An American Road Trip: Part 5: Vegas

Day 10 - 14 Las Vegas
Hotel: MGM Grand

The Road Trip so far had brought some of the most memorable experiences of my life, and as I woke on the morning of my birthday I knew that the day would bring another.  How many times could a guy from Manchester drive to Las Vegas on his birthday.  This was a birthday I will never forget.

When we arrived at the MGM Grande, my family back at home had sent us a voucher to congratulate us on our engagement, to be spent on either food or a show.  My brother also requested that when we get to our room we should drop him a text so he could ring us.

The MGM Grand is huge, absolutely massive! It took us at least 30 minutes to get from the lobby to our room.  The size and scale of this hotel was a little daunting, even though we had been to Vegas just a week earlier.  When we checked into our room, we had a little chat with the family, checked up on Baby Lisa and then out onto the strip we went.  On the first week in Vegas, we had tried to stay at the top end of the strip so that once we returned we could see the hotel nearer to the MGM.  Our first stop, because it was my birthday request, was for Hot Wings and Key Lime Pie in Hooters.

We then went off to see the newly refurbished Tropicana, The New York New York and a new group of hotels that when I came to Vegas in 2009 were still just metal structures with no fascia.    The Aria, Cosmopolitan, Crystal and YSL are phenomenal.  Both beautiful inside and out.

Clare had bought me a Grand Canyon trip for my birthday, but we got a phone call in the morning to let us know the President Obama was coming to town and all flights were grounded.  So we decided a little walk to the Vegas Sign would be a lovely treat.  It looks a lot closer than it actually is.

On our way to the airport that evening,we passed Limo-One, the Presidential Limousine and gave Mr Obama a little wave.  The flight over the Grand Canyon was something I had always wanted to do and was as breathtaking as I thought it would be.  In our little tiny but very noisy plane, we flew over Vegas, out to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and then on to the Canyon itself.  The pictures do not really give it justice, it mainly looks like huge rocky caverns and crevices, but it is an amazing sight.  On our return flight to Vegas, as we had taken the later journey we saw the sun set over Sin City.

After an amazing day, there was only one way we could end it. Still wearing jeans and Tshirt from our trip we were sat at our table in Wolfgang Puck's restaurant surrounded by suits, ball gowns and high rollers.  The waiter looked a little cranky as we refused the Wine List and just asked for two beers.  When he came to take our order though his demeanor changed.  Two of the most expensive steaks please and serve them bloody.  The Kobe steak I had was THE BEST steak I have ever, and will ever, have!  Clare had a blue cheese sauce on hers which I could have had on it's own.  My mouth is watering now as I type

Clare had really wanted to go and see M&M world, and all three floors of it, since we had arrived in Vegas, so me being the perfect fiancee willing took her to see this delight.  M&M brand on everything you can imagine and some things you can't.

Our amazing holiday was coming to a close and we had seen and done so much.  We were both looking forward to coming home knowing that the next twelve months were going to be pretty hectic with wedding planning.  At the start of our holiday (before Clare knew about the proposal) Clare had decided that the winner of the two week game of Uno should choose the next holiday destination. This meant, as the winner, I could choose and it was going to be our honeymoon.  

As the plane started it's pre-flight checks and made it's way towards the runway, I bade farewell to this great city and promised I would be back, but this fell onto deaf ears as Clare was already asleep.

An American Road Trip: Part 4: Palm Springs

Day 8 - 10 Palm Springs
Hotel: Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Hotel

The closer we got to the hotel, the further up the Fahrenheit chart the temperature went, and not being able to find the hotel was also raising the heat in the car.  We stopped off at a little diner to see if they could offer directions but struggled to put our feet on the floor.  The time was approaching 12:00 and the temperature was 108 degrees.

When we eventually found the hotel I needed a shower,  the shower in the room was so powerful it pinned me to the back wall and took off the top layer of skin.  It was awesome. So awesome in fact that as soon as I came out of the shower, I told Clare how amazing it was, and then went straight back in the shower.

The Desert Springs was an idyllic oasis in the middle of nowhere, the views from our room was palm tree, palm tree, palm tree, huge dune, palm tree, palm tree.  You really got the feeling of isolation from everywhere, it was so relaxing, but really hot.

Palm Springs for us was a total relaxation in the middle of a hectic holiday and it was a welcome break.  The pools were beautiful, the grounds of the hotel very picturesque and the lobby full of tweeting parrots and birds.

On our first night we ventured towards the local restaurants and decided to go for a City Wok meal, this was probably the worst meal of the holiday but we were not expecting much and I was too hot to care.  Back to the hotel and a few cocktails later, I really didn't care, but I was still hot, time for a shower.

The second day was pretty much the same, relaxing by the pool, few cocktails and a buffet meal in the hotel and a shower, our relax time was coming to an end.  In the morning we were to return to Las Vegas.

