So, most people go to Las Vegas for carnage. Pure and simple. That phrase "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" wasn't pulled from someone's hoop. You get the impression that some shit went down and that line was uttered afterwards on multiple occasions to ensure it never spread.

While Vegas is arguably the best place on earth to partake in some degenerative behaviour, there's also a lot of other stuff to do in a handy, relatively small area.

Off the bat, we did four nights at the gorgeous Venetian Hotel. It was at the opposite end of the strip where another friend of ours was staying, so we got to see pretty much everything when going to meet him. But the hotel is beautiful, with our suites consisting of two TVs and a lounge area as well as a huge bed. 

The first thing we did was check out was Neon Light Museum, where our trusty guide Bill showed us around the strangely beautiful graveyard of signs that once shone bright over the Las Vegas strip. The trip lasted about an hour, which can be tough in the open air in the desert; so we'd suggest plenty of sunscreen and water while ya learn something. Otherwise, y'know, you'll burn. 

We're gonna go ahead and assume that if you're hitting up Vegas to gamble, you'll be doing it at your hotel. We hope you don't lose your bollocks, and if you've a few quid left over and are not afraid of LOUD NOISES then the gun range is really great craic.

We were picked up by a former member of the military service now working for Battlefield Vegas, who collected us right from The Venetian. One thing we'll say is, hold onto something when you get in the back because those lads don't mess around when they take off. As if the ride there wasn't fun enough, we each picked a package - all going for The SWAT Package. Yeeeea, manly.

For about $160 you get to shoot four guns at a target that you'll get to keep as a momentum after. A Sniper rifle, a Glock 9mm, an Uzi and a Shotgun. Everyone is very carefully supervised and the guys at the range go through all of the safety measures and stand with you as you fire the guns. While the LOUD NOISES are a little scary at first, once you get used to them it's really good fun. Obviously, a competitive edge helps - unless you wanna go for head shots like we did.

Bar-wise if you're there during the week it can be fairly quiet compared to the weekend. Most of the bars are in casinos or hotels where there are casinos. We hit up the Cosmopolitan the first night, then Manderine Oriental Cocktail Bar. Great craic, but expensive depending on what you're drinking. My companions would not join me in Coyote Ugly as there was a cover charge. So there was no dancing in the moonlight (and, like, on a table) for this writer.

If you're going to catch a show then Le Reve is genuinely incredible. It's a mixture of dance, air gymnastics and synchronised swimming with a bit of a messed up David Lynch story going on in the midst of all that. This writer was intoxicated while watching it, and enjoyed it all the more.

Four days in Vegas feels like enough, but also not enough because by the time you beat the jetlag you've pretty much lost a day. We'd suggest making a longer holiday out of it and then maybe driving from LA to really embrace the experience. There was a storm the week we were there (being Irish, we took the weather with us) so there was no pool parties this time. Probably for the best, we are so pale we might've actually been reflective.