Las Vegas is a phenomenon. Despite being the most populous city in Nevada, sprawling across the Nevada desert, most visitors rarely leave the 6.1km stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard to the south of the city, better known as 'The Strip'.

Home to nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels (by room count), the strip is an adult playground of casinos, nightclubs, bars and lounges, theme parks, malls and some of the best restaurants in the USA. Far more than just somewhere to throw money away by gambling, Las Vegas is Disneyland for adults. From the fun themed hotels (like New York New York, Paris Las Vegas and Excalibur) to the incredibly luxurious new resorts (Wynn Las Vegas, THE Hotel, Palazzo) and established names like the Mirage, Bellagio and MGM Grand (all of which you may recognise from the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11) there's something to suit everyone.

Where to stay?

Vegas is a city that doesn't stand still. A hotel is lucky to last 40 years on the strip, with even famous landmark hotels like The Sands, The Stardust and the New Frontier being ripped down to make way for lush new projects from big hoteliers. The Flamingo is one of few names that remains from the Rat Pack days, and even that is a new building with an old name. The latest project is CityCenter, a huge resort from the MGM Mirage group that will combine shopping and residential properties with luxury hotels and entertainment. It's set to open at the end of this year and covers a vast area of the central strip.

No doubt once it opens, celebs will be flocking to Vegas to be the first to stay in the palatial new Aria, Mandarin Oriental, Vdara and Harmon hotels that will be part of the new resort. A Vegas version of Miami's famous Fontainebleau is also in the works. But until then, there are plenty of hot hotels to try!

Young folks should head off strip to The Palms and The Hard Rock Hotel. At the Palms you'll find the hip Ghostbar and the Playboy club, and be able to rub shoulders with the likes of Paris Hilton, Beyonce and Sean Combs. At the Hard Rock you'll find Body English nightclub, hip restaurant Ago...and you might just bump into Ben Affleck at the poker tables.

On the strip itself, the hottest hotel in town is The Palazzo, the upmarket sister to The Venetian and a favourite of Rob Lowe and Heidi Klum. Both are all-suite hotels, so you're guaranteed plenty of space and the odd plasma TV or two! THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay and Encore at the Wynn offer similar celeb treatment in plush new buildings away from the madness of the casino floors. Another great strip choice for the full-on Las Vegas experience is the epic Caesars Palace. Half a dozen towers house thousands of palatial rooms with neo-Roman decor and the hotel has all the tacky glamour you'd expect of one of Vegas's most famous casinos.

What to do?

Aside from the obvious gambling in every casino on the strip, you can't 'do' Vegas without taking in a show. Celine Dion may have moved on, but the Colliseum built for her at Caesars Palace is now home to Cher, Bette Midler and, on occasion, Elton John. John Mayer will play New Year's Eve at the Hard Rock, while Britney recently hit the Mandalay Bay arena with her Circus tour. Head to the Flamingo for Donny and Marie Osmond, or Planet Hollywood for the infamous Peep Show burlesque show, which has starred Mel B, Holly Madison and Aubrey O'Day to name but a few. Finally, don't forget Vegas is known for its many Cirque du Soleil shows, from the ethereal O at Bellagio to Love at the Mirage, performed entirely to a Beatles soundtrack. Rumour has it there's an Elvis Cirque show in the works, too!

Where to shop?

If you get lucky at the tables, Vegas isn't short of places to spend that hard-earned cash. Starting at the top opposite The Wynn we have The Fashion Show Mall, a mecca for fashion fans with branches of Saks, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and much, much more. Whatsmore, it's got a huge crashed UFO outside (ok, it's not meant to be one but that's what it looks like). Carrying on down the strip and across the road you'll find The Shoppes at the Palazzo (including Diane Von Furstenberg and Barney's) and The Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes, which are laid out like Venice's famous landmarks, except you'll find the likes of Jimmy Choo on St Marks Square rather than overprices cafes.