An American Road Trip; Part 3: San Diego

Day 6 - 8
Hotel: Grand Hyatt Manchester

Once we had left the hustle and bustle of the LA roads, the tension seemed to ease and life seemed much more relaxed.  San Diego was seemingly a chilled out place.

As we walked into the Grand Hyatt Manchester we were stunned into silence.  An awesome building with a spectacular lobby and being upgraded to a corner room with a view on the 20th floor was just an added bonus.

When Clare and I entered our room for the next few days we were just dumbstruck.  Each window brought us a new vista, something amazing, and something to say Wow at.  From the Harbour to Disney's Port to Down Town San Diego we knew the next few days were going to be interesting.

We unpacked our things and then went off for a mooch around to get our bearings.  My first point of call, being a geek, was the San Diego Convention Centre were the ComicCon takes place every year.  We the wondered down to one of the ports of SD which we later found out was designed by Mr Disney himself.  All of this small tour was done with our room towering above us.  The Hyatt Manchester is not a building you can miss.

There is a hop-on, hop-off bus service in San Diego that takes in most of the sights and a driver that is knowledgeable on everything San Diegan.  From the Gasworks around Balboa Park, Little Italy and across to Coronado Island.  San Diego is a fantastic city with something for everyone.  That night, we decided to venture to Little Italy for a pizza and back to the hotel for an early night.

The morning after we had booked to go on the SEAL, an aquatic bus tour of the island.  Again, we had a little tour of the main city with more information about buildings and filming locations, but then the fun started.  Our tour bus was also a boat and into the water we went.  The local seals were straight at our side whilst the huge sea lions just hooted and hollered from the jetties. 

Back to Disney Port for a coffee and then the Hyatt for a catch up nap we switched on the TV and this is where Clare got hooked on two TV shows.  The first we have since started to watch in the UK was Storage Wars, auctions of abandoned storage units and the money that can be made from it and The hunt for Baby Lisa.  Whilst we were in America a tiny baby girl, Lisa, had been "pinched" from her home at 10pm and no one knew were she was.  Immediately the finger was pointed at the parents, but as the story went on more suspects came into the spotlight.

We decided for an evening meal we would venture into the Old Town via the tram, this was like walking back in time and into a Sergio Leone movie.  The roads in old town are just like you would expect from the Wild West, the old church, the Mexican feel to the shops and restaurants, we loved it. The Fajita's and beer I had that night will possibly rank as the best Fajita's I have had.

In the morning we were due to leave for our next destination, Palm Springs, but we really did not want to leave this fantastic city, so we ventured up to Balboa Park again and then over to Old Town for breakfast.




Our time had to come to and end eventually, and off we set towards the desert.

An American Road Trip: Part 2: Los Angeles

Day 4 - 6
Hotel: Angeleno, Los Angeles

As we left Vegas behind for our 300 mile journey through the desert we had to keep our eyes open just in case we found a specific diner my dad had asked us to call in to.  He had told us that there is a 50's style diner somewhere between Vegas and LA that sells route 66 memorabilia.  He was unsure of the name, location, and if it actually existed.  It did, and it was pretty much the only diner we saw, and it had the largest sign saying "Peggy Sue's 50's Diner"....we assumed that this would be the place.

The closer we got to the City of Angels, the heavier the traffic got, and so did the road rage.  Honking horns, busy freeways and drivers who refused to let you into their lane.  Driving was not fun.  As we arrived at the hotel, we noticed serious roadworks had begun on the adjoining bridge.  After an hour of very stressful driving we made it and I needed to relax.

On our first night we braved the freeway again and stressed our way to Hollywood boulevard. Bill Clinton was in town so the traffic near the Hollywood Bowl was carnage, and not good for this first timer.  Catching the Hollywood sign, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Star Walk, the Kodak Theatre and a brisk encounter with 'the hood'.





In the morning we decided to go to universal studios early to avoid another stressful journey and grab a drink in Starbucks on Universal City Walk.

We then ventured into Universal Studios, our first stop was the Star Tours bus ride which took us round various sets from the Universal Backlot, including Amity Island, Hill Valley and Skull Island. The King Kong 3d section was fantastic.  Clare loved the Simpson;s ride after panicking all the time in the queue that she would be scared, she absolutely loved it.



The Jurassic Park ride was Clare's limit and after going on this there was a collective decision for now more big rides.  Universal Studios is a brilliantly entertaining place, fun of thrills, laughs and memorabilia, great for movie buffs like myself or those engaged to them.  We decided to grab our evening meal here to avoid rush hour traffic (or any traffic) and ate at Tony Roma's which was one of Clare's favourite meals of the holiday.

