September 2018, my husband's 50th birthday and so we decided on a trip to San Francisco (first visit) and Las Vegas (tenth visit - I think)!
Day 1 - We arrived at San Francisco International at around 4 pm on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow, and after collecting our luggage we found our way to the Lyft pick-up and ordered ourselves a Lyft, which we had never done before. For those of you who have never used Lyft or Uber, it’s very simple and straightforward, just download the relevant app. After a 45 minute journey, we arrived at Argonaut Hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf, where we upgraded our room for one with a view of Alcatraz and wandered out to get our bearings. We went down to Pier 39, had a quick look at the seals, soaked up the atmosphere and ate some fries. One of the things we didn’t do much of on this trip was eating, so I am unable to comment on restaurants, etc. We had breakfast each morning, and that pretty much set us up for the day, other than that we just ate snacky foods, fries, burgers, etc, and no alcohol - we saved ourselves for Vegas!!
Day 2 - The dreaded jet lag kicked in and we awoke at 3 am so we drank coffee in the room and messed around on our iPads, booking bike hire for that day! At 5 am my husband popped out to Starbucks, bringing lattes back to the room. We showered and dressed and went for a walk, getting back at 7 am, which is when Blue Mermaid opened for breakfast. I’d definitely recommend this place, it is open to everyone, not just hotel guests. We picked the bikes up around 9.30 am, having decided that we were going to go across the Golden Gate Bridge. As is usual in San Francisco, it was misty across the bridge and at the time of crossing, we couldn’t see the other side!
It took us about half an hour to cycle to the bridge from Fisherman’s Wharf, however, there are dedicated cycle paths for the majority of the route, so all was good. The bridge was very busy and you do need to be careful of pedestrians, but it was well worth the trip across. People say that there are lots of different climates around San Francisco, and upon arriving in Sausalito, on the other side of the bridge, the mist had disappeared and jumpers were off - it was positively warm! We parked our bikes, (paying $3) in a secure location where we locked them up, safely leaving the helmets with the bikes. There was a security guard at each end of the bike park, ensuring all remained safe and secure and you couldn’t leave with your bikes until you showed them your release ticket. We had a wander around Sausalito, stopping off for a coffee and popping in and out of the various shops before making our way back to collect the bikes and catching the ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf. As you are sailing back from Sausalito, you can see the steep streets that San Francisco is famous for.
We dropped the bikes off around 3 pm and then wandered up to see what Lombard Street was all about! It’s truly amazing and known as the 'crookedest street in the world'. Lombard Street is very steep and winding with the trees and bushes that have been planted alongside the road just adding to the attraction. This is definitely worth a visit. The photos I have don't do it justice, so take a look at the videos on YouTube.
Day 3 - Up early again and an early breakfast before heading down to the Alcatraz landing site where we had booked tickets for the 8.45 am crossing. 
You can book tickets exactly 90 days in advance of the date and time you want to go, but remember if you are in the UK, there is an 8-hour time difference. For example, if you want to go at 8.45 am you can book at 4.45 pm 90 days before. The early bird crossings sell out fast, so set yourself a reminder. The only authorised website for booking is this one - Alcatraz Tickets, so please don't be fooled by others. On arrival, you will be greeted by one of the guides, who was a former prisoner of Alcatraz, and they all have some fascinating stories. I would recommend taking the time to talk to them. Once inside, there was a stark realisation of the conditions these prisoners were living in and their reminder of the freedom across the water.
We spent about 2 hours on Alcatraz and if you are visiting San Francisco then you really should make this trip. It is insightful and interesting and something which will remain with you for a long time. On our return to Pier 33, we walked along the waterfront and into the financial district of San Francisco and then on into China Town and to the cable car museum. This museum is another place that is well worth a visit. In fact, it isn’t actually a museum, it’s a working building, with all the cables which are currently running the cable cars, on view.
