Thursday, October 23, 2025
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72 Magical Hours in Las Vegas Right Now

If you think you’ve been to Las Vegas, think again.

This metropolis in the Mojave Desert of Nevada is world famous as a center for entertainment, tourism, and nightlife. But as with many of the world’s top cultural landscapes, it continually innovates and renews itself. Our recent visit confirmed that there is always something new and exciting happening in Las Vegas.

If you’re flying in, be sure to peek out the window at some of the stunning desert landmarks and beautiful Lake Mead before you spy the Strip, glinting in the sun like a burnished Emerald City in the Land of Oz (more on that allusion below).

Once you land at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), the quickest way to get onto the Strip is to pick up a taxi at the taxi stand—generally a touch cheaper than rideshares and often available sooner.

Where to Stay

If you’re overwhelmed by the choice of accommodation on the Strip, staying at the Vdara Hotel & Spa offers many benefits that could sway you, such as a smoke-free environment, luxurious all-suite accommodations with kitchens, and a prime location near other resorts. Extensive amenities include a full-service spa, pool, and fitness center. Plus, the hotel is dog-friendly, welcoming pooches up to 100 pounds. 

The suites at Vdara Hotel & Spa

Staying at Vdara gives you an at-home, condo-like experience in a non-gaming atmosphere in the heart of the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s a quieter alternative to other Las Vegas Strip properties, yet it is within walking distance of several different properties and attractions. Since it’s 57 stories, your suite may also give you a view of the mountains and preserves that surround Las Vegas.

Since you’re going to be having some late nights, it’s good to know where the closest breakfast is: Starbucks is right off the lobby, so is the Vice Versa bar, which does a smashing avocado toast and bottomless coffee. For eggs, bagels with lox, smoothies, and the like, head around the corner to the ARIA Resort & Casino and place an order at Proper Eats Food Hall.

Start with a Spa Treatment

You can’t go wrong if you start your trip with a spa treatment or massage, and the place to go is Sahra Spa, Salon & Hammam at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The 50-minute Signature Massage is highly recommended to shake off travel tension and get into relaxation mode. My massage therapist was a local who had trained in Thailand, and she was strong, knowledgeable, and attentive.

Sahra Spa is available to both men and women, offering separate spaces for each. You can request the gender of the therapist in advance. The ambience of the spa is inspired by the light and shade of the desert and feels firmly rooted in mythic nature. A selection of teas, snacks, and bathroom amenities is on offer, along with steam rooms, an indoor relaxation pool, a sauna, and a beauty center. Now that you are feeling calm, centered, and carefree, it’s time to skip directly to dinner, especially if you brought a change of clothes.

Côte d’Azur on the Strip 

One of the newest and freshest additions to The Cosmopolitan’s culinary portfolio is LPM Restaurant & Bar, a brasserie inspired by the bounty and ease of the French Riviera. Offering an extensive European wine menu along with specialty cocktails, and a menu bursting with French Mediterranean ingredients at their peak, the only thing to remind you of where you are is the bold flash of neon signs beyond the balcony.

Our journey began with fresh-sliced tomatoes drizzled in olive oil, serving as both the table’s centerpiece and amuse-bouche, and continued with lashings of Provençal rosé, oysters, prawns,  and roasted meats. This is a terrific first meal choice, proving that Las Vegas has upped its fresh food game on the Strip.

Party Like it’s 1979

If you’d like to walk off dinner, it’s just a 15-minute stroll to The Linq Hotel + Experience, but if you’re in a hurry, or in heels, grab an Uber. Behind a nondescript door is 99 Prince Bar, a dive bar from the “mean streets” heyday of New York City—reimagined by the clever folks at Spiegelworld. Pick a bar stool or a booth and marvel at the time warp that surrounds you, complete with old subway signs, newsstand magazines, candy, snacks, and even a phone booth. The cocktails here are strong and excellent. Won’t you take me to Funkytown? We’re already there, and the rest of the world has disappeared. It’s a time when nothing is digital, everything is analogue, problems are solved on the dancefloor, and if you see a guy in a sequin tux, follow him!

Marvel at the roller disco dancers and follow them into Discoshow, arguably one of the best live shows on the Strip. If you’re too young to remember disco, let the music transport you. And if you do remember the glory days of vinyl, poppers, and platform heels, shake your booty and be free again. The world is stressful lately. Here’s your chance to go down the rabbit hole and escape, if for just one night. Vegas excels at offering that opportunity. 

