party brunch. “What’s a party brunch,” you ask? Well, take a hot restaurant with a see-and-be-seen vibe, turn it into a dayclub, and add pancakes. LAVO at The Venetian is the original of Vegas party brunches, but newcomer Greene St. Kitchen at the Palms has been upping the ante with their weekend BRUNCH’N parties.
Primrose
https://parkmgm.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/primrose.html
Primrose at the Park MGM understands that brunch is the most important meal of the day, which is why every day from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. they serve brunch along with bottomless sparkling rosé! Get those hashtags ready! #roseallday #drinkpink
Bardot Brasserie
https://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/las-vegas/bardot-brasserie/
On Saturdays and Sundays, the “Everlasting Rosé Brunch” at Bardot Brasserie inside the Aria offers an upscale brunch of French brasserie cuisine with a bottomless rosé option to wash it all down.
Brunch Tour with Lip Smacking Foodie Tours
Why choose just one brunch option when you can have several? Hop on the brunch tour with Lip Smacking Foodie Tours and hit three popular brunch spots on the Strip—including Bardot—with food and cocktails at each venue.
Giada
https://www.caesars.com/cromwell/restaurants/giada#.XSzDJZNKhPM
Whether for brunch, lunch, or dinner, Giada at the Cromwell has one of the most stunning dining rooms in Las Vegas with an outstanding view of the Strip. If you choose brunch as your option, book the “Book Club Tasting Menu,” a three-course brunch tasting menu that includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, plus Giada’s signature cookbook pastry cart. This is really the only kind of book club appropriate for a girls’ weekend in Vegas!
Mon Ami Gabi
https://www.monamigabi.com/las-vegas/
If you want a view with your meal, book a table on the patio of Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Resort and Casino, a lovely classic French bistro open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch that looks out over the Bellagio fountains.
CATCH
https://aria.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/catch.html
CATCH inside the ARIA is one of the trendiest dinner spots in Vegas right now, serving an exquisite selection of sushi and seafood with a side of Instagrammable moments through its flower-covered entryway tunnel.
STK
https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/restaurants/stk
STK inside the Cosmopolitan is a contemporary steakhouse hotspot where the party gets wild late into the evening. After dinner, order “The Clown” dessert and get your cameras ready!
DRINKING
The Chandelier Bar
https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/lounges-bars/chandelier
The three-story Chandelier Bar is the centerpiece of the ultra-trendy Cosmopolitan hotel and casino, decked out in a 44-foot-tall, 75-foot-wide chandelier featuring two million crystals. The intimate level 1.5 offers inventive off-menu cocktails (order “The Verbena” or “We’re All Mad Here”), while the lower level center bar offers 24-hour madness of its own.
SkyFall Lounge
https://www.delanolasvegas.com/en/nightlife/skyfall-lounge.html
If the name “SkyFall” makes you think of James Bond, that’s exactly the vibe they’re going for.
Located atop the Delano at Mandalay Bay, SkyFall is an upscale cocktail bar with an unobstructed 180-degree view of the Strip below, as well as theatre-style seating facing out towards the windows and outdoor patio seating for an even better view—provided it’s not too windy!
Foundation Room
https://mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com/en/nightlife/foundation-room.html
Located 63 floors above the Strip at the top of Mandalay Bay, the Foundation Room is a nightclub and lounge with an opulent ambiance and a killer view of the Strip way, way below. Book a private room for the ultimate VIP experience.
Vanderpump Cocktail Garden
https://www.caesars.com/caesars-palace/things-to-do/vanderpump#.Xe6LWOdKiCQ
Reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump has opened her own cocktail lounge in Caesars Palace, and it is a beautiful spot to enjoy stylish light bites, colorful craft cocktails, and an elegant indoor garden setting. You’ll be ‘gramming this one, for sure!
Minus5 Ice Bar
When it’s hot in Las Vegas, cool off at one of three Minus5 Ice Bar locations on the Las Vegas Strip! Everything inside the bar is made of ice, including the glassware, and there are new ice sculptures added regularly as well as upbeat music and an LED light show to keep the party hot. To make sure guests stay warm, everyone is outfitted with a fluffy parka or faux fur coat as well as hats and gloves. This is definitely another one for the ‘gram.
CLUBS
Dayclubs
By now you’ve heard about Vegas’s infamous dayclub parties, where the nightclub experience is brought out into the sun poolside. The dayclub is still very much an only-in-Vegas experience, and no girls’ weekend in Vegas is complete without partying in bikinis with beachy drinks in hand at least one afternoon. Encore Beach Club, a three-level pool complex that’s located off the edge of XS at the Wynn, is one of the best day clubs in Las Vegas in size, layout, and quality of talent—all A-list EDM superstars here. Same goes for Wet Republic at MGM, a massive party pool complex-meets-superclub where you can see DJs like Tiësto, Zedd, and Calvin Harris. Over at the Cosmopolitan, the popular Marquee Nightclub also pulls double-duty as an indoor/outdoor dayclub with top talent.
