Las Vegas Holidays

If you’re after an escape from reality, a trip to Las Vegas is one of the best ways to get it. This neon-lit metropolis in the middle of the Mojave Desert really knows how to overload the senses – from big-beyond-belief hotels to dazzling shows and inventive food and drink. Time's irrelevant here, too. Casinos, bars and restaurants are open around the clock. All in all, this is no ordinary city break.

Hotels here are more like giant playgrounds, with each one offering something different to the last. There’s the Luxor, with its enormous Egyptian pyramid – complete with pharaohs and sphinxes. Inside The Venetian you’ll find a carbon copy of Venice’s mazy streets. And New York New York gives you a taste of the Big Apple. You can go back in time, too, on a Las Vegas break – the Excalibur hotel brings Medieval jousting to the table. ARIA, meanwhile, fast-forwards to the 21^st century, with its towering glass façades and modern in-room amenities.

The United States’ talent for super-sizing everything is pushed to the limits in Las Vegas. The Peppermill Restaurant lists a 10-egg omelette on their menu, while the Carnegie Deli at The Mirage serves 30-centimetre-tall sandwiches. Hershey's Chocolate World, meanwhile, has a sculpture of the Statue of Liberty made from 800 pounds of milk chocolate. The city's also home to some of the world’s largest shops and hotels. And the fountains outside the Bellagio can reach loftier heights than the top of the London Eye.

Venture away from the bright lights of the city, and you’ll see this part of the States has plenty to offer in the way of natural scenery, as well. The Grand Canyon’s otherworldly terrain has to be seen to be believed. You can drive to the Skywalk – a glass bridge that teeters over it – in two and a half hours. Less well-known but only an hour’s road trip is the Hoover Dam. As the highest concrete dam anywhere in America, towering more than 200 metres above the Colorado River, it’s well worth a look.