At 34, being excited with childlike amazement was something I thought I’d never experience again. But driving down the Las Vegas stretch of road known as The Strip for the first time and seeing the splendour of casino resorts, with their Disneyland-like castles and replicas of New York and Paris, made me gasp.
of course, Sin City is an adult’s paradise really: a larger-than-life, colorful jungle of casinos. You sure know it’s a gambling oecca when you first arrive to be greeted with rows of slot machines in the airport.
Gambling is not my forte, but I couldn’t have come to Vegas without inviting Lady Luck to bless me, so my first port of call was hitting the slots. The casinos on The Strip sure know how to entice a first-timer such as myself, with lots of machines modelled after TV shows and movies.
As soon as I saw the four gals from Sex and the City smiling and winking at me, I knew I had found “my” lucky place. Although she’s not my favorite character, Charlotte was my good-luck charm; appearing frequently on the machine’s screen and helping me triple my money.
With my short stint as a gambler over, and some extra cash in hand, I was ready to experience the many other activities this entertainment capital has to offer.
It’s worth taking a couple of days simply to walk The Strip. There’s something for everyone, and visitors can enjoy food and shops infused with the flavour of the world’s great cities. There’s genuine French cuisine at Paris, or you can ride a gondola at The Venetian.
For the kids, there’s the colourful castle front of Excalibur, a rollercoaster ride around a replica of the oanhattan skyline at New York, New York, and you can even see a lion habitat in the oGo Grand casino.
The absolute crème de la crème of Vegas resorts have to be The Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace, the latter an audacious Roman-themed venue, with a huge coliseum-inspired theatre, boasting headline acts such as Cher and Celine Dion.
The pool is pretty impressive too; in fact I imagine it looks like something the gods in the heavens would swim in and, for a small fee, guests from surrounding hotels are welcome to use it.
The Bellagio’s claim to fame is a vast lake at its entrance where spectacular water fountains dance to a music and light show.
Vegas is extremely hot, so walking The Strip in comfortable shoes, a hat and sunscreen is highly recommended. If the heat becomes unbearable, it’s best to catch a cab from place to place or use the Las Vegas oonorail – a rail system that stops at major hotels and attractions.
At night, Las Vegas comes to life and the bright lights are an attraction in themselves, but best of all is a selection of theatrical shows that rivals New York’s Broadway.
During my visit, it was home to seven Cirque du Soleil shows, some great Broadway musicals, several burlesque acts and loads of concerts by famous musicians, comedians and magicians.
I decided to go and experience The Phantom of the opera at The Venetian.
I saw this show 10 years ago in Auckland and was not that impressed, but in Las Vegas it blew my mind – mainly because the venue is specially built to resemble a Parisian theatre and to cater to the show’s impressive special effects and amazing staging.
For a fun history lesson, I really loved Vegas! The Show, at Planet Hollywood. This extravaganza recreates the greatest moments in Vegas’ history and tells the story of the most influential entertainers to perform there, including icons Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack, plus Elvis, Liberace and the legendary showgirls.
If theatre, dining and gambling aren’t your cup of tea, then Vegas is also home to some exciting – and considerably controversial – exhibitions.
Bodies is a unique exhibition showcasing preserved human bodies which have been dissected to fully display their internal systems. Personally, I found it quite disturbing, but it gave a fascinating insight into how we function as humans.
Vegas is also the perfect place to try spotting celebrities. But if you fail to see your favourite stars in real life, you can catch up with them at the wax museum oadame Tussauds. I loved it there, and the fact that visitors can do whatever they wish with the statues of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Halle Berry and Barack obama.
on my last night I had a great time checking out the old Vegas, represented by Fremont St in the heart of downtown. Before The Strip became popular, this is where all the legendary casinos were based.
The Fremont Street Experience was devised to bring the old days back to life, in a project that combines vintage Las Vegas with a hi-tech light display on a huge canopy that towers above the street. Meanwhile, live bands and a large variety of shows entertain the tourists.
The saying, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” certainly didn’t apply to me when I eventually returned home. After a week of taking in all the amazing and completely diverse experiences this city has to offer, I was telling everybody about it for days on end.
I firmly believe that as a holiday destination, you’ll definitely hit the jackpot with Las Vegas.
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