Angelfish in the Desert: Las Vegas Honeymoon Part 1

Mr. Angelfish and I had once fantasized about running off to Vegas to get married when our guest list climbed over 150. But I knew a lot of family members would be upset by our decision, so we turned that idea into a plan for a fun-filled honeymoon in the desert.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Desert Club Resort, which is about a block off the strip, behind the LINQ hotel. We stayed in a one bedroom villa with an awesome view of the new High Roller observation wheel from our balcony.

If you’re planning to stay at the Holiday Inn Desert Club, be advised it is a timeshare property. No worries, though—the staff/sales managers there were not nearly as pushy as other presentations I have attended. We stayed there for six nights (Monday through Saturday) for a total of about $300 after receiving our deposit back. We attended the two hour presentation on the Wednesday morning of our visit, respectfully declined their offer to buy, and we were on our way back into the adventures of Sin City before it even got hot outside.

That Monday we made our obligatory visit to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. There was a bit of a line to get the pics, but it was well worth the 20 minute wait.

After that, we worked our way back to the Desert Club to check in, and we decided to chill out in the room, as Mr. A had unfortunately caught a summer cold. I got him set up with some OJ and cold medicine, and then I went to explore the resort property, stopping to take a quick swim in the pool before heading back to fix dinner. I loved the full kitchen with all the accessories, and I was able to whip up a nice romantic dinner for our first night of our honeymoon.

By Tuesday, though, Mr. A was not only feeling better, but itching to get out and explore the city! After a super cheap steak and egg breakfast at Ellis Island Casino and Brewery, we headed straight to the strip!

We decided to do some sightseeing first, and since the weather was gorgeous (high 80s, and none of the East Coast humidity I am used to) we were able to stay outside most of the day. From the Desert Club, we could see a lot of the major hotels (Bally’s, Venetian, Treasure Island, Flamingo), but getting to them was a bit tricky, since we were behind them. We found ourselves in a lot of loading docks before we finally figured out the shortcuts to the Strip.

Palazzo Hotel waterfall

We started by checking off our bucket list of well known free things to do in Vegas by touring the Palazzo and Venetian fountains, which were absolutely gorgeous. We then wandered our way up the Strip with no immediate destination, just stopping and looking at the sights as we went by. I enjoyed the people-watching, sight-seeing, and touristy picture-taking the most, because Mr. A and I have not ever really been big on strict schedules while vacationing. We have enough of a hectic schedule at home.