San Francisco was behind us and the desert lay ahead. Nothing in this stretch of the trip would have fitted into a package programme: an airport dedicated to Snoopy, three nights between neon light and national park, a drive I still consider the finest of my life – and a Grand Canyon we didn't pay a penny to enter, because Washington happened to be having an argument.
From Santa Rosa to Las Vegas – and an airport built for Snoopy
My cousin's husband drove us to STS airport in Santa Rosa the day after our San Francisco visit. We found the cheapest fare on momondo and then booked through trip.com. In the end we flew with Hawaiian Airlines and paid €342.30 for two people, return.
Something we had no idea about until we got there: STS is properly called Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport, named after the creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy. Pictures and sculptures of those characters turn up all around the terminal and inside the building itself – a perfect chance to be photographed with world-famous figures from your own childhood, and exactly the kind of moment no itinerary announces in advance.
We set off from Santa Rosa in long trousers and light jackets. The first thing we did on arriving at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas was change into something lighter: the desert heat was already pleasantly fierce by mid-morning – and this was late October.
Hire car, desert heat and the first photo
Travelling with hand luggage only, we were out of the airport quickly and walked straight to the stop where the shuttle bus runs to the airport's Car Rental Center. That's where we picked up our car. We'd booked through Check24's hire car comparison and got a Nissan Rogue – sold in Europe as the Nissan X-Trail. For 27 to 30 October we paid €186.
Compare hire cars for Las Vegas →
Our first time driving on American roads on our own – and the first stop was, inevitably, the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. I don't know whether it's always like this, but when we were there a student or staff member of some kind was standing by the sign taking photos for tips, using our own phones, which we handed over. Whether that's a scam or a perfectly ordinary side job I couldn't say. I gave him five dollars and the pictures came out brilliantly.
Paris Las Vegas – you can hardly stay more central
Next stop was our first hotel: Paris Las Vegas, right on the Strip. We paid €81.84 for one night for two people. You can hardly stay more central in Las Vegas, and for that location the price was more than fair. Our room was on the 21st floor with a direct view of the High Roller and the Sphere. The Sphere after dark, with the whole city lit up beyond it – that one stays with you.
We parked in the garage shared by Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas. It cost 20 dollars per day – per calendar day, not per 24 hours, which is a distinction that adds up fast. That made 40 dollars for us, of which we got 10 back at check-out as a guest discount for staying at Paris. Because both hotels use the same garage, working out the route to the right check-in desk took us a while.
We were slightly early for check-in, which wouldn't have been an issue: for 25 dollars extra we could have gone straight up. We declined. The room was clearly ready, otherwise we couldn't have moved in at all – to me that's simply squeezing money out of people, and it didn't sit well.
So we went back to the car instead and drove the length of the Strip, past all the hotels and attractions we'd only ever seen on television. Up as far as Fremont Street, past the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, another one you know from the screen. On the way back we stopped at a 7-Eleven for the essentials: water and a few snacks.
Then it was time to check in. As in every casino hotel, the route to the desk takes you past every slot machine and gaming table in the building. The noise was more bearable than I'd expected. What did bother us enormously, though, is that smoking is allowed at the machines and tables. The stale smoke and the poor ventilation took the shine off the whole experience. If you're sensitive to that, factor it into your choice of hotel in Las Vegas.
The Strip on foot – fountains, Sphere and the High Roller
Once the bags were in the room we went straight back out into the crowds. Paris Las Vegas sits directly opposite the Bellagio, so the famous fountains were our first stop. A Formula 1 race was apparently coming up shortly after our visit, so barriers and sight-line obstructions had gone up on plenty of streets and corners.
We walked north along Las Vegas Boulevard with no particular destination – we just wanted to let the city come at us. That took us as far as the Sphere, watching its animations change constantly as we approached. At over €100 per person for a show, we decided against going inside.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the High Roller instead and booked two tickets on the spot through Klook – a little over €30 per person, because the sun had already set and Las Vegas was in full neon. The rotation itself takes 30 minutes. Las Vegas by day and Las Vegas by night are two entirely different cities: the bare desert town turns into a sea of light and glitter, and you get the Sphere from above in all its glory. If you only do one observation ride, do it after sunset.
Useful for everyday things: there's a CVS Pharmacy between Paris Las Vegas and the Horseshoe. It isn't just a chemist – it's a supermarket selling more or less everything. Pricier than elsewhere in the country, certainly, but nowhere near unaffordable. The Grand Bazaar Shops are close by too, with every kind of food, drink and entertainment.
The Hoover Dam – the finest drive of my life
Early the next morning we set off towards the Grand Canyon. First stop: the Hoover Dam. In terms of landscape, the drive there from Las Vegas was the most beautiful of my life. I'd recommend anyone drive that route once – and drive it yourself. On a coach day trip, that feeling of being overwhelmed by the place simply doesn't arrive.
Short on time, we didn't go inside the dam but admired the monstrous structure from the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. The bridge runs roughly 270 metres above the river and connects Nevada with Arizona. Leave the car at Boulder Dam Bridge parking, walk up the few steps to the bridge and on to the viewpoint over the dam. Parking is free. You do have to pass a security check before the entrance, which you drive through in the car – as long as there are no weapons or similar on board, you're waved through.
