Las Vegas Nights Out

I've been to Las Vegas at least 10 or 12 times, and I love it every time. This time, a business trip brought me to town in April, with a stay at Caesar's Palace. I review two restaurants and two clubs.

Quick Tips:

Go even if you don't gamble. I didn't gamble for 1 minute and I had a blast. There is so much to do—attractions, great restaurants, and great bars—that you don't need to gamble to have fun here!

Bring sunscreen! It was only 80 degrees when I was by the pool for a short 2 hours, and I definitely have some colour (luckily a tan and not a burn).

Check the weather in advance. I expect Las Vegas to always be hot, but in April it was 58, 70, and 80 for the 3 days I was there. You definitely need layers between day and night.

Remember really comfortable shoes. Even though hotels look close, it takes a long time to walk places. Taking the city bus is great, too—it's down the Strip to wherever you need to go.

Best Way To Get Around:

The monorail to the convention center is great, and a great way to avoid taxi lines in the mornings. The cost is per ride, or for a 10-ride pass, definitely worth it when compared to the time it takes to get a cab. The ride is 15 minutes from the end of the Strip to the convention center. Of course, it is one one side of the Strip (Bally's/MGM side), so if you are on the other side, it can be a 15- to 20-minute walk to get from your hotel to the monorail. If you really want the convenience, I suggest staying at a hotel on that side.

Caesars Palace is a great hotel on the strip. The Palace Tower is the nicest tower I have stayed in so far (mini-suite), although the Augustus Tower is newer. The mini suite featured his and hers washrooms with a double head shower and two doors—very cool! The Forum and Roman towers are older, but the rooms are still nice and the rates are cheaper.Good restaurants in the hotel offer a variety of price ranges. The convention center is convenient. They have an excellent pool. It seems to me like this is one of the few hotels that I don't get lost in.As for entertainment in the hotel, Pure is a great nightclub with the Pussy Cat Dolls lounge and 4 separate bar areas. Cleopatra's Barge is OK if you don't care how good the music is, the DJ cleared the floor a few times with bad choices, but overall, it is OK if you want a small bar with a lot of tourists.Great shopping in the Forum Shops, featuring everything from the Gap to high end restaurants like the Palm.

Prime Steakhouse was a very high-class restaurant. Dinner for five people, including two bottles of wine, was between $500 and $700. We had the best table in the house at the window by the Bellagio Fountains, which was beautiful. It had outstanding food; the steak and sides were fantastic.

Diego was a very nice surprise. I was just looking for a nice Mexican restaurant, and it ended up being an outstanding, very enjoyable meal. The wait staff was outstanding, and the food was great, too. They bring fresh ingredients to your table and make fresh guacamole in front of you—and it was absolutely delicious. They had fantastic margaritas as well. They don't serve typical Mexican food—I enjoyed boneless ribs, and others had seafood.

Wow, Tao was probably the coolest bar I have ever been to. At 42,000 square feet, Tao is among the largest club/restaurants in the world. The decor is Asian, with statues, and includes bathtubs with rose petals in them.

The nightclub is high energy, with a DJ playing awesome music. It opens at 10pm and closes at 5am.

Studio 54 is a great bar, with a few smaller dance floors. The club is great for a corporate party, as you can block off the top floor and only use the lower level and not have it seem empty. The music was '70s and '80, but it varies by the night. It really picked up when the corporate party was over and was opened to the public.