Instant Escapes: Las Vegas

It’s time for tea and here that means getting high – up 23 storeys – in the Tea Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental (3752 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 590 8888, www.mandarinoriental.com). Choose between the trad afternoon tea (£26pp) or go à la carte with a bento box of chocolate cakes or mini cupcakes (£15pp).

Check out where Vegas started on Fremont Street, Downtown – here, it’s all retro casinos and neon. Take a crawl of the hippest block in the city (Las Vegas Blvd and N 6th St), where you’ll find a bar kitted out as a ’50s hair salon (Beauty Bar, No. 517); a beer-serving cafe (the Beat, No. 520); a cosy pub (the Griffin, No. 511); a hipster hangout (Vanguard, No. 616); and the best cocktail lounge in town, the Downtown Cocktail Room (corner 111 Las Vegas Blvd).

The Rat Pack’s heyday may be long gone but you’ll find one man bringing it back to life at Cleopatra’s Barge, Caesars Palace (3570 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 733 3111, www.caesarspalace.com; £26). Matt Goss (yes, from Bros) has reinvented himself as a slick tuxedo-and-fedora-sporting crooner. It’s a standout show among the Strip’s other more gaudy offerings.

If there’s one thing that’ll prise your eyes off the Strip, it’s a desert sunset. The best place to appreciate it? Mix Lounge, a glass-fronted bar on the 64th floor of The Hotel at Mandalay Bay (3950 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 632 9500, www.mandalaybay.com; open Thurs-Sat 5pm; entry £10). Look north to catch the neon glittering into life on the famous Strip, and Vegas’s prettiest mountain range, blushing scarlet beyond it. It’s an unexpectedly moving sight.

The Strip isn’t as full of glowing signs as it once was, but bling doesn’t die in Vegas – it just retires gracefully in the Neon Boneyard in Downtown Las Vegas (00 1 702 387 6366, www.neonmuseum.org; tours £9.50, book ahead). The outdoor space contains more than 150 historic signs from defunct casinos such as the Stardust and the Silver Slipper, as well as the original marquee for Caesars Palace.

Think the Hoover Dam looks impressive from the top? You should see it from below. Black Canyon River Adventures (00 1 800 455 3490, www.blackcanyonriveradventures.com) runs trips on a motorised raft down the Colorado river, starting at the foot of the dam. The three-hour tour (£56pp) then whisks you 20km down river (with a break for a swim) to Willow Beach in Arizona.

Where to stay

Paris (3665 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 946 7000, www.parislasvegas.com). A classic Vegas experience, Paris is a themed resort, with signs in French and racy language lessons on speakers in the loo. The Red Rooms have a sexy scarlet palette and if you shell out for a Strip room, you’ll have impeccable views of the Bellagio fountains, too. Doubles from £36, room only.

Tropicana (3801 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 739 2222, www.troplv.com). The sassy Tropicana lives up to its name: breezy rooms sport burnt-orange walls, white shutters and rattan fittings. The pool, with its hot pink flowerbeds, is gorgeous, too. Doubles from £37, room only.

Rumor (455 E Harmon Ave; 00 1 702 369 5400, www.rumorvegas.com). This cute, all-suite, boutique retreat brought a touch of Palm Springs to Vegas when it opened last year. Whitewashed two-storey blocks sit round a grassy garden, while inside, rooms work a dark, trendy look. Doubles from £70, room only.

Palazzo (3325 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 607 7777, www.palazzolasvegas.com). This is the iconic Venetian hotel’s younger, un-themed sister. Rooms have marble in the bathrooms and velvet sofas in the living areas. Swankiness incarnate. Doubles from £97, room only.

The Cosmopolitan (3708 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 698 7000, www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com). The Strip’s newest hotel has upped the ante. The casino is a slick affair (check out the chandelier made of two million crystals), and the decor is kooky-trendy. But it’s the views that really make this a game-changer: most rooms have terraces (the only ones in Vegas) and sitting outside with a view of the Eiffel Tower and Bellagio fountains is an experience you won’t forget. Doubles from £128, room only.

Encore Las Vegas (3121 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 770 8000, www.encorelasvegas.com). The sexy sibling to the posh Wynn resort takes the luxury of its older brother and jazzes it up with black chandeliers, sumptuous red carpets and the most ostentatious pool Vegas has ever seen – the Encore Beach Club, which doubles as a nightclub. The huge biscuit-and-scarlet suites have fab views. Doubles from £160, room only.

Checking out the Grand Canyon at sunset (Jean Du Boisberranger)

Where to eat

KGB (Harrah’s Casino, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 800 214 9110, www.harrahslasvegas.com) There are few things Vegas does better than burgers, and KGB has some of the best in town. Celebrity cook Kerry Simon’s ‘Iron Chef’ sliders (mini-burgers) are what brought him fame on US TV, but his signature dish is the Cheddar Cheese Burger – a patty slathered in four slices of cheese, then deep-fried. Counting calories? Easy – just stick it in a lettuce leaf ‘bun’. Mains around £7.Hussongs Cantina Taqueria (Mandalay Place, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 553 0123, www.hussongslasvegas.com). A mariachi band croons to gleeful diners at this laid-back Mexican restaurant. Soak up the industrial-strength Margaritas with elote plazero (cheese-flaked, spicy corn on the cob), and grilled chicken with mash and quince jam. Mains around £10.

First Food and Bar (Palazzo Casino; 00 1 702 607 3478, www.palazzo.com/first.aspx). Comfort food is taken to the highest level at this relaxed, trendy joint. The menu is trad with a twist – nachos with tuna tartare and steak and eggs with chorizo and chilli. Cocktails are just as inventive. Mains around £13.

Lavo (3255 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 791 1800, www.lavolv.com). Currently one of Vegas’s most ‘tony’ spots (that’s fashionable in Vegas-speak), Lavo is both restaurant and nightclub, with a wonderful Strip-side terrace. The slick Italian menu ranges from pizza and meatballs to surf ‘n’ turf, and is superb. Mains around £15.

Sinatra (Encore Las Vegas, as before; 00 1 702 248 3463). Here’s one Vegas homage to Frank that comes with official approval – the Sinatra family worked with the hotel on the restaurant, and the vibe is Rat Pack. Food is upscale Italian – try Frank’s spaghetti and clams. Mains around £18.

Strip House (Planet Hollywood, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd S; 00 1 702 737 5200, www.striphouse.com). Planet Hollywood’s sultry steakhouse flaunts dim lighting, red walls and classic black-and-white Hollywood photos. Meat plays the starring role, but the sides – black truffle, creamed spinach, and goose fat-roasted potatoes – are even tastier. Mains around £25.

Nightlife

Ghostbar (Palms Casino, 4321 W Flamingo Rd; www.palms.com). At 55 storeys high, Ghostbar has incredible views, but its home, the Palms, is one of Vegas’s premier party spots, so it has a lively vibe, too.

Numb (Caesars Palace, as before). Numb is the state you’ll be in after a visit to this posh take on the popular Vegas frozen Daiquiri bar, with a fabulous ‘60s-style lounge.

Where to shop

Bettie Page (Miracle Mile, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd S; www.bettiepageclothing.com). Channel your inner burlesque in a dress from this local label.

Sugar Factory (branches at the Mirage, Paris and Planet Hollywood; www.sugarfactory.com). The jewel-encrusted lollipops here are so marketable they are sucked by Britney, Pussycat Dolls et al. The candy necklaces and kitsch T-shirts are the Vegas souvenir.