birthday weekend in las vegas

Monday, January 18, 2016

my birthday weekend in las vegas

Tyler and I took a trip to Las Vegas at the beginning of the year to celebrate my birthday. We were there January 2nd - January 5. It was such a fun trip! It was actually our third time to Las Vegas together. First we took a trip to Phoenix and Vegas and then we took a trip to Vegas with a group of friends. 

excalibur las vegas

On our trip this time we stayed at Excalibur and really liked the hotel. It was very clean and also in a great location. Last time, we stayed at Treasure Island which was at the complete opposite end of the strip. It was nice to be on the other end so we could explore some of those hotels! Our favorite hotel is New York New York and Excalibur is right next door. We loved being so close to it!

banana tella waffle

tiabi coffee and waffle

We arrived in Vegas very early on Saturday, so our first stop was breakfast at Tiabi Coffee & Waffle. This is a couple blocks off the strip, but we had a rental car so it was easy to get to. I would highly recommend this place if you venture off the strip! It had such great food and was very reasonably priced. I ordered the bananatella  (bananas + nutella) waffle and it was SO good. Delicious coffee and waffles makes for one fab breakfast.

welcome to las vegas picture

After we had breakfast, we made a stop at the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Navada' sign for some pictures. I was surprised to find that someone is employed to stand there and take pictures. Whole tour buses of people were lining up to take pictures at the sign, but luckily we were on our way out when they arrived haha. There's not much to see here besides get pictures, but I have always wanted to see it so I was glad we finally made the stop. After pictures we went and shopped at the outlet mall.

britney spears in vegas

britney spears concert review

That evening Tyler and I went to see Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood! My birthday present was tickets to the concert. I have wanted to see this show since her residency was announced, so when Tyler suggested the tickets be my birthday present I was more than thrilled haha. The show was SO good. Tyler even said he enjoyed it! I would have felt bad if he hated the entire show. There was such great dancing during the show, which I really enjoyed. In the lobby of the arena, they had some of our iconic outfits on display. I took a picture with the "Toxic" outfit (pictured up above). They also were playing her music videos in the lobby. It was special as soon as you walked in to the arena. I had so much fun singing and dancing to all of her music!

grand canyon from las vegas

grand canyon vacation

day trip to the grand canyon

The next day was dedicated to visiting the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is just over a two hour drive from Las Vegas. It was SO cool to see in person. I've already done a post about our trip there because I felt like I had so much to talk about. You can read the whole post here. We rented a car for only $10 a day and drove ourselves there. It was a great day trip from Vegas! (The drive there, lunch, hiking, and the drive back took about 7 hours.) That night we went to New York New York for pizza (our favorite!), listened to dueling pianos, and played roulette.

las vegas vacation ideas

The next day was my birthday and we spent the day walking the strip. We went through Luxor and Mandaly Bay, and I really liked both of the hotels! We have never been in Luxor before, but it was so cool inside! I love how themed all of the hotels get. That evening we went out to dinner at Battista's Hole In the Wall for some Italian food. We went to this restaurant last time we were in Vegas and loved it so much that we had to go back. It is one block behind the Flamingo and it is SO good. Your meal comes with salad, bread, a cappuccino and all you can drink wine. We gambled after dinner. I won $7.50 and quit haha. Tyler also surprised me with a birthday cookie cake from Nestle Toll House and it was sooooo good. He definitely made me feel very loved on my birthday this year!

I had such a great time in Las Vegas for my birthday. As it was our third time there, we've got a list of some of our favorite things from our trips. If you are going to Vegas for the first time, I highly recommend you go to Battista's for dinner, go on the High Roller for views of the strip, head to New York New York for some pizza, walk the Forum Shops at Caesar's palace, and see a show (I would recommend a cirque de soleil). If you have an extra day, I would also recommend taking a trip to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam. If you are planning a trip and have any questions, send me an email at amemoryofus@gmail.com.

Hope you all have a great week!

Linking up with More Pieces of Me and B Loved Boston

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68 thoughts

  1. Looks like a great trip! I have always wanted to go see the Britney show in Vegas.. I've been to her concerts so many other times that I feel like I have to go at some point. Those pictures of the Grand Canyon are amazing too!

