Colourful Las Vegas

For those who have yet to visit this colourful city – what are you waiting for? It’s frequently ranked in the top places to visit in the USA, often combined with a stay in Los Angeles or as part of a tour of the West Coast of the USA. Originally given city status in 1910, the boundaries of this town have grown so much that the original, and famous ‘Welcome to Fabulous Los Angeles’ sign was originally over 4km from the last building, and now is less than 0.5km! Whilst efforts have been made by various top name hotels to entice the family market, by way of holiday theme parks, these endeavours have invariably lacked interest and closed along the way, leaving Vegas most famous for it’s gambling and hotel area, known as The Strip. Consisting of over 4 miles of glittering towers of hotels, casinos, big name concerts and top entertainment shows, even the most committed of travellers would be hard put to get through this lot in a short time! Not to worry, you can take your time and see it all. The hotels in Vegas are quite simply stunning, with 15 of the 25 largest hotels in the world all located in this area. Top end hotels are the Bellagio and the Venetian, which have resulted in many of the older hotels also investing in refurbishment. A win-win if you are a guest at any of these hotels. There are plenty of medium range hotels to stay at also (if your pocket money doesn’t quite reach the prices of the Bellagio, or if you prefer to keep your pennies for the one-armed bandits!). Hotels such as the Flamingo offer plenty for your dollar and still keeping you in the central location. So what to do in Vegas? Well the pretty obvious answer is the Casinos. Its hard to turn around without being in front of yet another way to lose your inheritance. Or not! Some casinos offer free lessons on many of the house games. Most would agree that it’s essential to watch the games in play too, to get a feel for how they operate. And if you do win, big or small, remember to save it and walk away! If not, for sure you will lose it all again and probably more too… Don’t forget that there are many top performers entertaining in Vegas year round. Cher, Shania Twain, Barry Manilow and Santana, and that’s just in one month this year! There’s year round entertainment from the industry’s top performers as well as captivating magic shows from Penn and Teller, or amazing choreographics from the Cirque de Soleil. Many of the shows sell out, so it’s a good idea to check for tickets before booking your flights. If you want to escape from the flashing lights and beeping noises of the machines for a while, there are plenty of alternative forms of entertainment available. You could also visit the Grand Canyon, many hotels can book this excursion for you, whether your preferred mode is by bus or by helicopter. Another not to be missed experience is a visit to the Hoover Dam, usually around 3 hours for a guided excursion of this awesome structure, and perhaps with a detour to a chocolate factory or botanic gardens on the return journey. You can connect with nature by visiting the Lion Habitat Ranch, a short distance from the city. And if it’s your birthday, they’ll even let you in for free!