Nightclubs
Las Vegas is known for its superclubs, but some are more “super” than others. The crème de la crème (at least at the moment) is OMNIA at Caesars Palace, where party people dance to the beats of the biggest names in EDM underneath the giant, pulsing, alien spaceship-looking chandelier. Hakkasan also hosts the hottest DJs in the world, and with five floors covering the 80,000-square-foot space that includes a separate lounge and a fine-dining Asian restaurant, there’s an experience for any kind of party-goer. At the Wynn, XS Nightclub is a mainstay for top EDM artists and some of the best EDM parties outside of EDC. Their “Nightswim” events during the summer are the nighttime version of the dayclub.
SHOWS
Friends! The Musical Parody
http://www.friendsmusicalparody.com/
If you and your friends loved the show Friends, then check out Friends! The Musical Parody at The D Las Vegas, which lovingly lampoons the classic ’90s sitcom.
Cirque du Soleil
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/las-vegas
There is a Cirque show for every taste: Zumanity is a sexy Cirque show with nudity; Michael Jackson’s ONE sets thrilling acrobatics and amazing costumes to the music of the King of Pop; KA is an epic coming-of-age story of a brother and sister; LOVE is a colorful flight of whimsy with an upbeat Beatles soundtrack. And that’s just a few! You can also go on a behind-the-scenes tour of KA and LOVE for free on select days.
Male Revues
Whether you’re here for a bachelorette party or just a fun girls’ weekend in Vegas, a bawdy male revue might be just what you need! Chippendales is the classic male revue at the Rio; Thunder from Down Under at the Excalibur is full of Aussie hunks; and Magic Mike Live will once again bring the movie’s fantasies to life at the Sahara starting in 2020!
Sex Trips for Straight Women from a Gay Man
https://www.caesars.com/paris-las-vegas/shows/sex-tips#.XSzy-JNKhPM
Whether you’re married, coupled, or actively single, it’s always nice to get some pro tips from the experts. Sex Trips for Straight Women from a Gay Man at the Paris Resort and Casino is exactly what it sounds like, and promises a riotous good time along with some practical pointers!
Miss Behave Game Show
http://missbehavegameshow.com/
The Miss Behave Game Show is held in the Back Room at Bally’s, but what this tiny venue lacks in size and production quality, it more than makes up for with the outrageously fabulous Miss Behave and her even more fabulous assistant, the high-kicking, mustachioed “Tiffany.” This show is all about audience participation!
Atomic Saloon Show
The new Atomic Saloon Show at the Venetian is a rowdy, raunchy good time, a vaudeville-style Vegas show with a spaghetti Western theme. There are both men and women performing incredible acrobatic feats, but this particular show is more about the incredible male bodies doing things that will make your jaw drop and possibly also wince a little if you’ve ever had problems with your rotator cuff.
Residencies
In the past few years, Las Vegas has reinvented the residency into something legitimately cool. Past favorites have included Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga; Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, Aerosmith are ongoing; Mariah Carey and Foreigner are scheduled to return; and Kelly Clarkston, David Lee Roth, and the Who are all on deck for 2020. Check Ticketmaster and Live Nation for dates and tickets.
PLAY
The High Roller Observation Wheel
https://www.caesars.com/linq/high-roller
The High Roller is the world’s tallest observation wheel—550 tall, to be exact. Taking a spin on the High Roller is a Vegas bucket list item to check off, but do it right by booking the “Open Bar in the Sky” package for a cabin with an open bar that lasts for the duration of your 30-minute ride.
The Neon Museum
One Vegas bucket list item that is an absolute, only-in-Vegas must is a trip to the Neon Museum. Here, at the museum’s outdoor Neon Boneyard, you’ll get to wander through aisles of more than 200 vintage Vegas neon signs, including a couple of dozen signs that have been fully restored and are lit during visiting hours. Add on the Brilliance! show held at night in the North Gallery; it is well worth the added price.
Bellagio Fountains and Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden
https://www.bellagio.com/en/entertainment/fountains-of-bellagio.html
https://www.bellagio.com/en/entertainment/conservatory-botanical-garden.html
This probably goes without saying, but you can’t come to Vegas and not see its most iconic sights—namely, the Bellagio Fountains and Conservatory. It’s pretty much a rule.
