Viva Las Vegas: No money, no worries

After an arduous long 5 hours drive from LA, we reached the city with all the secrets - Las Vegas. The sheer number of things that you can do in Las Vegas is overwhelming, where anytime of the day (0000 - 2359hr) there is always something to do. On top of that, irregardless of one's age, there is something for everyone.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

To prove my point, here's how a typical day would work.

1000h - Wake up for breakfast and go Shopping (e.g Outlet Shopping, Ross, many many boutiques down the strip including the Palazzo and Caesars)

1300h - Lunch and more shopping or hop down to any attractions (e.g Shark Reef Aquarium, or Body works in various hotels) along the strip

1800h - Dinner. You can either go for their dirt cheap buffet or try something upscale like Gordan Ramsay's steakhouse at Paris.

2000h - Here's where the fun begin. Go for a show (ranging from a musical to burlesque dancing, the circus, magic shows to outdoor special effect shows) or simply chill out at one of the pubs/lounges to here top notched singers (e.g Celine Dion at Caesars) perform.

2000h - Its PARTY TIME or You can just hit the casinos. This would probably end only when you are a) Too tired -- therefore calling it a night or b) Penniless out of your freaking mind, which in fact, would end your day too.

Most importantly - the cycle repeats itself, with each day going to a new outlet/hotel/show/casinos enjoying yourselves.

Vegas From the Top

The number of attractions on the strip itself is enough to fill up your entertainment calendar for a month, so with only 4 nights, I could not enjoy ALL of them. So I'll just stick to what I went through and give a feel of what to expect and my reviews of entertainments I visited.

Read on to check out the activities you can do without any $$$



Hotel / Casino Hopping

The MOST important of Las Vegas - The HOTELS. Without them, there won't be a Las Vegas. So the most obvious thing to do in Vegas is to hop around as many hotels or casinos as possible. Each hotel has their own signature or theme which makes it such an entertaining (and free!) experience.

Ballys & Paris (taken from side of Bellagio)

Unfortunately, we didn't exactly have the luxury of time to explore the entire strip. So we could only do a single area (around Bellagio) of hotels. However on the last day, we managed to squeeze a few more hotels and a drive down the entire strip (from Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay).

Here are some of the highlights:

Caesars Palace

The Venetian - Reminds you of MBS right?

The Conservatory at Bellagio - Real Flowers on Display

It's amazing what they can do with so little space

Outside the Bellagio

Paris - Complete with Moulin Rouge & Eiffel Tower

MGM - we weren't able to visit the lion though

Stratosphere - perfect place to get an aerial view of the strip

The Luxor - where Chris Angel resides

As you can see, every hotel is unique to each other. So it'll be good to take a day or two (plus another night or two) to simply walk down the ENTIRE strip (buses are available up and down or you can simply rent a car) to enjoy the best out of every hotel. Other than the hotels featured above, there is still the fun fair at Circus Circus, the castle of Excalibur, the bright lights at Flamingoes, the exquisite Mirage, the replica of New York New York and many many more. Don't forget to take some time to GO INSIDE too as the interior is as impressive as its exterior.

Night Shows (Outdoors)

Another free entertainment option - the free outdoor shows in front of selected hotels. These shows are one of the symbols of Las Vegas, with many shows still thriving since the last time I came here 15 years ago. Watching these shows certainly brought back memories (another reason why this place is for people of all ages) of my first visit to Las Vegas as a kid.

Some of the classic shows include the Fountains of Bellagio, the Volcanoes of The Mirage and the Sirens of Treasure Island. One word of advice: Be sure to check the weather conditions before deciding to dedicate the night to show-hunting down the strip. As most of these shows are outdoor and involves fire/pyrotechnics, they are often at the mercy of the wind/rain conditions of the night. Unfortunately, we were at the wrong end of the conditions and the fountains show was the only show that wasn't cancelled.

Still, it was as beautiful as I remembered Las Vegas to be and worth the whole rush to get there in time for the last show. Enjoy the show...

Start of the show

Simple Beginnings

Fountain swaying to the sound of music

Rising Climax

Grand Finale

 Overall, these free shows happen nightly at hourly interval. If the weather permits, it is very possible for anyone to enjoy ALL three shows within a night and still make it for the paid indoor shows (usually at 10 p.m). So make sure you plan your route and time well and check the weather forecast before hand. Trust me, it will be worth all the effort.

Well, this post is getting a little bit lengthy (there's so much to tell!) so I'll conclude for now. Stay tuned for the next post on the PAID entertainments that we really enjoyed during our time in Las Vegas. See you then!