Las Vegas

...was announced we were approaching Las Vegas and there was much craining of necks to get a look out of the window. Luckily we'd bagged seats on the left hand side of the plane so we got the view! Nothing prepares you for your first view of Vegas and it is something I will never forget - even conjuring up the image in my mind still makes me smile. As we were slowly descending we could pick out the Luxor, MGM Grand, Paris and numerous other hotel casinos ...
...you will eventually reach the Las Vegas Fashion Outlets. This is a Mecca for all bargain hunters. In here are the outlet stores for Nike, Reebok, Black & Decker, Jockey and more. At the door someone was handing out discount vouchers for the Reebok store, we went inside as the big sign said everything was around 70% cheaper than RRP. We ended up buying two pairs of trainers, 3 t-shirts, 3 small gym towels and a pair of flip flops and it came to £40. ... more

We decided to have one of those 'blow-out' holidays for 2004 and the Boyf had his heart set on Vegas. I wasn't too sure so we bought a few guide books that completely changed my mind. Boyf searched the internet for the best hotel casinos and after a while booked us into a 'Love Tub' suite at the Imperial Palace for a week. Quite perturbed at the name, I insisted we check out the website www.imperialpalace.com and we were able to see a picture of the room and it didn't look a sleazy as the name suggested (phew!). Time flew and before we knew it, we were on an 11hr flight going to Vegas.

We flew with Virgin Airways in Economy and through the Boyf's many connections, managed to get return flights for £320 each which was quite a bargain. We got through passport control, took our seats and settled down to watch the numerous in-flight films, whilst being regularly fed and watered by the excellent Virgin crew. After a number of hours, it was announced we were approaching Las Vegas and there was much craining of necks to get a look out of the window. Luckily we'd bagged seats on the left hand side of the plane so we got the view! Nothing prepares you for your first view of Vegas and it is something I will never forget - even conjuring up the image in my mind still makes me smile. As we were slowly descending we could pick out the Luxor, MGM Grand, Paris and numerous other hotel casinos on the 'Strip'. It's quite amazing, one minute you are flying over the Nevada desert, the next you see a bizarre adults playground, full of the most amazing sights.

After collecting our luggage and going through passport control - each couple was asked if they were going to get married. When I was asked, the smiling guy checking my passport suddenly said that I mustn't get married as I had a really unusual and nice name and I'd totally ruin it if I married my other half!! Laughing, we both strolled off to catch the bus to the car rental building.

Before long our bus had arrived - you know when you are at Heathrow and you catch the bus to the terminal and you have to lug your heavy case on while the driver sits and watches? Not so in Vegas! The guy leapt out of his seat and put every single suitcase in the rack in the bus. We stopped at different car rental buildings on the way, and each person that went to get off had their case removed and placed on the pavement for them and was waved off with a cheery "Have a nice day now". I think our bus drivers could learn a few things!!

** Car Hire **
We eventually got to the car rental building - we chose Dollar - and the Boyf went in to deal with the paperwork. When we were there you could only drive a car if you'd had your license for 2 yrs, there is no mention of this on their sight now, they do say however that drivers age 21-24 have to pay an extra $14.99 a day. After about 15 minutes, the Boyf came out dangling the car keys and we went off in search of our car. We'd really gone to town and hired a Mercedes Convertible, so we beeped the key fob and opened the boot - after much grunting we fitted the Boyf's case in the boot and after much grunting, swearing, a trapped finger and a filthy look, had wedged my case un-ceremoniously on the back seat (looking back now it would have been common sense to lower the roof….). After fiddling around with the controls we found the air con switch and we were off. One thing I should warn you for all you Manual drivers out there - all US cars are Automatic which at first might take some getting used to as the Boyf kept doing weird things with the peddles and we did a number of bunny-hops to the exit barrier - just think of your first driving lesson and you get the picture! After driving around some of the roads he'd got the hang of the car and we were off in search of our hotel.

