48 hours in las vegas

THE INDEPENDENT
31 MARCH 2007
12 INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER
THE INDEPENDENT
31 MARCH 2007
INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER 17
48 HOURS IN
LAS VEGAS
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
It’s the city where you’ll see dancing fountains,
exploding volcanos and an Eiffel Tower. And
that’s before you’ve even stepped inside
a casino… By Sara Benson
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WHY GO NOW?
Las Vegas has never been
so vibrant as it is in 2007.
Chic and sophisticated
may not be how most
people think of “Sin City”,
better known for its Elvis
impersonators and drivethru wedding chapels. Yet
this desert oasis is an
entertainment and
cultural hub. Casino
hotels on the Strip are
now luxury resorts, with
boutique rooms, spas and
innovative restaurants.
Spring is the ideal time
for escaping to Vegas,
with the sexy pool scene
heating up, but temperatures not yet scalding.
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(about $25/£14) to one of
the Strip hotels. If you are
staying downtown or near
the convention centre or
Sahara monorail station,
there are public buses for
$2 (£1.10) a ride.
GET YOUR BEARINGS
The suburbs sprawl
across the metropolitan
Vegas Valley. Most visitors
stay at mega-resorts on
the Strip or at smaller
casino hotels downtown
by the Fremont Street
Experience (2), a fiveblock pedestrian mall.
CHECK IN
Hotel rates are extremely
flexible, with peaks at
weekends. Epitomising
the rise of 21st-century
Las Vegas, THEhotel at
Mandalay Bay (3) at 3950
Las Vegas Boulevard
South (001 702 632 7777;
www.mandalaybay.com)
tempts tourists with the
Strip’s sleekest suites,
each with a plasma TV
and deep bathtub. The
lobby walls are splashed
with artwork worthy of a
museum. Schedule some
recovery time at the
minimalist Bathhouse
To Red Rock
Canyon
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Spa, which has Asianstyle pools and
“aromapothecary”
treatments. Doubles start
at $120 (£67), room only.
Claiming to be the
world’s largest hotel, the
mammoth MGM Grand
(4) at 3799 Las Vegas
Boulevard S (001 702 891
7777; www.mgmgrand.
com) is a crowd pleaser.
Whether you opt for an
exclusive retreat with a
mountain-view balcony or
a party pad, it is excellent
value. It’s worth booking
in here just for the
gargantuan pool complex,
with waterfalls,
whirlpools, and a “lazy
river” ride. Doubles from
$140 (£78), room only.
If you don’t want to
stray further than your
hotel for entertainment,
Circus Circus (5) at 2880
Las Vegas Boulevard
South (001 702 734 0410;
www.circuscircus.com) is
a family-oriented resort
with a permanent indoor
circus and doubles from
$37 (£21), room only.
TAKE A RIDE
Step inside America’s
fastest elevators to be
whisked up 108 storeys of
the iconic Stratosphere
Tower (6) (001 702 380
7777; www.stratosphere
hotel.com); close to the
Sahara monorail station.
Admission costs $10
(£5.50), but if you happen
to be staying at the hotel
(which is among the
cheapest in Las Vegas)
you may get free
admission before noon.
Once your ears stop
popping, step on to the
observation deck for 360degree views of the Strip,
dazzling by day (this is
one of the sunniest places
in the world) and by night.
TAKE A HIKE
Walking the Strip offers a
menu of entertainment,
and when your feet start
to ache, jump on the
Deuce ($2/£1.10), a
double-decker public bus
that shuttles along the
Strip around the clock.
Join the crowds gawking
at the dancing fountains
at Bellagio (7), the
exploding volcano outside
the Mirage (8), and
mock-pirate battles at the
TI (Treasure Island)
casino hotel (9).
Extreme beauty (clockwise from top left): the monastery at Guadalupe, home of the Black Madonna; a religious procession at Jerez de los Caballeros;
ancient history at Merida, the Roman amphitheatre; speed and passion at the Arroyo de la Luz horse-riding festival Alamy
LUNCH ON THE RUN
Hit swashbuckling TI (9)
for an overstuffed
pastrami sandwich at
Canter’s Delicatessen
(001 702 894 6390). For
alfresco seating beneath
the ersatz Eiffel Tower,
Mon Ami Gabi (001 702
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TOUCH DOWN
Virgin Atlantic flies daily
from Gatwick to Las
Vegas. From Stansted, the
business-class only
MAXjet flies on Mondays,
Thursdays and Saturdays.
From Manchester, BMI
flies on Tuesdays and
Sundays. Dozens of
connections are available
at other US airports.
Fares in April start at
£305 return through
www.opodo.co.uk.
The city’s very handy
McCarran airport (1) is
at the southern end of Las
Vegas Boulevard,
universally known as “the
Strip”. Most new arrivals
take a shuttle bus for
about $6 (£3.30) or a taxi
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THE INDEPENDENT
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Graphics: Kristina Ferris
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
OREGON
Salt Lake City
N E VA D A U TA H
UN IT ED STAT E S
EXTREMADURA
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CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
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Roman ruins, dramatic landscapes, amazing
wildlife – the fourth largest province of Spain
has everything except crowds. Explore the
extraordinary region that produced the
conquistadors before it’s invaded by the
tourists, says Marian Amos
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GOING TO EXTREMES?
