I was lucky enough to travel with Air New Zealand to Las Vegas last month, be it in economy. Without question, I only have praise for the NZ flights; their new aircraft are back to the old NZ standards with more legroom and comfortable seats together with a great on-demand video system etc. Service was excellent with good meals and constant attention by the on board staff.

We travelled via Auckland and San Francisco to Las Vegas…a lengthy trip as we were delayed in SFO due to high winds at Las Vegas airport. SFO airport is a much better option for transit than LAX. We were scheduled to arrive at LAS mid afternoon with a Helicopter ride to view LAS by night at 7pm. Because of the delay we did not have time to even check-in, instead heading straight to the ‘chopper’ for our Las Vegas Lights tour with Papillon helicopters. Fantastic experience!!!...even for Mrs. Brown who is desperately scared of anything above knee height! It was honestly like floating on a cloud and securely belted into the middle seat with my headphones on I was able to thoroughly enjoy the experience. These people also handle Grand Canyon…of course.

Finally on to our hotel for the next two nights - the newly named Planet Hollywood, originally the old Aladdin hotel. The façade has been remodelled to suit the proposed theme although the interior is still very much Aladdin, very comfortable in all respects. We were shown a ‘mock up’ room type which looks stunning, very W hotel…note that Planet Hollywood is part of the Sheraton chain. They are projecting 600 rooms to be ready by August and the balance to be finished by April 2008. Given this scenario, the hotel will be an excellent 4 star option in Vegas.

After a much needed sleep we were hosted to a buffet breakfast in the ‘Spice Market Buffet’, again, a relic of the Aladdin and very famous in Vegas. Huge choice of very ‘American’ food types most notably good orange juice and that ‘yellow’ cheese!

Then it was on to the Miracle Mile shopping strip underneath the hotel….crazy place to let a lot of women loose!

We met again for lunch and an inspection at the Paris Hotel. Very ‘Versailles’ in the public areas and mid level comfort in the rooms. Of note was the discovery that most hotels, including the Paris, no longer have a free child policy. It seems to be a general rule of thumb now that children, regardless of age, are charged at $30.00USD/night, $50.00USD at the Wynns. There are a few exceptions to this rule, notably the Venetian with children up to 13yrs FOC in existing bedding, Luxor to 11 years and Circus Circus still maintaining their child policies.

We were ‘treated’ to a trip up the Eiffel Tower, leaving me clinging to the lift well, luckily enough there were plenty of volunteers ready to snap the views with my camera while I cowered in the background!

That night we regrouped to take the Las Vegas Neon Lights Tour, courtesy of Gray Line Tours, and met our fabulous tour leader, Joyce and her ‘smiley face’ flag! Although I was a bit dubious about this tour it proved to be an excellent introduction to Las Vegas with visits to the Bellagio, Rio Hotel and their Masquerade Show in the sky, Fremont Street and all the glitz and glamour of the laser light show and a great overview of Vegas. One of the group volunteered to try out the deep fried Oreos and deep fried Twinkies!. Still waiting on the taste results!

A few of the ‘girls’ then hit the nightclubs to dance on the bar at Coyote Ugly, apparently with some success!

Next day saw us checking out and heading to Wynns for our site inspection and a hosted breakfast. This turned out to be al la crate and very welcome after a couple of days of fast food. Excellent meal and service and wonderful ambience in this hotel. Wynns have their own Ferrari and Maserati dealerships with the price including delivery to anywhere in the world…just a little short on change that day!

Beautiful hotel with true 5 star facilities and rooms, and one of the few hotels with guest seating in the foyer. Note $50.00USD/child regardless of age. They are currently building a new tower, Encore, to bring their room numbers up to over 5000.
On to the Luxor hotel for lunch and a site inspection. Impressive entry but a little disappointed with the rooms…getting tired now but good value and still have child’s policy in place. Apparently they are gearing up for major refurbishment in the next few moths.

We then headed off to the Premium Outlets where we were given our ‘goodies’ bag complete with discount vouchers and proceeded to do major damage to the US economy. Noteworthy that we can obtain these discount booklets direct from the administration for our clients and save them some money, otherwise need to purchase these booklets on arrival.