** Petrol **
You have to drive quite a bit to find a gas station so don't let the tank run too low, plus, you have to return the hire car with a full tank. The whole 'filling up' procedure is slightly different in the U.S., so you find a pump, park up, go into gas station, tell the clerk which pump and how much money you want to put in and hand over the cash. Back out, put nozzle into petrol tank then lift up the red lever under the nozzle. Petrol will not come out unless you do this. Once you have filled up, you may have paid for $20 of petrol and only had room for $15, you then go back in and get given your change.

** Check-In **
Obviously different from hotel to hotel so I won't detail this, however, at each desk will be a selection of leaflets, take some as they will contain money off coupons. You will also be given a plastic 'credit card' for you to accumulate points. Each time you use a slot machine, put the card in the slot, each time you visit a table, hand the card over. If you accumulate enough points you can earn free meals, and if you are a big spender, free shows and room upgrades.

** The Strip & driving on it **
The strip is massive. It is 6 lanes of traffic and in the middle is a line of palm trees. Every so often you get to a cross-roads and the thing here is, if you want to turn right and the traffic lights are red providing you check carefully and the way is clear you can go. Tourists that don't know this and sit at the red light will get tooted at - a lot! At various points in the road are left turns which take you to your particular hotel casino. They aren't sign posted that well so keep your eyes peeled for your casino - not that you'd miss it!

Once you find your hotel, follow the signs marked Valet and wait in line for your car to be collected by the valet. You put the car in park, a valet will help you with your luggage, he then takes your car keys and gives you a slip of paper - do not lose this paper or you won't see your car again! A small tip comes in handy here, not that they'll crash your car if you don't slip them a Dollar or two, but I imagine the wages for that particular job are quite low. He then goes roaring off in your car and parks it for you. The same would apply but in reverse when collecting your car. How fab is that?! You can then either take your luggage in yourself or have a bellboy help you - of course, another Dollar would have to be handed over then!

** Hotel Amenities **
Each Casino hotel is so huge and has everything you could possibly want that really, there is no need to leave and they don't really want you to either. Someone with too much time on their hands worked out how long it would take a person to eat in every casino hotel restaurant, buffet, restaurant on the strip and see each and every show - it would take something like 5 years non-stop. Pretty amazing.
Each hotel is different, most have themes, e.g. Luxor = Egyptian, Caesars Palace = Rome, The Venetian = Italy, New York New York = Do I really have to tell you this?!, Excalibur = Duloc from Shrek. Well, if you walk round in there you just keep expecting Donkey and Shrek to leap out on you. This place also has a Krispy Kreme factory there so you can buy freshly made donuts. The only snag is you want to eat about 6.

You probably want to know about gambling in Vegas don't you? Well, each casino has a selection of the following tables:-
Craps.
Black Jack
Poker
Roulette
All the dealers are really helpful so if you are a bit stumped they will give you the odd snippet of advice. What you must remember is to keep your hands off the table and do not touch your cards so to learn all these tips, each casino offers lessons, usually early in the morning, on these plus you can buy a 'cheats card' in the gift shop explaining the basics of the game you want to play but do not take this with you to the game table! If you bet big and win, it's the done thing to either place a bet for the dealer or give them a tip. Each tip goes into their tip box and this is given to that particular dealer at the end of their shift. Children are allowed to walk through the casino floor if with a parent, but not allowed near the tables or slot machines so not the best place to holiday if you have children. Each casino has a High Rollers Section where the big money comes to town and this section has a bouncer on the door. You care able to look in as they want you to be tempted to go in there and blow your cash, but if you see a celeb, resist the urge to scream out their name as the bouncer will NOT be amused! Every casino has slot machines, these range from the 25c machines which the really old U.S. ladies love feeding their coins in to, up to slots which can greedily swallow your $20 before you know what's happened.

