Feel the need for speed? Excited about world-class shows and fine dining? Or do you just want to shop till you drop? Las Vegas has it all – these expert guides reveal the top spots
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It is fair to say that Las Vegas can be all things to all people when it needs to be, but as well as being a little of everything for everyone, it’s also crammed with unique experiences.
From adrenaline-fuelled “drift rides” hurtling passengers around a racetrack to immersive fine dining, these are the activities that surprise and delight even regular visitors to the city, proving that just when you think you know Las Vegas, you really don’t.
To help you get the most out of your holiday, four experts share their insider knowledge and advice on the most exciting and sought-after destinations and experiences in Vegas.
And getting there couldn’t be easier. With Virgin Atlantic flying daily from Heathrow to Las Vegas, your holiday starts the second you step onboard.
One of the reasons Las Vegas is known as the entertainment capital of the world is because we have so many world-class venues. Among our newest is Allegiant Stadium, which hosts huge events such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Later this year, the MSG Sphere is opening with stadium legends U2 playing the first shows. When people think of Las Vegas, they immediately think of the Strip, but there’s so much more to the city, such as its thriving local music scene.
I live in downtown Vegas and we have a creative community here called the Arts District, which is full of locally owned restaurants and entertainment venues. You can wander into a restaurant any night of the week and see an amazing local musician playing. We also have the monthly First Friday event, where a full-on street fair takes over whole blocks of the downtown area, and bars and shops open their doors to support local artists and musicians. It’s a great way to check out the scene.
The city has a massively dynamic food scene that evolves all the time. There’s quite a big French influence, so you’ll find lots of classic and modern French cuisine, all done in a very cool way. One restaurant I’d recommend is Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, which is fantastic for Asian cuisine. It has a Michelin star, and the food and style are great.
One of the current top restaurants is é by José Andrés, which offers an eight-person-only dining experience. TAO Asian Bistro at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is an exquisite fusion restaurant. It’s beautiful, lots of red and black, and very immersive – the food aligns with everything you’re seeing and feeling.
When we design our onboard menus, there are lots of considerations. It partly depends on the route. On a Las Vegas flight, most people are going out to have fun, so we’ll tweak the menu slightly to help make sure their holiday starts on the plane journey.
High and mighty
There’s always a powerful buzz in vibrant Las Vegas
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VIVA
LAS
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Local tour guide Lydia Penn gives her top entertainment tips for newbies to the Strip, and outlines the unmissable shows
Dine out in style
Hari Ghotra, senior manager for inflight food development at Virgin Atlantic, gives her verdict on great places to eat
Passengers have all sorts of reactions: they laugh, they cry, their close their eyes tight. It’s a real adrenaline rush for them feeling the G-force in the car and getting thrown around. There are tons of other fun things that make Las Vegas such an exciting city.
If you love heights, there’s the SkyJump at the The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod, which is a cross between bungee jumping and skydiving. There are also thrill rides on top of the hotel, including a roller coaster at more than 800 feet high. We also have a lake, so you can do watersports such as wake surfing, jet skiing and flyboarding. Or you can be in the mountains in 30 minutes to go skiing. You could ski in the morning and be at a pool party for the afternoon!
Personally, I like mountain biking for an adventure, as I love getting outdoors. Going downhill on a bike can be a real rush. Mount Charleston and Bootleg Canyon are great places for biking, and both are nearby. What I love about Vegas is there is a world for everyone. There are so many endless adventures here – we are just one of them.
People are looking to have a lot of fun in Vegas. Everyone is in a good mood, everyone wants to do something extra special – something they cannot do back home. At Exotics Racing, where I work, we offer all kinds of ride-along experiences. People can do jumps on an off-road track in a truck, which gets around six or seven feet of air, or they can ride in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. We get those up to 130-135mph.
But our drifting ride-along is another level of excitement. The car can get up to 120mph and it looks like it’s out of control – it’s sliding, it’s spinning, the rear tyres are burning up – but we are in full control the whole time. Drifting around the track in a $300,000 car is a pretty cool experience – it never gets old for me.
Go full throttle
Racing instructor and driver Mark Tecson reveals where adrenaline junkies can get their kicks in the city
“Passengers laugh, they cry, they
close their eyes tight. It’s a real adrenaline rush feeling the G-force“
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Fergusons Downtown
Fabulous performances
Treat yourself
With Virgin Atlantic, you can order duty-free online before your flight and choose to get your shopping delivered home or direct to your seat on your next flight, so there’s less to carry at the airport. Best of all, Flying Club members will earn two points for every £1 spent.
