The South Strip
For seven decades huge casinos have pushed ever further south along Las Vegas Boulevard, and what constitutes the South Strip has been repeatedly redefined. One thing has remained constant, however: entrepreneurs love to build lavish, eye-catching properties here because they’re the first to be seen by drivers arriving from southern California. The current generation thus includes a scale model of Manhattan, New York–New York; the vast MGM Grand; a fantasy castle, Excalibur; an Egyptian pyramid, Luxor; and what’s currently the true start of the Strip, the gleaming tropical paradise of Mandalay Bay. Thanks to successive buyouts and mergers, all these five are now owned by MGM Resorts and run as a cohesive unit. The exception, the ageing Tropicana, has, not surprisingly, struggled to keep up.
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 
877 632 7700, 
mandalaybay.com. MAP
The southernmost mega-casino on the Strip, Mandalay Bay, consists of two golden skyscrapers that tower over a sprawling complex covering a greater area than any other single property in Las Vegas. Linked to Luxor and Excalibur by a stand-alone outdoor monorail as well as indoor walkways, it belongs to the same owners, MGM Resorts. It was built in 1999 to provide a more sophisticated alternative to what were then its more overtly child-oriented neighbours, and apart from the Shark Reef aquarium offers little to lure in casual sightseers.
Beyond a certain vague tropical theming, there’s no significance to the name “Mandalay”. Instead Mandalay Bay’s strongest selling point is its nightlife, with a high-end array of restaurants, bars, clubs – such as Light, the first-ever nightclub to be run under the auspices of Cirque du Soleil – and music venues, including the prestigious House of Blues, plus the self-explanatory Cirque show, Michael Jackson One. To keep its young, affluent guests on site during the day as well, there’s also an impressively landscaped network of pools and artificial beaches that includes a wave pool and the “toptional” Moorea Beach Club.
Being further south of the Strip’s centre of gravity than anyone would choose to walk, Mandalay Bay can feel a little stranded. Forced to work hard to attract and keep visitors, however, it has continued to prosper through the recession. Inevitably, some of its restaurants have lost their original buzz, while the Mandalay Place mall holds little to lure shoppers based elsewhere. For a night out, though, or a weekend in a self-contained luxury resort, Mandalay Bay can still match the best Las Vegas has to offer.
Incidentally, the Four Seasons hotel is right here too – its rooms occupy the top five floors of Mandalay Bay’s original tower.
“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas”
Familiar no doubt from every Las Vegas movie or TV show you’ve ever seen, the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign is an obligatory photo op for every visitor, just over half a mile south of Mandalay Bay. To minimize the risk of accidents, only cars heading south, away from the city, can access the narrow patch in between the north- and southbound carriageways of the Strip. Don’t try walking this far, least of all in summer.
Shark Reef
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd 702 632 4555, sharkreef.com. June–Aug daily 10am–10pm; Sept–May Mon–Thurs & Sun 10am–8pm, Fri & Sat 10am–10pm. Ages 13 and over $20, ages 4–12 $14. MAP
In keeping with Las Vegas’s emphasis on immediate thrills, the Shark Reef aquarium focuses almost exclusively on dangerous marine predators, prowling through tanks designed to resemble a decaying ancient temple that’s sinking into the sea. The species on show – largely chosen for their scary teeth and deadly stings – include giant crocodiles and Komodo dragons, as well, of course, as enormous sharks. Separate eerily illuminated cylindrical tanks are filled with menacing-looking jellyfish.
Shark Reef is located right at the back of Mandalay Bay; to reach it, you have to walk along several hundred yards of internal corridors, beyond the two convention centres.
The huge Luxor pyramid, with its sloping, monolithic walls of black shiny glass, was built in 1993 as the follow-up to the much more fanciful Excalibur next door. Originally it was filled to bursting with ancient Egyptian motifs, holding not only a replica of King Tut’s tomb but even an indoor River Nile. Then, when Las Vegas (and owners MGM Resorts in particular) decided to gear itself less towards kids and more towards adults, much of Luxor’s archeological theming was stripped away. Nothing can mask the fact that it’s a colossal pyramid, though, and Luxor today seems to be in an odd sort of limbo, embarrassed about its Egyptian past but unable to find an alternative identity.
