We split the days in Nevada between enjoying the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and visiting the hotels in Las Vegas, and of course we gambled a little bit (if you missed our article about our gambling experience, click here). Mireya, Ruth’s cousin, prepared a nice guide for our visit to Sin City. We did not follow it exactly, but the guide was extremely useful. The nice thing about Vegas is that the major points are located inside or just next to the hotels and the major hotels are located on one big boulevard called the Strip (Las Vegas Avenue). Some of the free shows that we went to (and you cannot miss) were:

The show with water and lights at The Bellagio – the whole thing is shown every half an hour or every 15 minutes. It is a show with water and lights that change in time with the rhythm of the music that is being played. It is free of charge and as there is one every 15 minutes in the evenings we watched 3 or 4 in a row.

The volcano at The Mirage – this is intended to show visitors what a volcano would be like during an eruption. The show lasts for 2 or 3 minutes and there is one every hour until 21:00. It is in front of the hotel.

From The Mirage we took a tram taking us to Treasure Island where there is a pirate ship on display. In the past there used to be a show there, but now there is only the ship.

At The Venetian you feel that you are really in the Italian city. There is a small river and even gondoliers to transport you along the waters ($20 each). It looks so real and they sing!!! Inside the hotel is the Piazza San Marco and there are some people wearing Italian costumes.

On the way we found Elvis, and of course we did not miss the chance to take a picture with the King.

Fall of the Atlantis at the Caesar Palace – we missed this one three times 😀 😀 😀  so we cannot say much apart from the fact that it is located at the top of the Forum Shops. Allow at least 15 minutes to get from the entrance to the location of the show. We heard that this is excellent, but it will have to wait for our next visit.

The hotels themselves are also worth taking lots of pictures of (both inside and outside), as well as between them on the street. There are some pedestrian crossings, so we did not need to be concerned about Noah crossing the street. During our visit it was extremely hot, and the heat consumed a lot of our energy, so our strategy was to go into the casinos where it was nice and fresh. Noah loved that part too, not just because he could cool down, but also because he could be closer to the games machines 🙂 . Of course we did not let him play (those huge security guys would not allow us).

Another of the must-see places is the famous road sign (Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas) located just past the Mandalay Bay.

The architecture of the hotels in Las Vegas

None of the hotels has the same architecture or shape as each other, and each and every one of them has its uniqueness in terms of color and shape. The Luxor, for instance, looks like a modern pyramid, while The Excalibur is like a castle.

Bally’s makes you feel like you are in Paris, and there is even a small replica of the Eiffel Tower!!!

The Mandalay Bay and The Delano are covered in golden glass. Caesar’s Palace is a tribute to Ancient Rome and is turning 50 years old in 2016, although it is still very modern and luxurious.

All the others like The Bellagio, The Mirage, New York, New York, The Flamingo and The Aria have their own unique features too.

Inside The Flamingo we saw a Vegas-style chapel. It was our chance to renew our marriage vows, but I have the impression that Ruth doesn´t want to marry me again 🙂 .

Our hotel, The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, was not on the Strip but it was also not far from there. The hotel is full of pictures, objects and everything related to rock.

Another attraction which seems to be new is the High Roller at The Linq, which is a wheel similar to the London Eye from where you can see the whole city.

Those days in the Sin City, gambling a bit and visiting the hotels in Las Vegas were great and now we understand what’s the fuss about this fantastic city – the Fabulous Las Vegas.

Next stop, San Diego!

PS: don’t miss the article about our experience gambling in Vegas