We spent a weekend in Las Vegas in December 2005. We knew that Vegas would be a place that we wouldn't want to go back to (simply not our scene) but we wanted to at least experience it once in our lifetime. We were right. It was fun but we had enough by the time we had to go home.
BELLAGIO: This hotel is HUGE. Be prepared for a lot of people milling around the lobby, the casino and the areas where the stores are located. It is OPULENT but still ELEGANT with absolutely nothing tacky about it. The fountain show is as spectacular as expected. Watch it at least once during the day and once at night. There's a botanical conservatory right next to the lobby. There are also plenty of high-end stores to satisfy your shopping needs: Prada, Chanel, Rolex, etc... We think the Bellagio is a beautiful hotel and would absolutely recommend it.
~~ ROOM: It was a standard one located on the 27th floor with a view of Caesars Palace. The size of the room and the bathroom were bigger than expected. It was non-smoking with a King bed (we got what we requested), a big armoire with closets on each side and drawers under the TV. There was a desk and a chair and a sitting area. A neat feature in the room was the keypad on the wall next to the bed with which you could open/close the curtains. The bathroom had a large tub, a big vanity with one sink and a glass-enclosed shower. We had one minor issue with our room safe. It was locked. We called the front desk. They told us we had to be in our room when someone came up and it would be about 20 minutes. An hour and a half later, no one had come. So we called the front desk back and it was another 30 minutes before someone came. That was a bit annoying. But overall, we were satisfied with our room. A nice hotel security feature is the guard at the lobby elevators checking for room keys.
~~ CASINO: It's located on the main floor to the right of the lobby. You have to go through it to get to your room, restaurants, etc... We're not gamblers (we only play $20 at the slot machines) so all we can say is that it's really big and every kind of gambling seems to be offered. And as the day turns to night, the casino gets crowded and the cigarette smoke becomes heavy. By the way, we walked into several hotels and the same casino scene repeats itself. You can't escape them.
~~ POOLS: They are located in a BEAUTIFUL courtyard-type setting. There are 2 big pools. One was closed for renovations, the other was open and heated. There were 2 smaller pools with fountains in the middle and 1 hot tub. There's a security guard at the entrance checking for room keys.
RESTAURANTS: As the parents of a little one (he stayed back home with his grandparents), we very much wanted to take advantage of our "childless" stage to eat at some upscale restaurants.
~~ LE CIRQUE at the Bellagio: On our first night, we ate at this fairly small French restaurant (reservations are recommended). It is a bit on the "chichi-foufou" side. The decor has a circus theme (hence the name Le Cirque). But to me, "chichi-foufou" and circus decor do not compute. Just odd. Anyway, the walls are painted with circus scenes. The ceiling looks like a circus tent and the chairs are lined with red and white striped material. Even the plates have monkey designs. There was a "faux" monkey sitting on a Christmas wreath on the wall right next to our table. The monkey kept staring at us! Yikes! One wall of the restaurant has narrow windows with a view of the lake and the fountain show. That particular wall should have been all window just to take full advantage of the view. The menu includes choices of 5 hot appetizers, 5 cold appetizers, 5 fish dishes, 5 meat dishes and desserts. For an entree, we both had the poulet roti (the chicken) served with a mix of vegetables and mashed potatoes. It was VERY GOOD. We had passed on the appetizers because none of the ones listed appealed to us. But the waiter brought us appetizers anyway (on the house) so we wouldn't be twirling our thumbs waiting for our entrees. That was really nice. The appetizer was a lobster salad (mixture of lobster, green peas, avocado and green salad). This was very unique and, I think, something that not everyone would like. I liked it, my husband did not. For dessert, I had creme brulee, my husband had chocolate ice cream. It was all yummy. The wine list is extensive (some 1,000 wines offered). The presentation of the food and the service were impeccable. For the 2 entrees, 2 desserts, 1 glass of wine and 1 coke, the total cost of dinner came to $190 (including a 20% tip). We both agreed that the food was very good, but not worth the cost. You wouldn't go wrong eating there, but by no means is it a must-do restaurant in Las Vegas.
~~ BELLAGIO BUFFET: We did it on the morning of our departure. What a disappointment. Both of our omelets were blah and although the fruits looked fresh, they didn't taste great (lacked sweetness). We should have listened to our sister and parents who raved about the Breakfast Buffet at the Paris Las Vegas hotel and gone there!