Route 66 – Kingman and lunch in Seligman
Our next stop was the Kingman Visitor Center on the old, world-famous Route 66. You can park directly beneath the big Kingman Route 66 sign there and take pictures for the ages.
For lunch we picked the town of Seligman, further east – specifically the Roadkill Café, whose slogan is "you kill it, we grill it". The food was excellent, and suitably fortified we carried on to Tusayan, where our next room was waiting.
Grand Canyon – sunset at Mather Point
We stayed at the quiet Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan, booked through trip.com, for €205.17 without breakfast. We dropped the bags in the room and left again immediately to catch the Grand Canyon at sunset.
While we were there, political disagreements in the US meant no park staff were on duty – so we got in free on both days. The usual entrance fee for Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim) is 35 USD per private vehicle, or 20 USD per person for pedestrians and cyclists.
We parked near Mather Point, which is really the main starting point for exploring the South Rim. By the time we got there the sun was going down and the canyon was glowing in the rarest, warmest tones you can imagine. No photograph captures that moment properly. You have to stand there and see it.
Back in Tusayan we had dinner at Big E Spaghetti Western, barely a five-minute walk from the Red Feather Lodge.
Day two on the South Rim – Grand Canyon Village and Maricopa Point
The following morning we went back to the canyon, this time from a different side. We parked near Grand Canyon Village and walked up to Maricopa Point. The canyon looks completely different from every angle and astonishes you all over again at every viewpoint. From Maricopa Point we took the free shuttle bus back to the village – and then set off for Las Vegas again.
Back in Las Vegas – Horseshoe, monorail and Fremont Street
That night we stayed at the Horseshoe Las Vegas for €62.14, parking in the same garage as two days earlier. Honestly, we liked the Horseshoe less than Paris. Both are effectively the same standard, but we simply felt more comfortable at Paris.
After checking in we set off to explore Fremont Street. From the Horseshoe we first took the Las Vegas Monorail to the last stop, Sahara Las Vegas. A single ride costs 6 dollars as a paper ticket and 5.50 as an e-ticket; we bought ours at the Horseshoe/Paris station. My honest assessment: the monorail is expensive. Trains run regularly, but there are very few stops, so there's always a long walk between station and destination. For exploring the Strip, it's the wrong tool.
From Sahara we took an Uber to Fremont Street for around 15 dollars. Fremont was too garish for us and far too loud. We walked it once from top to bottom and then took the bus straight back to the Horseshoe.
The last day – a delayed flight and a lounge we can't recommend
The next morning we explored a bit more of the Strip to the south before the hire car had to go back at midday. Our return flight was originally scheduled for 2pm and we'd timed the car return around it. The flight was then pushed back twice, so we didn't leave until just before 8pm – with the car long gone and five hours to fill.
We filled them at the Las Vegas South Premium Outlets, around a 25-minute walk from the Car Rental Center. Once we'd seen every shop roughly five times, it was time to walk back to the Car Rental Center and catch the shuttle bus to the terminal.
When booking the flights I'd added access to The Club LAS lounge for the two of us, at €49.98. The lounge itself was a disappointment. First there was trouble getting in at all (supposedly at capacity), and then there wasn't even a hot meal – just a few snacks and drinks. Perhaps we were simply unlucky. Based on that visit, I wouldn't recommend it.
Exhausted but full of it all, we were back in Santa Rosa just before 10pm, where we were collected and driven home.
What this leg cost
| Item | Price (2 people) |
|---|---|
| Flight Santa Rosa–Las Vegas return, Hawaiian Airlines | €342.30 |
| Hire car, Nissan Rogue, 27–30 October | €186.00 |
| Paris Las Vegas, 1 night | €81.84 |
| Red Feather Lodge Tusayan, 1 night without breakfast | €205.17 |
| Horseshoe Las Vegas, 1 night | €62.14 |
| High Roller, 2 tickets after sunset | approx. €62 |
| The Club LAS lounge access | €49.98 |
| Parking Paris/Horseshoe, 2 days less hotel discount | 30 USD |
| Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim | waived (normally 35 USD/vehicle) |
That comes to roughly €990 for two people – excluding food, monorail, Uber and small purchases. For four days covering flights, a hire car, three nights in prime locations and two days at the Grand Canyon, that's value a package deal rarely matches for this combination. Which is rather the point: a route like this doesn't come out of a brochure. It comes out of planning.
All booking links at a glance
- Compare flight prices: momondo
- Flight booked through: trip.com
- Hire car: Check24 hire car comparison
- Hotel 1 – Paris Las Vegas: see it on trip.com
- Hotel 2 – Red Feather Lodge, Tusayan: see it on trip.com
- Hotel 3 – Horseshoe Las Vegas: see it on trip.com
- High Roller tickets: Klook
- Las Vegas Monorail: timetables and tickets
Part three heads back to California – to Lake Tahoe and Santa Cruz.
And if you read all that thinking "I'd like a route like this, but I'd rather not piece it together myself": that's exactly what I do. The first chat's on me.
