Las Vegas,Oahu and Maui part 1
We checked in with Virgin Atlantic and were given a nice surprise when boarding the flight, being upgraded to upper class. The experience in upper class is so different including the marvellous food and service. Our flying time to Las Vegas was just under 10 hours and the time went quickly watching the movies. Once we arrived at Las Vegas it was hot! 99 degrees F.
The queue was as long as to be expected when going to America. After clearing customs and immigration we decided to get a local bus to the hotel MGM Grand where we were staying costing $2.25 per person. The bus service runs hourly, so I would recommend a taxi as a cheaper and quicker option if you are travelling with two or more people. Journey time to hotel from the airport by bus is 20 minutes and by taxi 10 minutes both depending on traffic.
Once we arrived at MGM Grand hotel we were greeted again by a long queue, again this should be expected as the hotel has over 6000 guests. The check in staff were helpful and polite then we went to our room which was on the 21st floor, unfortunately not much of a view. We had a Grand King style of room. A suggestion if you like tea is to take a travel kettle with you as the rooms do not provide kettle and they charge $30 to hire one!
We stayed at this hotel for four nights on 6 May. The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the United States with 6,852 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of rooms and second-largest hotel resort complex in the United States behind the combined The Venetian and The Palazzo. When it opened in 1993, the MGM Grand was the largest hotel complex in the world and ideally suited for groups.
Las Vegas has changed lots since I last went there in 2009. New hotels and shopping malls have sprung up. I found Las Vegas to be very expensive this time due to the weak sterling and I particularly noticed it on buffet and food courts.
Whilst in Las Vegas we decided to renew our wedding vows at Graceland Wedding Chapel having only our closest family. The Graceland Chapel has been a part of the Las Vegas Strip for over 70 years and is one of the most prominent chapels for a wedding here. A Las Vegas wedding is one of the most appealing wedding ideas to celebrities too. Jon Bon Jovi was married here and in 2001, actually held a concert in our parking lot with 75 couples who renewed their vows with him!
Other musicians such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Aaron Neville and members of popular groups such as Def Lepard, KISS, Deep Purple and The Thompson Twins have all tied the knot here as well. Last year Jay Leno even stopped by with plenty of entourage to check out the chapel.
Joining us were my brother who came with his fiancée. I hadn’t seen my brother since he left the UK in 2009 plus my cousin from Baltimore. My auntie and uncle from Florida came, and another cousin flew in from Trinidad. It was a hot afternoon, record weather for Las Vegas this year, but luckily the chapel was air conditioned. We were picked up by limo from the hotel and taken to wedding chapel and dropped back at the hotel. It was a nice touch to be picked up and we felt special. We had a lovely pastor who did our service, together with a photographer who took all the pictures for us on the day. The day went very smoothly, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get married in Vegas or wanting to renew their wedding vows. The service was less than 15 minutes and we chose white and yellow for our decorations. You can choose other colours plus music, Elvis package etc. Thank you to Brandon Reed at Graceland Wedding Chapel for making our day special. We were also happy to have my family around us for this special occasion. After the service we went to Excalibur for the evening dinner.
The day after our renewal of vows, we had an early flight to Honolulu via Los Angeles. We were lucky to be given lounge access in Las Vegas by account manager Chris. The lounge was a lovely experience and I would recommend it, as you get snacks and drinks plus it’s a good place to relax before boarding your flight. Both flights to Los Angeles and Honolulu were very busy. When we arrived at Honolulu we took the local bus to Waikiki beach journey time under one hour depending on traffic and cost $2.50 per person or day pass $5.00 per person. A word of warning - the bus does not allow luggage on the bus but luckily for us if you get a nice driver they will allow you on. When we arrived at Holiday Inn Express, where we are staying for the next three nights, we were greeted by friendly check in staff and advised our room was ready, even though check-in is at 3pm. I had requested early check in once I made my reservation and I was thankful as we had left Las Vegas at 4am and we needed some sleep once we got in.
We had an ocean view room on the 17th floor which to be honest, we wouldn’t call ocean view, as you can see lots of building ahead of you. The room was very compact and included a microwave. This hotel is suitable for families and about 15-20 minutes’ walk to main Waikiki locations like beach, shops and restaurants. Remember the resort fee needs to be paid at check in, at our hotel it was $22 per day plus taxes.
The next day we were able to experience the Holiday Inn express breakfast which was good, as it offered hot dishes together with cereal and Cinnabon which I thought was good for hotel breakfast.