RAIN
If you go clubbing just once in Vegas, Rain is the place to head for. It's vast: 28,000 sq ft on three levels, with water fountains and spectacular pyrotechnics, including 14ft fireballs, and they regularly bring in guest DJs from Europe. If you're with a few friends or a group it's worth reserving a booth or a "skybox" – a private seating area for up to 15 people. Places come and go in Vegas, but after six years there still isn't a club to touch it. Just make sure you've got a firm hold on your drink when the fireballs get going.
• 00 1 702 942 7777; palms.com/nightlife_3.php
JOE'S
If you open a successful restaurant in LA, Miami or New York, a franchise always opens in Vegas, and Joe's is the sister of a seasonal restaurant in Miami that only opens for four months. It offers fabulous seafood and steaks, but its most famous dish is Florida stone crab. The crabs are farmed, but rather than kill them, Joe's removes one claw, and then releases the crab back into the sea, where the claw grows back. It sounds bizarre, but they are absolutely delicious.
• 00 1 702 792 9222; joes.net/las-vegas
NOVE ITALIANO
There are dozens of Italian restaurants in Vegas but if you're after some less heavy, slightly less obvious Italian cuisine then Nove, in Palms Fantasy Tower, is a great bet. It feels slightly decadent, all decked out in chocolate and gold, but the menu is really light, with beautiful fresh fish. I tend to go for the steaks – they're perfectly cooked with a good range of sauces.
• 00 1 702 942 6800; n9negroup.com
LOVE
There are a hundred and one shows in Vegas, but for me the best right now is Love. A Cirque du Soleil show based around the Beatles, it's an incredible mix of visuals, music and amazing acrobatics against a backdrop of the Fab Four. They really take circus production to another level – and best of all they've got the rights to the music, so it's all the original songs rather than cover versions. It's a great show and brings home how unique the Beatles were.
• 00 1 702 792 7777; cirquedusoleil. com/love
ARTISAN
This is a crazy hotel, with paintings all over the ceilings and lots of exotic sculpture and leather sofas. It's off the Strip, which is a bonus in itself because this is where you get a sense of the old Vegas. There's a formal dining room with leopard-print chairs and a scarlet ceiling, or the picture-clad lounge area. Kick off a night with a drink here before exploring some of the old kitschy cocktail bars nearby that still have the ghosts of Sinatra and the Mob.
• 00 1 702 214 4000; theartisanhotel.com
