Five Star Luxury Dreams come true in Vegas!

 

Where can your Five Star Luxury Dreams come true in Vegas? Let me show you the way with my top spots from my recent holiday!

Five Star Luxury Dreams Do Come True in Vegas
Lisa Niver is ready for VEGAS on JetSuiteX

FLY:

I highly recommend you fly JetSuiteX to Vegas from Burbank. When they say, “hassle-free!” They mean it! No lines, no crowds, no waiting and they are starting to fly to more and more destinations! They fly from Hangar 2 at Burbank airport and use 30-seat Embraer 135 planes. Start your holiday in comfort! Want $20 off your first flight? Use my code POIAGT and your flight from Burbank to Concord for Napa may be barely over $100! (Flights can be $129 in each direction depending on when you book)

Five Star Luxury Dreams Do Come True in Vegas
Photo of and by: Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas

STAY:

I loved both my hotels on this trip which are neighbors, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and ARIA Resort & Casino.

If you ever have a “Champagne Emergency,” you can find the first Moët and Chandon vending machine in the United States at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas!  Stop by the front desk to purchase your gold coin which includes a golden flute for your 320 mini bottle of champagne.  You can select the Imperial Brut or the Imperial Rosé.

Lisa Niver at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas

Checking in at the Tower Suites Lounge at ARIA was fast and friendly. I enjoyed the lounge with complimentary fresh made espresso, macchiato, cappuccino and more from a state-of-the-art LAMILL Coffee Machine. Tea, juice, soft drinks, light pastries and seasonal snacks are also available.

Luxury Las Vegas Dreams do come true!
ARIA Pool Photo by ARIA Resort & Casino

I went on the ARIA Art Walk and enjoyed the fine art collection with works by many acclaimed painters and sculptors. I loved that my room was controlled by two interactive tablets. I could adjust the lights, temperature, TV in the living room, bathroom or bedroom from either one. I could also make a dinner reservation, order room service from multiple dining spots or change my spa appointment right on the tablet!

RELAX: Forbes Five Star Spa Retreats at Vdara and Mandarin Oriental

Five Star Luxury Dreams Do Come True in Vegas
Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Forbes Five Star Spa

I experienced the Journey into Stillness treatment at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas Spa which is a 2 hour spa journey. First I had tea and changed into slippers. I was brought to the divine inner sanctum and put on my robe and got ready for the most popular longer treatment which begins with a foot scrub. Samantha had many tools to help me relax including crystals, Tibetan bowls, tuning forks and Tingsha. I experienced 7 different levels of sound to help relax all 7 chakras.

This triple 5 Star facility has a Forbes 5 Star for the hotel, the restaurant and the Spa! In Las Vegas, this is one of the only spas that is not in a casino or at ground level. Enjoy stunning views as the 7th and 8th floors have floor to ceiling windows with views of Las Vegas Blvd.  Enjoy the beautiful yoga and meditation studio on the 8th floor as mind body movement and meditation are part of their programming. All of the treatment providers are dual licensed and some of the most educated and experienced providers in the city. I loved my chance to purposefully detach from technology and experience stillness and silence at this spa.

Five Star Luxury Dreams Do Come True in Vegas
Couples Spa Treatment room at ESPA Vdara Las Vegas, a Forbes Five Star Spa

The Forbes 5 star experience ​at VDARA Spa ​with ​ESPA was excellent. I loved the beautifully ​designed space and Oseya’s massage was out of this world! Samantha, Laura, Valeria and Alexandra and the entire team took great care of me. My Desert Rose treatment began with a foot ritual and continued with a full body exfoliation with relaxing salt scrub with rosemary and lavender. After rinsing off, I had a full body massage with rose geranium restorative body oil and a scalp massage with pink hair and scalp mud that includes red clay and apricot oil.​ I loved my personal rock and being able to write my intention to myself as a message; I chose “Blessed.”​ ​Try out the Red Cedar Sauna, the Eucalyptus sauna or sit in the meditation room.

