Las Vegas draws more Canadian visitors than almost any other U.S. city, and direct flights from Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal make a long weekend easy to plan. The exchange rate still favours the Canadian dollar enough that a splurge on the Strip feels like value.
In Las Vegas, life back home becomes a distant memory. Anything is possible in the USA's no-holds-barred desert city, whether you are a culture fan, always-hungry foodie or a 24-hour party person.
Often referred to as the Entertainment Capital of the World, families will lap up the sprawling swimming pools and madcap architecture, couples can make every night date night at world-class restaurants, while bigger groups can catch up during luxurious spa days or over cocktails at opulent bars.
A holiday to Las Vegas does not have to be a blow-out though: you can go in any direction, filling your days with as much activity or well-earned relaxation as you fancy.
But where to start? Located either on or nearby the famous Las Vegas Strip, an MGM Resorts hotel is the ideal place to base yourself. Access the city's biggest and best attractions from, for example, the ultra-luxe Bellagio or the iconic pyramid-shaped Luxor.
MGM Resorts 13 hotels are more than just accommodation. They are epic, exciting Vegas landmarks in their own right, offering globally-renowned dining, sell-out live shows, modern wellness centres and more beyond.
Four MGM Resorts properties compared
Bellagio: Fine Italian dining and famous fountains. Lavish is a way of life at the five-star Bellagio, which sits on the Las Vegas Strip. As a guest, you will be surrounded by elegant, Italian-inspired design as you glide between the luxury spa, shopping promenade and high-end restaurants.
Speaking of which, be sure to make a date with the lobster fettuccine at newly opened Carbone Riviera. It offers Italian-style seafood dishes with views over Bellagio iconic fountains (which you will no doubt recognise from films, including Ocean's Eleven).
Another must-book is Cirque du Soleil aquatic show, O, which is exclusively performed in Bellagio spectacular theatre.
But there are quiet moments to be had here, too. Take some time out in the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens or on a sun lounger by the glistening pool when you need to recharge. The bright lights of Vegas will be ready and waiting for you whenever you are ready to go again.
Luxor: Pool hangouts and pyramid-shaped grandeur. A commanding 30-story pyramid houses the epic Luxor hotel. Sure, the Pyramids of Giza are cool. But the pyramid that houses the Luxor hotel even has a massive beam of light shining directly out of its apex, which is just your first sign that it is totally extra in every way possible.
A giant Sphinx welcomes you into the world's largest hotel atrium by volume, while you may need to use one of Luxor super-cool, specially designed sideways lifts to access your room.
Spend the day bobbing around one of the largest pool complexes in Vegas, or perhaps having a treatment in the Nurture Spa. Evenings can be spent catching the Blue Man Group in action or tucking into surf and turf at Tender steakhouse.
Luxor is a great location for the concerts and football games at Allegiant Stadium, a 15-minute walk away, and the hotel is also around a 30-minute walk to the centre of the main strip.
A big chunk of the Las Vegas Strip can be accessed via a series of indoor walkways connecting several MGM Resorts hotels, including Luxor, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York and Aria. In the city's warmest months, you can hop from venue to venue without having to part with air-con.
MGM Grand: Sleek rooms and epic entertainment. The MGM Grand is a megaresort and casino with comfort and sweeping views on tap. If your motto is go big or go home, beeline for MGM Grand, a Las Vegas Strip hotel that is one of the largest in the world.
Its thousands of rooms and suites have recently been renovated, and boast all the style, comfort and modern amenities you could wish for from a luxurious resort stay. And that is not to mention the sweeping skyline views, which are especially dazzling after dusk.
There are more than 20 restaurants, with everything from Michelin-starred French cuisine from Joel Robuchon to towering burgers at Crush American Grill.
Thanks to its huge live performance spaces, MGM Grand has a packed diary of sport, comedy and music (the likes of Olivia Dean and A$AP Rocky are on the bill this summer), with its in-house nightclub, Hakkasan, open to those not quite ready for bed.
Tired from yesterday's jam-packed schedule? Spend the day floating along the lazy river, which is part of the hotel's vast pool complex.
Aria: Striking views and seductive spa treatments. Escape from the bustling Strip at Aria vast and luxurious Spa & Salon. Bringing you all the modern flourishes you could want to make your stay in Vegas utterly seamless, Aria is the hotel for guests who would always go chic over kitsch.
Its cutting-edge design and contemporary interiors won many awards and accolades when it opened in 2009. The hotel is set across two 50-storey-tall curvilinear glass towers and every room has floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic city views.
The Spa & Salon at Aria covers a whopping 80,000 square-feet. Get your locks looking on-point ahead of a big night out at the on-site hairdressers and barber, or find your zen with a Japanese Ashiatsu massage, gemstone-infused facial or sound healing meditation.
The food is also a big selling point here: among the 16-restaurant selection is London's two Michelin-star restaurant Gymkhana, which offers incredible elevated Indian cuisine.
What Canadian visitors should know
Canadians can reach the Strip in under five hours from the West Coast and just over four from Toronto. Most MGM Resorts properties honour matched loyalty tiers from major Canadian casino programs, and the indoor walkway network means you rarely need a rideshare once you check in.