Flights to Las Vegas USA

Craftsteak, Joel Robuchon and Spago

Among the glut of celebrity-chef restaurants in Las Vegas, standouts include Tom Colicchio’s steak joint Craftsteak; the break-the-bank French fare of Joel Robuchon; and Wolfgang Puck’s longtime celebrity-magnet Spago.

RM Seafood and Downtown Cocktail Room

When you travel to Las Vegas, RM Seafood is great for casual night out; the fish is excellent. Also, check out the Downtown Cocktail Room for a creative martini and other classics.

Lindo Michoacan and Raku

For local ethnic flavor in Las Vegas, give Lindo Michoacan (Mexican) or Raku (Japanese) a try.

The Strip

The Strip boasts seven of America’s top ten highest-grossing clubs, but the real contest is between XS, Hakkasan, Marquee and TAO. All offer the basics: big-name DJs, seating primarily for those buying expensive bottle service and wall-to-wall pretty people dancing and shouting at one another over the deafening beat.

XS

The monstrously large (and fittingly named) XS at Wynn Las Vegas has dance floors indoors and out.

Hakkasan

Hakkasan is a cavernous lair above a same-name restaurant offering high-end Cantonese food at MGM Grand.

Marquee

Marquee at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is notable for its extensive use of high-tech lighting and sound.

TAO

TAO, a gargantuan offshoot of the hit club in New York, remains a huge draw for the Venetian. This place kicked off the mega-club trend back in 2005.

Dayclubs

In recent years, “dayclubs” – basically nightclub-style pool parties complete with celebrity DJs and rented cabanas – have become almost as big business in Las Vegas. The original, Rehab at Hard Rock, is where Lady Gaga made her Vegas debut. Wet Republic at MGM Grand is so massive there are six pools.

Crystals

The Daniel Libeskind-designed Crystals at CityCenter offers Vegas’ only Stella McCartney, Pucci, and Tom Ford as well as the largest Louis Vuitton shop in North America.

The Forum Shops

The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace set the tone in the early 1990s in Las Vegas for the modern era of high-end shopping on the Strip with 160 stores and restaurants including a three-storey H&M and the city’s only Carolina Herrera and Niketown.

Via Bellagio, Grand Canal Shoppes and the Esplanade at Wynn

Amid this ocean of high-end shopping – Via Bellagio, Grand Canal Shoppes and the Esplanade at Wynn all have beautiful spaces to browse the likes of Prada, Chanel and Cartier – there’s also the mid-range offerings at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. Miracle Mile has more than 200 stores on its nearly 2km circular path, from souvenirs at ABC to beachwear at Tommy Bahama’s. As an added bonus, the food at Earl of Sandwich is delicious and unusually affordable for Las Vegas.

The World's Largest Gift Shop

For the really wacky, tacky souvenirs, there’s the World’s Largest Gift Shop. The store boasts more than 36,000 square feet of Elvis and Rat Pack kitsch, gambling paraphernalia and that classic Las Vegas present, the dice clock.

Cirque du Soleil

Las Vegas has always been at least as famous for entertainment as for gambling, and nowadays that conversation is dominated by Cirque du Soleil. The Canadian human circus offers seven different productions including tributes to Michael Jackson and The Beatles, although the Cirque’s spectacle KÀ at MGM Grand, housed in a $195 million theatre, is the most impressive merger of physical and technological feats.

The Colosseum

Las Vegas premiere venue for solo acts is The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a 4,000-seat acoustic gem known as the “House Celine Dion Built” because it has been, on and off, the Canadian songstress’ performing home since it opened in 2002. When Celine’s not around, names like Mariah Carey and Elton John take over.

The Smith Centre for the Performing Arts

The elegant new Smith Center for the Performing Arts is Las Vegas version of NYC’s Lincoln Center. A splendorous non-casino venue where top classical and pop acts perform and where Broadway tours stop in.

The Neon Museum

Las Vegas only recently started respecting and preserving its illustrious past. The Neon Museum is an 8,000-square-metre spread with more than 150 vintage neon signs including six restored to working order.

The Mob Museum

If you travel to Las Vegas, visit The National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement, otherwise known as the Mob Museum, is a serious but entertaining look at both the mobsters and the police who sparred for decades in Vegas and elsewhere in the US.

Events to look out for when you fly to Las Vegas:

• International Consumer Electronics Show (January)
• Chinese New Year (January or February)
• National Finals Rodeo (March)
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Weekend (March)
• Monster Jam World Finals (March)
• Vegas Uncork’d (May)
• Helldorado Days Parade (May)
• Electric Daisy Carnival (June)
• World Series of Poker Main Event (July)
• Professional Bull Riders World Finals (October)
• Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball (October)
• Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon (November)
• Motor Trend International Auto Show (November)
• America’s Party: New Year’s Eve (December)