Venetian Suites in Las Vegas

Venetian Suite, Las Vegas
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

Five luxury hotel casino properties on the strip that get a lot of buzz as "THE place to stay in Las Vegas" are the Wynn and her new companion property the Encore, the Venetian and her companion Palazzo Las Vegas, and the Bellagio.

If you find fault with the rooms in any of these places you probably need to get your head examined (or you are way too wealthy).

Our Venetian king bed suite was even more splendid than the online photos suggest and an incredible bargain at the $109 "Twitter Special" rate offered there every few weeks.

The beautiful bath complete with double sinks and a TV made this a splendid room but it was combined with a beautiful king sized bed area next to a sunken living room with a large couch, desk, and table. The room was spotlessly clean and elegantly appointed.

Note as usual that if you can adjust your Las Vegas visits to mid-week where there are no holidays or major conventions you will enjoy a *huge* savings on luxury rooms which are often less than half the weekend costs. Even rooms of regular quality such as those at the older strip hotels like the Sahara or Tropicana are going to be cheaper mid-week. Where you should expect to pay $150 for the Venetian mid week you'll probably find rooms at the Sahara for under $50. Note though that Las Vegas mid week offers you the kind of luxury you can't enjoy elsewhere at any price, so I think a good "budget with style" strategy is to stay in luxury on weekdays and move to a modest priced hotel for the weekends.

Bud Light $100,000 Hardbat Classic - Ping Pong Mania heads to Las Vegas this June

As an avid Table Tennis player I'm very excited to see the Bud Light Hardbat Classic Table Tennis Tournament head to Las Vegas on June 26-28. ESPN will cover the event and we'll see 1000 players compete for 100,000 first prize - huge money for the sport of Table Tennis and I'm pretty sure the biggest prize in US Table Tennis history.

Hardbat Table Tennis is *not* the mainstay of this sport, where spinny rubber rules and relatively few serious tournament players still use the old school "hard bat". Combine this with some handicapping rules at the tournament and it'll be sure to lead to fun and hard to predict outcomes.

Website for the Hardbat Classic

You can also follow the classic on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/hardbatclassic

Wynn Las Vegas

The Wynn, Las Vegas

The stunning curved monolith of the Wynn rises above the Wynn Golf Course located behind the Wynn. The Wynn is often considered Las Vegas' most exclusive resort venue, offering splendid lodging, dining, and shows. Even if you stay in more modest accomodations don't miss the elegant waterfall landscaping in the front of the Wynn just off Las Vegas Boulevard, especially at the entrance that is along the walkway to the Palazzo which is across the street and just south of the Wynn along Las Vegas Boulevard aka "The Las Vegas Strip" or "The Strip".

This hotel is named after Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn, who is also the inspiration behind the Bellagio Las Vegas, the splendid Bellagio Art Gallery, and who achieved great notoriety a few years ago for accidentally mauling one of his own Picassos - a painting that he had just agreed to sell for $139,000,000.

Las Vegas Strip Map

If you are heading to Las Vegas for the first time, or even if you know the place well, it's always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Las Vegas Strip. My favorite map is from the Monorail and is a PDF file here

The Las Vegas Strip is almost always called "The Strip" in Las Vegas and refers to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is about 4 miles long. Mandalay Bay is the large resort at the south end of the strip, and the Stratosphere is at the North end. Note that the monorail route is from the MGM to the Sahara and you'll need to walk a fair distance to get to these two venues. Also note that the monorail does NOT follow the strip even though it serves strip destinations. The monorail rides from Hilton and Convention Center which are on Paradise, and then "behind" most of the Casinos. Always expect to walk a long way in Las Vegas unless you stay at the same casino, take Taxis, or spend your time downtown in the Fremont Street Experience area were the size of the casinos is much smaller and you can easily walk to several in a short time.

Palazzo Las Vegas Grand Opening Jan 19

If you are heading to Las Vegas in January contact the Palazzo about their $199 luxury suite specials in association with the Grand opening of the Palazzo on January 19th. I had a chance to tour part of the Palazzo today while in Las Vegas for the Computer Electronics Conference, and it's a very impressive, beautiful property with a tasteful yet spectacular ambiance. Bill Gates keynote speach was at the Palazzo Grand Ballroom, which must hold about 8,000+

They are still working on getting all the suites ready, though the construction was nicely hidden from the public. Even if you don't stay at the Palazzo be sure to drop in to see the sculptures and waterfall. It's right next to the Wynn, another of the "newer" must see properties like the Bellagio Hotel.

The Palazzo Las Vegas is part of the Venetian's hotel empire, and from their website we learn:

The Palazzo will give the company the largest hotel and convention complex in the world on the heart of The Strip. In addition to JERSEY BOYS, The Palazzo will feature more than 3,000 all-suite rooms and offer its new shopping, dining and entertainment on two luxurious levels. The 450,000-square- foot retail space, The Shoppes at The Palazzo™ will be highlighted by Barneys New York and connected to The Venetian via The Grand Canal Shoppes. It will house approximately 60 high-end and mid-level stores from the most recognizable brands to the hottest newcomers and unique one-of-a-kind boutiques drawn from all over the world. Additionally, The Palazzo will offer a variety of new restaurants from renowned chefs, many of whom are not yet featured in the Las Vegas area.

Bellagio Las Vegas

The Bellagio is one of Las Vegas premier hotel casinos and probably ranks about equal in qaulity with the Wynn even though the Wynn was designed to be fancier and tends to be more expensive. I think the new Palazzo may be even nicer but I have not been there yet or read reviews.

Luxury Hotels
Cirque Du Soleil
Bellagio Nightlife
Bellagio Weddings
Amenities at Bellagio
Restaurants of the Bellagio
Spa Services at Bellagio Las Vegas
The Bellagio Casino and Gaming

The Bellagio is a favorite hotel for many Las Vegas regulars, combining as it does a central strip location, a glamourous and tasteful european decor, and Las Vegas' most beautiful free attraction the Bellagio Fountains, which put on a super show every half hour. Don't miss the fountains of the Bellagio regardless of where you stay - this is really a spectacular syphony of music and water. Great "seats" are always free and always good - just stand anywhere.

I'd recommend being down at the fountains rather than far away, and although it's tempting to watch them from high above across the street at the Paris Las Vegas I think it's much more spectacular up close.