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BELLAGIO HOTEL
3600 LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD SOUTH
Guest rooms: 3025
AAA 5 Diamonds --
Highest award
Bellagio Hotel with its beautiful lake and famous
water shows faces Las Vegas Boulevard.. As you enter the property
and choose between self parking or valet, you quickly discover that
parking is free! Immediately you've saved money so that bonus cash can
be spent at the casino. Smart marketing is the name of the hotel -
resort - casino game in Las Vegas. In the hands of masters who
have studied human behavior, pay attention to the details. Be aware that
the music played at a certain time can influence your decisions.
Guests checking into the resort feel good and that may translate into
greater revenue for the property during the stay.
Wow factor: We travel frequently and stay at
many hotels, always seeking "wow." Though it is seldom found, Bellagio
has it. From the grand lobbies to room or suite entryways, attention to
scale, lighting and treatments is noteworthy. Glossy dark marble
with gold flecks is set in a checkerboard pattern at the hall entrance
inside your room. The bathroom includes a huge bath large enough
for two, separate shower with glass doors and even a wall telephone.
Matching marble surfaces are spotless with kudos to the marble
installers. Their cuts and installation are expert. The walls are well
insulated, rooms very quiet and carpets, table tops and surfaces
spotless. Quality fabrics are used on easy chairs, sheets and down
comforters and in the curtains that are operated electronically. The
only item that was not spotless was the exterior window glass. It was a
minor annoyance while trying to photograph sunsets, city lights and
stunning swimming pools (one pool is longer than an Olympic-size pool.)
This high rise building in a desert setting no doubt provides a
challenge to maintain in the dusty environment. The AAA 5 Diamond
rating is deserved however, for the room decor, cleanliness, hotel
amenities, value and quality of entertainment and activities on site.
There are conference facilities, too.
An 11-acre lake features a
Nightly Water Show with 1,000 Fountains.
Many guests request lake view rooms facing Las Vegas
Boulevard to watch the water shows scheduled every 15 to 30
minutes throughout the evening. The best experience is to stand
around the lake and watch the show with music played in an expensive
speaker sound system that surrounds it. You can also visit the lobby of
Paris across the street to be given a tour of the dining room in the
Eiffel Tower that overlooks the water show.
The pool view rooms overlooking 5 swimming pools
have advantages that include less light at night from the flashing neon
signs of Las Vegas Blvd. and beautiful, peaceful fountains and green
lush landscapes. These rooms
also look toward the setting sun that drops behind the mountains. The
beds are comfortable, no lumps, not soft, they are perfect.
The air conditioning system worked to specification
and we suspect the smell test is performed. There were no musty
smells and absolutely no smell of smoke (even though the hotel casino
allows smoking). The shower provided ample warm water without a wait,
quality soaps and lotions, two bathrobes and even a designer, electronic
scale to weigh yourself. When you order a $10 pot of coffee
(approximate price) through room service, your heavy silver tray
includes fresh cut flowers, fine napkins, iced water with a lemon slice
and a tasty coffee brew that isn't too weak. It took approximately
15 minutes to receive room service delivery, even though they told us 25
minutes. The time was quite acceptable.
Location, location: Bellagio offers a central location
close to the action. You can stay at the resort and never leave but you can also
walk to Caesar's Palace where Celine Dion performs,
Ballys, Paris, Flamingo, MGM Grand, Tropicana, Desert Passage, Aladdin,
Barbary Coast, Harrahs, Treasure Island, The Venetian, Luxor, New York
New York, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, Excalibur and others on The Strip.
Bellagio is perfect for those who want to pay more for the elegance and
extras. By the time you purchase tickets for a show, dine in a nice
restaurant and visit a few attractions, you can easily spend $1000 or
more for two days in Las Vegas. Those who have experienced Las Vegas say
time after time to "go for it." With wedding chapels in most every large
hotel and reckless abandon in every casino, you can keep your money in
your pocket or hold off for that big wedding elsewhere, but when you
arrive in Las Vegas, the sensory overload can throw you off guard.
Ultimately, there are no regrets.
Entertainment: "O" by Cirque du Soleil
is performed at the hotel. Tickets are hard to come by on short notice
so if you have plans to visit, get tickets before you arrive. Also inside the
hotel during our stay was a special art exhibit with original works of
Claude Monet. The director of the gallery lent her graceful voice to a
digital audio recording heard on a phone you are issued as part of your
admission. One of the security specialists was a former member of
the famous musical band, The Coasters. He was a neat guy who offered
great enthusiasm and knowledge about the paintings.
There's a five-story
Conservatory off the lobby and up to $1,000 Slot Machines. Next door, Celine
Dion performs at Caesars Palace.
Bars & Lounges: Bellagio includes several
nightclubs with bars but the best known is the trendy Light. For
a unique daytime experience, Petrossian Lounge offers afternoon
tea, the finest champagne, Petrossian caviar and smoked salmon.
fet at
Bellagio for dinner because we tried it and loved it, plus it cost
less than other restaurants located at the hotel. The Buffet features
quality crab legs, shrimp, a full sushi station, lamb shank, prime beef,
chicken, salads, potatoes, vegetables and pizza that guests rave about.
There's a desert station, waiters to bring your drinks and always a lady
with fantastic legs that walks around to collect Keno cards you can
submit while dining. Intimate dining in creative settings includes
Michael Mina's acclaimed restaurant Aqua, Julian Serrano's Five
Diamond Picasso, Prime Steakhouse, Shintaro, Noodles and
acclaimed chef Todd English's Olive.
Shops: Step out of your hotel room and go down
to the on site boutiques that include Hermes, Tiffany & Co., Yves St.
Laurent, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Dior, Chanel and more!
Price: We booked our reservations through the
BEACHCALIFORNIA.COM website at the lowest available price, calling the
hotel for a quote and going to their website, as well. It's part of our
research to find any variations in price. For a 5 Diamond rating, the
weekday, fall season price was quite reasonable at under $300 per night
(subject to fluctuations in events, dates and demand). We have paid a
lot more for and received much less. Will we go again? Yes!
Bellagio spoils you so that you don't want to leave, once you visit.
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