Just returned from a long July 4th weekend, and wanted to post a quick report. Arrived Thursday, stayed at Bellagio in a fountain view room. The room was very nice and the view was amazing. We really enjoyed watching the fountain shows (and listening to the music on the TV). Was better than standing out in the 108 degree heat to watch.

We really enjoyed the Bellagio, it was our first time staying there. Room was great, all areas of the hotel are beautiful. Pool area is large and also very nice. We scoped out the area to find seats that had the most shade during the day. It was simply too hot to sit in the sun. When we wanted sun we went into the pool and floated on the rafts you can rent (by the hour or for the day).

At the Bellagio, we ate at Fix, the buffet, the Pool Cafe, and Prime. First night ate at Fix, and it was just ok (American food, right next to the casino). I wouldn't eat there again, although I heard another guest talking in the pool about how amazing the food was there--to each his own.

Friday morning ate at the buffet. $13.95 per person, and well worth it considering what breakfast at most hotels usually costs for just a single "entree." Food was fresh, plentiful and there were certainly many choices.

Friday during the day spent out by the pool relaxing, baking in the heat.

Friday night dinner at Commanders Palace. We thought it was outstanding. Beautiful place, food was wonderful, service very attentive but not obtrusive. They asked right when we sat down whether we had show tickets or any other time contraints. Also immediately brought a black napkin for my wife who was wearing black. I think that attention to detail is what makes for great service.

After dinner, saw Penn & Teller. Had front row seats. We really loved the show. They were very funny, made fun of some of the other Vegas performers, and their tricks were amazing. Extremely entertaining. After the show, Teller was out in the lobby posing for pictures with people, signing autographs and yes, even talking!

Saturday during the day by the pool again. Lunch at the Pool Cafe. Food was very good, prices reasonable and portions were large. Dinner at Onda in the Mirage. Ate there since we were seeing Danny Gans at the Mirage and I thought it would just be easier. Had heard good things about Onda, but we thought it was terrible. We're a bit spoiled being from NY City and having many great Italian restaurants, but the food IMO was just not good.

Danny Gans was terrific. Very funny, his voices are right on most of the time, and he really takes on the personality of the person he is doing. We had a great time.

Sunday night had dinner at Prime Steakhouse. Lovely table by the window overlooking the fountains. Had a wonderful meal, again top notch service, would not hesitate to return.

My wife also ordered room service a couple of times for breakfast. Food and service were good, and prices were very reasonable compared to what I normally see in other hotels (in other cities). Room service is always a bit overpriced, but I found that to be much less so here than other places.

I also had the special "holiday brunch buffet." It was a combination of their breakfast and lunch, with the shrimp, crab legs, carving stations, etc. Again, found the food to be excellent.

Overall, had a great time and would stay there again. Originally had reservations at Wynn also, and was trying to decide between the 2. Then was going to split the trip and spend 2 nights at each. After reading some negative comments about service issues at Wynn, decided to just stay at Bellagio. While we were there, we heard comments from some about problems at the Wynn. One person I met in Bellagio casino told me he was staying at Wynn, and had to wait 25 minutes for elevator to go down to dinner, there were just not enough elevators.

I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has.

Thanx for the report. A group of us guys will be celebrating our collective 50th birthdays in Vegas in Oct and will be catching Danny Gans on our last nite there (a Sat). Glad you enjoyed the show. We are hopoing to eat after the show and are wondering when it ends and whether we will have trouble getting to a restaurant before closing, typically 11:00pm. We plan on getting a reservation but don't know what time to shoot for. Would it make the most sense to eat at the Mirage (are considering Kokomo's-thanx for the review of Onda) or would we be safe eating anywhere along the strip so long as we have a reservation? Thanks.

Dave

The show ended at about 10:30. As long as you have a reservation, you should be ok. But remember, especially on Saturday night, traffic on the strip is horrible, so I would go somewhere too far from the Mirage that you would not be able to walk there in time. We went from Bellagio to Mirage for show, and took taxi, and it took almost 20 minutes, and they are pretty close to each other.
Haven't eaten at Kokomo's, so can't help you with that. There is also a Brazilian steakhouse in Mirage, but haven't eaten there either. I think the restaurants in Mirage are not up to the quality of places elsewhere, so you might want to venture out to eat.
Enjoy!

Sorry, made mistake on show time end--show started at 8:00, was over at about 9:30, NOT 10:30, so you shouldn't have a problem getting to any restaurant by 10:00.

Thank you! I think we'll find a place to eat at Caesars which looks to be walking distance from the Mirage.

Dave