Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas, which ironically means ‘the meadows’ in Spanish, was everything we expected it to be and more. Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of Las Vegas with its movie-set skyline and spectacular lights.

‘The Strip’ in Las Vegas is a 4 mile long road, lined with some of the world’s biggest hotels, resorts and casinos, in fact fifteen of the world's 25 largest hotels by room count are here, with a total of over 62,000 rooms! To say that these hotels are spectacular is an understatement and that makes a stroll down this illuminated boulevard an experience that cannot be had anywhere else. Each lavishly themed resort is a ticket to an entirely new realm – this is what earns Las Vegas the much deserved title of “Entertainment Capital of the World”.

We stayed in the Egyptian themed hotel Luxor for 4 nights, a 30 story onyx-hued pyramid topped with the most powerful light beam on earth. Vegas was non-stop entertainment - we loved the Bellagio’s lakefront fountains dancing to music, the volcano erupting at the Mirage, the Manhattan Express rollercoaster ride atop New York hotel, the Stratosphere Tower, the Cirque du Soleil show in the Bellagio, gaming lessons at our hotel and even a visit to the shooting range.

The shopping was fantastic, The Premium Outlets (North & South) were super value, however, my favourite were the Forum Shops at the Caesars Palace Hotel – they are set in a dark stormy indoor mall, the ceiling of the mall has clouds rolling overhead with regular intervals of thunder and lightning and rain actually falling from the ceiling.

I would recommend booking shows/tours before you go (I can help you with this) as it can be heavily booked through all seasons. We found it helpful to start exploring at one end of the strip and we worked our way to the other end over the course of the trip, either way, be prepared for a lot of walking and pack comfortable shoes! We made the short trip to the famous Hoover Dam and Lake Mead National Recreation Area which I would highly recommend. We travelled on to visit Nevada's oldest state park, Valley of Fire, which preserves a starkly beautiful section of the Mojave Desert known for its brilliantly red sandstone formations (sunset is the best time to visit as the red colour is enhanced late in the day) – this is a natural wonder that must be seen to be appreciated.

We loved Las Vegas, it has something for everyone and every mood, whether you want to visit places of natural beauty, stay in a lavish hotel, see a world class show or just relax by the pool, Las Vegas has it all. If you are interested in taking a trip to Las Vegas, please give me a call, I would be delighted to help you arrange the trip.