If you’re looking for the trip of a lifetime – say hello to Fabulous, Las Vegas, Nevada. With its big bright lights and over-the-top atmosphere, it’s safe to say there’s nowhere else in the world quite like it. And my holiday there definitely confirmed it!
If you’re a music lover you might know of a little band called The Killers – who just so happen to be from this spectacular city. Being my favourite band, I just couldn’t turn down the chance to see them in their hometown on their latest tour – it was high up on my bucket list! So, concert tickets booked, we planned an action-packed 7-day stay for the end of August. And let me tell you – it was amazing.
Where to stay
One of the hardest things I found about planning our Vegas holiday was deciding which hotel to stay in – there’s simply so many to choose from!
After plenty of indecision, we finally went with the Excalibur, which is located on the south end of the strip. We wanted somewhere with plenty of facilities, but without breaking the bank. We decided we would rather spend more on the things to do there than splash out on an expensive room, which we were barely in!
The only thing that was important to us was having a good swimming pool – after all, we were going in August, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees (yes, you read that right). I’m so pleased we went with the Excalibur – the pool scene was great!
There’s a choice of 4 pools – one being adult only, one featuring slides, and there’s also a brilliant poolside bar at hand too. We couldn’t resist getting the refillable frozen cocktails – the margarita and strawberry daiquiri were to die for, and just what we needed in the heat! It was the perfect retreat to spend a few hours at before our pretty hectic days and nights.
We were spoilt for choice when it comes to dining too. There’s a fab food court right in the heart of the hotel, so we were covered for just about everything – we ate at the fast food joint Johnny Rockets, Pick Up Stix (a delicious Asian takeout place) and tucked into hot, fresh pretzels at Auntie Anne’s. There’s even two Starbucks within the hotel, which was perfect for my iced coffee fix!
We loved the location – a five minute walk had you right on the strip, with places like MGM Grand, New York, New York and the Hard Rock Cafe right nearby. Plus, it was only five minutes’ walk to the T Mobile Arena, which is where The Killers’ concert would be. Perfect!
As two of the pools at our hotel had to be shut one day, we were given complimentary access to the one of the Excalibur’s sister hotels – the MGM Grand. This had an even more impressive pool scene for us to enjoy, so we were in our element!
Our room at the Excalibur was really spacious, and it was probably the comfiest and biggest bed we’ve ever had on holiday. Plus, we had a view that gave us a partial view of the strip, which was nice to look out to. Considering it was a more budget hotel than some of the other big hotels on the strip, I was really impressed. 
Other Hotels
Of course, if you want to go all-out during your time in Vegas, there’s definitely other hotels I’d recommend checking out. If you want to be right in the centre of the strip, then I’d go for the likes of Flamingo, The Linq, or Harrah’s.
Or if you’ve got the budget for it, take things a step further and book yourself a stay in the beautiful Bellagio with a front-row view of the infamous fountains. Caesars Palace can’t be knocked when it comes to sheer opulence, either. We visited all those hotels during our stay, and they were all pretty impressive.
A jam-packed itinerary
We couldn’t believe how much there was to see and do in Vegas! Even with a week here, we couldn’t possibly fit every little thing in. We chose our ‘must do’s’, booked things in advance, and then left bits of free time to explore once we were there. Here’s some of the things we got up to…
Zooming on ziplines
We couldn’t come to Vegas and not do one of the famous ziplines – there’s two to choose from, and we did both! One lies right in the centre of the Las Vegas strip – The Linq Zipline.
You’re spoiled with views of Caesars Palace as you make your way to the flying platform, and once you’re hooked up, it’s time to fly over the promenade towards the Linq Wheel. I’d recommend doing it on a night, when everything is lit up and twinkling around you!
The second zipline lies in downtown Las Vegas, at Fremont Street. Out of the two, this was definitely the most impressive! This time, we flew facing down like Superman, whizzing through the surreal structure of the Fremont Street Experience – dazzling lights, thrilling music, with people in awe looking at us as we zoomed above them. Amazing!
Thrill seekers will love these, and I’d recommend everyone plucks up the courage to give the Fremont Street one a go especially. It’s a unique feeling!
Shooting Experience
Me and my boyfriend Micky love our video games, and regularly play on Call of Duty together back home. So of course coming to America, we had to give shooting a real gun a go!
We booked the Beginner’s Shooting Experience at Battlefield Vegas, which lies slightly at the north end of the strip. As part of our package we got picked up and dropped off directly outside our hotel – in an army vehicle! We climbed in the back of a green hummer-style car covered in camouflage netting, and set off through Vegas, the wind in our hair. It felt like we were in an action movie!
