Bellagio

Mighty and majestic, the Bellagio is a rightful icon of the Las Vegas strip. To the north of the Bellagio is Fremont Street, the Sphere, The Venetian and the Flamingo, and heading south you’ll find the Cosmopolitan, Aria, Vdara, Luxor and eventually the Las Vegas Sign. This central perch in the midst of other big-name hotels makes the Bellagio a brilliant base to explore the spectacle of America's playground. Set back from the strip - which can be reached by navigating around the world-famous fountains - there is a seclusion to the hotel that keeps you away from the intensity of the famous thoroughfare.

The hotel itself is vast, with thousands of rooms and endless opportunities to spend. The casino has all the usual suspects of slots, tables and roulette wheels but its position off to the right of the main lobby means that if gambling isn't your thing, then you can simply walk on by as you come in and out of the property.

We saw as many families as we did couples here, many of whom visited the luscious indoor garden area which attracts non-guests throughout the day. There is also a popular creperie near the entrance of the hotel which was also a clear crowd favourite. The rooms are generously proportioned with quality toiletries and towels provided alongside a handsomely sized television. Beware the costly minibar, however!

Despite its excellent location, Vegas is still America and so plenty of sights still require a car to get to. The Bellagio is an MGM resort and, as an official 'Uber Partner', MGM properties make it very easy for you to make use of these rideshare services. They have a designated pick-up point for Uber (which the Uber app gives clear pictorial directions to once you select it in-app) and we rarely waited more than 3 minutes for a ride. The hotel can be a bit of maze to get around but I found staff to be mercifully helpful and gracious with their time and guidance.

We didn't do much dining on the property as it is pricey, even by Vegas standards. But there is a shopping mall directly opposite and the Paris hotel had our favourite casino area and an excellent restaurant/brasserie attached called Mon Ami Gabi which took no more than 2-5 minutes to walk to (dependent on how forgiving the traffic lights were). Though this hotel is famed for its decadence, I was most impressed with the location and would recommend it to anyone keen on being at the heart of the strip.

Top tip: If the desert sun gets a little too intense, stick to the hotels. Next door to the Bellagio is the Cosmopolitan and you can walk through this hotel and then through the Aria, Vdara and Park MGM before finally emerging outside New York New York hotel having travelled halfway down the strip in the comfort of air-conditioned hotel casinos and lobbies.