Inside Las Vegas

Welcome to Inside Las Vegas, this Hub will be all about the wonderful City of Las Vegas.

With great tips/things to do when your there. I have been here four times, and I love it.

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada. Nicknamed Sin City and the Entertainment Capital of the World, it is situated in the midst of the southern Nevada desert landscape. The city has giant mega-casino hotels, decorated with lavish care and attention to detail to create a fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos often have names and themes that evoke romance, mystery, and far-away destinations.
Compared with other cities in the West, Las Vegas is a relatively recent arrival. It was only founded in 1905, and for years it was merely a small settlement in the middle of the desert. However, several pivotal events would come together in less than twenty years that would begin to make Las Vegas what it is today:

• The construction of Hoover Dam in 1928 brought thousands of workers to the area - This is a must see when visiting Las Vegas.
• Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, and what is now downtown Las Vegas became an entertainment centre for the dam workers, with casinos and speakeasies.
• In 1941, the luxurious El Rancho Vegas resort opened on what would later become the Las Vegas Strip. Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel later opened the Flamingo Hotel in 1946, starting the building boom and one-upmanship that would continue largely unabated for the next 50 years and creating a precedent of Organized Crime involvement in Nevada's gambling industry that arguably persists.

The first tip is about tipping.
From the minute you land in Las Vegas, you will be expected to tip.  The bus from the airport to the hotel - $1 per piece of luggage + $1 for the driver.  If you have help with your luggage at the hotel - another $1 per piece. 
I left $3 a day for the housekeeping.  I put them into envelopes and left one on the end of the bed every day. Just write on the front 'Housekeeping, with thanks' and the date.  This way your room will be extra clean and the bath room accessories always replenished.
Your waiter or waitress, depending on their service, anything up to 10% of the cost of your meal.  We always had terrific service, wherever we went, so were pleased to tip these hard working men and women.
Taxi drivers, even though the trip can be quite expensive, make sure you give these people a tip, they work hard and rely on tips for a decent wage.
Shuttle buses from hotels on the strip to off strip places, $1 per person.
Tour drivers and guides.  One of the guides on a trip actually asked for 10 - 15% of our tour cost, which would have worked out at about $20 - $30, ignore this, we did.  $5 for the driver, $10 for the guide.  When you have 20 or 30 people on a bus this adds up.  This was between 2 of us, not per person.
If you are playing the casinos, drinks will only cost you a tip for the waitress.  Roughly $1 per drink, much cheaper than the $5 per drink if you buy at the bar.

Make sure you take a good supply of $1 bills with you.

2nd tip  -  coupons.  Las Vegas loves coupons.  When you get to your room, you will find a magazine, look for any coupons you think you may use.  I have downloaded free vegas coupons and taken them with us.  Free food, buy a hot-dog get one free, buy ice-cream get one free, free entry to The Auto Collection in Imperial Palace. 
Don't be afraid to use coupons, just make sure you make the waitress aware of the coupon when you order.

Hotels on the Strip that we have checked out

Bally's Las Vegas  -  an experience just getting to the front door of this hotel, you are carried along on a moving walkway, up escalators just to get to the foyer.  Inside you have the casino, shops, restaurants, bars and lounges.

Bellagio  -  What can you say, an experience that will take your breath away.  The fountains outside are amazing, inside the casino, shops, restaurants, bars, lounges, but so much more.  The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are a joy, the world’s largest chocolate fountain is yummy.  I may be one of the few people who think that the glass ceiling in the foyer is the ugliest thing I had seen in a long while.  It may have been created by a world renowned artist at a cost of many millions, but yuk.  Still I am sure many people love it, each to their own.

Caesars Palace  -  the statues that surround this wonderful hotel complex are stunning.  The inside, of course, consists of the casino, shops, restaurants, bars and lounges, but it is a day out just walking around the grounds and the resort.  Take your time to really look at this hotel.  It may be one of the older establishments, originally built in 1966, but has continued to reinvent and redefine luxury that people can admire

Circus Circus  -  as a tourist with no children, I skimmed this hotel.  I don’t like circus’s and I don’t like other people’s kids. So even though I went into the hotel it was a flying visit.  The amazing amount of lights outside this hotel come into their own at night and I must admit it looks great.

Encore  -  only looked at this hotel  from the Fashion Show Mall across the street.  It looks wonderful but I feel that I don’t belong in there as I am just a poor tourist.

Excalibur  -  another strange child orientated hotel.  I think that Las Vegas has come to realise that this stunning place and kids do not work, so this is one of the hotels that need to reassess its look.  We went to the Tournament of Kings show and it was fantastic.  The idea of jousting and horse riding in a hotel is mind blowing, but that is what Vegas is all about. 

