This isn’t my first-time visiting Las Vegas, but this is definitely my first-time visiting as a solo traveler on a daycation after finding a day pass offer on the ResortPass app.
The cost of this roundtrip flight from Philadelphia was $86 with Frontier’s Denver pass. And, since this was a day trip, all I needed was my personal item, which is free when you fly with Frontier airlines.
And also, as crazy as it sounds to travel from Philadelphia to Las Vegas to hang out poolside … you do get some of your travel time back, because of the three-hour time difference. My flight from Philadelphia left at 7:24 AM and I arrived in Las Vegas at 9:30 AM. But I will say it does suck returning, because granted I had a 9 PM flight with about 5 hours flight time — my arrival time in Philadelphia was 5:05 AM.
Month Traveled: May
Weather: Sunny, 95 degrees
Where I Visited:
There were a number of hotels that came up on the ResortPass app for Las Vegas, but after reviewing all of the reviews and the amenities offered for the day, I selected Virgin Hotels. Virgin Hotels was rated a 9.0 out of 10 and the pass included access to their outdoor pools, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, hot tub, relaxation lounge, and a locker room with showers.
My Thoughts on Virgin Hotels:
I did not stay overnight, so I can’t speak on the rooms at Virgin Hotels, but I can share my thoughts on the layout of the property, the restaurants, the staff, and the amenities I did get to experience with my day pass.
The grounds are immaculate, nothing was out of place - I truly felt like I was in a good place. From the center, you can see their restaurants, pools, and bars. Everything was very accessible and if you had any questions, it wasn’t hard to find a friendly face ready to point you in the right direction.
If you would like to book a stay at this hotel, click here and if you would like more information on the day pass I found on ResortPass, click here!
What I Did:
I arrived in Las Vegas at 9:30 AM and from there I went to the ridesharing pick up location to request my Uber. The ride from the airport to the Virgin Hotels was less than 10 minutes.
Since I was a little early, I walked around the casino floor, before heading out back to the pool area. From there, I was able to locate the restaurant I had reservations for at 11 AM.
After my brief walk, I headed up to the spa to get all of my questions answered, since this was my first time using the ResortPass app or purchasing a day pass for any hotel/spa. The attendant at the front desk was very pleasant and introduced me to the attendant, Tiffany, who would be giving me a tour of the spa. From the tour, I was able to see the hydrotherapy pool, jacuzzi, sauna, showers, and the locker room.
Since I had reservations for Casa Calavera at 11 AM, I stored by belongings in the locker and headed down to the restaurant for brunch.
For more information on Casa Calavera, just scroll down to the “Where I Dined” section of this blog.
After brunch, I headed back up to the spa to change into my swimwear and to grab my journal.
Hotel guests use their room keys to access the pool, but with the day pass, you just show security your day pass by on the app and from there you’re granted access.
Pass the gate and down the steps, you instantly feel like you’re walking onto the beach. Plenty of loungers around the perimeter of the pool, all first come, first serve. And, since I was early, that wasn’t a problem!
Once I got comfortable, I ordered a Paloma and had it delivered poolside. Wait time was to be expected and the server was pleasant.
After I finished my Paloma, I headed into the pool and the temperature was perfect, not too cold, and not too warm — it was refreshing, to say the least … And, let me also add, the pool had a sandy bottom … so, you literally feel like you’re at the beach without getting beat up by the waves!
I hung out at the outdoor pool for a couple of hours, before heading back up to spa. The spa closes at 6 PM, so I wanted to have enough time to check out their hydrotherapy pool and to also take a shower, before leaving to head back home.
The jets in the hydrotherapy pool were perfect for my lower back, I was in heaven. I spent a good amount of time there, before heading over to the shower to end my daycation.
I would also like to add, I visited the Virgin Hotels on a Saturday and I was the only one in the hydrotherapy pool, before a couple of ladies joined me. This spa isn’t congested, like some I’ve been to. You can truly relax here.
Where I Dined:
Since this was supposed to be a daycation at the Virgin Hotels, I made sure I didn’t have to leave the property for any reason. I researched all of the available eateries at the hotel and this is what I found and to ensure that I didn’t have any issues, the first restaurant allowed you to reserve a table via OpenTable which I did for 11 AM.
Casa Calavera: Casa Calavera serves a traditional Mexican cuisine. Granted I was there for brunch, I was able to order items from both their brunch and lunch/dinner menus. Since I’m all for the experience, I ordered their La Piña margarita to start, followed by their Paloma. I love to eat grapefruit, so the Paloma is always a favorite for me - it’s just so refreshing on a hot, sunny day! For my appetizer, I ordered their queso fundido, which came with chips, salsa, and tortillas. For my entree, I ordered their chorizo and egg tacos, three came in an order. And, for my dessert, I ordered their Abuelita’s Brownie Pie! I love chocolate! Everything I ordered was well seasoned and delicious! I will definitely visit again!
Pizza Forte: I found Pizza Forte on the first floor of the hotel towards the back. The website stated that they had NY style pizza, so before I left to head back to airport, I grabbed a slice of their combination pizza, and it was very good.
To get more information about restaurants I visited, just click on the hyperlinks links above.
How I Got Around:
I used Uber to get around during my time in Las Vegas.
Contact Information:
For any inquiries, please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail at thiswomantravels@yahoo.com.