Next stop was check-in at Harrah’s and then on to the Imperial Palace for Legends in Concert that night. Harrah’s is an excellent location and a decent moderate hotel. Some rooms are older and quite basic but all seem to have the important necessities including safes and coffee makers, which seem to be lacking in many other properties. (again, a move to keep people out of their rooms).

We walked across the courtyard to the Imperial Palace for our show…ushered to the front row table, just my luck!! Spent the next few hours sipping on cocktails and listening to Rod Stewart, Janet Jackson, Elvis…of course! and various comedy routines. Quite enlightening!  Of course…more nightclubs!

Morning and we’re off to the Venetian for a site inspection. Excellent hotel and one of my favourites for a number of reasons including their child policy, seating in the lobby, spacious rooms, glorious pool area and one of the most ambient places especially if you are looking for a space to relax away from the ‘casino’ aspect. …and those Gondolas! They are currently building a new wing…scheduled to be completed by November, that will bring their room numbers to over 7000, and, they are running at full occupancy as are most of the hotels…amazing place!

Next to Madame Tussaud’s waxworks…with a couple of the girls playing up to Hugh Heffner and American Idol auditions ‘almost’ making it through to the final! After some ‘free’ time we headed for the Rio Hotel and the Voodoo Lounge for a hosted dinner…all very elegant and many bottles of wine later we moved upstairs to the club for some fantastic views of Vegas. Next stop the new Tangerine Club at Treasure Island and after much cajoling, managed to get in…or sort of! Could not move an inch, after about half an hour trying to look ‘cool’, even the young ones were ready to evacuate. Major problems here as I lost my glasses and spent the next two days peering over everyone’s shoulder in order to read a menu or eat my dinner! Not a drug store to be seen for emergencies such as this..:-))) Much more pleasant out in the open where bands and drinks were readily available and people could talk to each other. Our last night in Las Vegas so we drifted from one spot to another before finally heading for bed and an early morning wake up .

Up nice and early and ready to check out…just enough time for a couple of hotel inspections before we head off! First off to the Bellagio, a beautiful property, the garden lobby is amazing. Huge frogs, birds and lady beetles all in growing flowers and a chandelier made of moulded glass flowers that are bigger than my lounge room! There is a chocolate fountain with over two tons of chocolate; milk, dark and white, all cascading through a climate controlled glass enclosure…Willie Wonka look out! Rooms are good to excellent. Kids are charged, regardless of age, $30.00USD/day. Facilities of course are excellent and the famous Fountains at Bellagio are a must see…operate every 15 mins. On to Caesar’s Palace and a quick tour…rooms vary in size and design depending on the tower but all of a good to enormous size and in keeping with the Caesar’s theme. Great pool area and of course the Forum Shops…very upmarket, Prada etc.


Almost forgot…great invention is the Deuce local bus pass…$5.00USD for 24 hours unlimited use on their network. They have excellent air-conditioned double decker buses that work their way up and down the strip and even to the Factory outlets with a change at the terminal. Good drivers for the most part willing to help ‘lost’ tourists with directions. Purchase from the drivers.

Must dos…..M&M’s shop opposite New York New York! Never thought there could be so many colours let alone ‘gadgets’ that could be based on a little chocolate sweet, three floors to be exact! And the Coke shop is next door.

If you are brave…the rides on top of the Stardust Hotel…close your eyes and make sure you don’t eat beforehand!

The Grand Canyon…even though our itinerary did not allow, this is a definite on your visit to LAS, either by plane, helicopter or bus.

The Factory outlets…but know your prices and don’t forget EVERYTHING is plus tax!

At least one ‘show’ of note…currently 5 Cirque Du Soleil shows, Celine Dion…Elton is taking her place in July etc.

….and the rest is up to you, gamble, get married…only $99.00USD including the licence and divorced next door!

Time now to stop…collect the bags, seems to be so many more than when we arrived, and head home. Viva Las Vegas!!!!!