We had bought a 2 day pass to Universal Studios so decided to avoid the traffic again and do the same thing, so off we tottered early morning back to city walk.  The tour took a different route, we saw more things that we had missed the day earlier and we grabbed an evening meal at Bubba Gump Shrimp, Go Forrest!

The morning we were due to leave LA we set off into thick fog, with the let down of the Hollywood sign, the star walk being filthy and the general traffic of LA, we were happy to leave, but didn't know what to expect in San Diego.

An American Road Trip: Part 1: Vegas

Day 1 to 4: Las Vegas

Having spent my 30th Birthday in Vegas, I really wanted to take Clare to see that bright lights city and have some fun.

As Clare had never been to America, we decided that a road trip would be one of the best ways to take in Nevada and California and see the sights.

Hotel: The Mirage

We arrived in McCarren airport a little tired after one long flight.  I had pretty much watched films all the way there, whilst Clare decided to chip her tooth on a Curly-Wurly.  We collected our bags and our transport for the holiday and set off to the Vegas Strip.

Having never driven in a foreign country before, joining the 8 lanes of traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard was a vast learning curve, to which I made a couple of wrong turns into the wrong hotels, but on the whole I think I did pretty well.
When we arrived at the Mirage,we were upgraded to a Strip facing room and we settled in...until Clare realised that she didn't have her purse.  I remembered seeing it on the back seat of the new car so off I ran to the car park.  If you haven't been to Vegas then the size and scale of the hotels will be a little lost on you, but to say I ran for 30 mins would be a good guess.  Just before I entered the Car Park I noticed someone I recognised, "Morning Ray", I said, to which Mr Ray Liotta replied, "Morning".  With not much more than a nod and a wink and carried on to my destination to retrieve the elusive purse.

Feeling pretty out of it due to the massive time difference, we ventured onto the Strip to take in the sites around The Mirage.  The Venetian, Caesars, Bellaggio and Paris were our main points of visit, and I think Clare was in shock for most of the morning and afternoon as she didn't say much more than Wow or Woah.  After a big slot machine win for Clare and a burger we decided to call it a night and retire.

Morning two and we felt very refreshed and took in the sites of The Mirage Secret Garden, Bellagio Fountains and a few more of the hotels, only to decide to have a little siesta in the afternoon as the time difference was still haunting us.  We set our alarms, but they were useless.  We awoke to the sounds of a volcanic eruption of an epic magnitude, the show at The Mirage.  We quickly got up, realising that we had been asleep for hours and went to the Paris for a superb meal.

When we returned to our room that night, with the emotion of the Vegas Strip, the romantic meal we had just had and the fact that Clare was enjoying herself so much, I invited her to the window to take in how lucky we actually were.  This was when I got down on one knee and proposed to Clare asking her to be mine forever.  She said yes!


The day after we were on a high, so went to the highest place in Vegas, The Stratosphere, which involved walking past quite a few "walk through wedding chapels", we were very tempted but knew our family would love to be part of the big day.  Breakfast in the Circus Circus (I knew how to spoil my fiancee!), and Mexican in the Treasure Island for our evening meal, our first few days were over and in the morning we needed to head off to our next destination.

Vila De Carros (Portugal) May 2011

Hotel: Vila De Carros, Acoteias, Portugal

We had not even been on our "relationship testing" holiday (Turkey), and we were already booking another.

Clare was working as a Travel Agent for Co-Op Travel and rang me on my birthday to say, "Danny, I have found a deal for 6 nights in Portugal for £120 each, what do you think?"

 When we arrived in Vila De Carros, I felt rough...really rough.  I don't know if it was my Guinness Breakfast (a must for the start of every holiday), the flight, or a little bug I had brought with me.  We unpacked and I asked Clare if I could have a sleep for 10 mins and see how I felt.  The Portugal air, sunshine and atmosphere was a winner.  I was back and ready to rock.

On our second day, Clare suggested that we take a little walk from Acoteias across to Albufeira where Clare's mum and Mr Kev were staying, taking in a few sites along the way and seeing places Clare had lived and worked whilst a rep out here.  This little walk was a little further than I had expected and I happily welcomed a beer at our final destination.

I tried many of the local cuisines whilst in Portugal and Peri Peri chicken being the main one, had to be tried in several different restaurants.  One of local jaunts served fish so fresh you could pick the one you wanted from the tank.  This was definitely one of my favourite meals, and the port to finish was just divine.

Clare's mum is a karaoke diva and rocked the Albufeira strip every night with her angelic voice and I was dragged up on stage a few times as well.  One night at their hotel we entered into a quiz night, to which we won a segway experience in the Old Town.   So the day after, I claimed our prize and ripped up the tarmac hurtling round on my own two wheels.

Vilamoura was really picturesque and quaint, although I think we chose the hottest day to go there as on the beach my baldy head was baking.