EVERYDAYLIVINGNYC

View from the sky looks incredible. A direct flight from NYC to Las Vegas took about 5 hours. I rode Jet Blue and would definitely recommend them.

 

 

I was greeted by the famous welcome to Las Vegas sign at the McCarran International Airport. I know Vegas is all about the gambling but, I was shocked to see slot machines also in the airport. LOL.  

 

I stayed at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and I loved it. Its about a 15 min drive from the airport and its on the end of the strip. I took a super shuttle there and I think its a great way to get to your hotel. No need to rent a car. The Check-In process was quite smooth. Probably waited for 5 minutes, given my key card and map (yes a map, its a HUGE hotel) and was on my way to the room. My room was huge as you can see below. It can easily accommodate at least 6 people comfortably, 10 people if you really wanna stretch it. The bathroom was really huge too. Shower and bathtub with a tv included. Everything was already paid for like I said, so I was lucky enough to get a room with a view of the pool and the airport. Yes, the airport, that's how close the hotel is.  But, upon check in, just ask and you might be able to get a room with a view. The hotel of course includes their own casino, tons of restaurants onsite and easily connects to other hotels in the vicinity. The other nearby hotels were Excalibur, Luxor, New York, MGM, Tropicana and the list goes on.

 

 

 

 

Of course, once my business meeting was done, I was free to do whatever I wanted. So like any tourists I took tons of pics sightseeing. This was my first time in Las Vegas and I highly recommend it. Def a great place to relax and have fun. I'm from NYC and I think this place is even brighter and better than Times Square. All you need is a pair of good walking shoes and you are good to go. I didn't even get to explore the entire strip or see any shows since time was of an essence. So, I def need to take another trip back to Las Vegas.

 

 

Have you been to Las Vegas? What are your recommendations?

 

XOXO,

Geri

 

December means winter, which means freezing cold temperatures. So, because I 'm not going on vacation anytime soon I will reminisce and look back at some of my favorite vacation spots. So, be on the look out for my travel blogs. The first series will be  about Puerto Rico.

 

The flight from NYC to San Juan was a breeze. In less than 3 hours we were in San Juan. In NYC, I was bundled in a hoodie to protect myself from the cold and once I got out of the airport we were greeted by the warm breeze. It was such an amazing feeling. 

 

 

 

The first stop right after the airport was our friend's apartment. He lived right on the beach, which was amazing. It was a cloudy day when we arrived, but it was still nice walking along the beach. In NYC the beaches, are not as serene and clean. In San Juan the water is crystal blue.

 

After that we went and toured Old San Juan. We didn't really get to walk around. Just took a few snapshots. It was really nice to see how historic it all looked. Oh and if any of you ever go on any cruise ships that dock at San Juan, you will be able to see this.

 

 

We wanted a quick getaway from NYC and the Poconos was just the right location to unwind. The drive there was less than 2 hours even during a busy Saturday morning. Checkout is at 4pm but waterpark access starts when you arrive. So, we decided to go a little early. We arrived there around 1pm but decided to grab some lunch before we checked in. There are lots of places to eat nearby. McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Red Robin and Subway were just a few places I spotted. There are also a ton of local mom and pop restaurants and there is a Walmart nearby as well.

 

We ended up arriving at Kalahari Resorts around 2pm. Check-In was really fast. Probably waited 10 min and we were told our room was ready for us, which was fantastic news for us. They gave us our wristbands which was used as our room key, waterpark access and can even be used to charge items. They have tons of carts so bringing our luggage to the room was a breeze.  Along the way we saw all the cute safari themed animals which decorated the resort. 

 

Once we got settled in, it was time to change into our swimsuits and head to the waterpark. You need to enter the arcade to go to the waterpark. You can grab towels at the entrance. Once you enter you are greeted by 80 degrees of hotness. There are tons of chairs and tables so just find one and put your things there. No one took anything of ours, but if you are paranoid there are lockers that you can rent as well. The waterpark is huge. There is so many things to do for children, teens and adults. There are kiddie pools and slides, hot tubs, a lazy river and tons of slides. There were lines, but it moved pretty fast. If you want, you can even reserve cabanas and have your own private getaway. We didn't get this, so I can't really comment but I did see that it had a TV and couches. We spent a few hours here. If you get hungry, you can also buy food and eat as you wish.

 

After that, we headed back to our rooms. We were tempted by the yummy goodies, but, decided to pass since we were still so full from dinner. Once, we reached our room we decided to sleep since we wanted to head to the waterpark again before we checked out.

 

 

 

The next day, we woke up early and ate breakfast in our room. Once 9am hit we headed back to the waterpark. Going early in the morning, means no lines and no people in the hot tub. Check out is at 11am, but you have access to the waterpark for the whole day. There are changing rooms and showers so that was a great benefit!!! I just wished checkout wasn't so early...But, after we were done with the waterpark we changed and decided to take some more pics of the resorts.