Holiday Tags: USA

November 22nd 2009. First up, you should know that I love Las Vegas. It’s hard to convince non-gamblers just why they have to go there, and until you have you’ll probably never understand just what it is about the place. The vibe of the Strip, the sheer extravagance, the architecture and the lights. Lots of lights! This was my second trip to Las Vegas and after staying downtown the first time, this time I chose to stay at the Encore Hotel, sister casino and look-a-like to the Wynn to which it is adjoined via an up-market shopping arcade.

I get excited just looking out the window on the plane as you land - the runway we came in on at Las Vegas (flying from LHR with BA) ran parallel to the Strip and at night it’s just an incredible sight. It doesn’t matter how long your flight was, the sight just puts you in the mood! You can see the Wynn and Encore to the North of the Strip as you come in, both looking identical and, by Vegas standards, understated. It’s a 15 minute cab ride to the hotel - $20, or $25 if they go via the Interstate. …

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Arrived at the Excalibur late evening on a Friday after our flight to Las Vegas from New York had been delayed for over 4 hours. We were rather exhausted & as we made our way to registration (reception) we were approached by a hotel employee who asked us where we were from & ushered us over to a desk “to receive free gifts”. Turns out this desk was trying to sell us tickets to shows, sight seeing tours etc & there was in fact nothing free at all! Not that I was bothered as I wanted to get to my room but what a hard sell! Just as we had arrived & hadn’t even checked in! …

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We stayed at the Holiday Inn hotel on International Drive over the Christmas holidays. Check in was quick but I would suggest joining the Priority Club (can be found on the Holiday Inn Website) for free. It will speed up check-in if there are a lot of people. We have a Priority Club card for several years. …

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A little tour of sleepy St. Michael, Maryland in the USA.

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Rocky mountain oysters are not quite what they seem in Colorado.

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As we pulled up in front of 5858 International Drive, the front of the hotel & the grounds looked pretty inviting. As we proceeded to check in, I started looking around. Not bad I thought of the lobby. But when we got to our room, reality slapped us in the face! …

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Sometimes we all get carried away with life, & it becomes even more necessary to take time to slow down & realize what is important in our lives. Nick Vivion discovers that the California Redwoods are a peaceful & empowering place to reconsider the world - & how vital nature is for all living things.

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Lonely planet author, Greg Benchwick takes a walking tour of Denver, Colorado & begins at the Denver art museum. Denver is not renowned as a city for art, but Greg surprises us with some of the big names in art on show here.

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We booked the Enclave Suites via our Thomas Cook rep. Normally I read reviews on anywhere we are going to stay before I book, but we were in the travel agents & this offer for Disney caught our eye & the rep booked us in at these apartments. …

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Teh New York Marriott (East Side) is an excellent hotel. Very good location. Our room was on the 15th floor and it had a big comfortable bed, 32inch flat screen HDTV & was a good size. Staff were very helpful & friendly. Beer at the bar was 6 dollars which seemed about an average price but wine was 11 dollars a glass or 40 dollars a bottle which I think was a bit steep. Would not hesitate to recommend this hotel for a short break in New York city.