Viva Las Vegas travel tips!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – unless you’re a travel blogger.

That being the case, this is a collection of my best Las Vegas travel tips and advice, all the ins and outs about spending time in the City of Sin.

Las Vegas accommodation

The Las Vegas Strip is a 6.8km (4.2 mile) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard where (according to my old friend Wikipedia) you’ll find 15 of the world’s 25 largest hotels by room count. It’s where the action is and, if you’re a tourist, this is where you’re definitely going to want to stay.

In my opinion, the most dynamic and interesting part of the strip is roughly from the MGM Grand north to, say, The Mirage. Anything past that – Circus Circus, Wynn Las Vegas, Treasure Island – is too far from the action.

During the day, too, you’ll be pleased to stay somewhere central – it’s a long hard slog in the dessert sun to get from one casino to another.

I’d even recommend you stay at more than one resort during your stay, because each one is different. I stayed at Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood and the MGM Grand during my time in Las Vegas (I’ll review them in a future blog post).

Things you should do in Vegas

Unless you’re a high roller or you love to gamble a little too much, you’re probably not going to want to spend all your time in the casinos.

Fortunately, there is heaps to see and do in Las Vegas. Mrs Man vs World enjoyed shopping at Miracle Mile Shops and the Fashion Show shopping mall further up the Vegas strip. Me, I preferred people watching over a beer or two at the numerous bars that line Las Vegas Boulevard.

Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, too, of course, so you can’t leave without going to see at least one show (check out The Beatles Love by Cirque Du Soleil – it’s awesome). You can get cheaper tickets at kiosks along The Strip, but the good shows sell out fast and I’d recommend you just book your tickets online instead.

Of course, there’s also the famous fountain show at the Bellagio, which happens every 15-30 minutes depending on what night of the week you’re there. More impressive is the Freemont Street Experience – a music and light show with 25 million LED lights – but that’s over in downtown Las Vegas.

You must walk the strip at night to see all the lights (even better, drive up and down the road in a convertible with the roof down).

If you’ve got plenty of time, organise a day tour to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam; if you don’t have time, tour the Grand Canyon by aeroplane or helicopter.

Las Vegas food

If you want to eat at foul-mouthed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s BurGR restaurant at Planet Hollywood without standing in line for an hour you shouldn’t go there for lunch or dinner. Instead, go some time in between.

Vegas’ many buffets are legendary, but the quality and price varies hugely from one place to another. I recommend Flavors The Buffet at Harrah’s for a good but moderately priced feast, and Planet Hollywood’s Spice Market Buffet is another good one.

Speaking of buffets, I had all-you-can-eat pancakes for breakfast one morning – except that I couldn’t even eat all of my first serving. Remember that American portion sizes are huge.

A word to the wise…

Finally, remember that the house always wins – and the chances of you beating the odds and leaving Las Vegas with any kind of financial windfall are remote to say the least. Good luck; don’t say I didn’t warn you!