TripScout: Giving Vegas another shot

Cosmopolitan

My new Travel & Leisure magazine arrived today - Yay! I saved it for an after dinner treat. I'm trying to ween myself off Halloween candy and I thought it would certainly be less fattening and WAY more satisfying. And it was. I gleaned many nuggets of travel-wisdom from it that I want to share with you, but I'll start with just one. Vegas.

I hate Vegas. Really, I do. I went once and it was crowded, expensive and...well....sad. Waking up to the sight of people still drunk and staggering around the hotel casino while I'm in the cafe enjoying my Krispy Kreme and delicious black coffee was just icky. Yes, I know, it had everything to do with the fact that my 20's are behind me and, at the time, my kids were preschoolers. Back then a full night's sleep sounded way more self-indulgent and decadent than anything else. We stayed at the Luxor which was fine. Sufficient. Blah. It wasn't a horrible weekend - we had fantastic food and excellent spa time - but it certainly wasn't anything I'd rush to do again.

Back to my magazine. Normally, I'd blow right by an article on Vegas but something caught my eye. This article was about another new hotel (seems like they pop up all over Vegas constantly - like warts) but this one sounded....well, different. First of all, I liked the name: Cosmopolitan. I enjoy the cocktail, so maybe it's a sign that I should give a hotel by the same name a fair shot. Would it be pink and girly? Then I read a quote from CEO, John Unwin, who said he's "trying to draw people who have never been to Vegas, or who've visited and decided it wasn't for them." Hmmm....you were saying?

The Cosmopolitan sits right between Oz and The Bellagio. From the outside, it looks alot like every other glittery building around it, but on the inside - well, that's where it gets more interesting. Sure, it's big - with a 32 room spa, 14 restaurants, 3 pools, plus retail and of course, a night club. But it's design is chic, urban and ecclectic.

Cosmopolitan guestroom balcony

Sweet Suite

Guestroom - beautiful....and girly

Big time chefs were brought in from some of the most successful New York and Los Angeles restaurants. A night club god from the Tao Group responsible for some of the hottest NYC and Vegas spots is in charge of your entertainment.

Nightclub - they have a Dayclub too. That sounds like trouble.

But, my favorite thing about this place? The "secret" pizza parlor hidden somewhere in the hotel. They won't even advertise it. Instead, "it will be lying in wait - a discovery for those in the know". Ok. I know me. And I know that I'd spend my whole weekend looking for it and I have no problem with that.

I have to admit, it's got me thinking that maybe it's worth giving Vegas another chance. I'm not too old to stay up all night. Well....maybe if there's coffee and a doughnut at the end of it.