Virgin Hotels Las Vegas – Curio Collection

Being situated in Coastal CA is most ideal for us. We have the Pacific on one side, and, in my humble opinion, the most spectacular landscape in all of America on the other side. I am referring to the Southern Utah and Northern Arizona region, where you will find my 2 favorite National Parks – Zion and Grand Canyon.

I sometimes wonder why I feel the need to travel to Hawaii when we have this in our backyard. Perhaps it’s the Aloha spirit that keeps drawing me back year after year.

Located nicely between the ocean and the canyons is Vegas. It serves as a hedonistic pit stop for us before and after our hikes in red rock country. No gambling or anything unsavory, just a small dose of pampering in luxury, and enjoying food we don’t normally get in South Orange County.

To avoid crowds and higher costs in Vegas, the best way is to visit during weekdays. I had initially used our Hilton points at the brand new Virgin Las Vegas, but managed to get a better room at 50% off during the Expedia Travel Week sale a couple weeks ago.

The huge fluctuation in prices throughout the week – weekend rates are at least 100% more than weekday rates.

The Virgin Las Vegas is a brand new (remodeled Hard Rock) hotel that opened 3 months ago, with a pool that was just completed several weeks ago. With June temperatures in Nevada easily reaching into triple digit territory, a nice clean pool on the property is imperative.

Unfortunately, the addition of sand in the pool made it unappealing for me. Luckily, the overcast day made it comfortable enough that we didn’t need to jump into the pool.

Before checking in, we decided to grab lunch at the on site Night+Market, which was unfortunately closed for lunch. So we ended up at Casa Calavera.

Registration desk with a thin crowd, just the way we like it. Registration was a bit glitchy due to interface issues, which Amex ultimately made right. Then the hotel didn’t have the room I had booked, and gave us key cards that didn’t work. This hotel has some real growing pains.

Small gaming area compared to the bigger on strip casinos

A desert decor greeted us as we stepped off the elevator

The downside to this hotel is that it’s located off strip, which can be a deal breaker for those who want to be on the strip. For us though, it worked out fine since it was just for a night’s stay before we head off for our hiking trip. Can’t beat staying at a new and clean hotel, with all the on site eateries one can ask for, for $95 a night.