Be a picky eater
Before your Premium or Upper Class flight, choose what you’d like to eat – then relax, knowing a delicious meal is waiting onboard.
Screen
time
Virgin Atlantic’s inflight entertainment system, Vera, provides you with hours of the latest movies, TV shows and music to keep you immersed for your whole flight.
The night stuff
Vegas walks the walk when it comes to brilliant big nights out
“Cirque du Soleil’s ‘O’ show has lots of water and acrobats diving into pools”
Neon icons
The LINQ Hotel + Experience’s High Roller observation wheel is 100 feet higher than the London Eye
One of the best concerts I’ve been to was Katy Perry at Resorts World. It has a state-of-the-art space and she brought the entire theatre to life. Katy is at Resorts World until November. I’m also a sucker for classic Cirque du Soleil shows. Lots of people consider “O” by Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio to be their best show – it has lots of water and acrobats diving into pools – but my favourite is KÀ by Cirque du Soleil at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Honestly, though, they are all amazing.
There is always so much going on, so my advice is to pick one or two things to focus on. On the tours I organise, I tell my first-timers to go to a show – maybe magic such as Shin Lim at The Mirage Hotel & Casino or a variety act like Absinthe at Caesars Palace. When it comes to residencies, Adele is at Caesars Palace from June to continue Weekends With Adele, while Usher has a Las Vegas Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
But you don’t have to leave the Strip for live entertainment. You can go to the LINQ Promenade, where there will be live performances almost every evening, so you can just walk around and enjoy live music for free.
In the mix
The Buffet at
Wynn Las Vegas
is an opulent affair, with 16 kitchens,
90 dishes and plenty of cocktails
We also think about seasonality and what’s popular. For example, we know that cauliflower is popular at the moment, so the inbound flight from Vegas has cauliflower mousse with sauce vierge and a fennel dill salad as a starter.
The beverage side of things is also really important, whether that’s serving wellness teas to help people feel comfortable or adapting our wines to the season, offering rosé in summer and darker reds in winter.
One of the highlights currently on our Upper Class menu is the togarashi-marinated halloumi poke bowl, with sushi rice, braised pineapple and seaweed salad. It is going down an absolute storm with our passengers. Our cold dessert option is a Pimm’s o’clock summer pudding served with a swirl of cucumber. We always try to elevate the experience where we can.
A final thing that people cannot miss when they’re in Vegas is going to one of the big buffets. The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas is very extravagant, with its 16 kitchens, 90 dishes and plenty of cocktails and wines – you can spend all day there grazing.
Refined dining
Hari and her team carefully tweak Virgin Atlantic’s onboard menus to delight all tastes
Dashing fun
Get a buzz
from fast-paced action in the wilds around Vegas
Speed freak
Mark Tecson can take you drifting in a $300,000 car
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One of the best places to shop. It used to be a motel and has now been turned into a retail complex.
The Forum Shops at Caesars palace
This is a mall on the Strip with a mix of boutiques and high-end luxury shops, and they have great restaurants too. It’s definitely somewhere to visit.
2
The Shops at Crystals
There are really luxurious boutiques at this mall, but even if you’re not buying anything it’s still a fun place to walk around and window shop. It’s very beautiful, they’ve done an amazing job with it.
3
ENJOY THE VIP TREATMENT
Whatever’s on your Vegas agenda, consider arriving in unrivalled style on a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flight. It’s the perfect start (and finish) to a holiday in a city that makes you feel like an A-lister. Here are some of the perks…
Serious relaxation onboard
Extra-large seats to sink into within your own personal pod, and fully flat beds when you need to sink even further.
Indulgent dining and drinking
Four luxurious courses and a glass of bubbly (or two) should do it, plus full bar service (including cocktails) once you’re in the air.
A clubhouse to call your own
The Clubhouse at London Heathrow is like a pre-trip mini holiday, featuring round-the-clock dining, relaxation areas and professionally mixed cocktails (don’t miss the signature Virgin Redhead), plus Peloton bikes if you prefer working up a sweat. And don’t worry, the Clubhouse is equipped with showers.
Baggage
Leave baggage woes behind with an allowance that includes two pieces of hand luggage, two checked bags and priority baggage delivery.
No stress when you check in
The Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing at London Heathrow makes checking in laughably easy. Your luggage is taken care of, you’ll be given your boarding pass and then whisked through a private security channel to the comfort of the Clubhouse.
Before your trip to Las Vegas, join the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for free to unlock rewards and benefits. To find out more click here.
Flying high
Back by popular demand
Virgin Atlantic’s seasonal service from Manchester Airport to Las Vegas returns in June 2024 – and will be available to book here from July 7