There are a few machines that have a Top Prize of a car of some sort - when we went there was a Mini, BMW and Mercedes on offer - needless to say, we didn't win one, but if you do and you can't get the thing home, you can accept the cash alternative but this will be lower than the value of the car. Each casino has a 'linked' machine, by this I mean each of these machines is linked to each other on the Strip so the jackpot is constantly changing - you will see the currently total on the top in flashing lights. Should you happen to win the big one, alarms will go off, lights will flash and you will be surrounded by staff and security who will sort you out with your winnings.

Some slots will pay out winnings in cash and by each machine is a stack of large plastic cups to hold all your coins which you can then take to the cashiers desk to be changed. Other machines pay out in tokens, again, print out the tokens, over to the cashier and change then for real money.

When you have been at a table or a slot for a short while you will be approached by a glamorous female in a themed costume - you will be asked if you want a drink or cigarettes, after taking a few orders they will go off to the bar, get everything on the list and hand it out to everyone. This is free of charge although please tip! Also, the bigger the tip, the quicker they are at serving you the next time. Of course, the whole purpose of this is to get you drunk so you can't play properly and lose your money......

** Security **
If you are in the casino and look to the ceiling you will see lots of black 'crystal balls'. These are video cameras and are transmitting images to the security office. These guys and girls keep an eye on the goings on all the slots and at the tables to check there are no shady goings-on. If anyone does want to try their hand at a bit of skulduggery on the tables, the dealer will be told to shuffle the deck again / open a brand new deck. Your behaviour will be observed and if you are still perceived to be up to no good, you could very well be asked to leave. You won't actually see any Police on the Strip or in any of the malls yet it feels incredibly safe there, even at 4am! What you will be told off for though is walking along without a shirt on or if you are wearing a bikini top.

** The Strip **
The Strip is the long road which leads literally from the airport to Downtown. When entering the Strip, you drive past the famous 'Welcome to Nevada' sign - this is located in the middle of the road on a large strip of dust, you might be able to park your car up somewhere and have your photo taken standing by it if you really want. If you drive from one end of the Strip (North) to the other (South) you will eventually reach Down Town. This is where the serious gamers go, this is the home of the $1.95 shrimp cocktail and the famous Golden Nugget Casino and the Fremont Street Experience*. This area of the Strip is not glitzy and showy, like I say this is where your serious gamblers come. Me and the Boyf drove through this area on our way to The Stratosphere which is what you might say the very last hotel.

** Getting Married Vegas Style - aka 'Doing a Britney'**
If you feel like getting married in Vegas there are many options you can chose from as every hotel casino has several wedding chapels offering basic services right up to all singing, all dancing weddings with all the trimmings. You get used to seeing a bride in full wedding garb shedding confetti through the whole casino after a while! The other option is to pop along to one of the wedding chapels which are located in Down Town Vegas. Here you can be married and serenaded by Elvis, you can even have a Drive Thru wedding or you could opt for a 'normal' service. Prices range from a few dollars to over $200 depending on what you chose. All you need to do beforehand is pop along to the Wedding License Bureau with some form of ID, fill in a form to obtain a License to Marry and this will cost you $60. The office and wedding chapels are open 24hrs, so should you feel gripped with the urge to marry your beloved at 4am, you can! There are even wedding & tux hire shops near the wedding chapels and you can hire the costumes for 1 hour. I'm sure I saw a shop that 'hired' wedding rings, but I thought that was taking things a little too far! Just because you got married in Vegas doesn't mean it's 'only valid in Vegas', nope, it's legally binding…..everywhere!

** Shopping & Eating **
Each casino hotel has a shop of some kind, normally a gift shop and clothes shop selling casino branded goods, a 'regular' clothes shop and a coffee shop/diner. If you venture further into your hotel you will find numerous restaurants so you will never go hungry - food ranges from 'diner' style to full-on blow-out food fests so something for even the most picky person.

