Last-minute Vegas? It’s worth a punt
Holidays from £1,099pp including flights, or stay seven nights this summer, also including flights, from £1,229pp (britishairways. co.uk/lasvegas).
Mad Apple, a just-opened Cirque du Soleil show with close-up magic performers, is the hot new attraction at New York New York hotel.
Another of the hotel’s recent claims to fame is the Nine Fine Irishmen pub. The interiors were made in Dublin, shipped to Vegas and rebuilt in the heart of the hotel. Book a table for the likes of shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash with imported beers and whiskeys.
Look across the road from the hotel lobby for something far more American: a huge branch of M&M World.
Book flights and a three-night break at New York New York with Kuoni’s new online offshoot Breeze from £816pp (breeze.kuoni.co.uk).
Nearly 25 years after first opening its doors, and two decades after appearing in Ocean’s Eleven, The Bellagio remains one of the ultimate Las Vegas hotels.
This year guests check in to remodelled rooms, with hand-made mattresses and a mix of granite, marble and mother-of-pearl in the bathrooms. Eat in restaurants such as Picasso, with the artist’s paintings and ceramics adorning the walls, book a private cabana by the pool or wait till dusk to see the Bellagio fountains – one of the most photographed events in America. Book ahead to get flights and five nights later this year from £1,059pp (dialaflight.com).
Find a younger, even more opulent vibe at the new Virgin Hotels outpost a few blocks down the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel’s restaurants include a steakhouse, a branch of celebrity-friendly Nobu, a juice bar and a branch of After’s Ice Cream, one of the most colourful, and Instagram-friendly, new brands in America.
You can head outdoors to find DJs playing at the poolside Elia Beach Club, book hot stones, warm scalp or other treatments in the spa, or see emerging acts perform in 24 Oxford, a nod to Virgin Records’ beginning on London’s Oxford Street.
Book a seven-night stay, including direct flights on Virgin Atlantic, from £1,070pp this summer (virgin holidays.co.uk).