USA trip report - 4 states - 17 days
Mar 13th, 2024, 10:20 AM
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StuDudley I checked Laguna Beach now and it seems very nice! Looks like you made a good call. Hopefully we'll be able to return one day and explore more places!
Part 4 - Arizona
Day 1 - Kingman and sunset at the Grand Canyon
We woke up really early in the morning to start our drive, as we wanted to make sure that we didn't miss the sunset at the Grand Canyon. The drive there was approximately 7 hours without any stops, but it went by really quickly. We had packed lots of snacks to keep us going and really enjoyed seeing the desert scenery and listening to country music along the way. We stopped at Kingman, Arizona where there's a huge Route 66 sign (the end of which was marked by another sign that we saw at the Santa Monica pier) and some other tourist attractions. We briefly stopped at the Visitor center and took some silly photobooth pictures just for fun. We were hungry, so we got some lunch from a hole-in-the-wall Thai place right next to the Visitor center, called Bangkok Thai Cuisine. We were a bit skeptical at first, but the google reviews were really good, and it turned out to be a great decision! Our friend, who visited Thailand raved about the authenticity of the food and said that it was the best Thai food that he had outside Thailand. It was really tasty and very cheap.
We then continued until we reached the Grand Canyon. The forest rangers at the entrance with their uniforms were just like in the movies! Inside the park we saw deer a couple of times. Actually, everyone could spot the deer except my husband, who apparently was incapable of seeing them even when we were directly pointing out their exact location to him. He was so bad at spotting them that it became a running joke - thank God he doesn't need to hunt for his survival, because he wouldn't last long!
Thanks to the advice from some Fodorites, I was able to book us (many months in advance) a hotel stay for a night at the El Tovar inside the park. We loved the decoration of the hotel and the beds were comfortable. We left the hotel to register for the following day's activities at the Bright Angel Lodge. The staff there wasn't very friendly and did not seem to care about the guests' experience. I asked a girl at the reception there which was the best location to view the sunset and she just shrugged and said "anywhere". Anyway, we went to some of the view points and ended up at Hopi Point to see the sunset. It did fill up with people, but you could still walk around and see the views. The sunset was beautiful. The light reflected on the rocks, the sky was changing from gold to pink and purple by the minute and you could see the Colorado river at the bottom, like a glistening silver line. On our way back to the hotel we saw elk crossing the street. I wasn't expecting them to be so huge!
Back at the hotel, we went to the El Tovar bar for some drinks and appetizers (vegetarian chili and shrimps), until it was time for our dinner reservation. We tried to move it so that we could have an earlier dinner, but the restaurant was fully booked so it wasn't possible - in case you want to dine here, make sure you reserve as soon as your dates open up, as it's very popular. The dining room was huge with really high ceilings. It was decorated beautifully, but our table was at a smaller adjacent space next to the kitchen, which was much much darker and lacked in ambiance. We weren't really hungry, as we'd previously had the appetizers at the bar, so our friends got the French onion soup and my husband and I split a steak with mashed potatoes. Our friends said that the French onion soup was excellent. Our steak was a bit chewy, but we really liked the wine sauce, broccolini and mashed potatoes that it came with. After dinner, we went briefly outside to look at the stars - they were so bright and you could see so many! I wish we could've stayed for longer, but it was freezing!
Day 2 – Sunrise at the Grand Canyon, mule ride, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas
We'd booked a sunrise motorcoach tour so we woke up really early in the morning to be at the Bright Angel Lodge by 5:30 am. The tour wasn't really worth it in my opinion, but it's convenient if you're not a morning person (like us) and don't want to deal with transportation logistics this early in the morning in order to get to the view points to watch the sunrise. We stopped at a couple of view points and the guide mentioned a few facts about the park. The tour ended at Hopi Point, where we stayed for the duration of the sunrise. I think the sunset colors are more dramatic, but I'm glad that we had the opportunity to see both.