Along the Strip are several shopping Malls - there is the Fashion Show Mall located towards the Stratosphere. This is quite good and has a good selection of shops ranging from Zara to an American clothes shop called Bebe which does absolutely gorgeous clothes. On the upper level is a food hall which was surprisingly empty, here you can get a wide range of fast food and a hot dog on a stick that has pasty twizzled round it. Kids loved these so am guessing they are the US equivalent of Turkey Twizzlers! What made us laugh was that we ordered a burger and fries and took some sachets of salt from the counter, on one side of the sachet in big letters it said SALT and on the reverse is the warning 'Caution, this contains Salt'. Just how silly do you have to be?!

The other mall on the Strip is Desert Passage. We explored this one as being a girl I have to shop, but personally I found the FSM much better.

If you head off the Strip, as if you are leaving, you will eventually reach the Las Vegas Fashion Outlets. This is a Mecca for all bargain hunters. In here are the outlet stores for Nike, Reebok, Black & Decker, Jockey and more. At the door someone was handing out discount vouchers for the Reebok store, we went inside as the big sign said everything was around 70% cheaper than RRP. We ended up buying two pairs of trainers, 3 t-shirts, 3 small gym towels and a pair of flip flops and it came to £40. Billy Bargain! In the middle of this mall was a food area and fairground merry-go-round and what struck me as odd was that although children were on this ride, they were THE most well behaved I have ever seen. In fact, even in the food area children were sitting down, properly, and eating their food without throwing it all over the place. When finished, they would even pick up any rubbish, toddle over to the bin and put it in there, then go back and push their chair under the table.

Even further out is the Las Vegas Premier Outlets stocking your reduced designer wear. The Boyf wouldn't let me go here for fear I'd burn out the credit card!

If you fancy a quick snack when you are out, you can walk into any of the casinos and (try to) find their snack area - each place has one. We found a place on the Strip called Denny's which is a chain of American diners selling a whole range of snacks and meals. I loved their American Pancakes with syrup, totally gorgeous! Most restaurants and diners give you a free glass of iced water as soon as you arrived, this is OK but has a strange taste, a bit like the mouthwash you get at the dentists but watered down.

One thing you must try is the infamous Buffet at the Bellagio and they serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on a 'pay once, eat as much as you want' basis. There are serious queues for this, however, for around $10 you get a breakfast which sets you up for the whole of the day (I'm not kidding). I actually watched a mini-fight breakout after the mini American Pancakes ran out and were then re-stocked - the poor girl behind the counter had to scream "Stop it…..and use the tongs!!!!" as two women were obviously in the middle of a 'who can grab the most' competition. Whatever meal sitting you are at, you have a waitress go get you your drinks and you get numerous re-fills as and when you want - you just need to catch their eye which can be easier said than done.

** Things to see & Do **

Each casino has a show or two a few times each night, where we stayed it was Legends - lookalikes of Britney, Christina, etc, performing a selection of songs, plus one of the gaming tables was hosted by the Dealertainers, 'celebs' ranging from Monroe, Jane Russell, Chuck Berry and Diana Ross - you'd be gaming away then 'Janet Jackson' would leap onto the podium and lip-synch to one of her songs, cheesy but entertaining. Some of the bigger casinos have much more impressive things to offer:-

Fremont Street - this is located Down Town and is a tunnel of lights that come alive at night. It is said to be very impressive, however, we simply didn't have enough days to fit everything in that we wanted and this was one thing we missed. Maybe next time.

Bellagio = 'O'. This is an absolutely amazing show set on a stage that as it is a very fine metal mesh can be lowered or raised so one minute the actors are leaping across a dry stage, the next running through puddles, then leaping off a trapeze into a deep pool. There is so much going on you don't know what to look at and at some points the cast would do something absolutely amazing and the audience were sitting in stunned silence forgetting to applaud. You MUST book in advance to see this although you can try and queue at the ticket desk to purchase any tickets not collected prior to the performance. Expensive but so worth it.
There is also a ceiling containing 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers in the lobby created by Dale Chihuly and you may see a number of people laying flat out on the floor taking pictures of this. There is also a mini version of the dancing fountain and a flower garden.

