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Couples Weekend in Las Vegas: how to plan and enjoy time away

Couples Weekend in Las Vegas: how to plan and enjoy time away

We’re not the only Dads that find value in breaking away from the kids for a weekend.  Our friends over at 2 Dads with Baggage also try to get some time away when possible, and Jon has shared what exactly they look for an ideal couples weekend getaway, and in this case they escaped to Las Vegas.  Check out their process and the great experience they had taking some time for themselves away from the kids doing a couples weekend in Las Vegas.

Couples Weekend in Las Vegas: a perfect plan

Don’t get me wrong, we love our kids. Spending time with our teen girls is the best, even when it’s the worst. And yet just like all parents, we need the occasional alone time so we planned a couples weekend in Las Vegas away from the kids. We’ve done this a few times to various locations near and far, and have learned some important things along the way.

Here are our top tips for planning a couples weekend in Las Vegas away from the kids without completely ignoring that you actually have them.

1. Choose an Ideal Couples Getaway Location

Although we’ve ventured as far as Paris and Lake Como without the kids, these days we like to stay a little closer (you know, teen girls to keep tabs on). It’s always good to choose a location you can get home from quickly, just in case you need to. For this most recent couples weekend getaway we chose Las Vegas. It’s an easy 45-minute flight from our home in San Diego or a 5 hour drive.

Wherever you live, the destination you choose should be decidedly different from your regular routines and locales. Ideally, you are able to find a retreat where you can either be alone to enjoy each other’s company, or do things you cannot normally do with the kids in tow. Thus, we chose a couples weekend in Las Vegas.

Tip: pick a couples getaway location that’s EASY to travel to/from and offers something unique to everyday life or family travel.

2. Choose the Right Hotel

For this trip, we were welcomed by the ultra-hip and swanky Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Not only is the Cosmopolitan located smack dab in the middle of the Vegas Strip, it is also one of the tallest hotels (except for that one owned by He Who Shall Not Be Named). It offered us spectacular views in all directions, with huge balconies stretching out from each room – some even wrapping around the building corners. Inside, the rooms are all suites with bedroom, living room, enormous bathrooms with walk-in showers and separate soaking tubs, and the cushiest robes we’ve ever experienced.

Tip: if you’re booking the Cosmopolitan, ask for a high floor facing north. Your view will look over the famous dancing waters of the Bellagio fountains.

This hotel is a grown-up’s playground, not because it is naughty (well, it is in Vegas after all) but because it was conceived and designed to entertain adults. The restaurants are an elevated gourmet experience, the bars are bumping with signature cocktails and great vibes, and the entire space has a sexiness about it that engages you without crossing the line. When you’re talking about planning a couples weekend in Las Vegas, this hotel ticked off all the boxes for an ideal stay.

Note: there are many different hotels right in the middle of the action of Las Vegas. If one doesn’t strike you just right whether for its size, style or location, check out some of the other options with different themes and price points. Make your couples weekend getaway right for you. 🙂

3. Take It Easy

Remember this couples weekend in Las Vegas is supposed to be a break from the stresses of our daily lives, so don’t over-schedule yourselves! With so much to do at our hotel and around Las Vegas, it could be easy to try and do and see everything. What made it perfect for us: we only left the hotel once the entire weekend, and that was perfect.

Whatever location you choose, make some time for doing nothing. Be spontaneous, or just be lazy and lounge in the room all day with room service, or be the pool with umbrella drinks. Down time is a good time!

Tip: if down time for you is getting away from people or city sounds, just outside of Las Vegas are both Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Valley of Fire State Park. Both are good for some light hiking or just enjoying the view of nature.

5. Schedule Some Alone Time

Even though you love your significant other, each of us needs some peace and quiet alone once in a while. Talk about this up front before the trip so no one’s feelings get hurt. Plan what alone time will make each of you happy, and give yourselves the permission to be selfish for just a little while. Parents are naturally givers (typically) and rarely put themselves first over other members of the family. This is your chance!

For me, that alone time came in the form of spa treatments in the Cosmopolitan’s Sahra Spa (it’s not Sahara). With all the trappings of a world class spa including an impressive sandstone-shorn waterfall to greet guests, Sahra Spa was a perfect spot for me to spend a few hours. I got a fantastic massage, a facial that made me look all fresh and glowing, and enjoyed as much time in the sauna and whirlpool as my water-pickled fingers would allow.

I left feeling relaxed, content, and ready to hit the nightlife.

Tip: Las Vegas is full of activities and experiences. It’s okay to spend some alone time relaxing or out having fun.  Part of this whole weekend in Las Vegas is breaking up the ordinary, right?

6. Make One Night A Special Occasion

On at least one of your nights, make it special. We brought nice clothes and splurged on a nice dinner at Rose. Rabbit. Lie., the Cosmopolitan’s answer to dinner theater. In the true style of this hotel though, it was like no supper club I have ever seen. The theme is sort of an Alice-in-Wonderland-meets-Studio-54. The entertainers are ah-mazing and varied, from vocals by local songbird Skye, to tap dancers performing throughout the restaurant, and even a hardcore break dancer who spun in impossible poses while balanced on his head.

The menu is full of theater as well, with dishes that are presented in unusual ways that make you want to Instagram the every aspect of the evening. Each presentation was a wow, and one dessert even came in a giant glass cloche so large that a single long-stemmed red rose was standing upright amid an embarrassment of chocolate riches. Of course we had to eat the whole thing, despite its beauty. And the cocktails, oh the cocktails. One amazing vodka concoction called “Birds of a Feather” came in a clear glass bird with a glass straw, and another was squeezed inside a round glass and metal disk with tequila and citrus, aptly earning the name “Through the Looking Glass”. Theater is right!

Tip: a special occasion night doesn’t have to be so over-the-top fancy, but make sure to add an element to the night that sets it apart. Family travel can be tiring and sometimes feels endless, so find a way to make a couples weekend unique to your kid-filled travels.

7. Stay in Contact with Home

Check in on the kids, connect with whomever is staying with them, and assure yourselves that all is well and they have not burned the house down. Schedule specific times you will call or FaceTime ONCE A DAY, so everyone is ready and can give full attention to the conversation. This will be beneficial for three reasons.

  1. You will be relieved to see the kids are all in one piece.
  2. The kids will be able to talk with you and know you love them, and not feel too separated from your smiles and watchful eyes.
  3. You will see that it is actually okay for you to go away once in awhile. They. Are. Fine.

And most importantly, have fun. This is your special weekend away from the kids, so plan the things you like to do the best. Las Vegas is not everyone’s cup of tea, but we all have those favorite things to do together wherever we choose to go. Reconnect, relax, reinvigorate, refresh. You will be better parents because of it, and your kids will get a better you as a result.

Pin this and remind yourself to plan a weekend getaway without kids, or more specifically a couples weekend in Las Vegas! Also, don’t forget the fun and fancy 2 Dads with Baggage had at the Cosmopolitan (in case you want to recreate the weekend yourselves).