Las Vegas & The Cosmopolitan – Travel Review
By Richard Jones
The whooping and hollering over the NFL commentary gave way to the DJ’s house music as the six of us sipped on our vodka and mixers in one of Tailgate Beach Club’s cabanas. We were two days into our biennial trip to Las Vegas, and over the past few years, we have noticed a change in what is attracting people to the desert oasis. A decade ago, there wasn’t a single professional sporting franchise in the Nevada city, mainly due to the US leagues being petrified of gambling.
But fast forward a few years, and the Raiders and Golden Knights have settled into life in Vegas, while a new $2billion baseball park on the former site of the Tropicana will be the new home of the Athletics MLB franchise from 2028. The Allegiant Stadium is staging the Super Bowl again in 2029, while the Las Vegas Grand Prix remains one of the most eagerly anticipated races on the F1 calendar three years after its reboot.
As well as priding itself on being the best place on the planet to watch live sport, Sin City is also home to an array of exciting sports-themed experiences.
“Sports-themed experiences”
We teed off our trip by heading down to Atomic Golf, a new four-storey venue next to the Stratosphere. We were treated to two hours of unlimited food, drinks and competitive challenges on a range in a private bay as part of their great-value Reverse Happy Hour. Keeping the golf theme going, we enjoyed a street-food lunch before a round of crazy golf and old-school carnival games at Swingers Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay.
We also batted pickleballs around on The Courts – Fueled by BODYARMOR at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, before I took the lift a few floors down for some rehab in the form of an Athlete’s Massage at Sahra Spa. Although Las Vegas is now promoting itself as the Sports Capital of the World, it is still an adult playground, tailor-made for those seeking fun in the desert.
I checked into a glitzy disco era-themed Emerald Suite at MGM Grand, which featured a huge entertaining area with a shuffleboard table, which the lads couldn’t wait to try out.
“Opulent accommodation”
Then, for the second half of the trip, my accommodation was even more opulent. The two-bedroom, three-bathroom Chelsea Penthouse on The Cosmopolitan’s 61st floor has crystal-encrusted wall textures, world-class art, hand-woven fabrics, advanced technology, and a loft-inspired living area with wet bar. It even has a dedicated butler service.
But the pièce de résistance is the penthouse’s wrap-around balcony, with staggering views of the Bellagio Fountains, Sphere, Eiffel Tower and new Hard Rock guitar-shaped hotel to the north, and the MGM Grand, New York-New York, Mandalay Bay and Harry Reid International Airport on the south side.
Each of my rooms came with access to a VIP lounge, and their complimentary drinks and pastries were perfect for mornings after a heavy night. Speaking of food and drink, the six of us dined at a glut of memorable restaurants. We had a decadent Italian al fresco lunch washed down by citrus spritzes at Lago at Bellagio, and sat down for a seafood dinner at the nearby Carbone Riviera, on the fountainside site of the former Picasso restaurant.
“Culinary highlight”
Meanwhile, the swanky Morimoto Las Vegas at MGM Grand is celebrating 10 years serving up the best Japanese fare in the city. We munched down on the Iron Chef’s sticky ribs, bao buns and sushi rolls. For something more typically American, but with a quirky aviation twist, we headed to Flights Restaurant inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, where staff dressed as cabin crew served us shareable steak, chicken and prawn entrées, washed down with margarita cocktail flights.
Not only does The Cosmopolitan have iconic cocktail haven Chandelier Bar with its viral Verbena cocktail and other Gedeon Tsegaye-designed creations, it is also home to the best burger joint in Vegas. Naughty Patty’s stacked smash burgers and all-beef hot dogs are unlike anything else on the Strip.
However, we all agreed the culinary highlight of the week was Gymkhana at ARIA Resort & Casino. After opening to significant fanfare in December 2025, the restaurant is building on the reputation of the original Two Michelin-starred London branch, delighting diners with its charred tandoori masala lamb chops and venison biryani steamed under a flaky pastry crust.
