Disneyland for adults, or “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”

The rustling of big bills and the ringing of slot machines, neon lights, chic hotels and casinos, a vibrant nightlife and crowds of tourists – this is the amazing oasis in a lifeless desert whose lights can be seen even from outer space.

Las Vegas is a city in the southwestern United States, in Nevada, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The city, which was named the entertainment and gambling capital of the world, as well as the city of sins. The corresponding images immediately spring to mind, don’t they? And they are reinforced by the many Hollywood movies that were filmed here, since Vegas is one of the most popular American cities for writers and directors.

History of Las Vegas

One clear day in May 1931, Nevada legalized gambling in connection with a project to replenish the state budget. At the same time, other U.S. states began banning places for gambling for money and actively closing them. That day in May changed the history of the hitherto sleepy and almost half-dead town forever! Soon the first casino El Rancho was built in Vegas, but unfortunately it didn’t survive to this day. Gambling business in Las Vegas began to gain momentum, which, of course, attracted the Mafia. Famous gangster Bugsy Siegel built the Flamingo Casino, which exists on Strip Boulevard to this day. Later, the Sahara, Tropicana, Riviera, and other casinos were built with Mafia money. It is generally accepted that the Mafia was explicitly removed from the management of the Vegas gambling business, and it is now run by corporations. Gambling is still Nevada’s main source of revenue.

Disneyland for adults

The main attractions of Las Vegas are, of course, its chic hotels, built with such a scope that, looking at them, it is impossible not to be amazed. And even just strolling through the hotels of Vegas, for example, you can learn the geography. After all, there is a smaller copy of the Eiffel Tower of the Hotel Paris. Venetian canals with real gondoliers at the Hotel Venice. The Statue of Liberty with the skyscrapers of the New York New York Hotel. The Egyptian pyramid of the Luxor Hotel, and many other equally breathtaking structures that together resemble not a city anymore, but a chic amusement park for adults. Everything here is built with a grand scale. Each hotel is different, and almost every hotel has its own casino, so many guests don’t even leave their hotel and go outside without noticing how the day goes by, how the night comes and then comes the morning – the casino is always playing roulette, coins are tinkling, and poker is being bet… There are over 130 casinos in Vegas, over 580 poker tables, and over 100,000 slots machines!

Where to stay in Las Vegas

The choice of hotels in Las Vegas, as you have already realized, is enormous. Eyes really run wild. Just to give you an idea of the difference between hotels in different price categories, I will give you three examples of hotels that I stayed in myself.

So the first hotel on the list is five-star Bellagio with its world famous singing fountains. The performance schedule can be found on the hotel’s official website, and it’s best to watch it from the Eiffel Tower of the Hotel Paris.

The cost of a standard room at the Bellagio starts at $150 per night and depends on occupancy. That is, the more rooms are booked, the higher the price becomes. If today a standard room costs $150, tomorrow it will probably cost $500. So be careful when booking. And this is what a standard room with one king-size bed looks like in this chic hotel.

The second hotel is associated with romance, croissants, French chanson… Yes, yes, I’m talking about Hotel Paris. This hotel has a lower category than the Bellagio, i.e. 4 stars, and the price for a standard room starts at $80, but also depends on the number of guests, and on some days can go sky high. This is what a standard double with two beds is like.

Although the four-star Paris, of course, did not reach the Bellagio and its 5 stars, I still liked the French charm better. Every hotel in Vegas is its own separate world. Inside “Paris” I found myself under the blue French sky, on the narrow European streets, in a bakery with a cup of aromatic coffee and a crispy croissant. That’s what romance is all about. And I love romance and France.

Finally, the last hotel considered would be a “budget”, three-star option – the Harrah’s Hotel, where a room can be rented for $35. Again, the price varies depending on the influx of tourists, but in any case, Harrah’s is much cheaper than the Bellagio and the Paris. There is nothing so special about this hotel, the most attractive thing about it is probably the price. The bathroom is more than basic. There is no bath as such, unlike the previous two hotels, there is only a shower. See below for a photo of a standard double room with two beds.

