Vegas & Bryce & Zion & Grand Canyon West

Last month, J and I went on a semi-impromptu trip to Vegas. We booked and planned everything two weeks before our departure and everything worked out really well. We spent a few days in Vegas, then we rented a car and ventured off to a few national parks (Bryce Canyon and Zion) and then we headed back towards Vegas but detoured to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, stopped by Grand Canyon West, and then went back to Vegas to finish the trip with some pricey meals and spa time.

I actually really like Vegas - it's indulgent, the food is good, the weather is nice, and there's a decent amount of stuff to keep yourself occupied.

We stayed at the Cosmopolitan at the start of the trip and ended up with an awesome balcony and an amazing view of the Bellagio fountain. We had brunch at Din Tai Fung, saw Chris Lake at a pool party at the Marquee Day Club, enjoyed a multi-course dinner at Le Cirque, saw Dita Von Teese at the Voltaire, ate breakfast at Eggslut and Hattie B's, and dinner at Best Friend all within the first 48 hours.

After a bit of gluttony, we hopped in a rental car and headed off to Utah. I took J to have his first In-N-Out (verdict: he thought it was delicious) and then we did a quick drive through Bryce Canyon before heading towards Springdale.

Bryce was beautiful. The altitude was a bit high for me - my breathing got pretty shallow - so we didn't do any major hiking but luckily, there are plenty of beautiful views to be had without much work.

For dinner, we went to Black Sage, which was funny because it was the on site restaurant for the lodging for the following night but it was going to be closed while we were there. It was actually pretty delicious.

In the morning, we went to Zion, picked up our rental bikes (via Zion Outfitters, which we'd reserved earlier) and biked to the end of the park. We stopped for a hike and a view here and there. Zion is amazing.

We also splurged a little on a helicopter tour. I'm not the biggest fan of helicopters because the vibration is a bit overwhelming and I've found that it does make me sort of nauseated and headachey, but the views are pretty spectacular and unique.

So for one of our lodging options, we stayed at Open Sky Zion, which was a glamping spot. There's running water and flushing toilets though, so truly glamorous camping.

After our Utah adventure, we stopped at some quintessential American landmarks: Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.

We also stopped to see the Joshua trees just outside of Grand Canyon West.

Grand Canyon West is not as magnificent as the North or South rims but it is still v. beautiful and worth the few hour drive from Vegas. We stayed at the Cabins on site, which were really basic but nice. Along with the price of the stay, we were given entry to Grand Cabin West so we stopped by Eagle Point and did the hike up the rock scramble at Guano Point.

After our Canyon adventure, we drove back to Vegas and returned to a slovenly, luxe lifestyle. We had some hand rolls at Nomikai for lunch while waiting for our room at the Venetian to be prepped for us. Before dinner, we did a gondola ride and our gondolier was an awesome singer. For dinner we went to Bazaar Meat, which was really decadent and the meat was fantastic. It was such a Vegas-y dinner, considering we had cotton candy wrapped foie gras.

After dinner, we got a nightcap at the 1923 Prohibition Bar before calling it a night.

The next morning, we spent a few hours getting pampered at the spa and then scarfed down lunch at Miznon. The roasted long hot peppers were really good.

And then for our final dinner, we went to Joel Robuchon. We didn't get a chance to try any of his eateries while we were in France back in October/November so it felt right. The food was fantastic, as was the ambiance and service.

The next morning, we got a bit of brunch before heading to the airport. It was kind of a whirlwind trip but I felt so refreshed afterwards and honestly, I want to go back because I had so much indulgent fun and I felt so bougie; it's a great way to feel on vacation (and life in general).

Here's my video diary:

xoxo.