Visitors who venture this far down the Strip – especially those arriving on the Mandalay Bay–Excalibur monorail – still congregate outside to take photos of the enormous Sphinx that straddles the main driveway. Immediately inside the main doors, there’s also a re-creation of the facade of the Egyptian temple of Abu Simbel. Beyond that, however, there’s little to distinguish the main casino floor. In the absence of noteworthy restaurants or shops, Luxor is best known for its bars and clubs, including an outpost of LA stalwart LAX.
Immediately upstairs, the so-called Atrium Level is home to two permanent exhibitions – Bodies and Titanic – as well as a small food court. It’s also the best vantage point from which to admire the pyramid’s cavernous interior; only guests can access the higher levels.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
Atrium Level, Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 262 4400, rmstitanic.net. Daily 10am–10pm. $32, ages 4–12 $24, over-64s $30; audio guides $6 extra. MAP
Held in an enclosed building upstairs in Luxor, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is the world’s only permanent exhibition of items salvaged from the Titanic. Displays that also include mock-ups of the fabled Grand Staircase tell the full story of the great ship, from construction to destruction. Each visitor is invited to pose for a souvenir photo on the Staircase, and as you enter you receive a “boarding pass” named for a specific passenger. Only as you leave do you find out whether he or she survived the catastrophe.
Prize artefacts include the actual wheel at which the helmsman tried and failed to steer clear of the iceberg on April 14, 1912, and the enormous Big Piece, a gigantic slab that broke off C Deck as the ship sank, and which was raised from the ocean floor in 1998.
Bodies…the exhibition
Atrium Level, Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 262 4400, bodiestheexhibition.com. Daily 10am–10pm, last admission 9pm. $32, ages 4–12 $24, over-64s $30; audio guides $6 extra. MAP
You might expect Bodies…the Exhibition to be a gory horror show. In fact, despite the advertising images of goggle-eyed corpses, it provides a surprisingly serious museum-quality experience. You have to keep reminding yourself that what look like brightly coloured mannequins really are dead bodies that have been “plastinated” for permanent display. Some are posed as though in life, playing sports in perpetuity, others have been dissected to show particular features of their anatomy. Certain sections, like that in which an entire circulatory system, down to the tiniest capillary, has been teased out and dyed in different colours, have an astonishing beauty; the sight of fatally diseased organs displayed alongside healthy counterparts are much more sobering. Even if you’ve wandered in for a quick laugh, you may leave determined to change your life around – not that Las Vegas is necessarily the best place to start.
Excalibur
3850 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 597 7777, excalibur.com. MAP
Built in 1990, Excalibur remains the most visible reminder of the era when Las Vegas briefly reinvented itself as a vast children’s playground. With its jam-packed, multi-coloured turrets and ring of clunky battlements it doesn’t so much look like a castle, as like a child’s drawing of a castle – and to be more specific still, a drawing of Walt Disney’s version of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. In fact, the architect responsible, Veldon Simpson, who later went on to design both Luxor and the MGM Grand, had travelled around Europe visiting hundreds of real-life castles. He ultimately settled on using the same model that Disney had, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, a whimsical hybrid of French château and stern German fortress. Only a nit-picker would mention that the original Excalibur was a sword, not a castle.
These days, Excalibur is less child-oriented than it used to be. Its primary function for current owners MGM seems to be as a kind of gateway to draw visitors towards the southern end of the Strip, complementing the free monorail to Luxor and Mandalay Bay, prominent outside, with an easy indoor walkway to those properties further back. You access that by heading onto the upper level from the casino, lured ever onwards along the corridor by boutiques and fast-food places.