    Christina :: Simple and Delish

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  2. Perfect way to celebrate your birthday beautiful!! Oh how I would love to see Britney!! Just love those Grand Canyon pics, can you two be any more adorable??!! Happy week lovely!!

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  3. Looks like you had such a blast!! I miss Vegas hope to go back one day soon, Happy Belated!
    Marta
    www.sweatersstripesandsweets.com

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  4. ahhh that looks so fun!!! happy birthday!
    XO Ellen from Ask Away

    www.askawayblog.com

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  5. What a fun birthday trip!!! And Britney on top of it all?! Amazing! We're trying to decide if we want to hit up Vegas for a bachelorette weekend for one of my best friends. More for the fun of it than to go Hangover crazy. This post might have sealed the deal for me....!

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  6. Happy you had a great bday trip, I need a trip to Vegas.

    xo
    PinkSole

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  7. happy belated! i haven't been to vegas in a few years but i love it there!

    xoxo, Preeti
    www.ninesto5.com

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  8. Look like you had so much fun! I would have died if I got Britney tickets for my birthday. I love her. I have never been to Vegas, but it is definitely on my travel list!

    Xo,

    Brittany || www.prettyandsassy.com

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  9. Happy belated!! I love Vegas, I've been a few times, but it's definitely one of those places you have to prepare for... haha!

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  10. That shot of you jumping is amazing! Glad you all had a great trip!

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  11. Looks like you had such a great time! Her concert is totally on my list of things I want to see!

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  12. Darcy, what a FUN birthday trip! I have never been to Vegas but would enjoy checking it out sometime. It's not expensive to fly there, that's for sure, but I am sure it costs a bit to be out and about. ;) How fun that you got to see Britney Spears! Love the Grand Canyon pics!!!!

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  13. What a fabulous birthday weekend, lady! We've wanted to stay at Excalibur but never have, maybe next year. WOuld you believe we've been to vegas 6 times and never taken a picture by the sign? Yeah, too many people! Love your jumping picture, so fun!

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  14. How fun! Your pictures looked like you celebrated well and Vegas was fun! I just spent my birthday in NYC, isn't so much fun to travel somewhere and celebrate?! I loved it! Happy belated birthday girly! Thank you for sharing love.
    XO, Ashley Larea | ashleylarea.com

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  15. Sounds like a great trip! What a great birthday gift. That photo of you jumping came out perfect and $10/day is excellent for a rental car. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

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  16. Looks like so much fun! I really want to go to the Grand Canyon! Hopefully I'll make it there this year!

    x. Sabrina | Simply Sabrina

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  17. Love Vegas!!! Those pictures of the Grand Canyon are gorgeous too. :-)

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  18. What a fun trip! Looks like you two really got to explore!
    xo Adri
    www.adrilately.blogspot.com

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  19. so fun! i've been to vegas before, but i don't have a picture with the sign. i need it!
    elle
    Southern Elle Style

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  20. What a great trip and i am so jealous that you got to see Brittney! I love her:) Maybe I need to get to Vegas before she finishes her run!

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  21. That's crazy to me that it's someone's job just to take pictures of people with the sign! So convenient though, and no worrying about someone running off with your phone/camera. I've never been to Vegas, but my favorite part would be the food I think. I'm not huge on bars or gambling. I desperately want to see the Grand Canyon though! Definitely on my bucket list.

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  22. I have only been to Vegas once and we stayed at the Luxor! It has been over a decade since I've been there, though so I am sure a lot has changed! I would love to go back. I am sure Britney Spears was AH-mazing! I had no idea she was in Vegas!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  23. oh my gosh stooopppp. so jealous of your britney extravaganza. I would kill to see her-looks like such a fun time!!