Mega Meow Wolf

For an absolutely intentional multiverse experience, grab an Uber to AREA 15 and immerse yourself in Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. If you are familiar with the Meow Wolf experience at other locations, prepare to have your mind blown by the sheer scale and scope of Omega Mart. This immersive art installation measures 52,000 sq ft and begins with a seemingly ordinary supermarket front. Look closely at the product labels, however, and you are drawn into the (fictional) mysterious and vaguely malevolent corporation laboratory, offices, and hidden portals of the entity that controls it—the labyrinthine Dramcorp, c.1977.

Take a tour of Omega Mart with this slideshow:

Omega Mart is essentially a themed collection of hundreds of works of art that all feed into a hypothetical narrative—and it’s all done with a tongue-in-cheek approach. Presented as “America’s Most Exceptional Grocery Store,” with shelves upon shelves of quirky, parodic products (Tattooed Chicken! Dehydrated Water! Mammal chunks!), it extends into a sensory journey of light, color, sound, texture…and something you just quite can’t put your finger on. Omega Mart’s creators and artists are big supporters of Pride month in Las Vegas, Black History Month, autism awareness and more. Do stop at the gift store on the way out and pick up some cool merch. See what 1 Minute Critic made of the installation.

Afterwards, you’ll need to debrief about all the coded messages and narrative portals you discovered over lunch at Kaia at AREA 15—billed as a joyful and eclectic Asian eatery.

It’s right opposite Omega Mart, and we think there is no better place in the area than Kaia for friendly service, sashimi, sushi, huge handrolls, and Asian-inspired cocktails served in vintage containers. The multiverse theme continues—as it’s easy, surrounded by vibrant posters, photos, and art from Japan—to imagine you have somehow slipped down a portal and ended up in Tokyo. 

Before you leave AREA 15, check out what’s happening in all the other gallery spaces. AREA15, the first-ever, purpose-built destination for experiential attractions, art, and entertainment situated parallel to the Las Vegas Strip, has welcomed more than 15 million visitors since opening in 2020.

Dining in Reality TV Style

By this time in your visit, you will have walked past a replica of the real Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, with banners advertising restaurants owned by Bravo reality star Lisa Vanderpump and lifestyle maven Martha Stewart. 

Lisa Vanderpump at Pinky’s

Pinky’s by Vanderpump, in the Caesars Palace Forum Shops, gets its moniker from Lisa Vanderpump’s nickname and offers elevated bar bites and cocktails all presented in a very distinctive way. The British designer, of course, has an eye for beautiful surroundings, and here she’s gone with Art Deco, Vegas-style.

The bar at Pinky’s. Photo: Caesar’s Entertainment

The nearly 7,000 sq ft space features soaring arched windows, ceramic tiled columns, a dramatic bar, and a stunning covered terrace, all in muted greens, brass, and blush tones—with a pink flamingo motif, of course! The stemware is stylish, sparkly, and hefty. A drink or two here is like three or four elsewhere, so plan accordingly. The food is good and satisfying, even for bar bites like the plump shrimp cocktail presented with a cascade of dry ice fog and deviled eggs topped with caviar, natch.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! at Flamingo Las Vegas

Stroll or stumble (depending on how many “Daddy Issues” cocktails you had at Pinky’s) the 5-minute walk to RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! at the Flamingo Las Vegas. This is an original stage production based on the Emmy Award-winning competition reality drag show, and you’re in good hands with some of your favorite girls and their hunky “pit crew” boys in an old-timey Vegas atmosphere.

It’s heartening to see how many straights, families, and folks are in the audience having a ball, despite all the invective leveled at the drag community these days. Vegas is a haven for the time-honored performance art that is drag! See what 1 Minute Critic thought of the show here.

Breakfast at Sadelle’s

You’re 48 hours into your Vegas trip, so now it’s time to brunch like a high roller. Put on something nice and saunter to the Bellagio’s Sadelle’s Cafe, a vintage-style restaurant that evokes parkside dining in the glamorous metropolis of your choice—maybe Manhattan, Paris, or Rome. There’s an old-world touch about Sadelle’s, and the bakery still offers beloved menu items from its original location in New York City.

Sadelle’s at Bellagio. Photo: Douglas Friedman

It could be the arched windows looking out onto the chateau-inspired grounds, or perhaps it’s the smoked salmon towers, eggs Benedict, wagyu steak, authentic bagels, brulee grapefruit, and gallant service that make this the spot to relax and catch your breath.