Once we arrived, we were given the option to choose which guns we wanted to shoot. We both went for a handgun, the Glock, then I chose an MP5 and Micky chose an Uzi. Once we had our protective eye and ear pieces on, it was time to go to the target area! We chose to shoot at the free T shirts included as part of our package instead of pieces of paper, so that we’d have a pretty cool and unique piece of memorabilia to take home with us to wear.
Our instructor taught us how to hold and aim properly, before letting us fire off our rounds. We loved it! We couldn’t wait to see who had the better aim in real life – and I’m proud to say there was only me who hit the centre of the target!
After our shooting experience, we walked around the rest of Battlefield Vegas – there were real tanks on display, as well as an old army helicopter used in Vietnam. We couldn’t resist climbing in for a photo. Any video game fans or history buffs would love this experience – it was great value for money considering transport was included too.
Hit the Skies in a Helicopter Tour
If there’s one thing you must do while you’re in Las Vegas – it’s take a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon! Words can’t even describe how amazing this was. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
We booked this well in advance of our holiday as places book up fast, so I’d recommend choosing your date and time slot early on. We booked through the TUI Experiences website – the easiest way to view and book the available attractions and excursions in your holiday destination.
On the morning of our tour we were picked up directly from our hotel in a posh, air-conditioned limousine bus, and taken straight to the Las Vegas Strip Terminal – literally five minutes away! Other tours to the Grand Canyon can include a 45-minute drive to Boulder City airport, which is obviously further away, so I would really recommend the one we did. It’s much more convenient!
Once there, we were greeted by the friendly team at Maverick Helicopters and introduced to our pilot, David. After having our photo taken in front of the helicopter, it was time to climb in, gear up, and prepare for take off!
Hovering up in the sky felt so surreal. As music played in our headphones, we made our way across the desert and soon enough, the amazing feat of engineering that is the Hoover Dam came into view!
Flying over it gave us a magnificent bird’s eye view of the whole construction, all while our pilot spoiled us with interesting facts. It was amazing to see the dam that has featured in so many blockbuster movies, from Superman to San Andreas and even the Transformers series.
After another 15 minutes or so we’d crossed the state border from Nevada into Arizona, meaning we weren’t far off our destination! And sure enough, before long, we started to see the beginning of the rim of the great Grand Canyon. What a sight!
Our helicopter dipped and curved along past the domineering red rocks, steeped in years of geological history. The Grand Canyon stretches out at 277 miles long, so suddenly it’s all you can see in the distance. You feel as though you’ve entered another planet!
We landed 4,000 feet below the rim of the canyon to be treated to a delicious champagne picnic in seriously special surroundings. Thankfully there were tables with parasols for us to sit under to enjoy it – it was about 38 degrees at midday, so we definitely needed some respite from the sun!
Our pilot-turned-photographer took amazing photos of us with the canyons rising up behind us, and after a couple of glasses of champagne and time spent soaking up the view, we climbed back inside our helicopter to begin our return journey.
On our way back, we were treated to equally stunning views of Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in North America. The glistening blue lake looked absolutely beautiful against the backdrop of red, rocky dunes. Some of the rock formations were so deeply orange, you’d have thought we were on Mars!
The great thing about this helicopter tour is that not only did we see the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and Lake Mead – we also got to fly directly over Fremont Street and the Las Vegas strip on the way back too! Seeing this city from the sky is an amazing way to appreciate its uniqueness – a shiny, glittery playground amidst a vast desert landscape.
Before long we were back on the ground – with a whole new collection of amazing sights stored in our bank of memories. I’d recommend this experience for everyone on a trip to Vegas – it’s something you’ll remember for the rest of your life!
Catch a Show
Vegas is known for being the entertainment capital of the world – so it only makes sense to see a show or two while you’re here! With so many to choose from, you really are spoiled for choice – should you go for some magic? The cirque du soilel? Or something different?
We decided to book tickets to see The Blue Man Group, which resides at the Luxor Hotel, as well as tickets to see the legendary illusionist David Copperfield, at the MGM Grand.
The Blue Man Group show was the most random and unique show I’ve ever seen – there’s almost no explaining it! Just be prepared to be mesmermised, with lots of laughs along the way. It’s jam-packed full of audience interaction, so you almost feel a part of the show. It’s definitely not your usual stage production, that’s for sure!
And if you want to be left in even more astonishment, you simply have to see David Copperfield. We couldn’t believe some of the things we were seeing! We couldn’t explain his illusions even if we tried, and we came away feeling like we’d just witnessed actual magic. Definitely one to see for yourself!
There’s so many other shows to choose from – we would of liked to see The Beatles Love and Michael Jackson’s One too.