Rio = Penn & Teller. Very funny magic & comedy double act. As Penn himself said, "If you can't keep your mouth shut then keep your ****ing eyes closed!", so I'm not going to tell you what happened, only that it was very entertaining and probably not suitable for children!

Mandalay Bay - Shark Reef. We didn't go here so I can't really give you any other information - sorry!

MGM Grand - This casino is so dark you need a miner's helmet to find your way around. Eventually you will find the lions. Or fall over someone who is looking at the lions.

Treasure Island - The Sirens of T.I. - One for the Dad's! Each night at set times - these are posted outside the casino - the Sirens will perform their nightly 'battle' of Sirens v Sailors. This is quite entertaining, however, try to stand middle back to see everything, stand too near the front and you'll get wet. Mystere - This is another show by the makers of 'O'. I have not seen this so am unable to comment on it, however, if it is anything like 'O', it'll be worth seeing.

Mirage - There is a volcano which 'erupts' flame and water every half hour or so. Don't be walking near it when it goes off - we were on the other side of the 6 lane road and could feel the heat from it. Also, a Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, Aquarium, Tropical Rainforest and if when you go through the entrance on your left are the rare white tigers. These are absolutely gorgeous creatures. Here you can also see the magicians Seigfried & Roy, however, at the time of our visit one of the guys had had his face nibbled quite badly by one of his furry tiger chums so the show was off. He should be better by now and have learned his lesson - never put your face next to a tigers one, even if you did help them breed, raise them from cubs and use them in your show.

Bellagio Fountains - These are a work of art. Again, set times (not posted but people have a sense something's going to happen and gather by the wall over looking them) music starts and the fountains 'dance'. The music can be anything from Classical to Big Spender but whatever it is, it is a truly stunning piece of choreography and everyone applauds afterwards.

Venetian - Now, where to start?! You enter the casino by going up the stairs so you are on the 1st floor, after a little walk you find yourself in what looks like an old Italian cobbled street complete with canal and gondoliers. Yes, a working canal on the 1st floor. You eventually reach a central cobbled square and people were stopping dead (myself included) and looking up at the ceiling thinking we were outside - the ceiling is painted to look like the sky and through cunning use of lighting, it changes from dusk to night over the course of around 1hr. The air con is set to feel like you are steeping into the courtyard just after a light rain shower - slightly cool and damp. Surrounding the courtyard are clothes shops (Jimmy Choo, Burberry - serious money!) and restaurants. If lucky, you will hear and see the Venetian opera Singers - these are men and women in costume who will perform in the square and you could happily stay there for hours.

Excalibur - Not really that much going on here, however, as this has a distinct 'Shrek' fairy-castle feel to it and there are childrens entertainers inside, it is more geared to the younger members of your group.

New York New York - Again, Fab! Comes complete with manhole covers with 'steam' coming out of them. In here you can ride the Manhatten Express. You cannot take any bags on the ride, nor can you have long necklaces or glasses - the ride goes over the hotel pool area so if something falls off you, it could fall on some innocent sunbather. Lockers are provided for a few dollars. This ride is good, however, it is designed for the larger (i.e. American) person. I'm 5ft6" and a size 10, the other half is a medium build 6ft3", and we rattled around in the seats like you wouldn't believe. He cricked his neck and I had the worst headache for a day as a result of skidding around in the seat, desperately trying not to shake around too much. Despite getting off the ride rather cross-eyed, it was still fun. Honest.
Zumanity -another show by the 'O' and Mystique people, however, this one is strictly over 18s only. My straight-laced boss ignored my 'O' recommendation and took his wife to see this - he said he was disgusted as two men embraced in it and was too embarrassed to tell me what else happened!!

