I am booking a room in Vegas for April and have narrowed it down to Bellagio or Paris (thanks to this site!) I have read all of the past posts regarding both hotels. My questions - is Bellagio really worth paying double for? I have never been to Vegas before, and probably won't visit again for a long time. I want to have a wonderful experience, but . . .

Do Bellagio and try for a room with a view of the fountains. You will love it!

Well Maddy, Im no Vegas expert but I have been there once before. I also visit Fodors.com a lot so I see what the juice is from others as well. I stayed at Paris for 5 days on my first visit. I really do not have any complaints other than the thought that the floor plan on the gaming floor was not the best. I never got the urge to stay there for long and gamble. Anyway, the room was tops, really, really, nice and they upgraded me because I said it was my birthday. I did not eat at any of the food joints but the Margaritas were good. The French music can irratate you after a while, or at least it did for me. Bellagio, oh my gosh, what a fabulous place. Every cent of the billion dollars it took to build that place was used well. It is just chic in my opinion. I have never heard of anyone having a bad experience. I have a friend who stayed there and said it was next to nothing. The buffet was super and I ate myself to death. And the shopping is to die for. Anyway, if you have the cash to afford Bellagio then I would pick it over Paris. Not that Paris is not grand. But I hope you have fun!

Keep in mind that everything will be more expensive at the Bellagio. There's really no quick, cheap place to get a bite to eat. That said, the Bellagio is a first class hotel and I think well worth the difference in price. A hotel of this caliber would cost a lot more elsewhere.

"no quick, cheap place to get a bit to eat"

Wrong! We arrived mid afternoon and were starving and went to the "noodle" restaurant near the back of the casino. It was absolutely wonderful and extremely reasonable. Sorry I can't remember what it is called, but it isn't by the regualar cafes, sort of by itself.

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"no quick, cheap place to get a bit to eat"

WRONG! We found the cutest little cafe/bakery that was very affordable and great for a quick bite. I forget the name but I believe it was near the convention rooms.

The noodle shop is fairly reasonable (not less than $10 though) and so is the bakery (ok if all you want is a muffin or bagel), but I was talking more about a food court type of place like they have in the venetian. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Bellagio but when I was by myself I desired some place to get some quick eats.

I've stayed at both several times. You can actually get an awsome view of the fountains from the Paris Hotel (they generally charge an extra $20 for this view). Paris rooms are OK. My biggest complaint is that their bathrooms are smallish (compared to say the Venetian or Bellagio)and on the dark side (just one of my pet peeves). The Bellagio rooms are nicer for sure but worth the extra $$, maybe not??. Have you looked into the Venetian? This is another very nice hotel that might be less than Bellagio but much nicer than Paris. If you really want a great view of the Fountains for a more affordable price, I'd book with Paris on the 20th - 29th floors with a view of the fountains.

Like Patty (above) mentioned, you may look into The Venetian as another option. We prefer either The Venetian or Bellagio and have found quite a variety of rates. Sometimes The Bellagio is less, then 3 months later when we go The Venetian is less....go figure! Paris is also nice. Although the rooms themself can't compare with the Bellagio or Venetian, I do enjoy their restaurants and great bakeries on the main floor.
They make their own bread on the premises and it is the BEST. What bugged me when we stayed there was that breakfast room service trays were still in the hall at about 3pm and this shouldn't be. They do have a great view of the Bellagio fountains though in some of their rooms. If you're into shopping, the 3 best for shopping are Venetian, Aladin or Ceasars Palace. (Oh, and yes Patty is correct...the bathrooms in the Paris are quite dark with just two small wall lights. Also, they don't give you the bathrobes like Bellagio and Venetian).

Bellagio is one of the three nicest hotels in Vegas and neither of the other two is the Venitian! Mandalay Bay is a beautiful hotel and The Four Seasons, right next door, is even nicer.

Lots of big gamblers stay at Caesar's Palace - they specialize in taking care of big gamblers - they are know for it.

If you have a car, check out Vegas' Chinatown - some excellent places to eat. Also, some other terrific places to eat outside of the hotels including Rosemary's - wonderful restaurant. Vegas is wonderful!!

Rooms at paris are NOT "luxury" class.
The carpet is thin and cheap, the furniture is cheap veneer stuff, the mattress quality is average, the sheets are no better than a Hampton Inn, the toiletries are cheap, the bathrooms are dark and the fixtures in the rooms are also Hampton Inn quality.

Anyone who is going to compare needs to visit a room at Four Seasons or Bellagio. You'll instantly see the difference if you know anything about the cost and quality of hotels.

And by the way, 5 years ago Bellagio was one of the best hotels in the USA for room quality. Since MGM bought it it has CLEARLY been allowed to go downhill. And the service, while always a bit spotty in the past, is noticeably worse.
Bellagio's best days are past.

Steve Wynn is now building a new hotel next to Venetian which is supposed to be better than Bellagio ever was.

Stayed at the Bellagio this past summer. Loved the place. I have to admit other than the buffet , food/drinks were a bit pricy, but you have to expect that I guess. The room I had faced the fountains, so splurge for it. Well worth it. I thought the beds were very comfortable in my room and bathrooms were large and well lit. I particularly loved the pools, but probabaly not open this time of year. I also thought the casino areas were less crowded and noisy than most other casinos I walked through.

We stayed at the Paris a few weeks ago. I thought it was great. We ate at most of the restaurants and the food was terrific. We looked at the rooms at the Bellagio and I was not impressed. We asked for and were upgraded to a room with a view of the fountains for no charge. I wouldn't spend the extra money for the Bellagio.

I will repeat what I've ALWAYS said about Bellagio: The standard rooms are NOTHING to write home about!!

If you can afford it, stay at Bellagio! It is awesome!

The little cafe is called Palio and it is great! You can get more then a bagel or muffin there. They do great light fare dishes! It is very reasonable and actually not much more then those fast food places that fill up the tacky food courts in other hotels. Stay at Bellagio! You wont regret it.

People keep mentioning on how Bellagio is not what it use to be but no one really has specifics. I have stayed there almost once a year since it opened and have not notice anything different. Treat yourself to a stay there. You will be amazed at the details in every corner. The casino is very comfortable and the restaurants just keep getting better.

You can't even compare the two. Go to Bellagio!

Although Paris is nice for a standard type hotel (the food at all the restaurants is excellent)the rooms are nothing special. If a room is important I think you're prefer an upscale place like Bellagio or Venetian. Both of these have larger room, better amentities like plush bathrobes etc. Paris is nice, but again....the rooms are nothing special.