By Diana Plater
Cirque du Soleil perform Viva Elvis at the Aria Hotel, in Las Vegas.
Elvis sang in Viva Las Vegas, see this city once and you'll never be the same again.
But while the desert city is famous as the place where you can make or lose a fortune, Las Vegas is not all about gambling.
It can be fun without ever going near a gaming table or putting a dollar in a poker machine.
The casinos have theatres, nightclubs, bars and restaurants as a way to pull in the gambling crowd, but betting is not for everybody.
There are all sorts of of other ways to burn your money - or not - in Bright Light City and feel the better for it.
You can have a swinging time lounging in the often amazing hotel suites and rooms, go window-shopping at designer stores, lie around the swimming pool, see some spectacular shows, hang out at bars and nightclubs, visit museums or have a spa treatment.
People watching is a free exercise, and there's nothing stopping you having a perv at the high rollers as most of their rooms are open to the public, even if a little intimidating.
If you rent a car or have your own, parking at most places is free.
And there's some incredible scenery just outside of town.
You may need, as the song goes, more than 24 hours in a day!
Get out of town:
Australian Peter Saide, who plays Bob Gaudio in the Las Vegas production of the hugely successful musical about the Four Seasons, Jersey Boys, suggests: "Get off the Strip, or see Jersey Boys and then get off the Strip."
On a crystal clear day, you can see the mountains - right across town into Red Rock Canyon. Saide describes the geography as "stunning" with "incredible hiking" only 40 minutes away.
"You drive a couple of hours into Utah and you're in Zion, which is one of the most beautiful places in the country. We're 40 minutes away from the Hoover Dam, a few hours' drive from the Grand Canyon (west rim) and ... in winter we're 25 minutes' drive to the ski fields."
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area: www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon.
Restaurants:
Rick Moonen's rm seafood at Mandalay Bay. 3930 Las Vegas Blvd, South. www.rmseafood.com.
While it can feel a little strange going to a classy restaurant inside a casino, dining has been taken to new levels at this stylish joint.
Moonen's flagship restaurant offers "globally inspired cuisine" and redefines fine dining. Despite this, the atmosphere is not at all pompous or pretentious, and the cuisine is fun and whimsical featuring a Chef's Tasting Menu and a la carte options.
William Grounds, an Australian living in Las Vegas is the President and Chief Operating Officer, Infinity World Development Corp (IWDC), a shareholder in the new $10.7 billion CityCenter. He of course suggests eating at one of their more than 40 restaurants.
"I am enjoying the environment here at CityCenter. We have great dining and entertainment," he says.
"I tell visitors to stay at one of our three hotels and you will find just about everything Vegas has here at CityCenter."
One of these is Silk Road at Vdara, the condominium hotel just across the way from the huge Aria resort and casino, which serves European food including beautiful breakfasts.
Another is Sirio Ristorante, also at Aria near the Viva ELVIS Theatre. It's a lovely Italian restaurant serving traditional and contemporary Tuscan cuisine.
The Gold Lounge (just outside the Viva ELVIS Theatre) is inspired by Graceland and has a Blue Suede Shoes cocktail - a mixture of Grey Goose L'Orange, Blue Curacao, white cranberry, simple syrup and fresh lime juice.
Shows:
It's worth checking ahead of time who's going to be playing in Vegas when you're there and booking tickets, but surprisingly it's often not that hard to get reasonable tickets even on the day of a show. Old favourites still going strong include Cher and Barry Manilow, who have their own "homes" in various resorts.
The incredible Canadian circus theatre company, Cirque du Soleil, has an array of shows running in Vegas, each in custom-built theatres.
Two of the best are - KA at MGM Grand and Viva ELVIS at Aria.
KA is an heroic journey of love and conflict, set within ever-changing theatrical landscapes that conjure an entire empire on stage.
The KA Theatre has a colossal, 360-degree rotating stage and the story is played out by aerial adventure and perpendicular acrobatics performed by 80 artists from around the world. The skills on show include Capoeira, puppetry, projections and martial arts.
Viva ELVIS at Aria celebrates the greatest entertainment force of all time, Elvis Presley, through dance, acrobatics, and live music. Imagine a stage full of Elvis impersonators in plastic Elvis wigs?
The show brings the King of Rock 'n Roll back to one of his favourite towns. And it also gives a picture of the times the King grew up in, an era of racially segregated dancing halls and even churches.
For more information on both shows, visit: cirquedusoleil.com.
Vegas! The Show is one of the latest to hit the Strip. On at the $34 million dollar Saxe Theatre inside the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. www.vegastheshow.com.
Spa treatments:
After all the late-nighting and copious amounts of alcohol, a spa treatment is only sensible.
The Spa at Trump, Trump International Hotel. Visit: wwwtrumplasvegashotel.com.
Even before you get to "leave the outside world behind" at the spa, it's soothingly quiet arriving at this hotel, which is unusual in Vegas because it doesn't have a casino.
The spa has an exclusive treatment aimed at "combating the effects of fast-paced living and late nights". The Vegas Recovery Massage is a 60-minute treatment which features integrated massage techniques of compression, acupressure and trigger point release, coupled with specially formulated shea butter and hot and cold packs to the back to penetrate deeply into muscles and joints. This treatment is ideal for soothing the back, neck and shoulders.
Vdara Health & Beauty. 2600 West Harmon Avenue, Las Vegas. www.vdara.com.
This spa is in the new apartment/hotel block close by Aria with its focus to "exceed the standards set by luxury spas around the world" and provide a tranquil and intimate retreat. It succeeds with good, strong massages as well, including the French Lavender one aimed at promoting sleep, soothing headaches and unwinding.
Both spas have tea/relaxation lounges as well as steam rooms, saunas, jacuzzis and other services.
(It's usual to tip your therapist by leaving the money for him or her at reception.)
IF YOU GO:
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority: www.visitlasvegas.com.au.
Accommodation: Aria Resort & Casino, CityCenter, 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas. www.arialasvegas.com.
V Australia flies directly from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to Los Angeles, with connecting domestic flights to Las Vegas.
Economy fares start from $2080 per person, return. Business Class fares start from $9855 per person, return. Visit: www.vaustralia.com.au.
Online travel agency www.ZUJI.com.au has flights, accommodation and holiday packages to the USA with no booking fees.
The writer was a guest of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, V Australia and ZUJI.
AAP
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