You can book tickets exactly 90 days in advance of the date and time you want to go, but remember if you are in the UK, there is an 8-hour time difference. For example, if you want to go at 8.45 am you can book at 4.45 pm 90 days before. The early bird crossings sell out fast, so set yourself a reminder. The only authorised website for booking is this one - Alcatraz Tickets, so please don't be fooled by others. On arrival, you will be greeted by one of the guides, who was a former prisoner of Alcatraz, and they all have some fascinating stories. I would recommend taking the time to talk to them. Once inside, there was a stark realisation of the conditions these prisoners were living in and their reminder of the freedom across the water.
The one thing that is very evident in San Fran is the number of homeless people, which is shocking and upsetting, however, we didn’t feel threatened at all - just sad We were shattered after today and walked many miles through the ‘Streets of San Francisco’ so another early night for us!
Day 4 - Today we were booked onto a Movie Tour, which we booked through the website San Francisco Movie Tour. We met just before Pier 39 and climbed aboard the small minibus. There were only 9 of us on the tour which made it much nicer and more personalised. The concept was great, the guy in charge, Wiley, played us a clip of a movie, and then when you looked out of the window you were there! The tour was just under 3 hours, and I would highly recommend it.
We saw the Painted Ladies and the house from Mrs Doubtfire as well as the George Lucas building where scenes from Star Wars and Harry Potter were filmed. The tour was fantastic, have a look at the website and all the tour information is included there.
When we got back from the movie tour, around 1 pm we took a Lyft into the centre of San Francisco and into Westfield Shopping Centre, we didn’t stay long, bought a few things, and then caught a Lyft back, dumped our bags and went off around Fisherman’s Wharf again for snacks and a wander.
Day 5 -Up early and a visit to the seals again, and it was so early there were only us visiting! It was so lovely to see them, and everyone who visits San Fran must go and see them. Apparently, they appeared after the earthquake in 1989 and never went away!
Final breakfast at the Blue Mermaid and then a Lyft to the airport where we were Vegas bound!
Day 5 continued... we flew into Las Vegas on Monday 10 September 2018, and for anyone as obsessed with Vegas as much as I am - there is nothing quite like the sight of the strip as you fly into McCarran International Airport. We have an awesome host at Mirage, and she had already arranged a limo for us, the driver was waiting for us at baggage claim, taking our bags from the carousel and whisking us off to the Mirage. Depending on where you stay, having a host usually entitles you to VIP check-in, and it makes such a difference. You can be standing in line at the usual check-in for anything up to an hour, especially on a Friday or Saturday, so VIP check-in, with no queues in a chilled out room, is just the ticket. We had a room reserved in the Tower Suite, so, weaving our way across the casino floor we headed to our room for a quick shower before heading out.
That evening we ate at the Wynn buffet, which I had wanted to visit as others had raved about it. I have to say that I was disappointed, with the price we paid I thought the food was simply average, there wasn’t as much choice as I thought there would be, and the waiting staff were unfriendly, although this is obviously just my opinion. We followed dinner with a cocktail or two at Parasol Down and after a little gamble, we made our way back to Mirage.
Our room had been filled with balloons as a nice touch for my husband's upcoming 50th birthday - we couldn't move for balloons, it was incredible! 
Day 6 - We picked up a car from the Avis desk at Mirage and tackled American roads for the first time - who knew you could turn right on a red light! Our first stop was Hoover Dam which is located on the Arizona/Nevada border. Here you can step from one time zone into another. 
If you enter from the Nevada stateside you are in Pacific Standard Time (PST) zone and if you enter from the Arizona stateside you are in Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone. Pretty cool I thought - as was Hoover Dam and well worth a visit. We stayed on the outside, although you can take a tour to see the workings inside.
Lake Mead was our next stop and was absolutely huge (112 miles long) and spectacular. It also provides 90% of the drinking water for Las Vegas. You can drive down to the lake itself but unless you're planning a camping trip I'd take your photos from the Visitor Centre otherwise you have to pay $25. To end our trip out today, we drove through The Valley of Fire State Park, its name comes from the red sandstone formations, which were formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago. The park is so quiet with spectacular scenery and petrified trees - definitely worth a visit.
