Las Vegas As A Romantic Valentine’s Day Destination? You Bet!

Whether you’re looking for the perfect destination for a wedding, a friends getaway or a weekend away with the family, Las Vegas fits the bill. As the Superbowl proves, the city has also become a mecca for sports fans and, as my husband and I recently discovered, it’s a surprisingly romantic place to spend Valentine’s Day.

We celebrated V-Day early because my husband was miraculously able to score tickets to see Adele. The superstar’s Weekends with Adele residency at Caesars Palace has been extended through June 15 and, as we downloaded her set list on Spotify and belted out “When We Were Young” with her, we knew it was the ideal event around which to build a romantic Las Vegas trip.

As much as we love Adele, though, we still weren’t prepared for just how amazing her voice is in person. The concert was absolutely magical and I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

The rest of our two night stay was pretty magical, too. Here’s why:

The Luxury Suites at Fontainebleau Las Vegas are all about romance.

Our room was, well, roomy with floor to ceiling windows that gave us a bird’s eye view of the Sphere – another new Las Vegas landmark that’s finally open. It’s where U2 has their residency, which could also work as the foundation for a romantic weekend, to the tune of “All I Want Is You.”

Although I’m sure it won’t stay that way, the hotel was pretty quiet, which made it easy for us to walk around and explore and take advantage of the restaurants that were already open. We picked up breakfast at Chez Bon Bon, where the Raspberry Bowtie Croissant is a delicious tribute to the hotel’s signature bowtie motif, and we had a scrumptious lunch at the pretty in pastels La Fontaine. Service, led by our server, David, was impeccable and the French-inspired menu was full of tempting choices. Don’t miss the Pommes Frites.

Best of all, we booked Love in Bloom, a 120 minutes couples treatment that included a body scrub, massage and hot chocolate. Thanks to our massage therapists, Velma and Kimberly, it was total bliss and, when my husband, who is definitely not a massage person, asked if we could do that again sometime, I fell in love with him all over again.

One of the reasons we go back to Las Vegas so often despite the fact that we don’t gamble and we’re not big drinkers is that we always find some truly unique experience that becomes a highlight of our trip. This time, it was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Lost Spirits Distillery.

All we had heard about it was that it was a themed 16 course tasting menu and that you eat at a long, wooden table with a maximum of 16 guests. That’s really all I want to tell you, too, because every single dish, every single presentation, every single cocktail was mind blowing and is even better when you have absolutely no expectations. Just book it. Trust me. You will be talking about this with each other for a long time.

Because we wanted to make sure we weren’t rushing to Adele, we decided to spend the evening at Caesars Palace and have dinner at the new Peter Luger Steak House, the legendary restaurant’s first US location outside of New York. We shared a single steak so we could also share a variety of appetizers and sides, including crab cakes, bacon and French fries. We feasted and reminisced about the times we had eaten at the original restaurant – and, yes, our New York accents may have gotten stronger by the end of our meal.

Totally satiated, we strolled around Caesars Palace, trying to walk off some of the calories on our way to the Colosseum. We checked out the Adele store but the line was out the door and I really just wanted to get inside the venue. We took selfies in front of the piano and chatted with other fans, all of us pinching ourselves that we were actually there and so close to the stage. The concert was beyond any superlatives I can come up with and totally worth the ridiculous resale ticket price.

We ended the night at Dominique Ansel Las Vegas, conveniently located near the Colosseum, where we indulged in the creations of one of the World’s Best Pastry Chefs. (To us, he remains The Best.) We are huge fans of the Cronut, which had been sold out for hours, but were just as happy with his signature DKA and unparalleled almond croissants. It is impossible not to feel all sweet and lovey dovey and mushy while eating these.

A trip to Las Vegas isn’t complete without a visit to the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens – one of our favorite spots on the Strip. We love to check out the current theme – which was and still is Lunar New Year – and take selfies together with the stunning floral arrangements surrounding us.

We also love to have breakfast/brunch/lunch/whatever at Sadelle’s Cafe, right off the Conservatory. This charming restaurant serves up great views along with superb eggs Benedict, towers overflowing with fish, tomato, cucumber and capers and towers stacked with bagels; and, of course, their signature sticky buns. It’s a lovely way to start the day together.

The other place we like to stop by is the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. It’s a small space but is always filled with beautiful, thought-provoking pieces. The current exhibit, Icons of Contemporary Art, features works by Frank Stella, Sanford Biggers and other important artists. There’s also a little gift shop that’s worth a look — and maybe a purchase.

As avid museumgoers, we were thrilled to discover the new Arte Museum Las Vegas. Not your typical art museum, this immersive experience uses technology including light projections, soundscapes and scent to showcase nature, the city and classic masterpieces. It is pretty extraordinary. We took dozens of photos and spent an hour or so just losing ourselves in the endless beauty and sound surrounding us. We ended our visit with a tasty stop at Arte Tea Bar. I highly recommend the whole experience and – don’t tell my husband – will probably use one of the selfies we took there in my Valentine’s Day card to him.