Las Vegas: love it or hate it, it does have something for everyone, plus one of the world’s coolest fountains.

The cowboy was plainly drunk, sitting alone at a gaming table, as a scantily clad croupier leant towards him. This is the face of Las Vegas that I do not like, the tawdry underside where the bottom line is fleecing the customer – because gambling doesn’t pay and you need only to look around you to realize that this place wasn’t built on the customers winnings, but rather on their losses.

The girls may be pretty but the person in charge of the table is often Asian and a damm sight smarter than you. People may laugh but at the end of the days one wonders if they can afford this gambling. Saddest of all are the worn faces in front of the slot machines, endlessly piling in the money – in these days of computer programming, how easy is it to manipulate the payout of these things?

So I am not the best person to extol the gambling delights of Vegas as I find myself marvelling at this grandiose house of cards where conspicuous consumption is king and Caesar’s Palace just reminds me of the excesses of the Roman empire and its subsequent decline. However, if you are browsing the boutiques there, the photography at the National Geographic and Peter Lik galleries is superb.

However there is one beautiful sight I absolutely adore in Las Vegas and that is the Bellagio Fountain.  No one should miss this vast synchronized wall of delicate jets and towering water spouts which create their own noise in addition to the accompanying music.  There is a performance every 15 minutes after dark, which is the best time to go, the fountains framed by the height and lights of the Bellagio.

We spent over an hour watching it recently, turning round in the intervals to spy on the pavement perambulations or the non stop circuit of lorries driving down the strip advertising a variety of girls and again I think how seedy it all is and the background prostitution going on.

So no gambling for us, though it is worth visiting the casinos for the all-you-can-eat buffets: choose carefully and you might find prime rib or seafood evenings and the weekend brunches are a good way to combine breakfast and lunch, with champagne if you wish. Google the best buffets when you arrive as standards change, though the Bellagio is usually reliable and we ate really well one day at the smart Red Rock Casino which is way out of town so has to make more effort to get the punters in.

Be warned though, healthy eating goes out the window and you might end up with all sorts of weird combinations on your plate. One tip: on arrival in the casino, sign up for their free players card first for discounts on food. And be prepared to smell: indoor smoking is legal in Nevada and the casinos can be horribly smokey – I guess they don’t want to distract their customers by making them go outside to smoke.

The other slightly addictive side to Las Vegas is shopping. We coincided with Cowboy Christmas, a huge western shopping event run in conjunction with the National Rodeo Finals at the Thomas and Mack arena in early December. It is quite amusing to see all the lost cowboys wandering the Vegas streets and it is an opportunity to catch the top country and western stars in concert.

Otherwise, there is a huge selection of thrift (charity) shops where one can spend many a happy hour trawling through the rails looking for those bargains. Simon stocked up on cool army stuff.  It is not just clothes either: there are brilliant value shoes and cowboy boots as well as nice china and glassware. Keep an eye out for the good designer stuff  they will often keep behind the counter. We found the best way was to google ‘thrift store near me’ then set off on the treasure hunt – though the Charleston Outlet on Charleston Boulevard always has good high end stuff.

Antique shops are mostly found on Main Street and can have some unusual things. I noticed a huge range of t-shirts from Woodstock and other rock concerts which would make unusual presents though it can be funny to see English tat ludicrously overpriced on this side of the pond. This area also has some good retro stuff – I think I could quite happily live with a 1950’s bright orange sofa in the right spot.

The Northern Outlet Centre is another great stop with superb all round stuff and cashmere at Saks and Nieman Marcus as well as the ever reliable Ralph Lauren and a host of other brand names. Some of the preppy outfitters like Gap, Loft and Aeropostale can be seriously cheap.

Accommodation can also be good value: we stayed at the Days Inn on Tropicana which was only $40 a night for a perfectly good motel room – after all, you won’t be spending much time in it anyway. Though be warned when booking: most of the resorts add a resort tax to the quoted price which can be as much as another $50.

After all this we barely had time for the Strip though it is a fun place to walk in the evening and gawp at the lights and sights: a half size replica of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Mark’s Square and gondoliers at the Venetian, the exploding volcano at the Mirage which is amusing if you are in the area and of course the Bellagio fountain – worth the trip alone!

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