Las Vegas is often compared to Blackpool but on a far greater scale - yes there are bright lights and hotels in both resorts the comparison really does stop there. So is LasVegas all it is cracked up to be? In my opinion nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in my 6 days in Las Vegas - I'd seen all the television programmes raving about it and I'd spoken to many friends and relatives who had been - all spoke very highly of Vegas but all warned us that we wouldn't want more than a couple of days there - I was sure that a fortnight wouldn't be long enough and in my opinion I was right - Las Vegas is so vast that it is impossible to cram everything into a few days - although I did my damned hardest to try!!!
We went to America for my brothers wedding which took place in a hotel in the mountains, about a half an hour drive from Las Vegas. As we have relatives living in California we flew to Los Angeles and stayed in California for a few days first then hired a car and drove to Las Vegas.
As we knew we would need a hire car we started to shop around about a week before we were leaving, we carried out our research on the internet and found that with most Companies we were able to get an immediate online quote. Prices do vary quite considerably so it is worth shopping around, the best deal that we came up with was through Avis and cost us £376.00 for 15 days, including insurance, and that was for a Grand Pontiac, (size wise, this is comparable with to Ford Mondeo).
The drive from Capistrano Beach, where we were staying, to Las Vegas took us approximately 5 hours, however, Capistrano Beach is about an hour away from LA Airport and if you were to drive directly from the airport it would probably take you between 4/5 hours, depending on traffic. One thing to bear in mind if you are planning to drive straight to Las Vegas is that the flight from London Heathrow to Los Angeles is approximately 11 hours and the last thing you may feel like doing when you touch down is driving for 4/5 hours - it is therefore possibly worthwhile staying in LA or nearby overnight and driving to Las Vegas the next day.
The drive to Las Vegas from Los Angeles is quite straight forward, it is mostly through the dessert on the Interstate 15 and apart from Joshua Trees there isn't a great deal
to see. However, en route, about half way, there is an old Ghost Town called Calico and although we didn't have time to visit I believe that it is well worth stopping there for an hour or two for a good look around.
Unusually for America, rest rooms, (toilets), are few and far between en route from LA to Las Vegas and it makes sense to stop if you do see a rest stop as it will probably be a long way before you seen the next stop and with only Joshua Trees to shield you from other motorists there isn't really anywhere private to hide!!!
We could actually start to see Las Vegas quite clearly when we were still half an hour or so away, the buildings are so tall that they can be seen for miles. My first thoughts when we arrived on the strip were WOW - I was lost for words, (something that rarely happens, as my husband would happily back me up on)!!! I was just in awe of the spectacular hotels and couldn't wait to get checked in to our hotel so that I could get unpacked and go out and about.
We stayed in the LuxorHotel which is on the strip, (as I've already written a lengthy opinion about the Luxor I'm not going to go into great detail here, but I will say that it is a very plush and spectacular hotel and well worth a visit even if you aren't staying there).
**WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN LAS VEGAS**
As Las Vegas is so vast it is impossible to do everything in such a short time - however, we did cram in quite a lot but be prepared to feel extremely tired at the end of the day as there is an awful lot of walking involved if you want to get around without missing things.
There is a regular bus and tram service up and down The Strip but it does get extremely busy and whilst it will get you from A to B quicker than walking the traffic is generally quite heavy on The Strip so it will still take quite a long time and as there is often people standing you are cannot really appreciate the view. The tram has a set fee of $1 per person, (around 70p), as it is very reasonable so you could afford to get on and off the tram several times a day. The $1 fare is the same whether you travel one stop or from start to finish. The bus is a little bit more expensive but is still reasonably priced.
Try to visit as many of the major hotels as possible as they are all so different yet so spectacular, there is so much to see and do inside each hotel that you can easily expect to take a good 4/5 hours in each hotel if you want a really thorough look round. In my opinion the best hotels to visit are as follows:-
**THE LUXOR**
The Luxor has an Egyptian theme and everything within the hotel is based on Egypt. The main hotel frontage consists of a large glass pyramid building and a huge model of The Sphinx which can be seen for miles around. The top of the pyramid has a laser which is lit at night and this too can be seen for miles.
The Luxor is a very plush hotel and has plenty to see and do to entertain both children and adults including the IMAX 3D Theatre where films are shown on a state of the art screen measuring 68' x 84', films showing when we were there included a Grand Canyon trip and Secrets of The Luxor Pyramid. Another popular attraction at the Luxor is the Tutankhamun Exhibition which boasts a superb replica of King Tutankhamun's tomb along with other spectacular artefacts.
There are lots of shops in the Luxor but they are mainly gift shops selling Egyptian themed souvenirs and Luxor Logo goods - there are no big name stores within the hotel.
The Luxor boasts lots of restaurants, cafe's and take aways - the Pharaoh's Pheast Buffet is well worth a visit.
**NEW YORK, NEW YORK**
New York, New York is probably one of the most famous Las Vegas hotels and many people are attracted to the hotel because it has been designed to mirror many of the famous parts of New York without the visitor actually having to go there. There is a replica Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and visitors can even take a walk in Central Park. Another top attraction at the New York, New York Hotel is the death defying Manhattan Express roller coaster which takes passengers on a high speed, white knuckle ride around a replica New York.
I found the inside of New York, New York quite disappointing by comparison, the shops and restaurants have been set around Sheridan Square and Greenwich Street and it is worth popping in just to see the layout, however, the shops inside are nothing special and the restaurants are quite expensive.
**THE BELLAGIO**
The Bellagio is stunning - it is one of the more expensive hotels to stay in and I believe that children are not permitted inside the hotel unless they are residents - however, we didn't know that when we went in and had no trouble getting in with Jamie.
