Las Vegas
The delightful bit was before we got there! En route we discovered the tiny Red Rock Canyon National Park which was only about ten minutes short of the outskirts of Las Vegas. The colours of the rocks and mountains were beautiful and the Visitor Centre really well laid out and informative. We didn’t do any of the trails: too hot. But we did a lot of gazing and photo taking!
Here’s how near Las Vegas was to the park

The colours and shapes were beautiful






We managed to find our way to the hotel, not a simple task. It may come as a surprise to many people, but Donald Trump gets some things right, and this hotel is one of them. The service was second to none. We started off not too well, when we arrived in our fabulous room it was still as its last occupant had left it. When we phoned check in they were mortified and so apologetic, and immediately upgraded us to a suite. Talk about luxury! We had a bathroom each, an enormous jacuzzi (no comments, please, Ken Wright) which looked out of the window to a fab view back to the mountains. Full kitchen, dining table and chairs, huge sittingroom, views down the Strip. We could hardly bring ourselves to leave it! It looks a bit dull in the photos but it was bright and roomy. It just has to be the very best hotel we have ever stayed in.



The other great thing about it was that as there was no casino and had no ‘theme’ or shopping mall, Jo Public wasn’t wandering in and out so it felt very secure. View down The Strip from our room on the 50th floor at dusk.

We walked and walked. It is always difficult after you visit somewhere to think back to how it was in your imagination before you went. I think I had imagined pleasant places to walk, perhaps tree lined avenues. I was so wrong. You spend your time on crowded pavements dodging traffic and trying to hold on to each other in case you get separated.
The casinos were dire, depressing spaces; once in you couldn’t find your way out, I suppose so you stayed and kept spending. We must be the only couple who ever visited Las Vegas and spent nothing in them! We had thought we might have a flutter as we were there, but to be honest it all seemed so complicated we didn’t know what to do!
Daughter Anna said we couldn’t be in Las Vegas and not do a show. I’m afraid we didn’t do that either. There was nothing we fancied on while we were there except perhaps Rod Stewart and the cheapest tickets were 230 dollars each, so we didn’t bother. We didn’t even go out for a meal. We were so exhausted and so in love with our suite we took sushi back one night and salads the other, put our feet up and watched a film. We really are sad old gits, I know, but it was so good to get back away from the tackiness and into a little sophistication!
We did enjoy a lot of it though and are glad to have had the experience. Some of the hotels were such fun to look round with their larger than life themes. On our second evening we made sure we saw the volcano erupt at The Mirage, it was amazing, so cleverly done. We went on to the Belugia to watch the fountains dance in time to music, spectacular.
The New York New York


The Venetian


Caesar’s Palace


The ‘lake’ and inside the Belugia



The Luxor


The Paris

The Mirage volcano, not erupting

The Coke Bottle lift

So Las Vegas gave us two luxurious, exhausting, bemusing and amusing days. We’ve got the tee-shirt and wouldn’t go back, but are very pleased we included it on our itinerary. The truth is, we are more comfortable in the National Parks!
