Renowned as the place for adults who want to be entertained 24/7, Las Vegas may not seem like an ideal destination for lovers. But, beneath the glitz, glamour, gob-smacking views and drive-through chapels, beats the heart of a steadfast romantic.
Love is in the air
Why not go weak at the knees for each other all over again by flying across this city in tandem? We’re talking flat out above the city, superhero-style.
The SlotZilla Zip Line takes couples half a kilometre along the Fremont Street Experience, finishing at the city’s most historic casino, the Golden Gate. This aerial adventure starts more than 10 stories up in the air and travellers zip along up to 60kph, so leave your fear of heights at the hotel.
If it all sounds a tad too thrilling, the High Roller – the world’s tallest observation wheel – might be a more fitting way to reclaim the dizzying heights of love with your special one. This observation wheel takes 30 minutes to complete one revolution; riders are enclosed in glass, climate-controlled cabins. Opt for the Happy Half Hour ticket and your trip will include an open bar too.
For an extreme romance experience, the cabins double as wedding venues, with room for up to 40 people. You can even hire an Elvis minister to truly do it Vegas-style.
Traditionalists at heart
One of the city’s more famous nods to romance is a Gondola ride at The Venetian. Couples are encouraged to kiss as the boat passes beneath a bridge. There are many bridges, so the 15-minute ride can get rather romantic (if you take your gondolier’s advice, that is).
In keeping with their Venetian inspiration, gondoliers serenade passengers with Italian love songs. Choose to ride inside or outside the hotel. Outside, the gondola glides across a lagoon overlooking the Strip; inside, the ride takes passengers along a canal that meanders through the hotel’s Italianate architecture and past the Grand Canal Shoppes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, wedding proposals are common and there’s even an elaborate white and gold gondola reserved especially for couples getting hitched during their ride.
Looking for inspiration?
Cirque du Soleil’s adults-only Zumanity at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino promises audiences a different side to Cirque, with an edgy, cabaret-style show.
As fun and entertaining as it is sexy and seductive, the show features dance, acrobatics, musical performance and comedy. Highlights include an aerial ballet, aquatic performance and a contortionist act performed suspended from leather straps high above the stage.
Here’s the rub
For a hands-on (literally) romantic treat, why not share a spa treatment especially made for two? It’s the perfect way to be in the moment together, and still get pampered.
Couples love the Sahra Spa Suites at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where they can indulge in a private steam, shower or soak, and treatment. Over at The Spa Bellagio, the Couple’s Champagne Spa Sanctuary offers specially designed couple’s treatments complete with champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries to finish.
Over at The Spa at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, couples can indulge in a 105-minute Retreat Experience that includes an aromatic bath, body polish and massage.
Or turn up the romance when the sun goes down with an After Dark Private Spa Retreat at ARIA Resort and Casino. You and your partner could spend two hours being pampered in a private spa suite complete with champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
So Frenchy, so romantic
Nowhere embodies the notion of romance quite like Paris. And in true Vegas style, the city has brought Paris to the people with a replica Eiffel Tower.
At Paris Las Vegas, the Eiffel Tower is just like the real thing, except half the size. There’s a glass-enclosed observation deck (140m above the ground), as well as a glass elevator so visitors can take in the vista on the way up and down the tower. The expansive views include the lights of the city, planes taking off and landing at the airport, and the mountains further out in the valley.
If you’re feeling seriously romantic (not to mention committed), take advantage of the dedicated marriage proposal amenities. Semi-private areas in the tower give lovebirds the chance to pop the question discreetly.
There’s also a fancy restaurant that specialises in proposals. At table 56 in the Eiffel Tower Restaurant – a private one that looks over the Strip – there’s reported to be proposal every night of the year. No matter where you’re sitting, wait staff will gladly deliver the ring to your table hidden in a delicious dessert. Sweet.
My love overflows, like a fountain
You can’t leave Vegas without setting eyes on the amazing, world-famous Bellagio Fountains.
Situated outside Bellagio on an 8.5-acre lake, the fountains propel jets of water up to 140m into the air. That’s not all: it’s cleverly choreographed and illuminated to look like it’s dancing along to one of 30 different pieces of music, such as classics by Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson or the soundtrack to Mission Impossible.
It can’t help but put a spring in your loved-up step. Shows are on every half an hour from 3pm till 8pm, and every 15 minutes from then until midnight.