After the tour, our friends went to get breakfast at the hotel, and we stayed at the Lodge for our orientation for our Canyon vistas mule ride! Again, these fill up very quickly and need to be booked in advance. The ride began at the Grand Canyon Village Mule Barn and its duration was two hours on the saddle. We were given instructions for riding our mules, a whip for controlling the mule and had our water flasks and hats with us. We started to get nervous at this point, as it was the first time that we were riding, but many people who were much older than us were also riding for the first time, so we tried to concentrate on that! The wranglers split us into groups, matched us with our mules (depending on our experience and personality) and helped us get on the mules. We then started riding! It was an experience for sure! Even though the ride was my idea and I had to talk my husband into going, I became nervous that I wouldn't be able to control my mule and that we could get too close to the edge, but the path was wide and the wrangler explained to us that the mules are sure-footed and would never put themselves in danger, so I started to relax after a while. You really do need to control the mule though - at first, mine was stopping and trying to eat everything in sight and I had to pull her head to the opposite direction using the reins! The ride was on the rim (not down into the canyon) and we stopped a couple of times to drink water and admire the views. Our wrangler was a very friendly and approachable lady (I think her name was Julie but I'm not 100% sure) and explained a lot of things about the mules and the canyon. It was definitely a memorable and worthwhile experience!
After the tour, we hurried back to the hotel to check out. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for longer, so we didn't have more time to explore the park. We stopped at the General Store to get some snacks for lunch and we were on our way to Vegas!
Part 4 - Arizona
Day 1 - Kingman and sunset at the Grand Canyon
We woke up really early in the morning to start our drive, as we wanted to make sure that we didn't miss the sunset at the Grand Canyon. The drive there was approximately 7 hours without any stops, but it went by really quickly. We had packed lots of snacks to keep us going and really enjoyed seeing the desert scenery and listening to country music along the way. We stopped at Kingman, Arizona where there's a huge Route 66 sign (the end of which was marked by another sign that we saw at the Santa Monica pier) and some other tourist attractions. We briefly stopped at the Visitor center and took some silly photobooth pictures just for fun. We were hungry, so we got some lunch from a hole-in-the-wall Thai place right next to the Visitor center, called Bangkok Thai Cuisine. We were a bit skeptical at first, but the google reviews were really good, and it turned out to be a great decision! Our friend, who visited Thailand raved about the authenticity of the food and said that it was the best Thai food that he had outside Thailand. It was really tasty and very cheap.
We then continued until we reached the Grand Canyon. The forest rangers at the entrance with their uniforms were just like in the movies! Inside the park we saw deer a couple of times. Actually, everyone could spot the deer except my husband, who apparently was incapable of seeing them even when we were directly pointing out their exact location to him. He was so bad at spotting them that it became a running joke - thank God he doesn't need to hunt for his survival, because he wouldn't last long!
Thanks to the advice from some Fodorites, I was able to book us (many months in advance) a hotel stay for a night at the El Tovar inside the park. We loved the decoration of the hotel and the beds were comfortable. We left the hotel to register for the following day's activities at the Bright Angel Lodge. The staff there wasn't very friendly and did not seem to care about the guests' experience. I asked a girl at the reception there which was the best location to view the sunset and she just shrugged and said "anywhere". Anyway, we went to some of the view points and ended up at Hopi Point to see the sunset. It did fill up with people, but you could still walk around and see the views. The sunset was beautiful. The light reflected on the rocks, the sky was changing from gold to pink and purple by the minute and you could see the Colorado river at the bottom, like a glistening silver line. On our way back to the hotel we saw elk crossing the street. I wasn't expecting them to be so huge!
Back at the hotel, we went to the El Tovar bar for some drinks and appetizers (vegetarian chili and shrimps), until it was time for our dinner reservation. We tried to move it so that we could have an earlier dinner, but the restaurant was fully booked so it wasn't possible - in case you want to dine here, make sure you reserve as soon as your dates open up, as it's very popular. The dining room was huge with really high ceilings. It was decorated beautifully, but our table was at a smaller adjacent space next to the kitchen, which was much much darker and lacked in ambiance. We weren't really hungry, as we'd previously had the appetizers at the bar, so our friends got the French onion soup and my husband and I split a steak with mashed potatoes. Our friends said that the French onion soup was excellent. Our steak was a bit chewy, but we really liked the wine sauce, broccolini and mashed potatoes that it came with. After dinner, we went briefly outside to look at the stars - they were so bright and you could see so many! I wish we could've stayed for longer, but it was freezing!
Day 2 – Sunrise at the Grand Canyon, mule ride, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas
We'd booked a sunrise motorcoach tour so we woke up really early in the morning to be at the Bright Angel Lodge by 5:30 am. The tour wasn't really worth it in my opinion, but it's convenient if you're not a morning person (like us) and don't want to deal with transportation logistics this early in the morning in order to get to the view points to watch the sunrise. We stopped at a couple of view points and the guide mentioned a few facts about the park. The tour ended at Hopi Point, where we stayed for the duration of the sunrise. I think the sunset colors are more dramatic, but I'm glad that we had the opportunity to see both.
