Las Vegas is the most popular in the state of Nevada and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping and entertainment. Situated in the midst of the Nevada desert landscape, the city has giant mega-casinos; hotels decorated with lavish furnishings with attention to detail and offer a wide variety of hotels from the luscious Luxor Hotel to the more affordable Hard Rock Hotel.

One of the ‘must’ things to do in Las Vegas is to take a trip outside of the city and visit the Grand Canyon, one of the most spectacular natural places in the world and about a six-hour drive east of the city. Various day trips and packages are available; but if you are a bit stuck for time take a 40- minute helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon and catch a glimpse of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

The city is beaming and buzzing with loads of things to do from shopping to clubbing. Get your heart pumping and take a ride on the exhilarating roller coaster that wraps around the outside the casino; or if you like to keep your feet firmly on the ground check out the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand and the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.

If you’re keen to meet celebs, take a trip to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and get up close and personal with over one hundred wax figurines from TV, film, sports and music. You can get up close and personal with the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, Kylie Minogue and even have your photograph taken with the legendary king of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley.

For those of us that enjoy a bit of retail therapy Las Vegas offers several shopping malls. Head for the fashion mall on the Vegas strip. The fashion show mall is huge with over 250 shops, restaurants and seven department stores. Located across the street from the Wynn Las Vegas the Fashion show has great restaurants, great shopping and even fashion shows on the weekend.

Las Vegas seems to come alive at night with a blur of neon lights and excitement offering funky clubs with a variety of differently themed bars. Head to Mandalay Bay Hotel and transport yourself into a world of romance and intrigue at the Red Square and experience the exclusive private vodka vault and famous frozen icebar. Stay out all night and get funky with a variety of differently-themed night clubs. Head for Studio 54 situated at the MGM Grand Hotel, famous for its New York ‘70s disco-style. With its huge dance floor you are almost guaranteed to have a fun time.

If you want to see the real Vegas, move on downtown. This is the working man’s gambling center, and is a lot less formal than the strip. Still a blur of neon and excitement, downtown offers a lot for the money. With only two show venues (Golden Nugget and Jackie Gaughan’s Plaza), the gambling and the great food and drink bargains are what people come for.

On your trip why not take a trip to Binion’s Horseshoe, famous for hosting the annual World Series of Poker, the most prestigious event its kind and is the favourite of many world class gamblers because the casino has no betting limits! The days of sawdust on the floor and six guns a-blazin’ are a thing of the past with old time institutions having undergone huge and expensive renovations to bring them up to date. Give downtown a try!

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