LAS VEGAS: ALL DRESSED UP, LOTS OF PLACES TO GO
The lights on the Strip are dazzling, but that’s not all that’s bright and shiny in Las Vegas these days.
Indeed, from its luxurious new retail stores to its swellegant new drinking, dining and nightlife options, the city is truly one of the world’s most glamorous destinations. There are few other places where you can f i nd s o many straightfrom-the-runway fashions, Michelin-starred chefs, luxury hotels and award-winning mixologists.
“It’s unlike any other place in the world. There’s Vegas and there’s the rest of the world,” says Sean Shannon, vice-president and general manager of Expedia Canada. “I think there’s something for everyone. If people want to do the cheap and cheerful weekend in Vegas, it’s there. And you can go big in Vegas. You can go very high end, absolutely.”
He says about two million Canadians visit Vegas each year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “And you know that, unlike other cities, people aren’t visiting relatives.”
If your last memory of Las Vegas is of endless outlet malls, all-you-can-eat buffets and smoky casinos, it’s time to reconsider. Even the oftmaligned buffet has been kicked up several notches.
The elegant new awardwinning Bacchanal Buffet in Caesars Palace features nine kitchens under one roof and more than 500 items prepared daily by its team of Michelinstarred chefs.
Every important chef has a restaurant here, and two new celebrity-chef-helmed restaurants have started to make their mark.
Gordon Ramsay has come straight from the fires of Hell’s
Kitchen to bring gourmet burgers to the Las Vegas Strip with Gordon Ramsay BurGR at Planet Hollywood.
Meanwhile, over at Caesars Palace, famed chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his partners, including actor Robert De Niro, have opened the world’s first Nobu Hotel Restaurant and Lounge. The world’s largest Nobu Restaurant is serving up chef Nobu’s unique fusion of Japanese and South American cuisine, considered by many to be some of the best food in the world.
More Asian fare is on the menu at the spectacular Hakkasan Las Vegas, a fivelevel culinary and nightlife experience at the MGM Grand that features dramatic design, world-class mixology and exceptional modern Cantonese cuisine created by Michelin-starred chef Ho Chee Boon.
The city’s top mixologists are attracting just as many loyal followers. Among them are Chris Hopkins, the property mixologist at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and its three signature bars, and Michael MacDonnell, the director of beverage at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. Both are raising the bar for cocktail lovers in Sin City.
Perhaps the biggest news in libations, though, is the soonto-open Fizz at Caesars Palace. It’s co-owned by David Furnish, Elton John’s husband, so you know it’s going to be the last word in fabulosity — a super stylish champagne lounge and bar that serves up art, fashion, design and couture cocktails.
It is strategically located near The Forum Shops at Caesars, so you can pop next door to pick up that perfect outfit for enjoying champagne and caviar. This massively ornate luxury mall has been called the Shopping Wonder of the World, and features approximately 160 stores and some of the biggest names in fashion, including Balenciaga, Burberry, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin and Tiffany & Co.
You’ll find more designer luxury shopping at The Shops at Crystals in Aria Las Vegas and the opulent Esplanade at Wynn Las Vegas. Here you can find straight-from-the runways fashions that will make you dazzle almost as brightly as the lights on the Strip.
To get the best view of those lights, head over to the Palms Casino Resort, where the elegant, Michelin-starred Alizé at the Top of the Palms Ivory Tower offers a nearly 280-degree panoramic view from its floor-to-ceiling windows. Ghostbar, the resort’s plush boutique nightclub, offers equally spectacular views from the 55th floor, and a perfect excuse to drop by for a nightcap.
Fashionable. Stylish. Delicious. Whether your passion is for cocktails or couture, dining or dicing, Las Vegas offers a truly glam getaway. As Shannon says, “It’s the best of the best, and it’s so compact, you can experience everything really easily.”