Travel Corner: Las Vegas (conclusion) (3of3)

CEBU, Philippines - As the sun slowly went down in Las Vegas, I found myself in a city that lit up right in front of me!

The members of the familiarization group – Daphne Yu of Cebu Fortune Travel and her mother Beverly, Jeanne Teh of Global Link Travel together with her husband Andrew and children, Adrian, Alliyah and Aaron, Mary Hyacinth Capacio-Saavedra of Greenline Travel, Charles Bryan Ho of ELS Travel, Maria Teresita Tatara of ATJ Travel and Tours Incorporated, Glenda Te-Diaz of Jewel Skies, Marilyn Cordeno of Arco Travel and Tours, Edith “Ditas” Pestano of Grand Hope Travel, Maria Enmajer “Majer” Mariano of Leisure Travel, Macrina Fuentes of Orientwind Travel, Marisol Barria of Marist Royal Travel and this writer representing The Freeman together with our travel/tour operator, Eugene Cheng of Unilink Incorporated and his son, Ellison, drove into the dazzling Las Vegas Boulevard better known as “The Strip,” the ultimate get-away (ker-ching!). Upon getting settled into the newly renovated Flamingo Hotel, a hotel made famous for its wildlife habitat, Yela Mas-Sanchez, International Leisure Sales Manager gladly gave us a tour around this expansive hotel.

In a city where endless entertainment is involved, you may want the traffic to come beneath you. Take a ride on the Las Vegas Monorail, which connects you to every single hotel there is located along The Strip in no time!

A visit to the Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Colorado River and Lake Mead the following day made this excursion truly Happy Holidays unique. One feature to look out for is the new glass Skywalk overlooking the canyon for a more breathtaking view. There’s just nothing else like it, so make sure to have extra space on your camera’s memory stick!

As everyday is a party in Vegas, don’t ever choose to miss the Viva Vision Canopy and Light show located at Fremont Street, in the older part of the city. Close by is the Golden Nugget Hotel, which features an actual golden nugget, the largest ever in existence discovered in 1980. Creating such beauty, the water show featuring synchronized fountains enhanced by light and music at the Bellagio Hotel is yet another fantastic option, the same hotel where Ocean’s Eleven was filmed. Inside, do prepare yourself to witness a massive chocolate fountain! One comment, which I thought was very true, was “you feel as if you need to brush your teeth just by looking at it!” But what a gorgeous evening it was, I was completely blown away!

Making everyday delicious, other points of interest are at the M and M’s World and Ethel M. Chocolate Factory or the Botanical Cactus Gardens, which are located directly in front of the factory. How about a photo opportunity at the famous Las Vegas neon sign or the giant guitar at the Hard Rock Hotel? Vegas is no doubt a city that you should visit at least once in your life, so whatever the purpose of your visit, your stay is what you make of it!

Apart from the endless range of gambling casinos, you will find an everyday bargain at the Las Vegas Premium Outlet, which is quite impressive if you choose to shop wisely! Here, you will find designer clothing for women, men and children, shoes, a range of suitcases, jewelry/accessories, home furnishings, food and drink. If this is not enough, other fun things to do at this outlet are crowding into the photo booths, relaxing at the aqua massager, taking kiddie rides, using the Internet stations and lightening your wallet on the countless sweet machines. A savings card is also available upon request.

As the trip slowly came to an end, I am reminded of how time goes by so quickly, when you meet so many lovely people and it is time for you to leave. I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my appreciation and gratitude to Philippine Airlines and Cebu Fortune Travel Incorporated for making this trip possible, to Marlinda “Mayen” Angbetic Tan, The Freeman Newspaper Lifestyle Executive Editor, all the members of the group who made this journey out of the ordinary and to Eugene Cheng for his wide knowledge, wonderful personality and extreme patience who went out of his way to make every single bit of our time very much worth it. Overall, it was such an enriching experience, which I am happy to do all over again!