Suzanne Carillo

Okay, so you know that hubby had planned on taking me on a short sweet trip to Las Vegas for our anniversary of when we met which was on Feb 16th.

Well… it was not at all what I thought.

First off, let me state that I hate Vegas.

I know WTF right?

But I seriously hate gambling. I always think there was something else more shoes I could have bought with that $ I just spent on that lottery ticket.

And the *architecture* of Vegas (if you can even call it that)? White trash on steroids.

I just find the whole of Vegas reminds me of Dolly Parton, but lacks her humour and charm.

To me Vegas is just a tacky seedy super sized adult porn filled playground dedicated to excess drinking, binge eating, bad decisions and every single vice known to mankind in a bizarro commercial mall type setting.

Yep, I love me some Vegas.

So now you know that although I was delighted that Robert was taking me away I was kind of bewildered by his choice. But… a trip away to somewhere warmer in the middle of winter is always a trip away. I wasn't going to complain about it.

Cut to us at the airport checking in for our flight.

"Where are you travelling to today?"

"Los Angeles"

I piped up thinking that Robert was still asleep and misspoke,

"No, he means Vegas"

The check-in clerk flashes me a bemused smile, "Don't you know where you're travelling to?"

Robert simply dismisses me with a laugh.

I reply in total shock,

"I guess not"

That my friends was the start of my Bachelor inspired date weekend and surprise #1.

Surprise #2

Walking onto the plane super early in the morning, still very sick ( I've had the flu since last week) and feeling like I'd rather be at home in bed I see that we are in fact seated in First Class pods!

This means that you are seated in your own little universe where everything really does revolve around you. The chair is completely adjustable…want to move your legs up? sure. Just your calves? Okay. Want to lay completely flat and stretch out? why not? How about a lower back massage? yes please! The only thing lacking was someone to massage my feet.

Let's not forget the constant service. OJ or water before we take-off? A pillow or blanket? Can I offer you something to read? Have you had a chance to look over our menu? Shall I take your coat? What pre lunch drinks have you selected? How about a starter? Can I bring you some ice cream and fresh baked cookies?

The next hurdle was trying to decide which movies I wanted to watch. My seat literally became the best ever movie viewing snuggie I have ever been wrapped up in for 5 hours. I want to take that seat home so I can sleep in it every single night for the rest of my life.

So having had the best flight ever we arrived in LA to pick up our car.

Surprise #3

Robert apparently wanted a convertable but they didn't have any. That's okay. It was 83 when we arrived and I had no hat or sunscreen with or I would have burnt to a crisp. Instead we sped around LA in a muscle car that looked like it drove straight off the set of The Fast and Furious.

We headed straight to Malibu to take in some of the glorious sunshine on the beach.

We watched a pod of dolphins frolicking for about 25 minutes right in front of us.

Then came surprise #4

Yeah baby! The Mother of high-end over-the-top decadent luxury and amazing service…the one and only Beverly Hills Hotel.

With a HUGE private balconey. So big we were able to Tango dance on it late into the night : )

Moving onto surprise #5

Chilled champagne awaited us in our room…

and chocolate dipped strawberries…

After a little shower and relaxation came

Surprise #6

Drinks at the 1912 Bar

Sadly no star sightings but a very cool vibe and great nibbles. Straight on to

Surprise #7

Dinner at Polo Lounge where everyone knows your name. No kidding. They all know your name when you stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I think they must take a photo of you or something because everywhere we went people knew us. I guess that is as close to feeling like a celebrity as I will get in my life.

Needless to say the whole flippin' day was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! and the best dang 3 day date I've ever been on in my life. I loved that I didn't have to plan anything and at each turn there was another fantastic surprise. It doesn't get more romantic than that.

I loved it all so much I could just marry that man! Oh wait…I already did : )

I will share some more photos of how we jammed our other 2 days full of fun before we came home in another post.