The Stratosphere - Home to one of the most scary rides. As the tower is 1,149ft tall it is quite a security concern you will have your luggage searched before you go up the lift to the viewing section and you will have your photo taken against a blue background - the Stratosphere is super-imposed on afterwards. At the viewing tower you can walk around and see the whole of the Strip from up high and it's very impressive. There is a small food area serving crisps, hot dogs and drinks. Drawn by the screaming, we found a staircase and ventured up it. We were then outside on a viewing platform which went the whole way round the tower. Here there are 3 rides you can go one. One of them is a tame looking rollercoaster 'High Roller' which rides up to the top of the Strat then back down again - this wasn't working at the time. The other is called X-Scream and this is in the centre of the tower, again, not working when we were there so don't know what it did but I imagine people screaming played a part in it. We then saw where the huge screams were coming from Big Shot - now, I think they mis-spelt it as this has to be the most trouser-soiling ride I have ever witnessed. You sit in a 'rocket' and are strapped in. This rocket then trundles along a 'runway track' so you are hanging out over nothing. Just when you think it can't get worst, it then shoots forward and tips down. The strange thing was people were screaming when the ride was rolling along the track, but mute with buttock-clenching fear when tipped headfirst into the abyss. This is not a 'once and over' ride, oh no - it does this backwards, forwards, tip thing several times. Some people lost the power of their legs when it was time to get off and quite frankly I can understand why!

Paris - never taken your wife to Paris for that romantic trip? No fear - take her to this one instead. This casino has a half-size Eiffel Tower sprouting out of its roof - when you get in the casino you have to walk round its base. It is set out like an old 'Allo Allo' style French town, with cobbled streets, 'gas' street lights and bistros. We ate at one of these and I kept seeing something move out of the corner of my eye - there were real trees (or very very good fakes) around the bistro, complete with real birds flying around. Despite this I didn't see any bird mess anywhere so they must have been very well trained! It was here we also saw Maroon 5 performing This Love to an audience of 10 people - well, they were performing by the slot machines and nothing will tempt gamers away from those!! At the time we didn't realise that there was an elevator in the Eiffel Tower taking you to the top where you can view the Strip or have a meal in the restaurant.

Harrahs Carnival Court - This is a most entertaining place to go if you fancy a drink or two during the day or night. The bar is circular and you can either sit round the bar or at one of the numerous tables facing the stage. On the stage was a group wearing huge afros belting out covers of songs - Jackson 5 and so on, interspersed with jokes with the audience and bar staff. However, the bar is the place to sit for the best in entertainment. You think Cruise in Cocktail was good? Watch these guys - backflips, handstands, flipping icecubes and glasses and catching them on their backs - stunning! Every so often one of the optics will be taken down and everyone will get some of that drink poured in their mouth - portions are big, but say 'only a little' if you don't want to be completely sloshed! A word of warning - they do not use spirit measures. After a drink the Boyf said he'd like Zombie. Even the bartender said 'Are you sure?!'. Boyf then had the most delish drink but was drunk after not even half the glass. We went there again in the evening and was asked to show our ID by the bouncer - this is compulsory unless you are obviously over the age of 21. According to the bouncer we don't (big smile!!) and he triple checked our ID before he let us in.

Helicopter ride to Grand Canyon - Sounds awful saying this but this was a bit of a let down for me. The canyon is classed as a National Park property and there are 2 set-down places for helicopters and these do not offer the best of views - still impressive, but not as jaw-dropping as I thought it'd be, plus there are some huge wasps there which freaked me out. If you aren't a good flyer this might not be good for you - I felt incredibly sick on the way out but luckily much better on the return journey. We had 5 in the helicopter, 2 in the front plus pilot and 3 very squashed people in the back. It was on the flight back we went over Area 51 which according to the U.S. 'Doesn't exist' - yeah right!!
We flew with Papillon who also offered night time flights over the Strip. It's worth shopping around on the web for deals rather than book the first place you see.