Keep going and the next big mall is Caesars Palace's impressive Forum Shops. Home to everything from an imposing FAO Schwarz to a small but perfectly formed Marc Jacobs store, this is a seriously OTT shopping mall with spiral escalators, live entertainment and Roman columns a-plenty.

Finally, there's Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile shops, which still has a little of the old Aladdin branding that belies the building's roots. Go here for Sephora and Urban Outfitters, BCBG Max Azria and retro a go-go at Bettie Page Clothing.

Carry on south of the strip to find Town Square Las Vegas, a retail park with shops, cinemas, salons and all kinds of other fun. There are also various outlets around - head to the Star Lanes at MGM Grand to pick up a shuttle to the best one, Fashion Outlets Las Vegas, which is 40 minutes out of Vegas near the state line and has a killer Neiman Marcus Last Call.

Where to eat?

Food wise, Vegas offers up some of the best food on the planet with outposts of famous eateries like Spago, Delmonico, Nobu and Canter's Deli in the strip hotels. Top chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud all have restaurants in the city's big strip hotels, meaning you can eat like a king every night.

On a budget? Don't fret. There are also those world-famous buffets for more relaxed eats! You might not spot a celeb, but you'll save enough cash to get into a chic lounge or club later on. Try the Rio, The Wynn, Luxor, The Mirage or Downtown's hidden gem, Main Street Station, for some of the best buffets to suit all budgets.

For snack and treats, branches of big names like Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone Creamery and Starbucks can all be found at the strip hotels too. If you have a sweet tooth, head to the Mirage for the first ever branch of Sugar Factory, where little princesses can copy Paris Hilton and Holly Madison by investing in 'refillable' lollipops with diamante handles. Only in Vegas!

Where to party?

You definitely won't be short on choice when it comes to settling down with a drink or two in Vegas. Almost every bar, club and lounge has hosted young hip celebs for events - not a week goes by without a Hills star heading out to Sin City for an appearance!

As well as the many casino bars and cocktail waitresses serving as you gamble, there are lounges, ultra-lounges and clubs at every casino. Add to this new daytime pool 'clubs' like MGM Grand's WET Republic and The Venetian's Tao Beach and you can party from sunrise 'til sunset as well as all through the night.

Tao and Lavo, at sister hotels The Venetian and Palazzo allow you to eat first and then party all night (Tao is Asian cuisine, Lavo Italian). If you reckon you can dance off a bigger meal, try a Brazillian all-you-can-eat feast at Rumjungle (at Mandalay Bay) and enjoy the tropical party afterwards. If vodka's your thing, the not-at-all-bad-taste Red Square, also at Mandalay Bay, has a beheaded Lenin statue outside and a 'cavihour' special. Mandalay Bay was also the original inspiration for The Montecito, the fictional casino in the TV series Las Vegas!

If you're after something a bit rowdier, head to one of the many sports bars - try Hawaiian Tropic Zone at Planet Hollywood or ESPN Zone at New York New York - or go the whole hog with the Coyote Ugly theme bar (also at New York New York). It's just like the bar in the film of the same name (scantily clothed dancing bartenders, free shots for the ladies, bras on the bar) without the dangerous walk home at the end.

For something more relaxed, Caramel at Bellagio, Mist at TI and Centrifuge at MGM Grand are lounges with a young crowd and no cover charge. Up the ante with an ultra lounge like Revolution at the Mirage (book table service and play around with the computerised tables!) or Tabu at the MGM Grand.

If you want the full Vegas party experience, there are nightclubs to suit all tastes, from the upmarket black and gold Bank at Bellagio to the 'glam fashion' themed Christian Audigier club at TI. Caesars Palace is the home of PURE, one of the largest clubs on the strip with an outdoor section for the cooler desert nights. For celeb spotting, head to boutique nightclubs XS at Encore or Blush at The Wynn (Britney's current fave).

At kicking out time, head to late night bar Drai's at Bill's Gambling Hall to continue into the early hours!