"Viva Las Vegas" a Las Vegas Travel Page by mightywease

What can I say about Las Vegas apart from a transfixed, opened mouthed “Wow”. In fact I think that was all I said for about 5 minutes after stepping into the lobby of our hotel, The Mirage, followed by a further outbreak of “wowing” when we entered our room - with a view over the volcano, Strip and the mountains in the distance - then a final inarticulate gold-fishing when we walked out into a warm May evening and onto the Strip itself. Las Vegas was bigger, better and brighter – and with a lot more “WOW” factor - than I ever imagined.

Two phrases seemed to recur before we left for Las Vegas “Oh, but it’s so tacky” and “Five days is a long time to spend there”. To the first I’d simply say “No it isn’t”. Of course it’s outrageous – re-creating Venice, Lake Como, Paris or New York is never going to be understated – but just look at the beautiful glass flowers in the foyer at the Bellagio, the frescos and paintings on the ceiling of the Venetian, the fountains outside Caesar’s Palace or the tropical palm trees in the atrium at The Mirage and I defy anyone to use the word tacky. Indeed though Downtown, where neon is at its boldest, is certainly brash it’s not, I would say, tacky. And to those doubters who told us 5 days was more than enough time, any more and we’d get bored, well, I could have happily spent another 5, 6, 10 or more days there and never suffered from boredom.

Away from the perpetual ‘daylight’ of the casinos there are shopping arcades, galleries, roller coasters, aquariums or simply the architecture of the city itself. The delights of merely strolling round Las Vegas, in out and out of the hotels and along the Strip, shouldn’t be underestimated. I’d like to add, of course, the fantastic trips you can take outside the city such as into the desert, visiting the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon but such was our immediate love at first one armed bandit with the city itself we couldn’t tear ourselves away and, sadly, didn’t find the time to do any of those. A regret, naturally, but yet another reason to want to return.

As the adverts say “Welcome to FABULOUS Las Vegas”.

So what did we do in our 5 fabulous days in the bright lights city. Well, here – in no particular order – are Wease’s Top Five Vegas Wow’s

No1 - The hotels – how can you not adore a selection that allows you to stand in front of a Pyramid, joust with King Arthur, have dinner in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, watch a Volcano explode and cruise the Grand Canal in a gondola. I loved the showiness of each hotel, the sense of theatre. Even at the more understated hotels, such as Bellagio and the MGM Grand there is still a sense of performance and a delight in presentation. Within the hotels themselves are a number of interesting attractions such as Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay, the Conservatory at the Bellagio, the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas and the Dolphin Habitat and Secret Garden at The Mirage.

No. 2 – The Casinos – for many people the opportunities for gambling are THE reason to visit Vegas but you don’t have to be a high roller or hardened blackjack player in order to enjoy the casinos. Indeed you don’t have to gamble at all, although when in Rome, or in this case Caesar’s Palace..! In a similar vein to the hotels in which they are situated what I really liked about the casinos was their variety, different atmosphere and sheer energy. Some, like Harrah’s, are bustling and business like while others, such as the Venetian, are sophisticated with a more restrained air but all have vitality about them, the hum of expectation, excitement and emotion.

No. 3 – The Rides – I am not that much of an adrenaline junkie buy my husband is and Vegas can certainly provide the thrills and screams that feed such a passion. The Stratosphere – apart from having an amazing viewing platform – has a number of brilliant rides that swing you above and over The Strip and at New York, New York a roller coaster whips you around the outside of the hotel

No. 4 – The Shopping – fancy some designer duds or maybe a personalised poker chip, some fake Elvis sideburns or even a magic trick you’ll find them all in Vegas

No. 5 – The Food– from haute cuisine to juicy burgers there is a wide variety of pit-stops for deep, medium or small pockets. For me, however, the buffets reign supreme!

Gambling and gaming are, in a way, the lifeblood of Las Vegas. Almost as soon as you step off the plane the evidence – a bank of slot machines – is in front of you. And the city caters for the smallest – 5 cent slots – and largest – maximum table bets of 1000 dollars or more –budgets.

If, like me, your gambling is restricted to a yearly bet on the Grand National and putting money into the ‘grabbers’ at the end of Brighton Pier, then you might not want to pitch straight into five card stud, roulette or blackjack! However, if you are careful, a bit of “when in Rome” – or in this case when in Caesar’s Palace – is a Las Vegas experience I would certainly recommend.

I can’t, however, overestimate the careful part. My only experience was on slot machines but they were appetizingly addictive. It’s easy to get caught up in the “one last spin” frame of mind, especially if you have been winning even small amounts. It’s exciting! But it is important to know when enough is enough.
I would recommend setting yourself a limit – daily or to cover the whole length of your visit – based on what you can afford to lose and what you are prepared or happy to lose. Keep this separate from the money you have budgeted to spend on food, drink, entertainment etc.. Then, and most importantly, stick to your limit. Don’t be tempted to dip into other funds. It would be a shame to leave Vegas with a negative experience, having spent more money in the casinos than you intended. Instead if you stick to your limit you can allow yourself the guilt-free luxury – regardless of whether you win or lose - of spending some money and, hopefully, you’ll another positive Vegas experience.

As I said I didn’t join any of the table games but I did enjoy the atmosphere surrounding them. So, for anyone going to Vegas to play poker, roulette, craps etc.. thank you for letting me watch and I do hope the luck of the cards, wheel and dice are with you.