As Excalibur generally offers some of the Strip’s least expensive hotel rooms, it caters largely to low-budget tour groups and families. That can result in a slightly jarring clash between its remaining child-friendly Arthurian theming, which includes the jousting-and-serving-wenches dinner-show Tournament of Kings, and blue-collar adult entertainment such as Dick’s Last Resort bar and the Thunder From Down Under male stripper revue. Its lowest level, below the casino floor, is occupied by the Fun Dungeon (daily 10am–10pm), a jumble of fairground stalls, carnival amusements and arcade games.
Much of the upstairs, officially known as the Castle Walk Level, is taken up by a huge food court, which includes a massive Krispy Kreme doughnut bakery, where all the kitchen action is open to passers-by, and a Tropical Smoothie Café outlet. It’s also home to the frankly poor Excalibur Buffet and assorted souvenir “shoppes”.
The Tropicana
3801 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 739 2222, www.troplv.com. MAP
Built in 1957, and standing proudly aloof a mile south of the Strip, the Tropicana swiftly became a byword for luxury. It was also renowned from the start as being in the pocket of the Mob, and spent twenty years under investigation for the “skimming” of casino profits, money laundering and other Mafia-related skulduggery.
Although it’s now poised at the country’s busiest crossroads, the Tropicana has long struggled to compete with its mighty MGM-owned neighbours – Excalibur, the MGM Grand, and New York–New York. Barely rescued from bankruptcy in 2008, it was given a $125-million makeover intended to restore its tropical-playground image and add something of the feel of Miami’s South Beach. Among the casualties of that process was its fabled topless revue, the Folies Bergere, which sadly ended its residency shortly before its fiftieth anniversary.
While it’s looking much crisper and brighter than before, the Tropicana still can’t match the latest Strip giants. Hopes that it would blossom as a nightlife destination have failed to materialize, and it holds little to draw in sightseers, shoppers or diners. Instead it remains slightly apart, with its strongest feature being an extensive pool complex that’s open to guests only.
New York–New York
3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 740 6969, newyorknewyork.com. MAP
The first, and arguably the best, of Las Vegas’s modern breed of replica “cities”, New York–New York opened in 1997. Its exterior consists of a squeezed-up, half-sized rendition of the Manhattan skyline as it looked in the 1950s. The interior, which makes no attempt to correspond to the specific “buildings” outside, holds a smaller than average casino, plus a dining and nightlife district intended to evoke Greenwich Village.
Despite the broad Brooklyn Bridge that stretches along the Strip sidewalk, and the Empire State and Chrysler buildings etched against the Nevada sky, the most iconic feature of the facade is the Statue of Liberty, facing the intersection with Tropicana Avenue. Unlike the other elements here it’s actually twice the height of the real-life statue. This spot never hosted a replica of the World Trade Center, but ad hoc memorials appeared here after September 11, 2001.
New York–New York has lost much of its original playful theming in recent years. Sightseers once stepped off the Strip to find themselves in Central Park at night, with owls peeping down from the trees. Things are more serious these days, enlivened here and there with stylish Art Deco motifs.
New York–New York isn’t served by any monorail, but pedestrians pass through one corner en route between the pedestrian bridges to Excalibur and the MGM Grand. Perhaps to tempt them to stay, the areas nearest the Strip hold an abundance of bars, pubs and food outlets. Much of the second floor is taken up by the Arcade, a rather ramshackle assortment of sideshows, games and kids’ attractions.
The Big Apple Coaster
New York–New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 740 6616, newyorknewyork.com. Daily 10.30am–midnight. $14 first ride, $25 for an all-day Scream Pass. MAP
From the moment you catch a glimpse of New York–New York, you’ll almost certainly also see – and hear – the tiny little yellow cabs that loop and race around its skyscraper towers. Previously known first as the Manhattan Express, then simply as The Roller Coaster, and now re-renamed The Big Apple Coaster, it operates from a replica subway station on the casino’s upper floor. Speeding at 67mph, plunging over 200ft and rolling like a jet fighter, it’s a serious thrill ride no theme-park fan should miss.
