It’s been too long since we’ve had a getaway that wasn’t commingled with a work trip. Lucky for us, all those work trips added up to a stash of airline miles just begging to be used. Happy to oblige, we booked a 6-night stay at The Venetian in Las Vegas.

This stunning hotel is an homage to the architecture and landmarks of Venice.

What sets this hotel apart is that all standard rooms are actually suites which include a step-down living room. The extra square footage really makes it feel like a home away from home.

Tired from our roadtrip and craving carbs, we dined on site the first night at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, an outpost of the lauded Brooklyn classic.

We shared a wonderful pie, half quattro formaggi (mine) and half pepperoni with hot honey (his). However, my sleepiness took over and all I have to show for our dinner is the salad course:

Promise I did better the rest of the trip!

The next day started slow and relaxed but we soon worked up an appetite and left our hotel in search of one of the city’s famous brunches. While many Las Vegas brunches are reserved for the weekend, the Wynn welcomes brunch lovers everyday!

For my first round, I stayed classic focusing on egg dishes, pastry, and potatoes.

I find buffet style food never lives up to its made-to-order counterpart, however the benedict was better than expected and the breakfast tostada felt like a new twist.

Next round was dim sum! This was a bit hit and miss compared to our local choices which have really spoiled us; but the salmon nigiri was a standout. However, the real winner of this round was the soy sauce served in a duck!

Naturally I’m now stalking Ebay so I don’t have to serve soy sauce any other way.

The remainder of our first day passed in a quiet haze, full and sleepy. We read, watched YouTube, snuggled up with oversized blankets, and ordered takeout Chipotle for dinner. It served as the perfect transition into vacation mode.

Our second full day packed a serious punch. The agenda was chockablock with shopping and dining.

We took a spin through the Bellagio and admired their botanical garden decked out for the Lunar New Year.

We grabbed lunch from Nashville staple Hattie B’s known for their unbelievably hot chicken. Having learned our lesson on a previous trip to Nashville, we behaved and ordered the mild. The cooling potato salad is a winner paired with any heat level!

Fair warning, the serving sizes were more generous than expected. If, like us, you enjoy snacking and sampling as much as possible then I would recommend ordering one meal to share. We ordered meals individually and sadly couldn’t finish either.

On a mission to be hungry again by our dinner reservation, we started shopping in earnest aiming to get as many steps in as we could. We thoroughly explored The Shops at Crystals where I paid a visit to my wonderful Fendi SA who I’ve shopped with for years. She even shared a sneak peak at their unreleased spring collection. So many beautiful pieces are coming soon!

Just when we felt like we couldn’t take another step we realized dinner time was approaching. We started with nibbles at Park MGM’s newly opened The Chef Truck in reference to both the movie Chef and, later, the streaming hit The Chef Show.

The food truck is a joint concept from chef Roy Choi and multi-hyphenate writer/actor/director Jon Favreau. We only ordered a single dish but the ham and cheese croquettes were incredible!

Continuing with the Roy Choi theme, we made our way across Park MGM to his bodega themed fever dream, Best Friend.

For our mains, my husband ordered the short rib tacos while I opted for kimchi carbonara.

My conclusion was that the food is perfectly fine. None of our dishes were particularly noteworthy although most were highly original. The ambience feels good and it’s a nice menu for sharing. If we had a larger party, this would be a great spot for nibbling a variety of dishes and small plates.

On Wednesday, we enjoyed one of life’s finest indulgences: room service. Nothing feels quite like waking up nestled in a fluffy bedspread and ordering in. The Venetian does it up big with white tablecloths, starched napkins, and fancy rolled butter.

Finally, I tore myself away from my third (fourth?) cup of tea to shop. We spent a lovely day exploring the cavernous Forum Shops at Caesars.

We whiled away the hours with a bit of serious shopping and a lot of snooping through watch and jewelry cases whose price tags rivaled that of an annual salary. Soon we blinked and it was time for the evening’s entertainment.

What could be better than a pre-show burger? A word to the uninitiated, if you’re not ordering your burger animal style at In-N-Out then you’re doing it wrong!

The night’s entertainment was taking in Mat Franco’s magic show at The Linq. As a first time magic show attendee, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was blown away. This was easily a trip highlight and I would recommend it without hesitation.

The next day we woke up to rain and made the executive decision to order a room service encore. We stayed in for much of the day hiding out from the weather and thankful for the thermoses keeping our coffee and tea service warm.

As evening fell, the recently opened Peter Luger in Caesars Palace was enough to lure us out. The original location in New York is legendary, an institution famous for their dry aging process.

Our meal started with the bread service which is paired with their signature sauce. The sauce is intended to be enjoyed throughout the meal – start by dipping the bread, later dip the steak!

For our appetizer we ordered thick cut bacon. If bacon on its own seems like an odd choice, give it a chance! It develops an almost caramelized crust while remaining inexplicably tender.

We also split a caesar salad which was easily sized to be sharable. The key is to not get full before the main event. Speaking of…

Rather than offering different cuts, the steak at Peter Luger is ordered by the number of people in your party. A sizzling masterpiece then arrives at your table with waiters hovering and expertly serving. Split by an enormous bone, one side is filet mignon while the other is ribeye.

We rounded out the meal with a side of German fried potatoes. Due to the staggering portions, I uncharacteristically decided to forgo dessert.

We started our last full day with a proper brunch at La Fontaine inside Fontainebleau. This recent, luxury addition to the strip juxtaposes sleek modernity with art deco flair.

His order consisted of toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and black coffee.

I chose oatmeal loaded with berries and hazelnuts, pain au chocolate, and a green tea. And for the best part? No brunch is complete without dessert.

A beautiful mille-feuille appeared and was positively drowned in caramel tableside. Delicious!

We kept the agenda light for our final day, lounging in our room and wandering the waterways and canals in our hotel.

When the shadows grew long, we hopped aboard the monorail and made our way to New York, New York. The bustling casino floor is lined with shrunken facades mimicking New York’s city streets. We ducked into the comfortingly dark booths of Nine Fine Irishmen for a parade of comfort foods.

We kicked things off with sausage rolls enveloped in a delicious puff pastry and served alongside coleslaw. Savory and tangy it set the tone for our dinner.

We shared a hearty portion of fish and chips as well as some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve had in ages.

I would highly recommend a visit but if you’re over thirty, I’d also recommend tums! These aren’t the lightest of dishes.

After dinner, we skipped the monorail in favor of walking back, lingering along the way to watch the Bellagio fountains. When we returned, we tumbled into our suite one last time and drifted off utterly relaxed and full, just the way a vacation should end.

Show business operates by the principle “leave them wanting more” and Vegas certainly did that. We can’t wait to book a return trip!