Flamingo  -  have stayed here 3 out of the 4 times we have been to Las Vegas.  Bang in the middle of the strip, you couldn’t ask for a better base for the holiday of a life time.  Yes. It is old, built in 1946, it has a chequered past, but it is clean, the staff are very helpful and the gardens are spectacular.  A great place to start out from every day, one day go left next day go right.  On the monorail route so this is so convenient, other hotels may be better looking but after all it is only a base, somewhere to sleep (if you get time).

Harrah's  -  odd, I don’t know what else to say about this hotel.  It has interesting areas, such as the duelling pianos at the Piano Bar, if you can get close enough to see.  If you walk all the way through the hotel, out the back door, across the road, you get to a bus pick up area.  You can get a free bus to the Rio or a longer trip into Sam’s Town.  This is worth a look.  The journey is a chance to see outside Las Vegas and Sam’s Town is a lovely olde worlde casino.

Imperial Palace  -  not a place to stay as it is a dark strange hotel, but as with every hotel in Las Vegas it has surprising elements.  As you walk in you may notice Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Cher and many more characters dealing you cards at the blackjack table, while others are singing to passers by.  Walk towards the back of the hotel, up in the lift to the 5th floor and you enter a showroom containing over 200 antique or famous cars.  You can actually buy some!

Las Vegas Hilton  -  when we first went in 2005, this hotel was a Star Trek themed hotel.  You walked into the Enterprise and looked at Klingons etc, but in 2008 they flew to other galaxy’s and this hotel has become a place for business men, who are just passing through on their way to a conference.  It is on the monorail route so worth a quick stop off, but don’t make an effort if you are just walking the strip.  It is slightly off strip, but this could still mean an extra hour walk.

Luxor  -  they are in the middle of redesigning this hotel, so the Egyptian theme is being removed and a more adult look replacing the camels, hieroglyphics etc.  Bars and nightclubs are the order of the day.  The main attraction, the beam, is of course still shinning and lighting up the night sky.  This hotel is connected to the Excalibur and the Mandalay bay by a monorail.  Worth a quick trip for free.


Mandalay Bay  -  Great music, Shark Reef or surfing.  All can be seen and heard in this spectacular hotel.  The Shark Reef is definitely worth the long walk through to the back of the hotel.

MGM Grand  -  Huge.  Not much else to say about this hotel apart from the lion habitat.  You can walk through a glass tunnel and look up at the lions normally laying above.  Could spend a good part of a day just strolling around this hotel and stopping off in one of its many restaurants or bars.  People watching heaven

Mirage  -  walk inside this hotel and you are in a tropical oasis.  Hear soothing waterfalls, smell the exotic plants.  A tiny piece of Bali in the desert.  The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is worth strolling through.  Lions, Tigers, panthers and more. 

Monte Carlo  -  tasteful and relaxing.  A hotel with beautiful statues, upmarket shops and wonderful restaurants.  Worth a look.  Is now on a monorail stop that connects this hotel to City Centre and Bellagio

New York-New York  -  walked through part of the hotel, to noisy and seemed to be full of young people hanging around the bars that line the ‘New York’ street.  The outside of the hotel is more enjoyable to look at, watch the roller coaster as it flies around the hotel.  Look up at the Statue of Liberty and see the tug boat spray water.

Palazzo  -  similar to Venetian, we walked through the Venetian and out through the Palazzo.  A stunning building, walk around and admire the architecture, fountains, statues etc

Paris  -  we got electric shocks in this hotel.  We actually got electric shocks in most hotels but some more that others.  Not a lot to look at in the hotel, the leg of the Eiffel Tower inside the casino, street lamps and a sky painted ceiling.  Have yet to go up the Eiffel Tower, need to go back again (yeh)

Planet Hollywood  -  the old Aladdin hotel, has been updated and 'improved'.  I preferred the old style.  This hotel is now a retro-chic.  OK if you are a teenager.  Even the Miracle Mile shops have been 'glammed' up.  The one good thing about this hotel is the Spice Market food hall. (see Food page)

Haven't wasted much time going to shows.  There is so much to do in Vegas, you have to decide what is important, but we have been to see the Fab Four at Planet Hollywood.  A Beatles tribute show that was very good and worth the $65.  It seems that the show has been renamed BeatleShow Tribute.  Well worth the hour and half to see even if you don't like Beatles music too much.  We also saw George Wallace at the Flamingo, but I personally thought the warm-up comedian was better, but we got cheap tickets from the hotel so worth going.  Haven't been to any of the BIG shows.  There are so many free things to see and do, unless you want to see something specific, leave the costly shows for others.