After the tour, our friends went to get breakfast at the hotel, and we stayed at the Lodge for our orientation for our Canyon vistas mule ride! Again, these fill up very quickly and need to be booked in advance. The ride began at the Grand Canyon Village Mule Barn and its duration was two hours on the saddle. We were given instructions for riding our mules, a whip for controlling the mule and had our water flasks and hats with us. We started to get nervous at this point, as it was the first time that we were riding, but many people who were much older than us were also riding for the first time, so we tried to concentrate on that! The wranglers split us into groups, matched us with our mules (depending on our experience and personality) and helped us get on the mules. We then started riding! It was an experience for sure! Even though the ride was my idea and I had to talk my husband into going, I became nervous that I wouldn't be able to control my mule and that we could get too close to the edge, but the path was wide and the wrangler explained to us that the mules are sure-footed and would never put themselves in danger, so I started to relax after a while. You really do need to control the mule though - at first, mine was stopping and trying to eat everything in sight and I had to pull her head to the opposite direction using the reins! The ride was on the rim (not down into the canyon) and we stopped a couple of times to drink water and admire the views. Our wrangler was a very friendly and approachable lady (I think her name was Julie but I'm not 100% sure) and explained a lot of things about the mules and the canyon. It was definitely a memorable and worthwhile experience!
After the tour, we hurried back to the hotel to check out. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for longer, so we didn't have more time to explore the park. We stopped at the General Store to get some snacks for lunch and we were on our way to Vegas!
Last edited by christtravel; Mar 13th, 2024 at 11:08 AM.
Mar 14th, 2024, 10:19 AM
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Part 5 (final part) - Vegas and return to Cyprus
We left Arizona and stopped at the Hoover Dam on our way to Vegas. We got off the car and crossed the pedestrian bridge, which was really impressive as well. The views from there were amazing, but it was so windy up there that I was scared that my phone would fall. We took a photo of the Nevada sign (our fourth state!). I also got some very good video clips of the bridge while we were driving! And then, we were on our way to Vegaaaas!
Day 1: Arrival at Las Vegas, checking out the Strip and dinner
I know Vegas gets some hate, but we loved it! First of all, the fact that the whole thing was built in the desert is incredible. Yes, it's fake, but that's the impressive part! I couldn't believe how big and elaborate these hotels were and it's mind-blowing how much money went into their development, and I guess, how much money the casinos generate. It's just something totally different from anything we'd ever seen! We're not gamblers or party animals at all, but Vegas is literally an adult playground and with all of the restaurants, world-class shows and other activities offered I think we could have easily spent a week there without getting bored. On our way in we passed by the Excalibur and New York New York and saw the Statue of Liberty and the Arc de Triumph. We stayed at the Paris and were very happy with our choice. Our rooms were really big, clean and comfortable, it's very conveniently located in the middle of the Strip, has some really nice restaurants inside and "the streets of Paris" theme with the creperies, boulangeries and street lamps was cute. Cafe Americano was very meta!
We took a shower, rested for a bit and got changed for dinner. We went to Margaritaville at the Flamingo, which was nearby. The food and drinks were fine, but nothing exceptional. We walked around for a bit, gazing at the lights. We wanted to see the Bellagio fountains, but unfortunately at the time access was restricted due to the road works that were taking place in preparation of the Formula 1 event. We saw them from inside the Bellagio hotel though.
Day 2 – Checking out some hotels on the Strip and Cirque Du Soleil
We had breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi - the waffles were really really good! We then walked around to check out the most well-known hotels on the Strip. We went inside the Flamingo and saw the gardens with the koi fish and birds, including flamingoes of course. Then we went to the Venetian Resort, which was really impressive. I think it was my favorite themed hotel. The square outside was really like the St. Mark's Square and the fact that there were actual canals with gondolas inside the hotel was just amazing. The gondoliers were serenading the passengers, which doesn't actually happen in Venice. When we went on a gondola ride in Venice, our gondolier totally killed the vibe by trying to make conversation with every other gondolier we passed by, actually screaming so that they could hear him for some reason. We still tried to enjoy the experience and laugh about it now, though it was really annoying at the time.
