So sorry for the long break! Being in Las Vegas and then recuperating from the trip have taken some time. Every year at the end of July, my husband gets sent to Vegas for training. Since the hotel room is payed for, I like to tag along and relax while he is working hard (poor guy). The food scene in Vegas is pretty stellar, so we always like to try some new places in addition to hitting up old favorites.
The first half of the week of training is located at Caesar’s Palace. Sometimes we stay there, but this year we wanted to try out the brand new Cosmopolitan Hotel. The photo is the amazing view from our balcony out over the Bellagio fountain show (which I totally love). Yes, the Cosmo decided to be risky and is one of very few places in Vegas with balconies!
The design of the place is very contemporary and glamorous and the rooms are GORGEOUS. This is the shower that was in our room – HUGE and connected to a big soaking tub that looked out on the city. Awesome.
The Sahra Spa at the Cosmopolitan is small but beautiful. Designed to resemble the dessert, the facilities include saunas, steam rooms, cool mist rooms, and large whirlpool tubs with warm rainfall features. That whirlpool was pretty awesome, but I still prefer the facilities at Qua.
In addition to the standard treatments, Sahra also offers Turkish inspired Hammam treatments. The Hammam room can hold up to four people and treatments range from half an hour to 2.5 hours. The focal point of the room is the heated “mother stone” where treatments are performed. There are also 2 steam rooms, 2 tubs, 2 showers, and heated lounges.
We definitely wanted to try out this signature experience, so we purchased the “Red Flower Experience” at $250 pp for 80 minutes. The treatment began with us laying on the mother stone and the therapists pouring bowls of warm water over us, sometimes gently, sometimes with more force to resemble massage. They used a bubbly, tea scented cleanser and a lemon and olive pit scrub. Then we were sent into the steam room for a bit before being washed down again and having a (delicious smelling) jasmine clay wrap applied. Then it was more steam, another water treatment, and a massage on the mother stone. This treatment was very relaxing and a total experience, I definitely recommend it.
The Cosmopolitan also has a spa, fitness center, 3 pools, and lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars. More info on the restaurants to come in Pt 2.
The second part of the training is at the Rio, just off the strip. Rooms there sell out quickly, so we usually end up at the Palms just across the street. This is not my favorite part of the trip because both hotels are a little run down, and it is more difficult to get over to the strip so it is a little isolated. The rooms in the Palms Place tower are supposedly quite nice, but the regular Palms rooms are what you would see in any Hilton, Marriott, etc… The hotel seems to attract Jersey Shore types, as well, which is not really my thing. But since it is the end of the week, I am mostly resting by this point anyway.
The pool at the Palms is always packed and noisy from their weekend pool parties. So I prefer to head across the sky bridge to the Palms Place where the pool (pictured above) is quiet and relaxing.
Both the Palms and Palms Place have their own Spa and Salon (but I haven’t visited either yet). The Palms has a full movie theater inside their casino, which is helpful for entertainment off the strip. For restaurant info, stay tuned for Pt 2.
The Rio across the street has a free show every hour from 6-11 that is pretty cool. Dancers and singers on a big stage in the casino perform for about 20 min, then climb aboard giant Mardi Gras parade floats attached to a track in the ceiling and throw beads. It is titled the Show in the Sky.
The Rio is also home to the hilarious Penn and Teller, and the Chippendales show (which I think is a lot of fun).