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Fast and furious!

By on November 4, 2008

Telling people you are going to Vegas with the kids gets a mixed response. Vegas is tainted for better or worse by the likes of Clooney, Cameron, Sinatra, Celine, and Hunter and friends. Love it or loathe it, Vegas is an entity that knows no bounds; a city where superlatives are the order of the day. Your Vegas may be the reinvented world class shopping/spa/art/fashion destination, the Vegas of old, or perhaps a little of both. What are you thinking, taking a family into this war zone?

Love it or loathe it, Vegas is an entity that knows no bounds; a city where superlatives are the order of the day.

Well beyond the neon, the garish carpets, and the casinos lies the perfect family mini-break. Where else can you swim in a tropical wave pool, see the world’s treasures (or pretty good replicas), take in a superstar’s show, ride the ultimate roller coaster, eat yourself silly at the table of the world’s most famous chefs, and all this within your first hours of stepping off the plane. Here, everything gets put through the blender, and with Macau breathing down its neck, Vegas is pulling out all the stops at becoming a true family destination.

Here, everything gets put through the blender, and with Macau breathing down its neck, Vegas is pulling out all the stops at becoming a true family destination.

Choosing the hotel is half the battle; you can quite easily never leave your chosen palace and still keep everyone satisfied. The kids will love the themed hotels. Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Excalibur, Paris Paris, Monte Carlo, and the Luxor are all great for families. MGM Grand and Mirage are also good choices. The Mandalay Bay has the Shark Reef, and there is the Bay Beach. For families with larger budgets, the Four Seasons puts you in good stead alongside the Bellagio and the Venetian. Every teen’s dream, and maybe mums’ and dads’ too.


Vegas value means you pay for what you get: tacky, swanky, Vegas-luxe… it’s all here. Dive head on into the fantasy, and no, this doesn’t mean you have to dress up like Elvis.

Vegas value means you pay for what you get: tacky, swanky, Vegas-luxe… it’s all here.

The hardest task on this holiday is sorting through the sensory overload. Be prepared for the rigourous schedule of never-ending buffets and bottomless drinks. Faux cityscapes, pyramids, volcanoes, pirates, lions, and tigers all feature in the landscape. Competition is high amongst the attractions so not only the house but the family win every time with loads of kids’ menus and free shows. Navigating the strip is best done on foot, taxi if you must, and take at least one trip on the mono rail.

Competition is high amongst the attractions so not only the house but the family win every time with loads of kids’ menus and free shows.

For a city stuck in the desert, there is an awful lot of water around. Mandalay Bay oozes romance and fantasy. Take in the waves at the sand beach pool surrounded by Tiki (tacky) gods, and the Hard Rock’s rocks. If canals are your thing, then the Venetian is for you.

Pre-Raphaelite angels follow you with knowing eyes to the arcade where the “authentic” canal and crooning gondoliers take you away.

For a city stuck in the desert, there is an awful lot of water around

The old and new converge on the stages: Mr. Vegas himself – Wayne Newton, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Bette Midler, Donnie and Marie at the Flamingo, Elton John at Caesar’s is an average month. Some dropping in for a few nights, others are holed up in penthouses for the season. Madonna comes, even Oasis are dropping in this December, so Vegas has a bit of cred.
You can’t do Vegas without a little magic, so check out Lance Burton or Mac King and David Copperfield, who will be making your money disappear. Let the kids do what you have been telling them not to do for years: eat with their hands at the Tournament of Kings show. It’s also hard to avoid Cirque de Soleil with six different shows featured along the strip to delight kids of all ages.

You can’t do Vegas without a little magic … 

Grab a moment of peace away from it all at the Palms casino, and then onto Circus Circus’ indoor theme park for the afternoon. The Adventure Dome is always a hit. M&M World at the Showcase Mall and the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand are very popular, as is the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat for the animal lovers amongst us.


Madame Tussaud’s Interactive Wax Attraction has celebrity look-a-likes and with the amount of botox on stage at most of the shows, it really is hard to tell the difference. If you’re an adventurous bunch, then the roller coaster at the top of the Stratosphere is about as far up as you can go, and the X Scream ride will take you all over the edge (literally). The Lied Discovery Children’s museum, full of interactive displays and the excellent Bodies show bring us back down to Earth. Dinner at the Rainbow Café surrounded by sharks, a final look at the fountains at the Bellagio, and it’s time to go. The calm of Tokyo awaits.

Just one more coin to go. It could fund the next family outing! 


As you sit in the departure lounge eyeing the slot machines, the no-holds-barred attack on the senses and the wallet is nearly over. Just one more coin to go. It could fund the next family outing! Two days are enough for any (in)sane family. After this you’ll be Vegased-out or hung out to dry if the university fund has mysteriously disappeared.

GETTING THERE

It’s less than 300 miles between the City of Angels and the City of Fun. Average drive is about 5 hours or fly from LAX in under an hour.

About Neil Thomsen