Anyway, back to Vegas! After the Venetian we went to the Ceasar's Palace, watched a bit the silly show they had on with the fight between the gods and browsed some of the shops. I bought a really nice leather jacket which was half price from a shop selling leather goods there. After that, we headed to Bellagio and we instantly recognized the impressive installation hanging from the lobby's ceiling as Chihuly's work! The conservatory and gardens were also impressive - the theme was autumn fairies from what I could tell. Our friends then decided to return to our hotel to chill by the pool, and we went to get lunch at Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan. I found it to be pretty expensive, but I guess that's the prices in a famous chef's restaurant at Vegas. After lunch we rested for a bit in our room and then we walked to check out some more hotels. We went to the Aria, Park MGM and New York New York. We had dinner reservations at Gabi Mon Ami - the salmon I got and the fish one of our friend's had were really good. The roast chicken that my husband and our other friend got was nothing special. For dessert, I got the chocolate souffle, but it was a bit underwhelming. In contrast, the apple tarte tatin my husband and our friends got is definitely worth ordering!
We then went to see the Cirque Du Soleil “O” show at the Bellagio. This was spectacular! I'd never seen a Cirque Du Soleil show before and after checking reviews, I chose "O" as it was the most highly rated one and had the pool. The tickets were a splurge for us, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which was worth it in my opinion. Our seats were really good (Section 102, row L, seats 21&22) and we could see everything very well. The skill of the acrobats is unmatched and everything, from the costumes to the music and the aquatic stage were truly mind-blowing! The only part of the show I didn't enjoy as much were the clowns. I didn't find them funny. At the start of the show, they went up to a couple in the row next to us and threw all of the guy's pop corn out of his hands! We were waiting to see whether someone would replace it, but no one did and I think he got annoyed - I would have been annoyed too. We passed by the Bellagio conservatory again - it was even better at night with the lighting! I went to sleep, and my husband and his friend went to test their luck. They set a limit of 100 dollars to spend each, and they both lost!
Day 3 – Fremont and music concert
We had breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi bistro again. That day was a Saturday and it was packed! We had to wait a long time for a table. We checked out from the hotel and drove to Fremont. We liked the old school vibes at the Fremont Street Experience. We listened to some music (there was a 90s band theme, which added to the retro vibes) and got some food from a tacos canteen there. After that, we played some slots at the Golden Nugget and we were on our way back!
On our last non-travel day, we rested at our friends' house until noon and then our friends took us to Ontario Mills for some shopping. The outlet stores there are really good and the deals that you can get are fantastic! We tried to limit ourselves as we didn't have a lot of room left in our luggage. For our final night, we went to the Cheesecake Factory to try the famous cheesecake!
Our flight was at noon the following day - our friend drove us to LAX and we boarded our Austrian Airlines flight to Vienna and then Cyprus.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip full of different experiences and we'll remember it for a lifetime. I can't wait to return to the USA and explore more places! If only it wasn't so expensive!
We left Arizona and stopped at the Hoover Dam on our way to Vegas. We got off the car and crossed the pedestrian bridge, which was really impressive as well. The views from there were amazing, but it was so windy up there that I was scared that my phone would fall. We took a photo of the Nevada sign (our fourth state!). I also got some very good video clips of the bridge while we were driving! And then, we were on our way to Vegaaaas!
Day 1: Arrival at Las Vegas, checking out the Strip and dinner
I know Vegas gets some hate, but we loved it! First of all, the fact that the whole thing was built in the desert is incredible. Yes, it's fake, but that's the impressive part! I couldn't believe how big and elaborate these hotels were and it's mind-blowing how much money went into their development, and I guess, how much money the casinos generate. It's just something totally different from anything we'd ever seen! We're not gamblers or party animals at all, but Vegas is literally an adult playground and with all of the restaurants, world-class shows and other activities offered I think we could have easily spent a week there without getting bored. On our way in we passed by the Excalibur and New York New York and saw the Statue of Liberty and the Arc de Triumph. We stayed at the Paris and were very happy with our choice. Our rooms were really big, clean and comfortable, it's very conveniently located in the middle of the Strip, has some really nice restaurants inside and "the streets of Paris" theme with the creperies, boulangeries and street lamps was cute. Cafe Americano was very meta!
We took a shower, rested for a bit and got changed for dinner. We went to Margaritaville at the Flamingo, which was nearby. The food and drinks were fine, but nothing exceptional. We walked around for a bit, gazing at the lights. We wanted to see the Bellagio fountains, but unfortunately at the time access was restricted due to the road works that were taking place in preparation of the Formula 1 event. We saw them from inside the Bellagio hotel though.
