"Las Vegas - The Ultimate Playground" Las Vegas by St_Vincent

Las Vegas Travel Guide: 8,369 reviews and 17,097 photos

My first visit to Las Vegas was a stopover during a West Coast road trip way back in 1981. This was a few months before my 21st birthday and I really didn't get the most out of the Vegas experience then. I was too young to either drink or gamble legally and we only spent one night there passing through. I remember seeing the Stardust so we may well have stayed there or close by.

It was 20 years later in 2001 before I went back again and I enjoyed the place so much I visited again in 2003 and was also there for the centennial celebrations in May 2005. I was determined to keep the two-year cycle going so went again in November 2007 with the same friend I went with in 2003.

On any new trip I find it amazing how quickly things change, for instance during my 2001 trip I recall seeing the old Desert Inn resort empty and boarded up, by 2005 it had turned into the newest addition to the Strip the magnificent Wynn Las Vegas.

For two of my visits I have travelled alone and have found Las Vegas to be one of the easiest cities in the world to be a single traveller in. Nobody bothers you, yet everyone seems ready to help or chat if you want to. The other plus of course for the single traveller is the American custom of charging per room instead of per person as is the case in most European hotels.

The high levels of customer service generally experienced in the US seem to be even more evident in Vegas and this all helps towards an enjoyable and hassle free stay. Of course if you have a bit of luck on the tables or the slots then it gets even better.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:I always struggle to describe the Vegas experience to those who haven't been
  • Cons:It's too far away from where I live
  • In a nutshell:Nothing is too "Over the Top" in Vegas
  • Last visit to Las Vegas: Nov 2007
  • Intro Updated Dec 25, 2008
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Reviews (22)

Comments (16)

  • hunterV's Profile Photo
    May 10, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    ~ Great experience, Clive! What good memories you've got!

  • sourbugger's Profile Photo
    Nov 1, 2008 at 1:17 PM

    i agree tipping is a pain. when asked for one i always reply : don't smoke, eat more fresh fruit and don't piddle in the lift. They don't ask again.

  • Gillybob's Profile Photo
    Oct 25, 2008 at 8:50 AM

    Thanks for visiting my Vegas page. Looking forward to 4 nights of fun next week! Gillybob greetings

  • SabrinaSummerville's Profile Photo
    May 11, 2008 at 3:30 AM

    Thanks for visiting my Medugorje page Clive. It's one of the newer and less visited pages. Don't you just love Vegas? I do anyway and I see you're a frequent visitor there.

  • Tricky_Dicky69's Profile Photo
    Jan 1, 2008 at 11:50 AM

    Hi Clive, happy new year. Hope you had a good trip to Vegas.

  • SLLiew's Profile Photo
    Aug 26, 2007 at 1:05 AM

    Cheers to Freaking Frogs :) SL

  • acebruin's Profile Photo
    Feb 6, 2007 at 3:51 PM

    clive, check out the MGM promotion again... you might be interested in the first week of april... cheers!

  • sue_stone's Profile Photo
    Aug 25, 2006 at 1:13 AM

    Love the night photos!! I reallllly want to get to Vegas soon.

  • Travmad's Profile Photo
    Apr 22, 2006 at 8:57 AM

    Good tips on Vegas .

  • hotlipz's Profile Photo
    Mar 19, 2006 at 4:16 PM

    Spot on about your 'pros for Las Vegas' - I just tell people to go there - its the only way they'll know what the fuss is all about - you simply cannot describe it!

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