This is long overdue article and I know some people wanted to know my opinion of the Sin City; Las Vegas
I didn’t know what to expect to be honest. I love the CSI Las Vegas and Hangover movies so I expected party party and more party. Here is my short verdict: It wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. If you have been on a Greek Island during the summer, like the ones I grew up in, then Las Vegas is a piece of cake.
The place is extremely big and there is a lot of walking required, which when I arrived I didn’t know! My poor feet can testify for it. These hotel complexes are really big and they are designed to keep you inside so you gamble and drink. I have never seen such massive queues on check in and I have to thank Randy and the Boarding Area team for not having to wait there.
In the morning the pools are full with people, overpriced cabanas and cheap drinks. Which sounds like a brilliant place with some hot weather. It is busy outside even during the day with tourists walking around and taking photos of the whole city. At night the place comes to life with its many lights, sounds and many more people waking up for a night in the clubs and casinos.
The best way I can describe Vegas is a playground for grown up kids. It reminds me so much of Dubai and what Dubai represents, which for me is the playground of the Arabs. Who are by definition grown up kids. Dubai is mimicked after Vegas in many ways and both cities are surrounded by desert and dust with the exception that Dubai doesn’t have that many slot machines.
I was surprised to actually find so many families with children around Vegas exploring the city and riding the rollercoaster which runs round the hotel. I heard that recently they did put a lot of emphasis on marketing for families and there are plenty of children’s activitiesto match. Would I bring my child there especially when it is young? Most likely not, however I would if they were older and if Vegas was still as popular and they wanted to visit.
I was happy we had a car and we could explore the city a little more. Hoover Dam is only 45 minutes away and there are malls you can visit and other activities away from the strip which gives you more options.
There are also many Muslims in Vegas so there is plenty of Halal food and mosques soyou can pray. So even as a Muslim visitor you are definitely not short of choices. Also themajority of the cocktails were frozen granita and they added the alcohol later. This was my favourite part as I love granita and I got to play it cool by the pool, though I was getting these looks of being fully covered near a pool in Vegas. Which made me enjoy it even more.
I find that if there is a will there is a way and if you want to have fun and enjoy a place you can it doesn’t matter what your religion, cultural and dietary requirements are. Vegas seems to cater for the majority of guests and I certainly wasn’t the only Muslim in town.
We did have the opportunity to go on the Vegas Wheel, which is apparently bigger than the UK one, and it actually did appear to be bigger. This was a lot of fun and a perfect way to see the city by night and from above. I didn’t expect it to be so much fun but it was definitely worth it so I would recommend it to you if you visit Vegas. I enjoyed my time there and I am happy I checked it of my list of places to visit. Yes, I would have loved a game of blackjack but I am happy where I am so it wasn’t a big deal. I won’t be making it my go to destination of course as there is not much to do or see if you don’t like gambling or too much walking. 🙂
For those Muslims who would like to go there, I would say yes, visit Vegas, spend acouple of days there, there are many hotels who actually do not have casinos in them such as the Palm Hotel and Spa and the Trump Hotel amongst others. There are halal places where you can eat and you can visit some of the local mosques and meet local Muslims. There is a lot of walking involved so be prepared but it gives you a nice vibe as you walk down the strip. There are places and activities for everyone and if you do want to stay away from gambling or drinking you can. You can explore the shops, some of the shows there or just a day walking around, I wouldn’t make it my final destination but if like me you wanted to visit the Grand Canyon then it is only a short drive from there. The Grand Canyon I would definitely recommend as it is breath taking!
