Glitz, Glamour, Gaming and Gaiety

It's hard to remember why Las Vegas always had such an attraction. It might have been those old movies I watched as a child or perhaps it was the Elvis influence from my older siblings playing their records when I was really young. My first visit to Vegas came as part of a road trip I took with my husband. We visited National Parks, Death Valley, L.A. and lot's more but then there was Vegas..... Nothing quite prepares you for you first sight on 'The Strip'. The huge hotels that flash news of their wares on enormous neon signs, street sellers with details of shows and casino deals, restaurants, bars and lots and lots of people. My first visit to Vegas was 15 years ago. The Venetian Hotel was new and stunning.......I remember walking though the hotel and being astounded by the 'canals' and replica of St Mark's Square. There were White Tigers, Magic Shows and then then there were casinos. Each casino seemed to be more elaborate than the last. There were fruit machines and slots aplenty and guess what? They paid out real money.......... We stayed in down town old Vegas in a lovely hotel called The Golden Nugget - it felt like real Vegas. The slot machines were huge and load and they were there to greet you on arrival, in reception on the way to the restaurant .....amazing. We made sure to take in the Fremont Street Experience, a stunning light show where space rockets and stars came to life accompanied by amazing music. This light show took place hourly and was well worth waiting for! We only had time for three nights in Vegas during that visit but I made the most of every second. Just over a year ago I had an amazing opportunity to visit Vegas again as part of a three centre, 25th wedding anniversary treat. We flew into Phoenix (a place I had visited before and really enjoyed), spent four days in Scottsdale - a brilliant place and then we drove to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam, which I had missed on my previous visit. The Hoover Dam is 'nice to say you have been' detour. It's a definite feat of engineering but unless you have a head for heights and like water storage it wasn't for me the highlight of my trip. Onwards to Vegas. And after another few hours we arrived back in Las Vegas and boy how things had changed! The Old Town looked much the same but the lower part of The Strip has seen  much development (all for the better) and now offered an even greater range of hotel options to choose from. We had picked The Aria - due to it's great location on the strip with shops and theatres nearby. There is also a monorail connecting the Monte Carlo Hotel to The Aria, Vdara and the beautiful Bellagio. We had a lovely suite overlooking the strip but, despite the view it was never our intention to spend too much time in the suite. We visited pretty much ever hotel on the Strip - I loved The Aria with it's spacious layout and super casino. The chocolate shop which also served coffee has to be another attraction. The Lemongrass restaurant was super and the bars located around the hotel made a welcome visiting spot after a few hours of gaming. The facilities at The Aria are second to none. It's perfect for a short break, even longer (if you are luck enough to stay for a week or two) it's also a perfect spot for conferences and meetings - team building here we come!! My other favourite hotels were the Monte Carlo, The Vdara (perfect for non-gamers or those who want to stay in a non-gaming environment), I liked Caesar - mainly because of the history and the shopping piazza but my favourite  was probably The Bellagio. Thanks to a work trip I spent a few more days in Vegas just a few months later. I visited all my favourite hotels again and made it to some new ones including The Wynn, The Mandarin and more. If you have't been to Vegas then please try and add it to your 'must do' list. It's an experience and even if you don't like gaming there are shows, shopping, national parks and of course The Grand Canyon to visit. If we can help you to put together a trip to Las Vegas or a road trip taking in this amazing place please do get in touch...... Tel: 077539 29989 or email me: karenpocock@designertravel.co.uk