Las Vegas Airport
After a weeks holiday in San Francisco we then spent a week in Las Vegas. I have to admit that I am not a gambler but I had heard that you have to visit Las Vegas at least once. So after San Fran we flew to Las Vegas. We stayed in a resort just off the strip called the Tahiti Village. I was very happy that we were not staying on the strip because the strip seemed to be manic all the time, whereas our resort was very peaceful and quiet with lovely swimming pools and a lazy river. It was a lovely place to relax and enjoy the sunshine and there was a nice bar and restaurant. In fact one of the waitresses was from Raheny in Dublin. The only problem was that it was next door to an outlet mall! They provided a free shuttle service every half our to the strip. Although the hotels on the strip look magnificent they are always very busy and huge, and if you stayed there, to get to the pool you have to walk through the maddening crowds, and the restaurants were packed.
We went to a couple of amazing shows, the first Penn and Teller, fantastic magicians and then the absolutely amazing show Ka, which is part of the Cirque de Soleil. This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, the acrobatics, the music, the amazing moving stage was mesmerising and I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance.
We also took the opportunity to fly to the Grand Canyon, I’ve never been in a helicopter before and it was a great experience. We took an evening flight and flew down to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. On the way back the sun was setting and it was great to see Las Vegas as the lights came on and the sun set. The landing in the canyon itself was just OK you really only get to see a small part of the river and the canyon from the ground. A boat ride on the Colorado would probably be a better way to see and experience more and I also hear that a trip to the South Rim is very good although you can’t land in it.
Walking up the strip at night and visiting many of the famous hotels at the MGM, the Bellagio, New York New York was great fun but to be honest all of the casinos look the same and really held no interest for me. We spent a week there but in fact three or four days would do. The next time, if I go again, I would like to see more of the natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon and some of the desert.
Still we had a great week and I enjoyed it immensely.
The following Timelapse is from the revolving restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere Hotel.