Vegas: Instagrammable Spots + Tips on Getting Experiences Comped

ast week was our sixth year of heading to Vegas together for the weekend – these are my girlfriends who I celebrate Christmas with, in pajamas (you may have seen last year’s pajama party). We met through pageantry and we agreed that one of the best things we look forward to during our trip is getting ready together!

In this post I will recap our trip and share some Instagrammable spots, and also share where we went this time around – there are new things to do and see in Vegas.

We like Vegas as our girl’s weekend getaway because its awake at all hours. We can shift our schedule and we’re never late, or early. We also have free hotel room night stays, parking, and a small food allowance (varying from $100 to $200) thanks to Jennifer who is a M Life card holder and long time patron. I’ll talk about how to get things comped while in Vegas because it’s out there for the taking – and you should take advantage of it!

We have had a wardrobe color scheme for the past three years which began unintentionally until we realized how good it looked in photos so we kinda just kept it going. We don’t overthink it, but it works out great with little force or planning.

The Palms – APEX and KAOS

First night out we went to The Palms because my girlfriend Lisa was there for a Vegas magazine event. The guy who took this photo for me made fun of my Canon G7x camera but I was like listen, iPhone doesn’t take great photos, the flash does not look great so whatever dude, and look, my photos are awesome. I’ve even dropped it a few times and it still works great! It has wi-fi and I can just send it over to my gfs and we can post a great resolution image. I highly recommend it as a daily travel companion.

But when we arrived we got side tracked and went to APEX before which has an incredible view of the strip.

Daylight Beach Club

From this night my friend Lisa connected me with her friend who then hooked me up with a friend who worked at Daylight, a day club and we secured a free daybed and bottle service.

It’s a spot we like, it’s not too huge and it’s close to our hotel so it works great for us. See more of my outfit details here.

 

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Tips on getting experiences comped in Vegas – like dinners and bottle service

This will work better in a group setting – just look dressed up and ready for a good time. After a few years of trying to figure things out on our own we realized there is so much available for free because hosts and promoters need to do their job – all you have to do is take them up on it!

• Post on Instagram and stories a few days before you go using hashtags #Vegas #LasVegas and tag any Vegas location on the strip. Your DMs will fill with promoters or hosts who invite you to get on VIP lists.
• Continue to post on your social media handles while you are in Vegas. You do not need a big following at all. Promoters aren’t looking for that they are looking for heads to get into their clubs. Use hashtags and location tag where you are and respond to promoter comments or DMs to secure your VIP experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for comped bottle service not just a guest list line.
• Walk around casino floors and lobbies for a while and let promoters come up to you – they will. They will invite you to the clubs they represent. I used to think this was creepy and too sales-y until I realized they actually get you to the front of the line and this is their job!
• Hosts have more pull than promoters. Hosts can get you more than a promoter but it’s not often you get in contact with a host. Hosts can give you free dinners (you don’t get a menu you get what the chef brings out family style but it’s still free). Be grateful to your host and tip them at the end. You also can get cabanas. But promoters can also get you cabanas too, just ask.
• Have a hotel VIP card. Certain level MLife (MGM) cards get free hotel parking (otherwise it can be $15 self-parking every day or $25 for valet parking) and it’s a free card like a membership points card. You should use the card to get points as you eat, stay and gamble. More points means invitations to comped hotel nights. I don’t have a card but Jen does and it’s important to be active every time you go so you can be invited again.

So here’s what happens when you get a daybed or table with bottle service works – usually you can get it free from a host or promoter it until they sell the table or the actual paying clients show up then you gotta scoot. We arrived at 11:30 and stayed until 3 pm which was fine because we were on our way out anyway to get ready for our dinner.

You should still tip the waitress on the amount. You can order food (not free). It’s so nice to have a spot to lounge and hang out!

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Catch at Aria

The entrance to Catch is gorgeous, so many photo ops.

This restaurant is not only beautiful (we sat in a bird cage-like area) but it’s delicious! It’s family style and we thought we wouldn’t go that route but then we realized it’s best to do it! The lobster Mac and cheese is amazing!

This wasn’t my jumpsuit, it was Jen’s. She brought it and decided she wasn’t going to wear it and everyone tried it on. I had a different outfit planned with sequins but then I thought oh heck, I’ll try it on. I did and then it was decided I would wear it. There are perks to not having boobies, ladies *wink* haha so I was able to wear it without feeling too exposed.

Janet Jackson at Park Theater

We ate out delicious dinner and then headed to Janet Jackson! She has a residency now at Park Theater.

What a fun night of singing to a legend!! What a show.

Later that night we had a cabana with bottle service waiting for us at Encore Beach Club – it was so beautiful! I didn’t take photos because they took my camera away and I had to pay $15 to get it back! Wah! We shared the cabana with some other girls who were adorable and made friends, it was so fun and warm in the cozy cabana. It’s like being social but not haha!

We met girls who were 22 and graduated from NAU, small world! They were so sweet and they were so kind to us – we also ran into them in the lobby the next night it was such a wonderful coincidence.

Toast Society

We woke up late the next day and hopped into the car and drove to Toast Society by 2 pm we had 1 hour before they closed! We’ll call this lunner – lunch and dinner?

I saw it on IG and thought this was the cutest spot we needed to check out – it was not only cute in person but it was delicious. They have sourdough gluten free bread too.

Xavier Mortimer’s Magical Dream

We talked about seeing a magic show that wasn’t too dark or scary and I wanted an entertaining one! PR from Xavier Mortimer’s camp reached out and it was perfect timing. Xavier has been in show business for years and was seen on America’s Got Talent.

It’s family friendly and sooooo entertaining. The magic was so cool I don’t even understand how he was jump roping in air and we were first row! Unbelievable.Very creative, very fun, small theater and very intimate.

Melayne was called on stage for a trick which was incredible and it was so enjoyable. I highly recommend it and you can bring your kids – I saw a few very young kiddos there. The show is at Bally’s. He’s also French so you know me, gotta love that accent!

Find tickets here. Sommer said she wanted to bring her kids to the show next time.

Batista’s Hole in the Wall Italian

A short walk after the magic show we went to Batista’s, Melayne’s go-to when she’s in Vegas. It’s family style and with the three of us we shared 3 pasta dishes. It includes a red and white wine with your meal!

XS Club Encore at Wynn

Encore is one of the most beautiful hotels. We returned for the second night for XS, we had a promoter get us VIP but as we headed to the line, a new friend Brian chatted us up who were hosts and invited us to walk in with them and hang out in a cabana.

XS is also a pool beach club during the day and at night it’s a club as well. It was freezing the night we were there but thankfully were heaters in the cabana so we were lucky. It was funny because we really didn’t dance but we did socialize with new friends, each other and just liked to be out in the ambiance without really being in the thick of it.

Another reason I love Vegas, everyone just talks to each other – it’s so friendly! It reminds me of international traveling chatting with locals or fellow travelers.

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And that was our 3-day trip of fun. I hope this gives you some ideas of where to stop in and check out whether to eat, or watch a magic show – Vegas is full of entertainment!

It flies by way too quickly and every time we start the trip we dread the day it’s over so we try our hardest to be in the moment. I hope you find some Vegas time and some new places to pop by on your next trip! Until next time!