Day 2 – Checking out some hotels on the Strip and Cirque Du Soleil
We had breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi - the waffles were really really good! We then walked around to check out the most well-known hotels on the Strip. We went inside the Flamingo and saw the gardens with the koi fish and birds, including flamingoes of course. Then we went to the Venetian Resort, which was really impressive. I think it was my favorite themed hotel. The square outside was really like the St. Mark's Square and the fact that there were actual canals with gondolas inside the hotel was just amazing. The gondoliers were serenading the passengers, which doesn't actually happen in Venice. When we went on a gondola ride in Venice, our gondolier totally killed the vibe by trying to make conversation with every other gondolier we passed by, actually screaming so that they could hear him for some reason. We still tried to enjoy the experience and laugh about it now, though it was really annoying at the time.
Anyway, back to Vegas! After the Venetian we went to the Ceasar's Palace, watched a bit the silly show they had on with the fight between the gods and browsed some of the shops. I bought a really nice leather jacket which was half price from a shop selling leather goods there. After that, we headed to Bellagio and we instantly recognized the impressive installation hanging from the lobby's ceiling as Chihuly's work! The conservatory and gardens were also impressive - the theme was autumn fairies from what I could tell. Our friends then decided to return to our hotel to chill by the pool, and we went to get lunch at Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan. I found it to be pretty expensive, but I guess that's the prices in a famous chef's restaurant at Vegas. After lunch we rested for a bit in our room and then we walked to check out some more hotels. We went to the Aria, Park MGM and New York New York. We had dinner reservations at Gabi Mon Ami - the salmon I got and the fish one of our friend's had were really good. The roast chicken that my husband and our other friend got was nothing special. For dessert, I got the chocolate souffle, but it was a bit underwhelming. In contrast, the apple tarte tatin my husband and our friends got is definitely worth ordering!
We then went to see the Cirque Du Soleil “O” show at the Bellagio. This was spectacular! I'd never seen a Cirque Du Soleil show before and after checking reviews, I chose "O" as it was the most highly rated one and had the pool. The tickets were a splurge for us, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which was worth it in my opinion. Our seats were really good (Section 102, row L, seats 21&22) and we could see everything very well. The skill of the acrobats is unmatched and everything, from the costumes to the music and the aquatic stage were truly mind-blowing! The only part of the show I didn't enjoy as much were the clowns. I didn't find them funny. At the start of the show, they went up to a couple in the row next to us and threw all of the guy's pop corn out of his hands! We were waiting to see whether someone would replace it, but no one did and I think he got annoyed - I would have been annoyed too. We passed by the Bellagio conservatory again - it was even better at night with the lighting! I went to sleep, and my husband and his friend went to test their luck. They set a limit of 100 dollars to spend each, and they both lost!
Day 3 – Fremont and music concert
We had breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi bistro again. That day was a Saturday and it was packed! We had to wait a long time for a table. We checked out from the hotel and drove to Fremont. We liked the old school vibes at the Fremont Street Experience. We listened to some music (there was a 90s band theme, which added to the retro vibes) and got some food from a tacos canteen there. After that, we played some slots at the Golden Nugget and we were on our way back!
On our last non-travel day, we rested at our friends' house until noon and then our friends took us to Ontario Mills for some shopping. The outlet stores there are really good and the deals that you can get are fantastic! We tried to limit ourselves as we didn't have a lot of room left in our luggage. For our final night, we went to the Cheesecake Factory to try the famous cheesecake!
Our flight was at noon the following day - our friend drove us to LAX and we boarded our Austrian Airlines flight to Vienna and then Cyprus.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip full of different experiences and we'll remember it for a lifetime. I can't wait to return to the USA and explore more places! If only it wasn't so expensive!
Last edited by christtravel; Mar 14th, 2024 at 10:34 AM.
Mar 15th, 2024, 12:18 PM
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Thank you everyone! I really enjoyed writing it! oldemalloy we'd love to visit New York and Washington next time, but really, there are so many amazing places we'd like to see in the US. Realistically speaking however, I think our next trips will be in Europe, as they're much more affordable for us.
Mar 16th, 2024, 10:34 AM
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A wonderful, fun finish, christtravel! I shared your reaction to Vegas. When we were there the first time, food was inexpensive but that certainly changed over the years. Cirque de Soleil was incredible... we saw a different show but someone's popcorn got filched there also. Brava!
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