If you are on a limited budget, make sure that some of your hard earned cash goes on a select few tours. Here are some that I have been on and would highly recommend. There are, of course, many, many more but my advice is always research before you go.Hoover Dam - We have been on two different tours, both wonderful but I would recommend the tour that takes in the Ethel M’s chocolate factory and cactus garden and the Dams visitor centre and generator room. See how the dam was constructed. The new Dam overpass should be opening shortly; this will give another fantastic view of this amazing feat of engineering.Vegas evening tour - a bus journey around the Vegas strip, showing you many of the major resorts in a few hours. A taster, you can then decide if you want to check these sights out in your own time later. See the Bellagio fountains, the Mirage Volcano, Madame Tussauds, the Rio’s Masquerade show in the Sky (certain tours only) and Fremont Street Experience. WowAnd of course the ultimate Vegas experience – a helicopter ride above the strip at night. I had never been in or near a helicopter but this is something amazing. Take along a camcorder, no flash photography in case you blind the pilot, not a good idea. I just pressed the record button, held the camera to the window and gasped my way through the 15 minute journey.Many people go to the Grand Canyon, but remember this is 300 miles away from Vegas, so it really is a whole day out of your holiday. You may not be able to fit it in.

Shop-a-holics paradiseA whole range of shopping experiences from the seaside type knick knacks to top range cars, jewellery, clothes etcWalk through the Bellagio shopping arcade and look in awe at Tiffany & Co, Chanel, Prada to name a few, stroll through the Wynn and pick up a Ferrari, stop in at Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton.  Street entertainers sing and dance while you meander through the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian.  Then stroll over to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and watch the statues while they tell you about the Fall of Atlantis, watch the stunning array of fish while queuing for Cheesecake.  Photo opportunity beside the 3 storey high wooden horse or the huge statues that surround the escalators.  Measure the mile you walk around the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood, stop and watch the rain, before checking out the 150 plus stores, small carts of goods and check out the laser show  and the malls water fountain.
Even shopping haters like me wondered around for hour’s people watching and window shopping.

You will never be hungry in Vegas.  The best value by far are the buffets. 
You get to eat as much as you like for a relatively low price.  We have only tried a few and I can recommend them all.
 The best, and most expensive of the one's we have been to, is The Spice Market at Planet Hollywood.  The dinner sitting has a fantastic array of dishes.  You can have something from all continents of the world.  Make sure you don't eat all day if you decide to go for an evening meal.  We find that even taking small portions from each of the food counters, we never do it justice. The food has always been top class, also the service is great.
We have also eaten at the Flamingo buffet, very pleasant sitting by the windows watching the ducks, swans and koi, while enjoying breakfast.  A wonderful choice of fruit, cereal, fried foods, waffles, pancakes and more.  A really reasonable priced meal.  Also had lunch at Flamingo, again a very nice good priced meal. 
Had the Tropicana breakfast buffet back in 2005 and I remember it was very good.  Lots of choice and very good service.
Just remember that Las Vegas does not do normal sized meals.  I went to a Denny's near to Casino Royale a few years ago and ordered a burger and hot chocolate.  Really nice until they came and refilled the drink, not just once, but 4 times!  Have you tried to drink 5 hot chocolates with whipped cream.  I tried to say no thank you, but they don't seem to believe that 1 or even 2 is enough. 
Thankfully you have to walk such a distance to get anywhere that you can work off some of the excess.

Ice cream and chocolate addicts need to go to Ghirardelli, in the Harrah's Carnaval Court.  Oh my, it has the best ice cream sundaes.  Great service, sit outside the shop enjoying a huge ice cream while listening to live music and watch bartenders strut their stuff at the Carnaval Court.  A great way to pass a few hours

Must sees include:
Fountains of Bellagio - these just take your breath away.  Day and night, different music, different 'dances' but always superb.

Volcano at the Mirage  -  a new 'improved' volcano.  I think the old one was slightly better, but the new one is spectacular to watch, feel the heat and smell the sulphur.

The gardens of Flamingo  -  take a leisurely stroll around the beautiful gardens, see the fish, the birds, waterfalls, trees and plants.  Find Bugsy Siegal's memorial in the stunning garden near to the wedding chapel.  Pools and lagoons wind their way around the 15 acres of garden.

Lions in the MGM  -  walk under lions as they stretch and play in their glass habitat

Siren show outside TI  -  very busy place every evening, best spot is across the road, watch in awe as ships and 'pirates' fight it out, the guys don't seem to put up much of a fight.

Every hotel on the strip  -  just walk around these works of art, they are a day out on their own.