Everyone we meet asks us the same question.... Where is your favourite place that your have been so far?

I still can't answer that question, some of the places in the states have been fantastic but the natural beauty and culture of Central America was just incredible. What I can tell you though is my least favourite so far..... Vegas!

It is basically Blackpool on steroids and in the desert! It's loud and garish and very expensive, or at least it can be. In all fairness we were trying to live on a budget and that's just not very 'Vegas'. If I wanted to blow a month's budget on a few days then I would probably of had lots of fun going to shows, ordering bottles of vodka to the table in clubs and gambling in the casinos but that would of cut short this amazing adventure.

As we were arriving on a Friday we chose to stay in a hostel just off the strip for the first couple of nights as the hotels put their prices up dramatically for weekends. It was actually a pretty good hostel with free breakfast, coin laundry and swimming pool all for $20 per night so we just spent the first day relaxing and recovering from a busy week in New York. The next day we attempted the walk to the strip but within about 10 minutes the dry desert heat had gotten to us so we gave up and took the bus! We stayed on the air conditioned all the way down the strip past all the incredible hotels. Tresure Island, Balagio, Ceaser Palace, Paris and New York, New York were all huge and very impressive. Actually walking around in the day was quite interesting but at night was a whole different story.

Being on a strict budget and really feeling the pinch after New York we did our research and found cheapo tips and tricks. As it turns out, between walking around and free shows in the casinos there is actually plenty to keep you busy for a few days without spending a fortune. We went to the free shows in Circus, Circus, we watched the Volcano at the Mirage, the fountains of Ballagio and the Sirens of Tressure Island. All of which were more impressive than the last. I particularly liked the Ballagio fountains at night!

As far a gambling was concerned we played it pretty safe. A neat little tip was to put a dollar in one of the 1c slot machines and play 100 times, all the while getting as many free drinks from the waitress as possible. As much as I love free JD and Coke, pulling a leaver 100 times gets pretty boring even when you are winning. The idea of plying your customers with free alcohol is genius because before I knew it I had upped my stakes to 5 or even 25 cents! They say the house always wins but I'm pretty sure I drank more that a $5 worth of JD

Liann on the other hand had a little worse luck. Before leaving, her Dad had given her some money to put on the number 8 on a Roulette table. On our last night she built up the courage to potentially waste what could have been a couple of meals or a night's accommodation.

At the table she split $20 and placed $10 on the 8 (black) and $10 on Red, sure enough the ball landed on a red so she simple won her £20 back. Woo hoo, we didn't lose! But repeating the bet may have been a mistake, the ball landed on Black and we lost the lot. Already jaded by gambling Liann was pretty upset but what happened next nobody could have guessed. While we waited at the table for our drink, a small group of guys placed their bet on Red, it took us a second or two to register what had actually happened when the ball stopped on the number 8!!! If we had only of played one more time we would have won $320 from a $10 bet! I think it's fair to say that the house won that time and that Liann will never gamble again!

For the next two nights we managed to find a great deal on smartervegas.com. The Flamingo hotel is right in the centre of the strip so for $70 a night we decided to treat ourselves to a little comfort before leaving Vegas! The hotel was great with an over 21's pool part everyday and the cool water made the intense heat a little more bearable.

So recapping, Las Vegas wasn't a complete failure but it is definitely not a place for money shy travellers and not somewhere I would hurry back to anytime soon!