~~ COMMANDER'S PALACE in Desert Passage at Aladdin right across from the Bellagio. This restaurant serves Cajun/Creole food. We LOVED it and would highly recommend it. We went on a Saturday morning for the Jazz Brunch (offered Fridays through Sundays starting at 10:30am). You can do a la carte or do the brunch package which is $36/person. We chose the brunch package which was worth every penny! You must be a good eater because it's a lot of food. For the appetizer, my husband had the gumbo du jour and I had the breakfast parfait (it was yogurt with fresh and dried fruits, all in a tall glass). The gumbo was DELICIOUS (I tasted it and wished I had ordered that!). My breakfast parfait was just okay (the dried fruits didn't do it for me). For the entree, we both chose the gulf shrimp creole served with Louisiana popcorn rice. It was SOOOO GOOD! My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. For dessert, I had the bread pudding souffle and my husband had the beignets. All YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY! We had to be rolled out of the restaurant!! The presentation of the food was impeccable and the staff were also impeccable at this place. The restaurant features 2 lovely gentlemen who'll go room to room (it's a big place) and play a few songs (dixie-style jazz). One played the banjo, the other played the clarinet and the saxophone and also sang. We LOVED them!
~~ ANDRE'S FRENCH RESTAURANT at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. We had dinner there on our 2nd night. It's a VERY SMALL restaurant where reservations are essential. The food was really good there. We both started with a caesar salad, then had the filet of beef in green-peppercorn and cognac cream. The meat was EXCELLENT. We shared a chocolate dessert: a hazelnut fondant with praline and vanilla bean ice cream, and it was DECADENT. This is another restaurant with an extensive wine list. The total cost of our dinner $190 (including a glass of red wine, a bottled water and a 20% tip). Our only complaint about this restaurant is that it gets really loud. It's in such a small place and it has wood paneling, so sound bounces off the walls. It didn't help that we were sitting next to a table of 8 very loud Brits. We would have enjoyed our dinner a lot more if it hadn't been so noisy. So if you want excellent French food, go there. If you want romance, intimacy and a quiet dinner, don't.
~~ MON AMI GABI at the Paris Las Vegas hotel. This French steakhouse was such a disappointment. We went there for an early lunch (we missed breakfast after waking up late). The restaurant itself is lovely. The location is right on the strip, across from the Bellagio's lake and the fountain show. The best place to sit is on the outside terrace where you can people watch and enjoy a beautiful sunny day. For an appetizer, I had the mussels (the BIGGEST mussels I had ever seen in my life - I had to ask them where they got them from - the West Coast apparently) and my husband had the baked cheese and tomato sauce with garlic toast. Mine was okay, my husband's was good. Afterward, I had the quiche lorraine with bacon and my husband had the croque monsieur with french fries. At first, we thought our food was just okay, but then the more we ate, the more heavy the food felt. It felt kinda gross after a while and half way through our food, we just stopped eating. Total cost of the lunch was $64 (including a juice, a coke and a 20% tip).
~~ EIFFEL TOWER RESTAURANT in Paris Las Vegas hotel. The combination of the EXCELLENT food, the spectacular view and impeccable service makes this restaurant THE BEST on our list. You go up an elevator to the restaurant located about a third way up the Eiffel Tower replica. The elevators doors open onto the kitchen. Interesting, don't you think? I must say the kitchen looked very clean. The restaurant is very dark with mood lighting and big bay windows with fantastic views of Vegas. We were sitted at a table for 2 next to the bay windows with views of the Bellagio and its lake/fountain show. Simply lovely. The food was THE BEST we've had. No appetizers this time. I had the filet mignon in red wine sauce and potato gratin. Oh my goodness. It was DELICIEUX. My husband had the sauteed filet of salmon with mashed potatoes. Very good, he said. For dessert, I had creme brulee and my husband had the chocolate souffle. HEAVEN. This is another restaurant with an extensive wine list and impeccable food presentation and service. Total cost of dinner came up to $190 (including a glass of wine, a bottled water, a coke and a 20% tip).
~~ THINGS WE DID ~~
1. We saw Mystere by Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island. The show was beautiful, jaw-dropping, funny and weird all at the same time. Beautiful because of the performers' grace and the haunting music, jaw-dropping because of the performers' agility and sheer strength, funny because of the comedic and interactive scenes and weird because of the costumes and the lack of story line (or maybe there was one and it just went right over our heads!). The performance lasted 1.5 hours and we truly enjoyed it.
2. We did the prerequisite walk around the Strip. This is a good way to see all the over-the-top hotels. We also took the Las Vegas Strip Trolley once. It'll take you up and/or down the strip for $2. For $5 you get an all-day pass. The strip is always very busy with foot traffic and there's a lot of vehicle traffic at night.
3. We did the cheesy but still enjoyable gondola ride at the Venetian. $25 for a 10-15 minute outdoor ride. You can do an indoor ride but I'm not sure where that would take you. Our gondolier was a lovely young woman with a lovely voice. She sang 2 romantic songs for us.
4. The most fun we had was at Madame Tussaud's Interactive Wax Museum, believe it or not. The cost is $22.95/person. We had soooo much fun as you can see by our silly picture.