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 877 880 0880, mgmgrand.com. MAP
The enormous MGM Grand casino has been through many changes since it opened in 1993. Back then, it attracted huge publicity as the largest hotel in the world and the first to incorporate its own theme park. It was also the location of the legendary 1997 boxing fight during which Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear.
These days, however, the MGM Grand keeps a lower profile, and it would be hard to say quite what identity it’s aiming for any more. All traces of the theme park have long since vanished, while only the general preponderance of green now recalls the property’s initial Wizard of Oz theme. With its original 5005 rooms boosted by the addition of the three all-suite Signature towers, it’s surpassed in size only by the Venetian-Palazzo combination. Only in Las Vegas could such a behemoth seem to blend into the background.
One reason for this may be that with so many guests on site, the MGM Grand simply doesn’t need to lure visitors in. It still boasts a fabulous array of dining and entertainment options, which includes the stunning Cirque de Soleil show Kà, and the Joël Robuchon Restaurant, where the $425 Degustation Menu is said to be the world’s most expensive prix fixe menu.
Over the last few years, MGM Resorts have undertaken a massive overhaul of the Grand that has so far seen more old things disappear than new ones emerge. Casualties have included the live lions previously displayed in a glass enclosure just off the Strip, and the veteran Studio 54 nightclub.
CSI: The Experience
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 891 5749, csiexhibit.com. Daily 9am–9pm, last admission 8pm. Ages 12 and over $28, $26 for repeat visits on same day, ages 4–11 $21/$20. MAP
Set well back from the MGM Grand’s Strip entrance, CSI: The Experience is perhaps the most enjoyable family attraction in Las Vegas. Trading on the worldwide success of the CSI TV franchise, it enables participants to investigate, and almost certainly solve, fictional murder mysteries.
Each ticket entitles you to solve one of three possible cases, taking roughly an hour to examine the murder scene, test out various hypotheses in the lab, and come up with a solution. Assistants are on hand to help, though you don’t interact with any actors.
Shops
Las Vegas Premium Outlets (South)
7400 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 896 5599, premiumoutlets.com. Mon–Sat 9am–9pm, Sun 9am–8pm. MAP
The sort of mall you might find beside the highway on the outskirts of any town in America, Las Vegas Premium Outlets (South), 3 miles south of Mandalay Bay, offers no-frills, no-nonsense shopping at Banana Republic, Gap, Nike and the like. For visitors with the use of a car, it’s not a bad option for picking up everyday items to take back home. There’s a basic fast-food court but no restaurants.
The Shoppes at Mandalay Place
Mandalay Bay, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7777, mandalaybay.com. Daily 10am–11pm; hours for individual stores may vary. MAP
Arranged along the indoor hallway that connects Mandalay Bay with Luxor – a fair walk from the centre of either, and from the monorail too – The Shoppes at Mandalay Place does not rank among Las Vegas’s premier shopping malls. Instead, it’s a rather haphazard mix of big names such as The Guinness Store, Nike Golf and Swarovski, and smart boutiques, galleries and novelty stores, plus several bars and restaurants.
Town Square
6605 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 269 5001, mytownsquarelasvegas.com. Mon–Thurs 10am–9pm, Fri & Sat 10am–10pm, Sun 11am–8pm. MAP
Especially popular with locals who prefer to steer clear of the Strip, Town Square, 3 miles south of Mandalay Bay, is a rarity in Las Vegas, designed to be experienced as an outdoor “neighbourhood” rather than an air-conditioned enclave. Visitors from further afield may be less enthused by its attempt to evoke the feel of a “European village”. Big stores include Staples, a Whole Foods supermarket and an Apple Store that offers free wi-fi; there are also some unremarkable restaurants and a cinema.
