Words: Mark Shenton

voyager’s guide to enjoying your time in Las Vegas, including all the best and newest things to do in the world’s ultimate playground

TOUCHDOWN
In Las Vegas, gambling starts the moment you land at McCarran International Airport; the first of nearly 200,000 slot machines in the city is waiting before you even retrieve your luggage. The Strip, as Las Vegas Boulevard is known, which courses through the city centre, begins virtually at the end of the runway, too, so getting into town is a 10-minute cab or shared shuttle ride (the cheaper option). Hot tip: to get around town in the summer heat, use the Monorail network linking the major hotels (www.lvmonorail.com): it’s $5 per ride or $9 for a day pass. Or hop on and off the Deuce double-decker buses that run the length of The Strip, for $2 per ride or $5 for a 24-hour pass.

SLEEP
Las Vegas has over 100 hotels and the following options are all on Las Vegas Boulevard South: the sleek Wynn casino resort (No 3131, +1 702 770 7000; www.wynnlasvegas.com) has its own 18-course golf course, while the Bellagio welcomes visitors with ‘dancing’ fountains (No 3600, +1 702 693 7111; www.bellagio.com), or the Four Seasons (No 3960, +1 702 632 5000; www.fourseasons.com) is a casino-free option. The more budget-conscious can choose from quirky, ‘only-in- Vegas’ options like the pyramid-shaped Luxor (No 3900, +1 702 262 4444; www.luxor.com), where rooms are reached by ‘inclinators’ that climb up the inside wall, or New York, New York (No 3790, +1 866 815 4365; www.nynyhotelcasino.com) with its ersatz Manhattan skyline and a rollercoaster.

EAT
Hotel buffets here are legendary: eat-as-much-as-you-can extravaganzas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, at an all-inclusive price that includes drinks. Mandalay Bay’s Bayside Buffet (+1 702 632 7402) or Buffet at the Wynn (+1 702 770 3463) provide feasts at under $25 a head. Celebrity chefs are everywhere, too: Wolfgang Puck has six restaurants in hotels on Las Vegas Boulevard South (www.wolfgangpuck.com). Or the Bellagio offers a Vegas version of famous (and pricey) New York restaurant Le Cirque (+1 702 693 8100, not to be confused with the Circus-Circus Hotel).

SIGHTS
Ascend the Stratosphere for views from its observation deck (2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 380 7777; www.stratospherehotel.com). Visit the ‘Old Town’ around Fremont Street and its free nightly light show (www.vegasexperience.com). Or take a day trip to the Grand Canyon – by coach or air.

SHOP
The best shopping is located in three indoor malls on Las Vegas Boulevard South: at Caesars Palace’s Forum Shops (No 3570, +1 866 227 5938; www.caesarspalace.com), at the Fashion Show mall (No 3200, +1 702 784 7000; www.thefashionshow.com), and at Miracle Mile, at the new Planet Hollywood hotel (No 3667, +1 702 785 5555;www.planethollywoodresort.com).

NIGHTLIFE
There are more shows in Vegas than in the West End and Broadway – put together. These range from headliners like Bette Midler, Elton John and Cher, to Cirque du Soleil. For full listings of everything playing, visit www.vegas.com/shows

COMING UP
Eddie Izzard plays the Palms (4321 West Flamingo Road, +1 702 942 7777; www.palms.com) on 26 July. There’s more comedy, too, from Jay Leno at the Mirage on 25 and 26 July and Jerry Seinfeld at Caesars Palace Colosseum on 8 and 9 August.