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  24. Looks like a great trip- I bet Britney was awesome!! And that's neat that there's someone at the sign to take pictures- did you have to pay?? I can't wait to go there for my bachelorette in just 3 months!!

    xo, Kristina

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    1. Hi Kristina! No, you do not have to pay for the sign pictures! It is free and then you can tip if you want. We did not tip as it was just the two of us and we were in and out in under 5 minutes. However some larger groups who took more pictures did tip. It's your preference : )

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  25. Hope you had a fabulous birthday ;) The trip looked amazing!
    xo, Jessica || The Petite Diaries

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  26. Vegas is SO much fun... havent been in years, but thanks for allowing me to live vicariously through you in these photos! :)
    Karen | GlamKaren.com

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  27. So glad you had such a great time, how nice that you've been there so many times that you now have "favorites"! And so jealous about the Britney show, though I know you enjoyed it even 10 times more than I would haha - what a thoughtful gift!

    xo Mary-Katherine | Gold-Hatted Lover

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    1. Thank you! We've decided we don't need any more Vegas trips anytime soon haha. But Southwest ALWAYS puts it on sale so it's way too tempting!!

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  28. omg so fun and you two are so adorable. I used to always drive to vegas with family...so fun!

    NATALIEOFFDUTY.COM

    Natalie Off Duty

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  29. I love Vegas recap-Vegas is one of those places that you can go so many times without getting bored! We love the Asian restaurant at New York, New York, but now I really want to try the pizza one! :)

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  30. It sounds like you had the perfect trip to Las Vegas! One of my favorite things about Vegas is walking through all of the hotels and seeing how themed and decorated they are. I'm so jealous that you got to see Britney in concert! Every time I'm there, I always check to see if she's playing, and she never is. I still love that picture of you jumping at the Grand Canyon! It's so awesome!

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  31. This sounds like such a fun weekend!

    xx Kelly
    Sparkles and Shoes

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  32. Looks like you had such a great time! I need to plan a trip there soon!
    xo,
    Jacqueline
    Stylin In St. Louis

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  33. Vegas is so much fun! I've only stayed at the Aria and the Palms, but I think the Excalibur and New York, New York look like fun! And omg I can't believe you saw Britney!!!! Awesome birthday gift. I saw Thunder from Down Under and The Beatles' Love when I was there in May.

    Tif
    www.brightonabudget.com

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  34. I love Vegas! I've been lucky enough to celebrate my birthday 2 out of the 3 times I've been and it's a unique experience every time I go. I definitely want to spend a day going to the Grand Canyon since it is so close, maybe my next trip there! Great recs!

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  35. Sounds like an amazing birthday weekend! I haven't been to Vegas in years, but you've got me wanting to go back!

    xo Jen
    Skirt The Rules

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  36. Darcy you two are so cute ♡ ... I see you had a lot of fun xox ♡♡

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  37. I'm so glad you had a fabulous birthday. Vegas is definitely awesome when you're younger, and everyone older than me still likes to go there to party but I get into trouble when I go. Too much alcohol around me & no clocks ANYWHERE means I'm out til 6 or 7 in the morning with my friends which leads to painful ass hangovers and just pure exhaustion. Luckily I don't do that anymore but I swear Vegas has a way of bringing out some random party girl inside of me LOL! xx adaatude.com

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  38. adorable photos! loved reading about this too :) happy belated bday!!

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  39. What an amazing birthday gift! Sounds like you had a blast, and I'm jealous you visited the Grand Canyon! Definitely on my to do list!
    Rachael
    http://www.threadsforthomasblog.com

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  40. Happy Belated Birthday! This looks like such fun!

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  41. This looks like the best trip!! Hope you had an amazing birthday!!

    Shauna

    www.lipglossandlace.net

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  42. What a fantastic birthday in Vegas!! I have to say seeing Britney in concert is always a good time, but I'm sure her show in Vegas is even better!! xo, biana -BlovedBoston

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  43. Looks like you had a blast! Love the dress, by the way!
    www.styleinharmony.com

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  44. This looks like SO much fun!!! And I've always wanted to see Britney!!! So glad to hear it can be guy friendly too ;) I think it's funny they have someone under the Vegas sign to take your picture, although I guess they figure it's free advertising so why not!?

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  45. Looks like so much fun! I can't wait to go! I do have a few questions though: Did you have to pay the person under the Vegas sign to take your picture? I've heard that restaurants in Vegas can be very pricey...is the pizza at the New York New York hotel expensive? What about Battista's?