Buffet
Bayside Buffet
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7402, mandalaybay.com. Mon–Fri 7–11am $18, 11am–2.30pm $22, 4.45–9.45pm $33; Sat & Sun 7am–2.30pm $26 & 4.45–9.45pm $35. MAP
Mandalay Bay’s buffet has a much nicer setting than most of its Las Vegas rivals, overlooking the resort’s pool, and open, when weather permits, to breezes. Apart from the wide range of desserts, though, and the pre-cut deli sandwiches at lunchtime, the food is not all that amazing.
Restaurants
America
New York–New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 740 6451, newyorknewyork.com. Daily 24hr. MAP
While serious foodies will find nothing remarkable about this 24-hour diner, it’s a great place to bring kids, or Las Vegas first-timers, thanks to the colossal, cartoon-like relief map of the USA that hangs from the ceiling. Serving signature dishes from all over the country, from Alaskan salmon salad ($16) to Kansas City ribs ($25), there’s food to match every appetite.
Aureole
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7200, aureolelv.com. Mon–Sat 5.30–10.30pm. MAP
With its astonishing “wine tower”, a 42ft vertical wine cellar that’s accessed by flying, white-clad “wine angels”, Chef Charlie Palmer’s showcase restaurant is a real must-see. His contemporary American cooking is something special, with the menu divided into “Root”, “Ranch” and “Surf”. The filet mignon entrée costs $59, while baked salmon is $31.
Bacio
Tropicana, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd S 800 462 8767, www.troplv.com. Daily 5–10pm. MAP
Carla Pellegrino’s classic Italian diner has been a big hit at the revamped Tropicana, not least for its dazzling bright-white styling. The speciality veal chop costs over $40, but you can get fresh pasta with marinara sauce for $22, and the early-evening set tasting menu offers four courses with wine for $39. The one drawback is the occasionally slow service.
Border Grill
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7403, www.bordergrill.com. Mon–Thurs 11am–10pm, Fri 11am–11pm, Sat 10am–11pm, Sun 10am–10pm. MAP
Serving light and zestful “modern Mexican” cuisine that’s a perfect match for its sun-kissed indoor-outdoor setting, this poolside veteran serves lunchtime salads, tacos and tortas (flatbreads) for well under $20, and larger dinner plates like Yucatan pork for $24 or mole roasted chicken for $28. A three-course set dinner costs $42 and the hugely popular weekend brunch $35.
Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 891 7374, emerils.com. Daily 11.30am–10pm. MAP
Rich New Orleans flavours in a modern setting, courtesy of TV chef Emeril Lagasse. As the name suggests, the emphasis is on seafood, with barbecue shrimp as an appetizer ($17) and pecan-crusted redfish as a main course ($37), but you can also get seared chicken or a rib-eye steak. If you don’t have a dinner reservation, they should be able to seat you after 9pm.
Fleur
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7200, mandalaybay.com. Mon–Fri 11am–10pm, Sat & Sun 11am–10.30pm. MAP
There’s much more to Hubert Keller’s modern tapas restaurant than its notorious $5000 foie gras burger. Its sumptuous menu features exquisite dishes from all over the world, including Spanish-style grilled octopus ($22) and Greek herb-roasted leg of lamb ($48). Even the so-called “Large Plates” are pretty small, though, so it’s no place to be counting your pennies. Parties of four can “Tour the World” for $310.
Grand Wok & Sushi Bar
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 891 7433, mgmgrand.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 11am–10pm, Fri & Sat 11am–midnight. No reservations. MAP
This pan-Asian restaurant is the kind of place you wish you could find everywhere in Las Vegas. The prices are low, the service fast, the decor fancy enough to make you feel you’re somewhere special and they only take walk-ins. And the food? That’s great too, drawing on Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Dim sum and sushi plates cost around $12, and mains more like $20.
Hussong’s Cantina
Mandalay Bay, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 6450, hussongslasvegas.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 11am–10pm, Fri & Sat 11am–11pm. MAP
An outpost of the Mexican original that’s said to have invented the margarita, Hussong’s is as much a bar as a restaurant. Yet the food itself is surprisingly good, with $15–20 flautas, fajitas and chimichangas, and $14 nachos. Don’t miss the $6 plazero corn, which is dusted with cheese flakes.