See the sights
On top of everything else, there’s just so much to see in Vegas itself! We did a hop-on, hop-off bus tour early on while we were there, which I’d really recommend – it introduces you to all the main areas of Vegas, and is a good way to get your bearings and decide on the things you want to do. Whilst on it, we were treated to lots of interesting little facts about Vegas, its origins, and we even saw the Little Chapel where Elvis himself got married!
We jumped off at the first stop – the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign! No trip to Sin City is complete without grabbing a photo here. There’s almost always a queue (day or night) but it goes down pretty quickly.
Hopping back on the bus, we carried on up towards the main strip. Sweet lovers have to pop in the giant MnM store as well as the Coca Cola shop! You’ll find the Hard Rock Cafe nearby too, which is the perfect place to eat for music lovers (like me!)
In the centre of the strip you’ll find the High Roller wheel – the tallest ferris wheel in the Western hemisphere, and up until 2021, the tallest in the world! It’s a spectacular sight to see (the London Eye has nothing on this!) and believe me when I say the views when you’re on it are out of this world!
And of course, you can’t come to Vegas without seeing the fountain show at the Bellagio. It really is amazing! Watch as powerful bursts of water dance up and down to electrifying music – because why not? Everything is ‘extra’ in Vegas! Shows run every half an hour from 3pm – 8pm and every 15 minutes from 8pm – midnight. So you’ll be sure to catch it once or twice!
And to fully ‘see the sights’ of this glistening city, you simply have to take a visit to the north end of the strip, to The Strat. This hotel has a 360-degree viewing platform known as The SkyPod and Observation Deck, and will deliver you some of the best views you’ve ever seen.
Whilst being treated to stunning views of all of Vegas, you can even partake in a thrill or two – there’s three rides to choose from at the top! One will have you shooting a further 160 feet in the air at 45mph, whilst another has you dangling over the edge of the hotel. We almost lost our voices screaming!
A Killer Concert
And now, for the main event – The Killers! It had been a dream of mine to see my favourite band in their hometown of Las Vegas for some time, and I couldn’t have been more excited!
We headed over to the T Mobile Arena, which hosts loads of brilliant events throughout the year, and is located just off the strip. After buying some merch we were warmed up by The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, before The Killers kicked things off in style.
The concert was amazing! The band lives and breathes their Vegas heritage, so it felt truly special to see them in their hometown. We sang our hearts out to hits like Human and Mr Brightside, and left covered in confetti. It was an amazing night!
Plenty of other artists currently have residencies in Vegas, so catching a concert during your time here is a must. There’s performances up for grabs from Adele, Shania Twain, Usher, Diana Ross and Rod Stewart just to name a few, so there’s sure to be something to tickle your musical fancy!
Eating out
One of the things we were most looking forward to when visiting Vegas (and even just America in general!) was the food. They don’t do things by halves!
We were spoilt for choice with where to eat every day. Our hotel had an entire food court which we visited for convenience once or twice, as well as The Grand Buffet. For $25 each we pigged out on a whole range of various cuisine, from Italian to Indian to Chinese. We almost had to be rolled out of the restaurant! Most of the hotels in Vegas have their own buffets, which anyone can visit.
Our favourite place to go when we were in the centre of the strip was In N Out Burger. The burgers we had here were the best we’ve ever had! Although it’s a fast food joint, all burgers are made fresh to order, and the customer service was second-to-none. We went for the 4×4 – four burgers (!) smothered in melted cheese and soft grilled onions. So tasty, and nothing like your average fast food place. If only they had them in the UK!
We never had a bad meal during our holiday in Vegas – another couple of our favourites were Senor Frogs and Planet Hollywood. One thing to note is that tipping is expected when you’re in the US. Sometimes the suggested tip on the receipts would be 25% – which if you’re not used to it, seems quite a high added expense! We would leave higher tips when we felt the service had been exceptional, other times it would just be a few dollars.
Fremont Street
This has to be one of my favourite parts of our holiday – visiting Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas! Head a few miles north of the strip and you’ll find this one-of-a-kind destination. It’s like a small city of its own packed into one street!
When we arrived, we couldn’t believe the structure we saw looking up – gigantic curved screens creating a seriously spectacular roof, with music booming away in time to the videos on screen. It’s the largest video screen in the world, boasting 16.4 million brilliant pixels, and is 1,375 feet long, 90 feet wide, and 90 feet above all of the mall area below it. I’d seen nothing like it!
Iconic casinos and hotels sit underneath, like Queens and The Golden Nugget, with nightly light shows on the hour. At 6pm every day a special show dedicated just to The Killers would play – so you can guess how happy that made me. I sang and danced my way up Fremont Street to their songs, with others joining in too! The atmosphere is absolutely electric.
Whilst we were there we witnessed a free rock concert and of course, we did the SlotZilla zip line. Flying through this unique place is like no other feeling you can experience – it’s almost like starring in your very own video game!
