Everything you need to know about the entertainment capital of the world!

Las Vegas is a populous city located in the heart of Nevada in the United States. It is famous for bustling hotel-casinos and world renowned shows like Cirque du Soleil and performances by Celine Dion and Cher. Located in the Mojave desert, daytime temperatures can reach over 40 degrees celsius- so make sure to pack some SPF on your travels!

Where to Stay

One thing to note is that I wouldn't really recommend staying in AirBnB’s Las Vegas. They are usually located further away from the action and in 30-40 degree heat the last thing you want to be doing is walking to and from destinations in the city. However, there is no shortage of accomodation in Las Vegas. We stayed in the MGM Grand Hotel and I would highly recommend it. The location could not have been any better and we actually only ventured outside of our hotel on our last night as there was so much to see and do within the hotel itself!

Although there were cheaper hotels available, guests at the MGM were given free entry into the MGM pool party, which saved each guest around $50 per day! Also, many of the popular shows like Cirque du Soleil take place within MGM and guests get a special discount.

Cultural Differences & Customs

Culturally, there aren’t any major differences between the U.S. and Ireland. Something that I think is important to be aware of is that there is much more emphasis on tipping servers in the US than I was accustomed to. The standard rate would be 10-20% of your bill. I found the tipping culture in the US to be quite pressured at times, and in this way I found it very different to at home in Ireland.

Attractions 

The Bellagio Fountain is a must see and the best thing about it is, unlike most things in Las Vegas, it is free! It is located outside the Bellagio hotel and the fountain show takes place for a few minutes every hour. It is a coordinated fountain display with music and lights that is a must see in Las Vegas!

'Hotel Hopping' was something we had never done before but turned out to be one of the most enjoyable activities we did while staying in Las Vegas. We dedicated one evening to exploring all of the luxurious hotels in the vicinity. Caesars Palace and The Venetian were two stand out spots that I would recommend anyone visit.  Caesars Palace is a roman themed hotel and casino with Roman Soldiers and a replica of the Colosseum. The Venetian is a recreation of the Italian city of Venice. Tourists can take a gondola ride through the hotel while listening to Italian music.

The 7 Magic Mountains are a collection of brightly coloured stacks of rocks just outside the city of Las Vegas. They are located in the desert and are a wonderful photo opportunity for tourists. I would recommend stopping at these on the drive into or out of Las Vegas city.

Nightlife

If I could describe Las Vegas nightlife in one word it would be PRICEY. A single drink costs about $20.Make sure to have 2 forms of ID with you at all times. In America they don't accept some forms of ID we would be used to here in Ireland (like an Age Card for example), so I would suggest having your passport and driving license with you at all times!

Another strange thing about the Las Vegas nightlife is that almost all nightclubs have a preference to admit girls over guys, and girls always get in for free whilst guys have to pay and entrance fee. To overcome this, we split the amount the guys had to pay between us all to make things a bit more fair. Some night clubs I would recommend are Hakkassan and 1 Oak - we were approached by reps in our hotel which gave us a guest list pass for both.

Food

107 Sky Lounge is a restaurant and cocktail bar on the 107th floor of the Stratosphere hotel. It can be pricey so we went for happy hour (4-7pm). The food was spectacular and the view was even better!

We also went to the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. It was located in our hotel (MGM Grand) and is famously owned by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Sometimes he is present in the restaurant but unfortunately this wasn’t the case when we attended. However, the food is amazing all by itself! 

3 Tips for the best week in Vegas

• There is so much to see and do in Las Vegas- I would recommend spending 4 days there.
• In Las Vegas almost all the hotels, casinos and tourist attractions are walking distance apart so there is no need for taxis or Ubers which allows you to allocate more money to shows and activities!
• Look for nightclub reps in hotels and restaurants. They will be obvious to spot and often give out their cards with free entry into nightclubs or pool parties- you can save a lot of money doing this!