Il Fornaio
New York–New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 650 6500, ilfornaio.com/lasvegas. Restaurant Mon–Thurs & Sun 7.30am–11pm, Fri & Sat 7.30am–midnight; Panetteria daily 6am–5.30pm. MAP
While Il Fornaio is open for decent Italian food pretty much round the clock, in-the-know locals love it best of all in the morning, when you can enjoy a wonderful sit-down breakfast or simply pop in to the separate deli/bakery next door for fresh breads and espresso coffee.
Michael Mina Pub 1842
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 891 3922, mgmgrand.com. Mon–Thurs 11.30am–10pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am–11pm, Sun 10am–10pm. MAP
Top Las Vegas chef Michael Mina keeps things simple with his take on the gastro pub, serving substantial $18–22 burgers and old-fashioned favourites like fish and chips ($26) or succulent St Louis ribs ($22/34), along with $8–11 Happy Hour “small plates” like brisket sliders or lobster grilled cheese and a couple of dozen draught beers.
tom colicchio’s craftsteak
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 891 7318, craftsteaklasvegas.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 5–10pm, Fri & Sat 5–10.30pm. MAP
Serious carnivores swear this dinner-only steakhouse serves the best beef in Las Vegas, in melt-in-your-mouth inch-thick cuts. Order à la cart; there’s lobster bisque ($19) as an appetizer and steaks from $38. Set menus range from $125 for domestic Angus beef to $275 for Wagyu surf & turf.
Bars and lounges
Bar At Times Square
New York–New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 740 6466, newyorknewyork.com. Mon–Thurs 1pm–2am, Fri–Sun 11am–2.30am, showtime 8pm–2am. Cover $10 standing, reserved seating Mon–Thurs & Sun $15, Fri & Sat $25. MAP
If you like your nights out sophisticated or edgy, steer clear of this raucous sing-a-long bar alongside New York–New York’s main casino floor; if you prefer to scream along at the top of your voice as two pianists go head-to-head, playing whatever requests spring to their tipsy audience’s mind, you’re in the right place.
Minus5 Ice Bar
Mandalay Bay, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 740 5800, www.minus5experience.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 11am–2am, Fri & Sat 11am–3am. Cover varies, typically $25 including one drink. MAP
This funny, gimmicky bar is exactly what it says it is – everything is made of ice, from walls to glasses (though the couches are spread with deer skins). Customers are loaned jackets, gloves and boots to tolerate the minus 5 temperature.
Nine Fine Irishmen
New York–New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 866 815 4365, ninefineirishmen.com. Daily 11am–11pm. Cover $5 Wed & Thurs, $10 Fri & Sat. MAP
A genuine Irish pub, shipped in pieces from Ireland, celebrating Irish beer, food and, in the evening, music and dance too. A small patio out on the Strip looks over “Brooklyn Bridge”. During the weekday Happy Hour (Mon–Thurs 2–5pm), Guinness and other beers cost $5 per pint.
Red Square Bar
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7200, mandalaybay.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 4–11pm, Fri 4.30pm–midnight, Sat 4pm–midnight. MAP
Both a bar and a restaurant, Red Square is designed to evoke all things Russian – the decadence of the tsars, the graphic style of the Communist era and the icy chill of the steppes. Unless you have a real penchant for caviar, the food is a bit too expensive to be worth it, but the bar is great, with its solid-ice counter-top and frozen vodka vault.
Clubs and music venues
Hakkasan
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 891 3838, hakkasanlv.com. Wed–Sun 10.30pm–dawn. Cover men $20, women $10. MAP
Said to be the largest club in the world, an offshoot of what was originally a Chinese restaurant in London, this colossal, multi-level place incorporates two separate full-sized nightclubs, plus all sorts of dining rooms, ultra-lounges and private gardens; superstar DJs attract up to 7500 clubbers at weekends.