“Iconic pool parties”
When in Vegas, we usually incorporate an evening in the Downtown district. Following an excellent steak dinner at Andiamo – Detroit restaurateur Joe Vicari’s Italian-flavoured hidden gem at The D – we strolled through the Fremont Street Experience over to Circa Resort & Casino, taking the lift to The Legacy Club on the 60th floor for cocktails and 360-degree panoramic views of the valley.
During the daytime, there is plenty to see and do in Vegas. The Friends Experience or ‘The One in Vegas’ at MGM Grand is a nostalgic must-see attraction for fans of the comedy and provides Insta-worthy replicas of Monica and Rachel’s apartment, Joey and Chandler’s apartment, Central Perk and Phoebe’s yellow taxi.
If you’re in the mood to celebrate (in our case, it was for Roy’s 50th birthday), Vegas hosts some of the world’s most iconic pool parties. We settled down on a daybed at the all-new 46,000-square-foot OMNIA Day Club at Caesars Palace, as superstar DJ Steve Aoki took to the decks. Meanwhile, back up at MGM Grand, the Palm Tree Beach Club replaced the legendary Wet Republic in May 2025, and although it has a more relaxed, tropical vibe in midweek, things got lively as we set up shop in a cabana in front of the DJ stage.
“Energetic choice”
Then, once the sun had set, we checked out Mandalay Bay’s new memorabilia-filled venue Vinyl Room, as well as the intimate 1920s-style Easy’s Cocktail Lounge hidden within Proper Eats Food Hall at ARIA. The most energetic choice during Monday evenings on the Strip is Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan, where drinks flow at the bar, on the dance floor and at the vodka-laden tables, and world-famous DJs play banger after banger.
And finally, there is 24K Magic in the air at 1970s retro jazz bar The Pinky Ring by Bruno Mars – particularly if the ‘Grenade’ singer and his band The Hooligans happen to be in town.
The amount of exciting developments constantly springing up in Vegas never fails to amaze me, and another highlight of my week was a hard-hat tour around the construction site on the shore of the Bellagio lake. The Fountain Club’s grandstands and hospitality suites were growing bigger each day, ready for renowned celebrity chefs José Andrés, Mario Carbone and Masaharu Morimoto to rev up racegoers alongside mixologists and DJs during this year’s Grand Prix weekend from 19-21 November.
“Leaving rivals in its slipstream”
Meanwhile, inside the hotel’s hideaway lounge The Vault, I was given a sneak preview of two limited-edition items that have become synonymous with F1 in Vegas – ‘The Shoey’, inspired by Aussie Daniel Ricciardo’s iconic celebrations, and ‘The Helmet’ punch bowl created by Sparco, in which fans will be toasting the success of their favourite drivers and teams. There isn’t a destination on the planet more suited to staging sporting events, and for fans to drink them in, than Las Vegas. As always, the Entertainment Capital of the World is leaving its rivals in its slipstream.
Seven nights in Las Vegas from £2,086 per person with Virgin Atlantic Holidays, including scheduled Virgin Atlantic Economy flights direct from Manchester and room-only accommodation at the five-star The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Price is based on two adults sharing a City Room and departing on November 20, 2026. To book go to: virginatlantic.com or call 0344 557 3859. For more information on The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, see cosmopolitanlasvegas.com and on MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, see mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com. For more information on things to do in Las Vegas, see visitlasvegas.com. Manchester Airport offers car parking options to suit every budget. Brand-new The Executive by Escape Lounges in Terminal 2 combines sophisticated interiors with attentive service for an indulgent and calm airport experience. To book, go to manchesterairport.co.uk
While working as a TV, sport and news journalist, Rich first dipped his toe in the travel-writing pool in early 2008 when he accepted a learn-to-ski assignment in the Austrian Alps. Since then, he has travelled the globe, writing features on everywhere from Lake Garda to Las Vegas, Mexico to the Maldives and Barbados to Butlin’s. Rich’s passion is to inform and inspire readers and provide them with tips and advice on how they can make the most of their precious holidays. Over the years, he has been fortunate to stay in some of the world’s best hotels and dine in top restaurants, making him well-qualified to review food and drink, in addition to travel destinations, experiences and accessories.
