Vegas Trip Report
 

Got back from Vegas last weekend and had a great time. We took a late morning flight out of New York that got us into Vegas at 2PM. A quick taxi to the Bellagio and we were in our room before 3PM. The construction going on at the hotel is a non event with the exception of the Monorail to the Monte Carlo being out of service until the construction is completed.

Being our thrid stay at the Bellagio, we know the room we are looking for, mid-way up the building, dead center on the fountains. The room had been newly refurbished and was as quiet and luxurious as always. We had a great rate of $139 per night for fountain view.

We really enjoy the bars at the Bellagio, particularly the Fonatana Lounge, with entertainment and those great fountains for the price of a drink. We enjoyed Jimmy Hopper and Dian Diaz on two separate evenings.

We find the restaurants at the Bellagio over the top, we've eaten at Cafe Bellagio, the Buffet and Olives in the past, but only frequented the Palio, Snack Bar and Gelato Cafe on this visit. We ate at moderately priced restaurants in other hotels; Il Fornaio (NY,NY), Le Provencal (Paris), Margaritaville (Flamingo) and 9 Fine Irishmen (NY,NY). We enjoyed them all, but Margaritaville the least, since the sound system malfunctioned and there was no entertainment. I guess they are having birth pains, since they just recently opened.

We had breakfast at a different hotel each morning, The Palms, Paris, Aladdin and Excalibur. All served a good full American breakfast for between $25 and $35 per couple. Our least favorite was The Palms, no real ambiance.

Not being Cirque de Soleil fans,(we saw Mystere on our last visit) we caught Tom Jones at the MGM Grand and Trent Carlini (THE Elvis Impersonator)at the Hilton. Trent performs in the same theater that Elvis did when we performed in Vegas back in the 70's. Both shows were very enjoyable, Tom still has the pipes and the moves. Would have liked to have seen Celine, but she was not performing, Elton had his opening night on the last night of our stay but was sold out, unless you wanted to pay $250 for the worst seat in the house.

We took a ride out to the Valley of Fire and it was very impressive and provided a good break from the intensity of the strip.

We checked out Big Elvis at the Barbary Coast, but left after 10 minutes, we found it schlocky and depressing. I'd skip it.

The "Race for Atlantis" was fun at Ceasar's, great effects and $8 per person with discount. A bargain.

We had beautiful weather the entire week.

The Bellagio is the only hotel we find gets better with each stay.

Looking forward to visiting or staying at Steve Wynn's new property next year.

Another great stay in "Vegas Baby".

Thanks for the report, Frank!

How did you get that rate at Bellagio?

Andre

Great trip report Frank? Is Steve Wynn's new property where Desert Inn was? Do you know when it is scheduled for completion and what the name is?

I'd also like to know where you got that rate for this time of year. Since you seem to stay there frequently, is this some special rate they provide for you?

The new Wynn project, originally called Le Reve (French for "The Dream"), is now to be called Wynn Las Vegas. It is scheduled to open in April 2005, and is located next to Venetian (north side) across the street from the Fashion Show mall. The main building is 42-45 stories and is just being 'topped off' at this point.
Unlike most LV casino-hotels, WLV will have no actual theme.
A tram will connect it to the Las Vegas convention center.
It's supposed to have about 2800 rooms.
It will have a Cirque du Soleil type (Dragone-designed) show in one of its theaters.

Andre & troyrobt: Received a solicitation in the mail, probably because we had stayed previously. It was good for specific weeks in Dec., Jan., & Feb.

Thanks for the reply, Frank!

I signed up for Bellagio's e-mail offers a while back, but haven't received anything for April, when I'll be in LV, yet...

If you receive something with April dates, I (and no doubt many others on this board) would be EXTREMELY greatful if you could post the link here!

Andre