The Bellagio is very luxuriously decorated and unless you've got a large wallet you probably won't be able to afford much from the designer shops which include Tiffany, Gucci, Armani and Prada.
If you decide to venture inside you must visit the indoor gardens as they are beautiful and it is well worth going inside just to view the gardens.
As well as being famous for it's designer shops and plush and palatial accommodation, The Bellagio is equally famous for it's stunning dancing water show which takes place hourly throughout the day and into the evening where the display is floodlit and an even more spectacular sight.
**PARIS**
The Paris Hotel and Casino has been built with a true Parisian theme, so much so that there is even an Eiffel Tower which visitors can pay to go to the top to get great views of The Strip or take a meal in the French Restaurant at the top.
Inside the hotel there is a true Parisian feel, many of the signs are written in French and there are some very Chic Parisian fashion houses.
Other replicas at Paris include the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysées, the Louvre and the Opera House.
**CAESARS PALACE**
If you want to shop, Caesars Palace is the place to go, there are a vast amount of designer shops located in The Forum, including Dior, Versace and Gucci.
The Forum area is extremely vast and it is very easy to get lost, especially as there are several fountains located within the different piazzas which when you're lost can all look the same and totally confuse you.
The ceilings inside Caesars Palace are made to look like the sky, the sky changes throughout the day from blue skies with fluffy white clouds to dark sky at night.
There are plenty of eating places inside the Forum Shopping Area in Caesars Palace including Planet Hollywood and The Cheesecake Factory.
**THE MIRAGE**
The Mirage was one of my favourite hotels to visit. Outside the front is the famous volcano which erupts every half an hour at night, it is very realistic and you can really feel the heat coming off it.
The Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy is located outside the back of the hotel and is home to white tigers and dolphins. There is a fee to enter the Secret Garden but it is well worth a visit. The dolphins are not taught tricks but will happily jump and perform naturally, beware that whilst you are taking a snapshot for the family album you may well get soaked as the dolphins usually come down with quite a splash and we got saturated.
If you are travelling to Las Vegas with children be sure to visit M&M World.
Situated on The Strip not far from the MGM, M&M World consists of four floors, each with a different theme.
The shop is very brightly decorated and is packed with lots of M&M memorabilia to bring home as presents of for souvenirs, most of which is very reasonably priced.
On one floor there is a pick & mix area which if full of lots of clear perspex tubes containing M&M's in a huge spectrum of colours. There are even miniature egg shaped M&M's that contain nuts. The pick & mix area is very popular and is usually very busy, whilst it is a nice idea to fill a bag full of different coloured M&M's it is expensive
On another floor there is a cinema where you can go and watch a film that has been specially created for M&M World and features the M&M men.
Finally on the fourth floor there is a cafe and an M&M racing car.
**THE COCA COLA SHOP**
Situated next door to M&M World is the Coca Cola Shop - here you will find a vast amount of Coca Cola logo items to purchase, including glasses, t-shirts, pens, pencils and even bottles of Coca Cola.
There are so many fabulous places to visit in Las Vegas that I couldn't possibly list them all in this opinion, other places worth visiting include Treasure Island Hotel, The Stratosphere Hotel, The Aladdin Hotel, Circus Circus Hotel, The MGM Hotel, The Tropicana, The Excalibur Hotel and the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
Another place which is popular with tourists is Downtown Las Vegas - we didn't get there but I understand it is worth a visit if only to view the Fremont Street Experience - a light and sound show which is projected every hour between 6pm and 11pm daily.
If you don't fancy living in the fast lane and you want to get away from the city for a few hours you could drive out to the Mountains in about an hour. MountCharleston is particularly beautiful and there is a lovely hotel there called the Mount Charleston Hotel where you can stop to take in the view whilst enjoying a cool beer or soft drink.
If you want to visit the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam there are lots of tour operators in Las Vegas who can arrange your trip for you - it is very expensive though.
All the major hotels have shows every evening including Celine Dion at Caesars Palace, The Blue Man Group at Luxor and Cirque de Soleil at Treasure Island.
Trains do not actually go right into Las Vegas so you would need to catch an Amtrak train to Bakersfield and then catch a bus to Las Vegas.
**By Plane*
McCarran International Airport is situated just 1 mile from The Strip, however, there are not many direct flights to Las Vegas from England - I believe that Virgin are the only airline to fly directly to Las Vegas from England, so most people tend to fly to Los Angeles and then make their way to Las Vegas from there.
**OTHER INFORMATION**
Las Vegas can be quite sleazy and you should expect to see touts lining the street during the day and night attempting to thrust sex cards into your hands, there are also a lot of magazines offering sexual services, from time to time when the street cleaners haven't got to them you can expect to see discarded magazines and cards all over the pavement and lining the walkways.
In America it is customary to tip staff - it is usual to tip approximately 15% and to give a $1 tip to the cocktail waitresses and valets
Las Vegas is a 24 hour city, the casinos are open 24 hours a day as are some supermarkets and shops. Restaurants do tend to close at around midnight.
The time difference between Las Vegas and England is 8 hours - Las Vegas is 8 hours behind England.
I could go on for hours and hours but I won't - however, if there is anything you want to know that I haven't covered please feel free to leave me a message and if I can help then I will.
Thank you for reading - especially if you've got this far without skimming!!
Julie
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Hotel, Resort - 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, NV 89109, United States of America - 5 Stars - 3036 Rooms
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Everwhere is air conditioned, the toilet facilities in the malls is excellent and there are free shuttles or monorails from hotel to hotel Disadvantages: very hot in July/August, be prepared to que for the buffets
geomel 17.06.2001 (17.06.2001)
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