- Las Vegas
- (60)
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United States
Each of the big hotels in Las Vegas has a shopping area the size of most UK shopping centres. The one in Ceasars Palace is almost as big as Meadow Hall or the Trafford Centre
www.caesarspalace.com/
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
+1 702 731 7110
Google map: bit.ly/tkw4xk
If you've seen Cirque du Soleil in London at the Albert Hall - forget it. This is a whole other level. KA is a Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with a theatre specially built for the show, which makes all the difference to what the performers can attempt. People fall twenty metres or more through the air, the whole stage goes vertical, tons of 'sand' fall into a bottomless pit. We sat with our mouths literally open and would go back to Las Vegas just to see it again. If you're in town you have to go.
Cirque du Soleil KA show, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ka/default.aspx
The finals of the national rodeo circuit are a real piece of Americana - real cowboys, very scary events (throwing themselves off galloping horses to grab young steers and rope them up in a given time slot), the national anthem sung with enormous gusto and the fantastic commentary "America is the greatest nation there has EVER been on earth" (!), all make this a not-to-be-missed event in Vegas.
Lee&Mack Centre, Las Vegas, every December
MAddey
Thomas & Mack Centre, Las Vegas, every December.
+1 888 637 7633, nfr-rodeo.com
This was an AMAZING way to see the Grand Canyon - we had so much fun! - I would recommend it to anyone visiting Las Vegas.
The trip even includes a champagne breakfast so what more can I say!
I suggest going in the early morning like we did because that was really good light for taking photos.
There are a few different tours to choose from but we did the Grand Canyon All American Helicopter Tour and it was excellent.
www.activitybookers.com/las-vegas/las-vegas-helicopter-tours-c-139_140.html
It’s no longer possible to pose, as my daughter and I did, on the sweeping staircase that Julia Roberts walked down during the 2001 film Oceans 11. The staircase, in luxury hotel Bellagio on the Las Vegas strip, was removed during a revamp in 2006. But you can still marvel at two thousand hand blown glass flowers on the ceiling, real flower displays in the Conservatory, and the dancing fountains which also feature in the film. We were slumming it at the Venetian, but this hotel, which quite literally dazzles, would be my first choice if money were no object. Imagine, a Bellagio Tower Suite with enough floor space for even my daughter’s strewn junk.
I was in Vegas a few weeks ago and I stayed in Harrahs Hotel. It's right in the middle of the Strip, has a monorail stop, is cheaper than some of the other hotels nearby yet is still excellent.
Also www.lasvegasculture.co.uk/ is a new site on Vegas and has some good info added daily.
Harrah's Las Vegas
3475 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
www.lasvegasculture.co.uk/
Vegas is a city that runs on tips. It's no different checking into your hotel, where a discreetly placed $20 bill - sandwich it between your photo ID and your credit card- will often earn you an upgrade.
FrontDeskTip.com ranks major Vegas hotels by how likely tipping the check-in clerk is to get you an upgrade, based on users' field reports.
A new site has been launched online. It gets new content added each day and is aimed at British travellers to Las Vegas.
The third thing to worry about after paying for a flight ticket to Las Vegas and finding that discount hotel room on the Vegas strip, is "how do I get around the city?"
Getting around Las Vegas is easy and actually you don't need to hire a car unless you are planning an out of town day trip.
On your next trip to Las Vegas, take advantage of the various mass transit systems the city has to offer. There are lots of ways to get around. You can take a taxi, hop on a trolley, ride the monorail, take a bus (the Deuce), take a free shuttle or simply walk.
Las Vegas has been voted time and time again as one of the great places to bring in the New Year. The four mile Vegas strip is closed down to traffic and the entire stip is turned into a giant pedestrian mall. Everyone parties outside until midnight. There are also parties and live concerts downtown at the Fremont Street experience.
Mount Charleston, about an hour north of Vegas, is a slightly ramshackle ski resort in winter. In summer, the higher altitude - about 10,000 ft - means temperatures are more bearable during the day. There are pinewoods, a ski lodge and a hotel with a large dining room.
Take the I-95 out of Vegas then head west on HWY 157
If you're thinking of going to Vegas with children, I'd check out Excalibur casino, which is child-friendly and right on the Strip (where all the major casinos are located).
It's as close to a "family" casino as you can get (with the possible exception of Circus Circus which is also on the Strip, but much farther down where the older - and grottier - casinos are located). You can walk up and down the Strip from that location, it's minutes from the airport, and you're right in the heart of the action. Right now they're virtually giving the rooms away.
Inspired by the idyllic villages and towns of Europe, the Bellagio in Las Vegas overlooks a Mediterranean-blue, eight-acre lake featuring a magnificent ballet of dancing fountains. Choreographed to music and lights, the fountains are simply breathtaking. Every visitor to Las Vegas must witness the spectacular dancing waters that come to life at the Bellagio. The attraction is free to watch.
The Peppermill is possibly the best-value eaterie in Vegas. I've been using it for twelve years and it never disappoints! It isn't haute cuisine but then where in the USA is? It has good food, quick service and pleasant waiting staff. Oh, and reasonable prices - what more do you need?
North on The Strip almost opposite Circus Circus.
When visiting Las Vegas, most people worry about how to get there, where to stay and where to eat. Vegas has an abundance of hotels and restaurants, but eating out can be pricey. The place to eat in Vegas, and get a lot for your buck, is a buffet. The food is good and very reasonable. Almost every hotel and casino has a buffet and most meals are priced under $20 for all-you-can-eat.
The west of America has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery I've ever seen. If time is very limited, fly into Vegas and drive down to the Grand Canyon, north rim, via Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park. Not only will you get a taste of life on the road here, I guarantee you'll be blown away by the landscape. You can find motels or lodges on National Park land for little money ($50 (£25) a night will get you a decent place) and all the crappy diner food you could ever want.
If you love Broadway shows like I do, Las Vegas is the place to visit. Most hotels on the Vegas strip have shows and concerts - everything from Le Reve or Cirque Du Soleil 'O' to famous magicians like Penn and Teller - the list goes on.
Show tickets, on the other hand, can cost you between $40-$200 per ticket, but don't despair, there are ways to get discount or half price tickets. Here are some tips:
I got a killer deal on my Vegas trip last month. I was given this email with a promocode 'TripResSun' and it saved me US$50 when I spent US$400 or more. I guess it's good for most of their destinations but I just tried Las Vegas. Hadn't heard of them before but it worked.
Monte Carlo is also right on the Strip, 4.5-star, and relatively cheap. Good luck!
Here is what I have
www.tripres.com/destinations/displayHotels.aspx?cityID=181&dest=Las+Vegas&referrer=17549&ovchn=INH&ovcpn=408&ovcrn=0024408&ovtac=ad&promotioncode=tripressun
Planning on hiring a car in Las Vegas and travelling across the States? Hire car companies charge high drop-off fees if you rent a car in one place and leave it in another - and the further the distance between the two places, the more they charge.
We flew in to Las Vegas and flew out of Houston. Instead of hiring a car in Las Vegas and dropping it off in Texas, we did a one week rental from Las Vegas dropping it off in Albuquerque, then another one week rental from Albuquerque to Houston. It worked out a lot cheaper and it was a novelty changing cars halfway.
Book online in advance and pick up from the car hire centre at Las Vegas airport. Do the same at the car hire centre in Albuquerque airport.
This is something useful before travelling to Las Vegas, especially if you are going to play the roulette. Check out the first link for Las Vegas hotel rates and the second one for a free roulette test (it's a European roulette with single zero).
Is this your business?Search Been there