House of Blues
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 7600, www.houseofblues.com. Daily 7am–midnight. MAP
The national House of Blues music chain has recently revamped its Las Vegas outlet, in the heart of Mandalay Bay. While retaining its funky, voodoo-esque feel, the capacity has been reduced to a more intimate 1300. Individual concerts are interspersed with longer artist residencies; thus Carlos Santana has been signed up for regular long-term stints, with ticket prices from $89.
LAX
This offshoot of Hollywood’s hot LAX nightclub can be a victim of its own success; the whole place, from the dramatic staircase to the long dance floor, gets way too crowded for comfort on big nights. If money is no object, skip the queues by paying for VIP table service. If you’re happy with the mainstream music choices it’s up there with Las Vegas’s best.
LIGHT
Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 632 4700, thelightvegas.com. Wed, Fri & Sat 10.30pm–4am. Cover charge varies. MAP
Mandalay Bay pulled off a real coup by hosting the first-ever Cirque du Soleil nightclub, designed to keep visitors to Michael Jackson One dancing all night. Holding over two thousand clubbers, it features a mobile DJ booth that rises from the floor, plus live Cirque performers. In summer, Daylight ( daylightvegas.com), the beach club, stages outdoor pool parties and evening concerts.
Shows
BLUE MAN GROUP
Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd S 800 557 7428, blueman.com. Daily 7pm & 9.30pm; $86–188. MAP
The hilariously postmodern Blue Men are Las Vegas favourites; kids love their craziness, adults their cleverness. Mute and lurid blue from head to toe, they combine paint-splashing, cereal-spewing clowning with pounding percussion and amazing visual effects.
Criss Angel – MINDFREAK LIVE!
Although Mindfreak Live! bears the Cirque brand, it’s basically a showcase for everything Angel does best, blending close-up trickery with mind-blowing illusions to create a thrilling magic show. Beyond the pyrotechnics and heavy metal, he’s essentially a hard-working, old-fashioned audience-pleaser.
Kà
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 531 3826, cirquedusoleil.com. Mon–Wed, Sat & Sun 7pm & 9.30pm. $75–196. MAP
There’s more martial-arts muscularity to this Cirque spectacular than to their other, more ethereal offerings; sceptics are guaranteed to find the set-piece stunts enacted on its tilting, rotating stage absolutely jaw-dropping. Add in extraordinary puppetry and sumptuous costumes, and while the twins-in-jeopardy storyline may leave you unmoved, Kà is certain to expand your horizons.
Tournament of Kings
Excalibur, 3850 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 597 7600, excalibur.com. Mon & Fri 6pm, Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun 6pm & 8.30pm. $66 including dinner. MAP
This swashbuckling swords-and-slapstick supper show plunges family audiences into a jousting contest, complete with villainous black knights and maidens in peril. Ideal for anyone who’d rather eat chicken with their fingers than sit through Shakespeare.
Zumanity
New York–New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 740 6815, cirquedusoleil.com. Mon & Sun 9.30pm, Tues, Fri & Sat 7pm & 9.30pm. $69–120, or $125 per person for a “duo sofa”. All shows over-18s only. MAP
While the concept – Cirque goes sexy – may pique your curiosity, the reality is disappointing, undercutting the erotic potential of fit bodies performing astonishing feats with pratfalls and smut. At times, it looks amazing, but it’s no substitute for Cirque at their peak.
Wedding chapel
Little Church of the West
4617 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 739 7971, littlechurchlv.com. Daily 8am–11pm. MAP
This cute little chapel really is old, by Las Vegas standards; built for the Last Frontier casino in 1942, it has since migrated south to a spot half a mile beyond Mandalay Bay. With its tranquil garden, it feels a world away from the big-casino chapels. Packages range from the $199 “Let’s Elope” to the $2975 “Unforgettable VIP Package”.