Once we had arrived back in Las Vegas we visited Carnegie Deli at Mirage for a bite to eat before we went to see the show Absinthe at Caesars Palace. Described as 'an adults-only, circus-style spectacular that combines old-world burlesque with speciality acts and outrageous comedy'. That was an understatement, it is an absolutely phenomenal show, but it is very politically incorrect, with a lot of swearing and sexual content so do your research first If you’re ok with that, then you’ll love it!
Day 7 - This was a very long day, but just the best ever! We took an 8-hour round-trip drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Photographs really don't do it justice so if you ever get the chance to go, then yes, just go.
Day 8 - we took a drive out to Red Rock Canyon, which is a one-way, 13-mile scenic drive and lies in Nevada's Mojave desert. It has similar scenery to the Valley of Fire, providing excellent photo opportunities. On our way back to the strip we called into Red Rock Casino and Green Valley Ranch for a look at a couple of out-of-town casinos. We lunched at Pizza Rock which is an awesome pizza place with the best pizzas I've ever tasted. You can also find one at Downtown Grand, in downtown Las Vegas. This evening we had tickets booked to see Rat Pack Live at Tuscany Suites. For those of you who don't know it, you walk down the side of Ballys and keep walking for about 20 minutes, and it's on that road. I loved it, it was a small, intimate showroom, and we were close to the front. I enjoy all the old swing music, and it took you back to what the Rat Pack would have been like in the olden days - apart from the fug of cigarette smoke which I oddly missed - it would have made it more authentic!
Day 9 - This was our first day without the car, and so we decided to take a walk up to Circus Circus for old time's sake. This is the first place we ever stayed in Vegas, and I know it has a bad reputation, but I can honestly say that at the time it was fine, but no, I wouldn't stay there again, it's too far up the strip, and there are others, centre strip which are just as cheap if that's what you're aiming for. We had heard great reviews for Peppermill, an American diner on the strip between Sahara and Wynn, so we stopped for brunch. We had about half an hour wait and I thought it was 'just ok'. It was nothing special, the food was only lukewarm, and personally, I just wouldn't bother - there are better places to eat. We wandered up to Wynn for a look around, they have some amazing decor with the merry-go-round and the hot-air balloon made out of flowers that truly look real.
Day 12 - This was our final full day, we popped up to the Fashion Show Mall to buy my son-in-law a Golden Knights jersey, a gift card for our host, and a spare suitcase. We then headed out to Premium North Outlets to buy clothes to fill the suitcase! Later in the afternoon, we headed for Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips - this is always a go-to place for us if we want a quick snack and no, they aren't the cheapest fish and chips in the world, but they are yummy. These were followed by Fat Tuesdays (Google them), and some gambling at The Linq before we headed back to Mirage to get ready for dinner for my husband’s 50th birthday! 
Whilst I was lounging in the bath, he went downstairs into the casino to wait for me and got another hand pay of $3200 (what a great birthday present)! I had booked dinner at Prime, Bellagio on the terrace, in front of the fountains. It was absolutely amazing, and for a special occasion I would highly recommend it, but when I say the tip was $70 you might have an idea of how much the bill was!
Whilst I was lounging in the bath, he went downstairs into the casino to wait for me and got another hand pay of $3200 (what a great birthday present)! I had booked dinner at Prime, Bellagio on the terrace, in front of the fountains. It was absolutely amazing, and for a special occasion I would highly recommend it, but when I say the tip was $70 you might have an idea of how much the bill was!
Day 13 - A day of travel, and we were headed home but not before we checked out, and our host had comped everything, and I mean everything. We didn’t pay for a single night's stay, no food, no drink or coffees, and yes, I am including that meal at Prime on there. As I and many before me have said, if you are staying at a property that is linked with others, charge absolutely everything to your room. It helps if you gamble, but if you do then definitely do this - hopefully you won’t be disappointed.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask or private message me, I will try and answer everything. If you got this far, thanks for reading - Viva Las Vegas
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