This breathtaking and remote region of
south-west Spain offers a rare combination
of lush forests, majestic mountains and
sweeping plains, peppered with towns and
hamlets from another age. Taking its name
from the Spanish word extremar – meaning “to go to extremes” – this ancient region
has much to attract history buffs, bird-watchers, and those who simply wish to wander,
taking in the vast ochre landscape.
Extremadura was also the cradle of
Spain’s Latin-American empire. Ironically,
this landlocked terrain was also home to
those trailblazing extremeños, the conquistadors, who built grand and ornate mansions on their return from the Americas.
So far, this stunning part of Spain has
To Red Rockbarely been discovered by British travellers,
Canyon
let alone second-home buyers.
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I WANT A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Then aim for the wilderness of Spain’s
newest national park, Monfragüe, which covers the centre of the region, starting around
40km north-east of the town of Caceres.
The national park expands from the
confluence of the Tagus and Tietar rivers.
It is home to a wonderful diversity of woods,
scrubland, rivers and pasture, with a
spectacular range of flora and fauna. More
than 17,000 hectares provide a habitat for
over 200 species of animal, including deer,
wild boar and the rare Iberian lynx. But it’s
the breadth of birdlife that will amaze you
– and to which ornithologists flock. The park
is home to the largest colony of black vultures and biggest concentration of imperial eagles in the world, as well as the great
bustard and Montague’s harrier.
A visitor centre (00 34 927 010 835;
www.monfrague.com) is located in the old
village of Villarreal de San Carlos, in the
middle of the park; it opens 9am-2.30pm and
4.30pm-7.30pm daily in summer, with shorter
hours in winter. Collect a map of the park
and pick up a brisk pace on one of the three
colour-coded walks. You can spend around
three hours, for example, from Villarreal de
San Carlos to Mirador de la Tajadilla,
among the heath, rockrose and tovisco
Mojave
Desert
250 miles
Good bet: if you like
a flutter, Vegas is
the place to go
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WHO HAS BEEN THIS WAY BEFORE?
Culturally, Extremadura is rich with the 17
legacy of the various civilisations that have
prevailed in the Iberian peninsula, and its
cuisine, festivals and local traditions have
survived the centuries and still form part
of everyday life.
The Romans were first to leave a permanent mark on the towns of Extremadura,
although the Moorish influence is evident
in much of the architecture. Founded by the
Romans more than 2,000 years ago, Merida
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was once capital of the province of Lusitania,
and it shows. Nowhere in Spain can you see
more Roman remains – an amphitheatre,
villas, burial grounds, Temple of Diana and
theatre. You can buy a combined ticket for
¤8 from any of the sites and take your time
to travel back to Roman times (sites open
daily in summer, 9.30am-1.45pm, 5-6.15pm).
In the evening, you can join the locals for
the paseo back and forth across the 60-arch
Puente Romano – the longest Roman bridge
in Spain, crossing the Guadiana.
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Paris
Las Vegas
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THE LOVELIEST CITY?
The beautiful walled quarter of Caceres,
called the Ciudad Monumental and one of
six Unesco World Heritage Site designations
in Spain. Built on Roman foundations, Caceres was made glorious by the fortunes of
returning conquistadors. Impressive escutcheoned mansions and churches are
crammed together, with many towers and
turrets, often topped with storks’ nests.
As the regional capital of Extremadura,
Caceres has a significant student population, making it a lively place. There are bars
along Calle Pizarro, south of Plaza de San
Juan, and further on at Calle Dr Fleming,
and for live music, there are many venues
around Calle General Ezpondaz. Try La
Machano (Calle Andrada 8), tucked in an
alley, for Latin sounds.To take your evening
to its extreme, head, in the early hours, for
one of the discos dotted around the disconcertingly named Plaza de Albatros.
A SPIRITUAL TREAT?
Make a pilgrimage to the small picturesque
village of Guadalupe, perched in the Sierra
west of Trujillo. Besides admiring the
jumble of houses at the centre of the village,
and taking in the spectacular scenery, you
can pay homage to the Black Madonna, who
has made Guadalupe known around the
world – and possibly benefit from her miraculous healing powers. Standing just 49cm
high, the Black Madonna is one of Spain’s
most important devotional objects. According to legend, this figure was carved
from cedar in the 1st century by St Luke V
Las Vegas
PA C I F I C
OCEAN
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OFF THE MAP – WHY?