Caesers Palace - the divine Miss Celine Dion is performing here, so if you want to watch the Canadian warbler in action in some seriously OTT Vegas outfits, pop along. Another diva, Elton John is also here right now - apparently the video screen behind him shows images that are considered to be pretty risqué and shows scenes of full frontal nudity (hopefully not of Elton!).

** A little bit of history for you **
At midnight 01.10.10, a strict anti-gambling law was passed in Nevada. Even the age-old custom of flipping a coin for a drink was no-longer allowed. This law lasted 3 weeks in Las Vegas. Gamers went underground where for a whispered password you could enter a room and dance with Lady Luck. In 1931 the ban was lifted in order to help raise taxes for local schools and even today, more than 43% of the State General Fund comes from gambling tax.

The 1940's saw the start of a building boom of several casino-hotels, the most famous being the Flamingo built by the mobster 'Bugsy' Seigel. The Flamingo opened on new years eve 1946, and 6 months later, Bugsy was killed by a single gunshot whilst sitting in the living room of his girlfriends California home.

Steve Wynn is the current 'top man' of Vegas, having built a number of casinos. In 2004 he was building a new hotel casino which is planned to be named Beau Rivage after purchasing the Dunes Hotel & Country Club for a cool $75million in 1992. In 1993 Mr Wynn demolished the Dunes in an astonishing $1.5 million 'show' which was witnessed by 20,000 people.

** Tips & Stuff **

1) When you first arrive your body clock will be messed up, however, Vegas is best at night time so try your very hardest to stay away until at least 9pm before you hit the sack.
2) Take out at least $50 in $1 for tipping - you'll be surprised how many people you'll be tipping.
3) Take your I.D. with you at all times, 9/10 you'll be asked for it in a store when using a credit card, plus bars will request it too.
4) Book in advance for the big shows to avoid disappointment.
5) Set yourself a gambling budget and although tempting, don't exceed it. The golden rule is 'As soon as you've doubled your money, walk away'…. But where's the fun in that?
6) Car hire - you don't really need it as it's easier when walking to dash into a casino rather than try and find the valet and queue.
7) Be aware the allowance for bringing goods back to the UK. It's set at something stupidly low like $149 and you are bound to exceed it - I know I did! Cutting tags off clothes won't work as officials can check your credit card bills, plus, they'll be able to tell if it's from the U.S. anyway.
8) Girls - if you happen to be wearing a short flippy skirt keep a hold of it when walking past casinos. The amount of times girls were caught out (myself included) by the blast of cold air shooting out of the grating and did a 'Marilyn Monroe' for all to see was too many to count.

And remember - Casinos in Vegas are designed to confuse in the sense that
1) No windows
2) No clocks
3) Aircon set to freezing (always take a jumper or jacket, even in summer)
4) Minimal signage
5) Signs that are for anything other than the toilet will take you the long way round, instead of going from A to B, you go via C, D, E and F, which is usually the gift shop, a snack shop and a slot machine that has a luxury car perched on the top.

The Boyf and myself thoroughly enjoyed Vegas and if we could, we'd happily go there every year. Vegas is one of those places you can either go to town and spend like crazy, or be sensible and book a modest hotel room, eat well and cheaply at the amazing restaurants and set yourself a strict gambling budget. But that wouldn't be at all fun now would it?!

www.bellagio.com
www.imperialpalace.com
www.caesars.com (for Caesars & Paris)
www.venetian.com
www.MGMGrand.com
www.luxor.com
www.excalibur.com
www.nynyhotelcasino.com
www.stratospherehotel.com
www.vegas.com

This is my first holiday review and as it's Vegas, it's a biggie! Hopefully you are still awake and I haven't missed anything off, but if I have, leave a message in my Guestbook & I'll rectify it for you.

 

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