The nightlife here is second-to-none – and in my opinion, better than that on the strip! There’s an abundance of different bars to sit outside of and soak up the vibrant atmosphere.
We visited an Irish bar, Shawn O’Donnell’s, perfectly situated just on the entrance to all the action, and made the most of their 5pm – 7pm happy hour. Cocktails were two for $10 – an absolute bargain in comparison to strip prices, where you can pay $25 for one!
Our other favourite place downtown was the Cats Meow Karaoke Bar. After one-too-many drinks we summoned up the courage to get up and sing, quite a few times! The bar overlooks all of Fremont Street, so it’s almost like you’re entertaining your very own crowd. A great place for a laugh (at yourself, or others!)
Another hidden gem of a bar we discovered was Gold Spike – a totally one-of-a-kind venue just off the main street. It has an outside backyard with oversized games such as Jenga and Connect 4, and we had so much fun competing over drinks! Although my boyfriend Micky was rather unimpressed when I beat him at everything – better luck next time!
And when you get hungry, there is only one spot to visit – Evel Pie. This rock n’ roll pizza joint served up, hands down, the best pizza I’ve ever tasted in my life. All served by the slice, there’s various kinds to choose from, and the slices are enormous! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Next time we come to Vegas, we would even consider staying around Fremont Street and just choosing to visit the strip by bus or uber. It has everything the more southern end of Vegas does in terms of entertainment, but is so much cheaper! And is by far the best place for a night out.
Getting around
We did plenty of walking up and down the strip purely because we loved being in the midst of it all. However we learnt very quickly to utilise other modes of getting around – walking in 40 degree heat is not for the faint hearted! On the day we walked up the strip in that heat we were so worn out by the evening and ready for an early night.
There’s multiple free monorails that’ll save you heaps of walking – so you’d be silly not to! Jump on The Aria Express, a fast and free tram that runs from the Park MGM (at the south end of the strip) through the Aria, and finishing at The Bellagio, at the centre of the strip.
There’s also a completely free monorail that runs from the Excalibur to the Luxor, and on to the last hotel on the south end of the strip, Mandalay Bay. Give your legs a rest and hop on!
As a quick and convenient way to get around, I’d recommend downloading the Uber app. Simply pop in where you want to go and you’ll be shown the amount of drivers in the area and the fare price for your desired journey. It’s really easy to use and usually cheaper than hailing a local taxi.
Another handy mode of transport for getting about is the Deuce, a bus that operates up and down the Las Vegas Boulevard all day long. A 24-hour bus ticket is only $8, meaning you get plenty of bang for your buck!
There’s also the SDX bus, better known as the Downtown Express, which will take you from Las Vegas trip to Downtown Las Vegas, where Fremont Street is located. We found it really easy to get about – there’s so many options, so don’t wear out your legs unnecessarily!
Top Tips
Make sure to look on the TUI experiences website beforehand to get a feel for all the different excursions available, and book those you want to do in advance. And if you know you’re going to be doing a few experiences, I’d recommend downloading the Go City app.
With this, you can buy an All Inclusive attraction pass to save money if you’re planning on making the most of your time in Vegas. It gives you free credit to use at places like Senor Frogs and Planet Hollywood – we visited both for practically free, so it was definitely worth it!
Choose when you go wisely. If you love the extreme heat – August is definitely that! However when we go back, we’ll probably go in a cooler month, like April or October. Even walking the streets on a night in August felt like you were in a hot oven!
Gambling
You might think it unbelievable, but we didn’t gamble once whilst in Vegas. It’s just not our thing, and trying to do Vegas on a budget, we definitely didn’t want to risk losing money unnecessarily!
It was great to people-watch though – pretty much every roulette and craps table was stowed out in every casino we went in, not to mention the thousands of machines dotted everywhere. It’s a crazy sight, with plenty of fun to be had if you’re into it!
Just make sure to only play with what you can afford to lose. Set a gambling budget for your time in Vegas and stick to it. Hopefully you get lucky!
Viva Las Vegas!
This was by far the best adventure holiday I’ve ever been on. The amount of memories we made in a week is crazy! It’s like no other place I’ve ever visited, that’s for sure. And somewhere everyone should visit at least once!
Not gambling while we were there didn’t impact our holiday at all (I preferred to keep that money and spend it on things to do!) so if you’re thinking it’s all just casinos and slot machines – you couldn’t be more wrong.
Vegas is known as the entertainment capital of the world, and it certainly lived up to its name. From helicopter rides to spectacular shows and extreme extravagance at every turn, it’s like a giant adult playground. Who wouldn’t want to explore that?!
As you’ve probably guessed, I’ll definitely be returning. Las Vegas, you were fabulous indeed!
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