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    1. Hi Amy! The person who takes your sign at the Vegas sign is free. You can tip him if you want, but it is not required. (We did not, as we were out in under 5 minutes. Some people with bigger groups who took longer to get pictures did tip, though. Your preference.) Restaurants in Vegas can be pretty pricey! The New York New York pizza is not, though! I am not sure how much the pizza is but I feel like we are out for under $20 for pizza, salad, and drinks. Battista's can be. Tyler and I split an entree as they are huge portions and our bill comes out to around $50. That is for salad, bread, the entree, the capuccino after the meal, of course the unlimited wine, and our tip. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have other questions, I'm happy to help!! : )

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  46. What a super fun birthday trip, lady! My boyfriend and I have something similar planned for March- he has a race there so we're making a Vegas + Grand Canyon weekend out of it!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

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  47. Sounds like an amazing birthday weekend! I love the Grand Canyon photo of you jumping up!

    Jill
    Doused in Pink

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  48. Such a fun birthday trip! And yayyyy for seeing Britney! I'm so glad she renewed her residency, can't wait to get out there and catch her show <3
    Green Fashionista

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  49. What a great birthday trip! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I would LOVE to go to one of Britney's shows! It's definitely on my to-do list, I'm so jealous! LOL!
    xo, Lily - beautywithlily.com

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  50. Your birthday trip sounds amazing! I would love to see Britney!!

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  51. What an amazing birthday trip! I think the Britney show and waffles would have been highlights for me too.
    Gina || On the Daily Express

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  52. Your trip sounds so amazing, I'm so jealous! I really want to make it out to Vegas before Britney's residency is up. And the pics from the Grand Canyon are amazing! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  53. Those pictures are amazing - especially the one in the canyon! I've always wanted to visit there.. happy birthday!!! :) :)

    theritzyglitzy.com

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  54. These pictures are amazing!! It looks like you had an amazing time!! I went to Vegas years ago with my roommate and we stayed at the Mirage. It was really nice. I definitely want to go back and hopefully see Britney while she is still there!
    Charlene xo
    The Frugal Fashionista

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  55. Such a fun birthday trip! Next time Gavin and I go, I want to see Brittney in concert!

    xx,
    Amanda || www.fortheloveofglitter.com

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  56. Happy belated! Vegas is a perfect place to celebrate, and the photo of Grand Canyon is beautiful.

    xo Sheree
    http://poshclassymom.com
    IG: @poshclassymom

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  57. Wow that looks beautiful! I've been wanting to go to Vegas for so long now. I'll eventually get there! :) Looks like y'all had a wonderful time - happy belated birthday! Thanks for stopping by my blog to say hello last Friday and yes, those were the color of the sheets we bought. :)

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  58. I've been to Vegas so many times but never saw the Grand Canyon! Looks like you had a blast, thanks for sharing!


    Chelsea
    Chow Down USA
    Insta

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  59. That sounds like such a fun birthday trip! It's been several years since I've been to Vegas, we need to plan a return trip soon!
    Shea | www.shealennon.com

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  60. That is so cool that you saw Britney Spears in concert and some of her costumes. I've heard Excalibur was fun and I didn't know there was someone that took pictures at the Las Vegas sign. I missed that when I went. LOL
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  61. YES! How was Britney! Ive been dying to go and see her! Glad to hear you had fun!!

    Sportsanista

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  62. So happy to hear you had a wonderful Birthday in Vegas! My friends and I are hoping to plan a trip there soon, so hopefully everything pulls through!

    The Dainty Darling

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  63. This looks so fun!! I love Vegas (especially the shopping OMG). I hope you had an amazing birthday!

    Cameron Proffitt

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  64. I have never been to a concert in Vegas...not sure why since we have gone 4 times and I also have not been to the darn sign! That's awesome there is someone there to take the picture. I think the pictures of you guys at the grand canyon are my faves!

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  65. Woww.. Great choice. Both of you look amazing all the time. Never been to Las Vegas but positively looking forward to plan a trip to Las Vegas with my partner.

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