Las Vegas conjures up brilliant images and glamorous perceptions as a Holiday destination. Well, it’s 100% true. Vegas is a place where you can make your imagination come to life.While it’s a relatively new city in the Mojave Desert, founded officially in 1905, it boasts of more than 25 million tourists every year. Naturally, tourism is the mainstay and travelers are welcome in this paradise.
Vegas is extremely well-connected to American air hubs like San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago and New York, as well as a few international destinations. Hence, getting to Vegas from any part of the world is just a few flights away. Being in a desert, it gets hot during the day (summer months of June to Sept are really hot) and colder at night. Travelers would find the destination very welcome otherwise.
Top things to do in Las Vegas – 3 major things one can do
1) The 7km long Las Vegas strip is a destination. 14 of the world’s 25 largest Hotels (by room count) are on the strip. Each hotel is massive, with its own casino and shopping mall. Walking in and out of the hotels, marveling at the décor, sipping in from one bar to the other, one would probably need a full day to check out the entire strip.
The strip boasts of the hugely popular fountains at the Bellagio (free), show in the sky at Rio (free), Lion habitat at the MGM grand (free) and many more. You may even marvel at the huge replica of Eiffel Tower on the strip, or even bemuse looking at the shiny golden Trump Hotel. There are plenty of shopping – mall high-end boutique outlets – and fun (bars, eateries and a wedding chapel) through the entirety of the strip. The Wynn golf course, is the only golf course attached to the strip (and it’s a wow one).
2) Vegas runs on gaming and its nightlife. The relatively liberal laws encourage adult entertainment and the city thrives on it with an abundance of Gentlemen’s clubs throughout. However, the pulse of the nightlife are the hotels, each of which come with their own casinos, discs and impressive shows. There are many Cirque du Soleil shows in many of these hotels, like MGM Grand, Bellagio, Treasure Island and others. Notable artists from Frank Sinatra to Celine Dion perform routinely at the hotels on the strip.
3) Life outside of the strip for a traveler is a bit limited. One could venture downtown Vegas to Fremont Street. The older part of the city, Downtown is where the casinos are built around an outdoor pedestrian zone. Downtown also has the Stratosphere Tower which provides a Sky-Jump from the top of 350m high building.
Places around Las Vegas
The Grand Canyon and the Hoover dam on Colorado are the major attractions catered from Las Vegas. Convenient and economical bus trips, as well as exotic and luxurious chopper options are available to suit any pocket. It is not an option to miss or come back again.
Travel Tips for Las Vegas trip
If you are a first timer to Vegas, here are a few tips I’d suggest –
- Staying makes sense in and around the strip – as most of the touristy Vegas is in this zone. It is walkable and safe. While you may select your hotel basis your budget, you would find that Hotel rates for retail customers are affordable – they make up on the revenue through gaming. Visiting over weekdays makes this understanding even more obvious.
The Grand Venetian and Palazzo hotels at Las Vegas on the strip
- You may be gambling at one casino or the other. All casinos offer free drinks to players. Just ensure you tip your server well and she will see to it that you are kept high on spirits. Many casinos also offer free learning sessions for Blackjack, Craps and Poker too.
- Similarly, most adult clubs offer free pick-up and drop in a Limousine along with 1-2 free drinks for the cover they charge.
- Cabs are expensive, Uber is not. Buses are even cheaper. If you need to travel around, using these 2 may save you some money to put forth into an extra game at the tables.
- Buy your beer and water at a department store. You can carry your drinks with you anywhere in Vegas and sipping a cool beer while stepping into the Bellagio looks cool! And, there is always the happy hour.
- Malls could be expensive to shop in. Barring the high end aspirational brands, you will find most other brands (from Coach to TUMI) on discount at the Premium Outlets in both North and South end of the strip.
- Most flights out of Vegas to international connections are in the late evening. Ask for delayed check-outs at the Hotel to get you the most time to relax.
- Lastly, if you are looking for good and cheap Indian food on the strip, then head to Currypot – an Indian option inside the Food Court at the Venetian.
So, go ahead and pencil it for your next US trip. Happy Gaming.