Happy Place
https://mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com/en/entertainment/happy-place.html
It’s becoming commonplace to find immersive attractions that are wholly dedicated to the art of the selfie, and in Vegas, the best place to go for this is Happy Place inside Mandalay Bay. Happy Place is bright, cheerful, whimsical, and composed of nothing but room after room after room of scenes perfectly orchestrated for maximum group photo shoots (and the folks working there are more than happy to hold the camera), perfect for capturing all the fun of your girls’ weekend in Vegas!
Maverick Helicopter Las Vegas Strip Tour
http://www.maverickhelicopter.com/charter.aspx
Your girl group won’t be able to all go together on the same flight, and the trip is usually only about 15 minutes, but it is more than worthwhile to have the experience of viewing the Las Vegas Strip from the sky in a helicopter (WAY better than seeing it from a plane), and see sights like the tower of the Stratosphere up close and personal.
Spend a Day in the Stilettos of a Vegas Stripper or Showgirl
These are the kinds of experiences you and your girls will never forget: Stripper 101 and the Showgirl Bootcamp Experience, both at Planet Hollywood, will give you a little taste of what it’s like as one of Vegas’s most (in)famous attractions. What better way to really get into the spirit of a girls’ weekend in Vegas, right?? At Stripper 101, you’ll learn pole dancing techniques and useful life lessons from real Sin City strippers in a safe, welcoming environment. At Showgirl Bootcamp, you’ll be transformed into a showgirl for the day, learning showgirl secrets on beauty and poise, hearing stories from the stage from real Vegas showgirls, and finally donning the full showgirl headdress and accessories for selfies!
The original “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign
https://www.vegas.com/attractions/on-the-strip/welcome-las-vegas-sign/
The original “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, located at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is another obvious and mandatory must-do for your girls’ weekend in Vegas. There is always a line of people but that’s for the best since that also means there is always someone else available to take your group’s gram photo.
PAMPER
Pretty much every casino resort in Vegas has a sprawling spa complex, because part of the Vegas experience is all about luxury pampering, and no girls’ weekend in Vegas is complete without it. Check into Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace, a 50,000-square-foot spa that includes three Roman baths and their signature Arctic Ice Room, the only one of its kind in the world. At Sahra Spa, Salon & Hammam at the Cosmopolitan, enjoy a retreat that pays homage to the rejuvenating elements of the desert with monsoon rain showers, cooling mist rooms, and a giant heated stone slab in the Hammam room. Inside the Venetian, Canyon Ranch Spa Club is one of the world’s largest day spas at 134,000 square feet, and that includes more than 90 treatment rooms, group fitness classes, sessions with personal trainers, and a 40-foot rock wall for climbing practice.
After indulging in luxury spa treatments and spending your day relaxing, it’s time to get ready for your night out. To make sure you’re are looking and feeling like your best self before you hit the town, get your hair, makeup, nails, lashes, spray tan, waxing, and more done at one of LOOK Style Society’s several locations around Las Vegas.
SHOP
Whether you’re looking to drop some serious cash at the biggest-name luxury-brand and specialty retailers in the world, or you’re hoping to head back home with an extra suitcase full of major discounts on premium labels, Vegas has it all. The Shops at Crystals and Bellagio have all your Fendi, Gucci, Louis, Prada, Hermes, Tiffany, etc., while the Forum Shops at Caesars have literally everything, with 160+ different shops from the highest of the high-end and everyday fast fashion to exquisite art galleries and excellent eateries. The Shops at Wynn and Encore is the place to go for the most serious fashionistas, with exclusive locations of some of the most coveted retailers in the world, including Off-White, Balmain, Kenzo, and Kiton. And for the bulk bargain shopper, there are the Las Vegas Premium Outlets North and South, two outlet malls—located at either end of the Strip—with outlet stores from some of today’s top retailers (pro tip: the North outlets are better and nicer).
GET OUTSIDE
It would be a shame to come all the way to Las Vegas and not take advantage of the usually pleasant weather, ample sunshine, and multiple mountain ranges in such close proximity. Head to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, located just 20 minutes from the Strip, for a red-hued sandstone wonderland that looks like an alien landscape. For added fun done in style, sign up for a Pink Jeep Tour of Red Rock Canyon (or head just a little bit farther north of Vegas to Valley of Fire)—because there’s nothing quite like touring around in a pink Jeep to really nail that “girls’ weekend in Vegas” vibe!
Located east of Vegas on the Arizona border, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is America’s most diverse national park covering over 1.5 million acres including the lake and surrounding mountains and canyons. Rent a party boat for the day or weekend, or take an afternoon guided kayak tour of the Emerald Cove in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River (still in the Lake Mead area near the Hoover Dam), hidden coves that turn emerald green in the afternoon light and that are accessible only by water. For something a bit closer to the Strip and a lot less rugged, head to Lake Las Vegas, where you can go kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (or neon SUP at night), or flyboarding in a faux-Mediterranean landscape.
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