Viva Las Vegas! : A Travel Feature

It's a city that is known for much more than just gambling and is working hard to attract families – and there’s certainly plenty for all ages to do. Yes, there are thousands of opportunities to try your luck, but you don’t have to put a cent into the slot machines or a chip on a poker table to have a good time. If you’re traveling with children, then it’s probably best to avoid the casinos altogether anyway, as they’re not keen on any young eyes seeing gambling.

If you’re planning a trip to Vegas, the first thing to decide is when to go. The major resorts on the Strip have hundreds of different rates throughout the year, so try out a range of dates and see which comes out the cheapest. You may be surprised at the results – I certainly was, with the Easter weekend being the least expensive time for us to visit.

And when it comes to places to stay, Vegas doesn’t just have hotels, it has mega-resorts. The largest, the MGM Grand, boasts just over 5,000 rooms and if you took on the arduous job of staying in every room and suite, it would take you nearly 14 years. The MGM Grand is unusual amongst the big name hotels, with only limited theming. Perhaps in that respect, it’s least similar to Mandalay Bay at the southernmost tip of the Strip, whose tropical beach enjoys machine-generated waves lapping on the shore.

From the tropics, you can travel to just about anywhere in the world in the space of just a couple of miles. The Luxor draws on the history of Egypt with its landmark Sphinx in front of a 30 story-high glass paneled pyramid. Just two resorts further along, the New York skyline dominates, with its own Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. Unusually, even the casino at the New York New York hotel is themed, based on Central Park (complete with trees), and just the regular drone from the slot machines to disrupt the idyllic park scene.

MGM's Monte Carlo and Caesar's Paris casinos are further up the Strip, including replicas of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, while opposite, you can journey into Italy at the Bellagio. It’s claimed it cost $2.5 billion to build and this is indeed an opulent hotel, with glass flower chandeliers to greet you when you enter the lobby and the second largest casino in Vegas (the honor of the largest goes to the MGM Grand).