Las Vegas, Nevada

Markus posing in front of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas

This week, we continue our two-week road trip and we're picking up in Las Vegas, Nevada! At this point, we've driven from Vancouver to California, stopping at Joshua Tree National Park and now we're sharing about our time with a dog in Las Vegas!

About Las Vegas

Markus outside of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas

There isn’t much for me to say about Las Vegas outside of dog-specific activities that haven’t been said already. Las Vegas and all the things you can do are well-documented at this point, so since this is a dog blog, we’re going to do a deeper dive at what going to Las Vegas with a dog is like. Most of the activities you will be doing won’t allow dogs anyways, but if you do plan to make a trip there with your dog, here are some of our recommendations for travelling into Las Vegas with a dog.

The main rule on the strip is fairly simple: dogs are only allowed on the strip between 5am to noon. By noon, it can get so busy and hot out that you likely won't want your dog out for long anyways.

Markus smiling in the early morning in front of the Fountain at the Bellagio in Las Vegas

During those morning hours, it was a good chance to take pictures with Markus and some of the iconic hotels and buildings along the strip. It's not like we'll ever take him to places like France or Rome, so it was fun to take pictures of him next to the Eiffel Tower.

The Cosmopolitan

Type: Hotel (5-star)
Pet-Fee: $50/night per pet
Suite Available: Yes

Okay, so we splurged on the accommodations here, but it's one of those places that if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right. It goes without saying that this was one of the best hotels we've stayed at with Markus, but it obviously comes at a cost.

Our room overlooked the Bellagio fountain and we were all the way up in the 40's. This was definitely the highest that Markus had ever been since he had spent most of his days on the street or in a rescue shelter and he was scared to come out onto the balcony. With the wind blowing and all the lights at street level, it’s not had to understand why. We let him take his time and when he eventually realized there's a pane of glass before the edge of the balcony, he felt more comfortable and joined us in watching the Bellagio Water Show.

Needless to say, the room itself was amazing. Our room had a separate suite, which is always good for Markus so he can get his peace and quiet (otherwise he'll bark at voices and footsteps as they pass by if he felt threatened). Since we knew that we'd be out of the room for a good amount of time, getting a room that was extra quiet was important to us so that we could be confident knowing he was resting easy in the room.

Part of the reason why we chose The Cosmopolitan was because some of the other hotels and their pet fees were even higher. A tip for you is to factor in all the costs - room, parking, pet fee, etc., before choosing a hotel. You’d be surprised at how easily the pet fee ramps up the cost per night.

Another big reason we chose The Cosmopolitan was because they allow owners to leave their dogs in the rooms while the owners are away. I’m surprised this wasn’t the case for more hotels since there’s really not much you can do with a dog in Las Vegas, so unless you think your dog can stay quiet in the room for the duration of the time you’re away, you might want to keep this in mind.

The Cosmopolitan welcomes your dog into the room with treats and a BarkBox gift for the dog (though they forgot ours and kindly waived the pet fee for one night for us). Be aware that they do not provide things like a dog bed or bowls, so you’ll have to bring those yourself.

People will have their own strategies as to where the best place to stay is, but we liked the location of The Cosmopolitan because it's fairly central on the strip and you can walk towards both ends and get some rest in the middle if you wanted to. For us, one of the bigger advantages of its location was because we had a dog with us and it is not very well known.

On the 14th floor of The Cosmopolitan, they actually have an indoor dog area that's fenced with artificial grass. This area is dedicated for dogs to relieve themselves, but we never used it because artificial grass wasn’t going to do the trick. The space also wasn't very big, so it wasn't the best for a reactive dog like Markus. Instead, we took him to Vdara's Dog Park, which is located right next to The Cosmopolitan. If you’re bringing your dog to Las Vegas and you’re staying at The Cosmopolitan (or anywhere in the vicinity, really), Vdara’s Dog Park is not a bad place to end up with your dog.

Our Recommendation For Reactive Dogs

Any of the hotels you’re going to find on the strip are going to take care of you pretty well. Markus had no problems at this hotel as the rooms were quiet and we also had a suite in ours. Because of how quiet it is, we were able to leave Markus at the hotel throughout the day while we explored Las Vegas. I will say that the dog area on the 14th floor wasn’t great and it didn’t work for a dog like Markus and we had more luck at the Vdara Dog Park, which is just across the street.

Vdara's Dog Park

Markus sniffing around at the Vdara Dog Park

Vdara's Dog Park was outdoors and very convenient, especially since it's hard to find solid areas of grass along the strip. Even though we were staying at The Cosmopolitan, the people at the front desk mentioned that Vdara’s Dog Park was a place that we could use as well and that it was just around the corner. When we went first thing in the morning, there were only a couple of other dogs there, so it was the perfect place to take Markus.

I do need to put things into perspective, just to manage expectations. It is still an amenity of the hotel within their grounds, so it's not very big, but it gets the job done. What's nice was that the park includes plenty of poop bags and a fountain for the dog when it gets hot. The park is gated, so we felt comfortable letting Markus run around and explore a little bit.

Honestly, for where we were and what it is, we were glad to have had access to it. We looked up reviews of the space just to prepare ourselves for what to expect since Markus is reactive and I found them to be a bit too negative. The options were either going to that dog park or walking down a grass-less sidewalk with Markus looking to pee on bushes and I think we both know our preference. We just need to put into perspective that the dog park is part of hotel in Las Vegas - it's not going to be the big grass-filled parks that we're used to.

Note: The Vdara Dog Park is located just off of the car loop at the front

Block 16 Urban Food Hall

When you're with a dog, sometimes it helps not having to wander out as far. Or maybe you’re pressed for time. What's great about staying at The Cosmopolitan was they had top notch restaurants within the building. They have an area called Block 16 Urban Food Hall that boasts some of the top restaurants across the US like Hattie B's Hot Chicken, Lardo, Pok Pok Wing and District: Donuts. Sliders. Brew. all located downstairs from the room. In the same area, they also had an Eggslut, Momofuku and plenty of other restaurants you might recognize in other areas of the world.

If you're from the Pacific Northwest, you might be familiar with Lardo and Pok Pok!

The Wicked Spoon

Another great reason to stay at The Cosmopolitan is The Wicked Spoon. Up there as one of the best buffets on the strip, it's nice that we can just go downstairs. The selection here was as impressive with some of the better known buffets like the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, or Studio B or the Bellagio.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign

There aren't many dog-specific things to do in Las Vegas. After all, it's not meant for dogs. Outside of the strip, we also brought Markus along when we went to check out the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. It was actually quite busy and there was a line up to take pictures, but we just stood off to the side (instead of right below it) and that was good enough for us to skip the line!

It goes without saying that Las Vegas was a lot of fun. It's obviously not a place that's made with dogs in mind, but you can definitely enjoy your stay here if you decide to bring your dog with you. The hotel and the location makes a big difference and we enjoyed our time at The Cosmopolitan. It helps that there were plenty of amenities even for the dog, but it helped even more that the rooms were nice and quiet. We didn't have to worry if Markus was barking back at the room, which is especially great to have since we weren’t going to be in the room for a long time!

Next stops: Arizona & Utah

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.