Possibly, because Extremadura has no
direct flights from the UK – yet. It is the
fourth-largest province of Spain, but the least
populated. As a result, Extremadura –
which stretches from the Gredos and Gata
mountains to the border of Andalucia, and
from Castille to the Portuguese frontier –
is as close as modern Spain gets to an unspoilt natural heritage. The region is
crossed from east to west by two important
rivers: the Guadiana and the Tajo (known
in English as the Tagus). The former wends
across to Merida and Badajoz then southwards, marking the frontier with Portugal;
the latter crosses Portugal and meets the
Atlantic just beyond Lisbon. The Tagus also
feeds the huge Alcantara reservoir – the
largest in western Europe – giving Extremadura more “inland” coast than any
other region in western Europe.
bushes. At the summit, sit on a rocky ridge
and gaze down at the shaded mountain side,
scattered with holm oaks. Then continue beside the Fuente del Alisar stream, along a
trail roaming between river and road, crossing land covered in eucalyptus trees. From
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the Tajadilla viewpoint, you can observe
nests and flight of pairs of griffon and
Egyptian vultures, then head back to the village for a well-deserved café con leche.
I DA H O
944 4224) is a no-fuss
French bistro at ParisLas Vegas (10).
WINDOW SHOPPING
Retailing as an art has
achieved its highest form
in Vegas, and you can
happily spend an airconditioned afternoon
being amazed at the
prices people will pay.
OPODO
l C
Catwalk designers have
set up shop inside highroller casino resorts,
notably the Forum Shops
at Caesars Palace (11)
and the Grand Canal
Shoppes at the Venetian
(12), where gondoliers ply
artificial canals and
wandering minstrels sing
operatic arias. Via
Bellagio (7) and Wynn
Esplanade (13) are swish
shopping promenades.
AN APERITIF
When the sun starts
sinking over the desert,
take a glass elevator ride
up to the 64th floor of
THEhotel at Mandalay
Bay (3), where Mix
restaurant and cocktail
lounge (001 702 632 7777)
serves up head-spinning
views, head-turning
clientele and stiff
martinis. Find that
vintage Vegas vibe at the
neon-lit Fireside Lounge
(001 702 735 4177) inside
the tiny Peppermill
casino (14) at 2985
Las Vegas Boulevard
South, where couples
sip drinks on retro
blue-velvet couches.
Vegas’s posh “ultra
lounge” scene started at
Tabu (001 702 891 7183) at
the MGM Grand (4);
models mix nouveau
cocktails tableside.
DINING WITH THE
LOCALS
When you hit the jackpot,
feast on the seasonal
menus of fine French food
at Joël Robuchon (001 702
891 7925) inside the
Mansion at MGM Grand
(4). Rosemary’s (15) at
8125 W Sahara Avenue
(001 702 869 2251;
www.rosemarys
restaurant.com) is a
home-grown heaven for
foodies. Located in a
humble strip mall, a short
taxi ride west of the Strip,
it serves exquisite New
American fare with Cajun
and Creole influences. For
low rollers, your best bets
for all-you-can-eat dinner
buffets are at the Wynn
(13), Bellagio (7), ParisLas Vegas (10) and Rio
(16) casino hotels.
CATCH A SHOW
Vegas is chock-full of
spectacular stage
productions, from
fantastical Cirque du
Soleil shows and
Broadway hits to revues
with showgirls dripping
with rhinestones and
feather boas. Get sameday, half-price tickets
from Coca-Cola
Tickets2Nite at 3769 Las
Vegas Boulevard S (001
888 484 9264), just north of
the MGM Grand (4), or
Tix 4 Tonight (001 877 849
4868), which has four
locations around town,
including at the Fashion
Show Mall (17). Get your
tickets early for the best
seats in the house.
SUNDAY MORNING: GO
TO CHURCH
Church-going isn’t a
popular pastime in Sin
City, but everyone agrees
that the gospel brunch at
the House of Blues (001
702 632 7600;
www.hob.com) at the
Mandalay Bay (3) is worth
getting out of bed early
for. Boisterous singers
belt out gospel tunes as
you chow down on
Southern soul food such
as cheese grits and
chicken jambalaya.
There are two seatings
at 10am and 1pm, costing
$40 (£22), including
unlimited champagne;
book in advance.
CULTURAL
AFTERNOON
The spectacular
Guggenheim Hermitage
Museum (001 702 414
2440; www.guggenheim
lasvegas.org) at the
Venetian (12) was
designed by Rem
Koolhaas. It exhibits
masterpieces from New
York’s Guggenheim
Museum and Russia’s
State Hermitage
Museum.
A short taxi ride east of
the Strip at 755 East
Flamingo Road, the
awesome Atomic Testing
Museum (18) (001 702 794
5161; www.atomictesting
museum.org) traces the
history of Nevada’s
nuclear weapons testing
programme during the
Cold War era, when
mushroom clouds rose
over casino rooftops. Its
Ground Zero Theater,
built to imitate a concrete
testing bunker, shows
documentary film footage.
ICING ON THE CAKE
When the ding-ding-ding
of the slot machines
drives you mad, rent a
convertible and roll out
into the refreshing
landscapes of the
Southwestern desert.
Red Rock Canyon
(001 702 515 5367;
www.redrockcanyonlv.org)
is a national conservation
area with a 13-mile scenic
loop drive passing hiking
trails, rock-climbing
areas and natural springs
and waterfalls.