You can book rooms directly on the websites of the hotels themselves, or on tourist sites in Las Vegas like www.lasvegas.com and www.vegas.com – there are interesting specials and discounts, so I advise you to check them out.

What to do in Las Vegas

Vegas is truly an amazing city. And not only because it is located and flourishes right in the middle of the desert. It’s also because there’s something for everyone here. Yes, you heard right. You don’t have to be crazy about poker and slot machines to have a good time here, although people who gamble will certainly feel like they’re in paradise in Las Vegas

For party goers and nightlife lovers Las Vegas has plenty of bars and clubs for every taste, many of which are also frequented by celebrities. Vegas is the city that never sleeps

For those who adore theater, Las Vegas has an extensive cultural program with a huge variety of comedy shows and Broadway musicals, including the famous Rock of Ages and Jersey Boys. Not to mention the world-famous Cirque du Soleil! And for those who like it hot, you can go to the cabaret and adult shows.

There are also many music concerts and festivals especially for music lovers.

For those who are still kids at heart (or those who just happened to be here with kids) you can visit such funny and unusual places like M&Ms Chocolate Museum, Coca-Cola Museum with its large bottle of the popular drink or Madame Tussauds to gaze at full size wax models of famous people and have your photo taken with them.

Shopaholics will also find a pastime for themselves. There are several major shopping centers in Las Vegas, and in addition there are two huge premium outlet stores!

But lovers have been known to come to Vegas to get married in one of the many chapels. On the streets literally at every step you will meet brides on hand with grooms. Las Vegas is not called the wedding capital of the world for nothing. The procedure for getting married here is incredibly simplified: you only need an identity document, and everything else is solved quickly and right there.

When to go to Las Vegas

The weather in Vegas is sunny and dry all year round. Don’t forget that this place is first and foremost a desert. In summer it can be very hot, up to +40-45 degrees, and in winter the temperature can drop to +10. They say it can even snow from time to time. It would be interesting to see snow in the desert, wouldn’t it? The best months to visit is considered March, April, May and October, November, when it is not too hot and winter is not yet here. But in fact, you can go to Vegas anytime, because people come here not for the weather. Most importantly, don’t forget the great commandment of the city: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. That means you’ll have a lot to remember, but you won’t have anything to tell your children, and you’ll have to accept that before you come to Las Vegas.

I should point out right away that summer in the U.S. is the period of school vacations and mass vacation for Americans, and during this time Las Vegas is especially crowded. It’s also the hottest time of the year, and it’s not comfortable to walk on the street for a long time. However, if you walk around the city in the evening, it’s not a big deal, it’s quite comfortable.

Nevertheless, the best time to go to Las Vegas in terms of the weather is in the fall and spring, in March, April, May, October and November to be exact. It’s not as hot, and it’s easy to see the sights around Vegas without the risk of suddenly getting sunstroke.

Good to know:

• There’s one more nuance to visiting Las Vegas: if you’re looking to save money on lodging in the city, you should avoid weekends and Fridays and come on weekdays, when hotels are cheaper. Americans like to come in droves to Las Vegas for a weekend to hang out and have fun for a couple of days. On weekdays, they go away to work, and hotel rooms remain unoccupied. For this reason even the most famous hotels of Sin City offer great discounts (up to 70%) on weekdays.
• The only downside to going to Las Vegas on a weekday might be that you won’t get to the best weekly shows that take place on weekends. But for substantial travel budget savings, leisurely exploration of the city and seeing the most interesting sights outside of it, weekdays are the perfect time to visit Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Time

The time in Las Vegas is determined by the Pacific Time Zone and refers to the Pacific Time Zone:

• UTC -8 in winter;
• In summer UTC -7.

From late spring to early fall, when most of the tourists go to Las Vegas, Nevada has Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), or summer time, which is one hour ahead of winter time.