Its location adjacent to the enormous Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, decorated seasonally in a feat of inspired opulence, makes this an experience from another, dare we say better, time. Nostalgia is so good at Sadelle’s. Be sure to make a reservation due to its popularity and potentially long lines, as it is a gem of refinement by MGM Resorts. 

Dinner at Mother Wolf

For a dinner worthy of date night or your last splurge, Mother Wolf is a glamorous, upscale Roman Italian restaurant on the north Strip at the absolutely epic and over-the-top new Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas. This Mother Wolf is the second location for chef Evan Funke’s popular Los Angeles restaurant. It specializes in Roman-inspired cuisine, as opposed to your customary Southern Italian red sauce joint—with a focus on fresh pastas, wood oven pizzas, and focaccia as soft as a pillow.

Mother Wolf at The Fontainebleu. Photo: Instagram

The sophisticated ambiance with its rich fabrics and soft lighting transports you to the Italy of another time—an empire of classicism and impeccable, patrician taste. And while the era might be hard to pin down, the commitment to excellence is not. Mother Wolf is known for its elevated dining experience, attention to simple details, while showcasing ingredients, beautiful decor, and a lively atmosphere that is popular with groups for special occasions. And yet a table of two can enjoy a secluded and romantic dining experience, as if the Renaissance is served at your table. 

Add to that exceptional service by staff who are thankfully talented and knowledgeable in the epicurean sense, guiding you through the menu and wine list, which offer sophisticated choices.

Which appetizer should we order: the Polpette di Coda (short rib meatballs) or the New Caledonia Blue Prawns with green garlic salsa verde and lemon? The prawns, insisted our server, Janine, correctly highlighting the rarity of the ingredients. This is an excellent restaurant, probably the best I’ve ever visited in this part of the world. It’s an extraordinary experience, worth setting aside a little money and as much time as you can. Shame we had to rush off, but…in Vegas, you are always on to the next big thing.

You’re Not in Kansas Anymore

From my suite in the Vdara, I could see the Sphere, which is lit up and changes its scenery day and night. Sometimes it was a sapphire blue grid, and sometimes it was a smiley face. It looks small from a distance, but it is a gigantic spherical wonderland: 580,000 sq feet of LEDs visible from space! Did you know you can fit the entire Statue of Liberty inside of Sphere? Or the Eagles, Backstreet Boys, etc. We were there for the classic 1939 Hollywood Technicolor film, The Wizard of Oz, projected inside the world’s largest spherical structure.

I’ve seen the Judy Garland classic many times, but never like this! There was something different about seeing the beloved film with a wraparound screen in a venue of 17,600 seats, with unexpected sensory effects. You know the sequence in black and white in Kansas at Aunt Em’s house where Dorothy gets hit on the head during the tornado? Well, far from being just the setup preceding the journey to the Emerald City, this scene is now a highlight of the movie, complete with a three-dimensional weather event, dried leaves blowing onto you, and your seat vibrating violently. Then there’s the dropping apples and the actual flying monkey… Imagine, if you can, being trapped in a humungous snow globe—but in a good way! It’s a trip—and a highly recommended one. Here is 1 Minute Critic’s take on The Wizard of Oz at Sphere.

On your last night, on your way ‘home’ to Vdara, go via The Cosmopolitan. It’s iconic, so while you’re there, do linger, pay attention to the art, marvel at The Chandelier that spans three floors, and see if you can find all the hidden speakeasies in a bar crawl of nightcaps: Ski Lodge, The Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails, and Ghost Donkey are tucked away behind doors with simple insignias that go unnoticed, but should you find yourself there, go inside and soak up the unique vibes, music, themed decor, and craft cocktails. Of course, the concept of speakeasies originated during the Prohibition era in the United States (1920–1933). But in Vegas, everything old is new again, and everything new is timeless.

For more ideas of what to see and do in Las Vegas right now, go here.

For more hot takes on culture and events from 1 Minute Critic, go here.

To browse the best featured hotels and deals on the Las Vegas Strip, go here.

Merryn Johns

Merryn Johns is the former editor-in-chief of Queer Forty, Curve Magazine, BOUND Magazine, and LOTL Magazine. Merryn is a recipient of the IGLTA Media Award for travel editorial. She is based in New York City and is originally from Sydney, Australia. X: @Merryn1 IG: @merryn_johns

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