If you know me or have ever spoken to me about Las Vegas, you know its very hard once I start to get me to shut up about the place! I probably bore people to tears I go on that much lol

There is just something about Las Vegas I love, I’m not really sure what it is I’m not much of a gambler and I wouldn’t have a clue what to do on one of the big tables but there is just a buzz about the place I adore. I think it’s definitely somewhere everyone should add to their bucket lists.

So when my friend rang me to ask me to go with her for 4^th July 2014 (Independence Day) weekend I couldn’t very well refuse, could I?? 

I’ve been 3 times before and still not managed to do and see everything I wanted to, top of my list is Grand Canyon but unfortunately I didn’t get to do that this time round either   An excuse to go back again lol!!

I would definitely recommend 4^th July weekend as a time to visit Vegas, although the temperatures are extremely warm (40 degrees plus) at this time of year and the breeze feels like someone has just opened the oven door. There is such a great atmosphere, the strip is so busy and alive and all the hotels are active with different pool parties going on.

We flew out on the Thursday with Virgin’s direct service from Manchester, services from the north are getting much better now with both Virgin and Thomas Cook providing direct flights to Las Vegas. It is a long flight and if we could I would have preferred to stay longer considering the travel time (10 hours) and time difference (8 hours). But beggars cant be choosers lol

We arrived late afternoon and took a quick taxi ride from the airport to the strip. This visit we were on a tight budget and chose to stay at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, mid

strip great location and great value.

The hotel is massive and for some reason our room was located in the back of beyond which was a bit of a hike but to be honest we only went back to the room to sleep so it didn’t bother us too much.

Our first night we vowed to try stay up as long as possible due to the time difference so we had a few drinks and something to eat at Senor Frogs in Treasure Island a great place to visit and great happy hour offers. The ceiling signs are great!!

I was disappointed to discover that the Pirate Show at Treasure Island has been closed down due to development work taking place at the hotel hopefully this is something that will be returning soon. We also visited the magical Bellagio fountains – I could watch for hours, but my contact lens started to stick to my eyes with fatigue.

The following day, we bought a pass for the Monorail (which was really good value) and set off for a day of exploring, being my friend’s first visit to Vegas she wanted to try see as much as possible.  Public transport in Las Vegas is really good all the buses, monorail and even taxis (although you may have to order and wait) are fully accessible for wheelchairs. There are some steep ramps in some places which need to be negotiated but overall everywhere seems to have access with ramps or lifts.

Before going I researched all the hotels to see what we could do in each one and noticed they had a new CSI experience available (I love this show!) so our first port of call was the MGM Grand and I am now a certified CSI Level 1 (it’s always good to have a back-up career lol) I thought it was great you start at the crime scene and go right through to autopsy to solve the murder with Grisham. Possibly not for everyone but if you are a fan of the show it’s worth a go.

We also visited Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, which is a great experience for the whole family. I also wish we had had time to visit the Titanic at the Luxor which also looked like it would be amazing experience. There are so many things to see and do in each of the hotels.

Before we left home we booked tickets for a 4^th July firework concert on the beach at Mandalay Bay, fantastic venue as considering Las Vegas is in the desert it really did feel like you were on the beach. The concert was great, the band played a mix of rock songs and then the fireworks started unfortunately also 10 minutes later so did the rain (who’s have thought in the desert?) I did manage to escape inside and watch through the window, not everyone was so lucky although no one seemed to mind to much and carried on partying.

We did hear the following day that there were also Firework displays at the centre of the strip near Bellagio, etc. it sounded like there were a few things going on although we didn’t see anything advertising so would definitely suggest doing some research before you go.

Our second day of explorations, we decided to go see the other end of the strip. The Monorail is great for getting up and down the strip quite quickly, however it is better for access from the Flamingo down the strip towards the MGM these stops are within each of the hotels on the strip but up the strip towards the stratosphere the stops seem to be miles away from the strip/hotels.

We got off to go see the Riviera and the Circus Circus hotels however it was quite a hike back to the strip from the monorail stops, when we finally reached them we decided it would be better to walk down the strip than to go back to the monorail.

I wasn’t greatly impressed with this end of the strip it was a bit scruffy and felt like it was very much out of the way although this is only my personal opinion I’ve had customers who have stayed this end to save on hotel costs and have still very much enjoyed the Vegas experience.

We stopped to have a drink and a little gamble on the slot machines at the Encore and the Wynn, these hotels were absolutely out of this world, very classy! A little shopping trip at the Fashion Show Mall (a huge shopping mall) to pick up a replacement iphone charger as I left mine at home   If you are after a bargain I would recommend the Premium Outlet Village although we didn’t have time to go there on this visit. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do much shopping this time round, my trips to the US usually include going a bit mad at Abercrombie and Clinique!

We also had a wonder round the Venetian, my friend wanted to have a go on the gondola and have them to sing to her lol It was the one thing she wanted to do on the whole of the trip!

We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at Caesars Palace the meal was yummy but I am absolutely gutted to say that as it was so huge I didn’t have enough room for cheesecake – which looked absolutely amazing – I wish I had got takeaway now the Carrot cake cheesecake is calling to me 

Our last evening we headed to the Old Las Vegas – Freemont Street. It does take a little while to get to, we got the monorail and then a bus which is probably the quickest route however it is probably best to get the bus straight back we nearly killed ourselves trying to cross the road back to the monorail on the way home lol scary!!

Freemont Street has a great atmosphere, the street is quite long with a number of famous hotels including the Golden Nugget and there were a few different bands playing which added to the atmosphere as everyone was dancing along. There is also the Freemont street experience which is a light and sound show – a visit to this area is a definite must on your trip.

Unfortunately our last day came round much too quickly, we got up early, checked out and stored our luggage so as not to waste anytime just hanging round waiting to go back to the airport as our flight wasn’t until later on in the afternoon. We decided to travel back down the strip to see a few hotels we had missed out and we had breakfast at the Planet Hollywood hotel. The Cosmopolitan hotel one of the newer properties on the strip was like stepping into a James Bond film, a real classy hotel.  Definitely another of my new favourites along with the Mirage and Encore!

Before we left for our trip back to the airport and our flight home, we decided to do Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, and who would’ve thought I would meet the man himself although I didn’t know at the time. A man approached me and started chatting then gave me a small stuffed white tiger and I shook his hand, afterwards a woman approached me to say she was jealous and if she had had a camera she would’ve taken a photo I then Googled and realised that it was Siegfried! Totally gutted I didn’t ask for a photo now but thought it was just a strange man – trust me its not an uncommon occurrence.

Fabulous amazing trip – although completely shattered by the end we tried to fit in as much as humanly possible. One hotel I would to have loved to have visited but we didn’t get chance was the Hard Rock hotel, especially as they have so many events going on there in the evenings.  I would like to go back to do more of the nightlife and see a few shows, also wish we had had time to go up the Eiffel Tower at Paris in the evening and watch the Bellagio fountains. No matter how much time you think you have it never seems to be enough.  Also Grand Canyon is a definite must!!

There is so much I still want to do, not sure if one more visit will even be enough!