 

ACTION & ADVENTURE
Dream Racing

When you go to Las Vegas, you can make all your dreams come true. Have you always wanted an authentic driving experience on a race track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with luxury vehicles, professional instructors & simulators? I drove over 120mph in a Lamborghini Huracán GT with world famous driver Cédric Sbirrazzuoli as my instructor! I absolutely LOVED it! I cannot wait to go again! Thank you to the entire team at Dream Racing who made me feel so comfortable and ready to get behind the wheel! Thank you Cedric, Ashley, Steve and Enrico! “Dream Racing is the five-star driving experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and features the world’s largest and fastest selection of Supercars and the only one where you can get behind the wheel of a real Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche or Lotus Race Car. No matter which package you choose, we promise to deliver you a once in a lifetime exotic car racing experience. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to try your hand at racing these exotic cars.”

Fantastic Activities in Las Vegas
Lisa Niver at Shark Reef Aquarium

Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay

Who gets to wear a full suit of chain mail and dive with sharks in the desert? I did it and if you are a certified diver you can too! This is a very unique and different experience at Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef. Thank you to Jack, Theresa, Stacy, Trisha, The Life Support Team of the Aquarium, Mandalay Bay and MGM for this amazing adventure for my 50 things before I am 50 project! I LOVED IT! I sat on the bottom of the tank with many types of sharks swimming by and sang myself HAPPY BIRTHDAY! “Shark Reef aquarium is the home of over 2,000 animals including the saw fish, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, jellyfish and the rare golden crocodile. This unique exhibit gives you the chance to dive with a higher concentration of exotic sharks than you’d ever find in the wild.”

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE MEALS:

Thank you to the team at MOzen Bistro. The breakfast buffet is beautiful but my favorite thing was to order the huevos rancheros. Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas is a Forbes Triple Five Star for Hotel, Spa and Restaurant. You can only find Michelin three star-rated Chef Pierre Gagnaire in the USA at Twist. I was invited into the kitchen on the 23rd floor for a special lesson with Chef Pierre Gagnaire who told me “My goal is to put tenderness on every plate.” He said the most important things are “to respect the guest and have a great team in the kitchen.” I loved meeting him and learning about plating food!

Where is the best Five Star Luxury in Las Vegas
Chef Pierre Gagnaire with Lisa Niver at TWIST at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas

 

FIVE STAR LUXURY DREAMS COME TRUE IN VEGAS!
Dining at Jean-Georges Steakhouse, ARIA Resort and Casino, Las Vegas

JEAN GEORGES STEAKHOUSE

Thank you to the entire team at  Jean-Georges Steakhouse. I was welcomed by Gerti from Albania and Lukas from Prague with my absolute favorite Prosecco. Jack and Ben Mellouk made sure every course was sheer perfection! I loved my beautiful and tasty burrata with heirloom tomatoes and aged basalmic. My Wagyu filet was expertly prepared by Chef Shawn and Executive su chef Robert Phillips. The grilled asparagus and baked potato crusted in salt were exceptional! I did love the buttermilk bread which is the special recipe of Chef Sean. The JG gold bar makes you feel like you are made of money.

FIVE STAR LUXURY DREAMS COME TRUE IN VEGAS!

DELMONICO’S STEAKHOUSE

When you are in Vegas how do you get around and where do you eat? During my entire Vegas experience, I used LYFT and it was seamless! Twice when I called for a car, the driver was already there at the hotel. I did not wait for even a moment.

The choices of where to eat in Vegas are endless.  Dawn and I had a fantastic dinner at the bar of Delmonico’s Steakhouse. You can sit where you want and eat what you want and stay as long as you want. I loved meeting Chef Sean and Chef Ronnie.The tomatoes and burrata, pasta, asparagus and the Piedmontese steak were all exceptional. They have an entire barrel of Kentucky bourbon! It is WL Weller Exclusive Bourbon and they make special cocktails. Come and try some from their private barrel! It also makes a great photo opportunity.

Thank you to everyone who made my Vegas dreams come true! FIVE STAR LUXURY DREAMS COME TRUE IN VEGAS!

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

One response to “Five Star Luxury Dreams come true in Vegas!

  1. Hi Lisa, amazing post. I’m so jealous of your trip! It looks incredible. I have only been to Vegas once but it was incredible! I would love a chance to explore Aria and Mandarin Oriental. We are planning on developing a tour that will incorporate Vegas as one of the stops. Thanks for sharing!

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