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.

Venetian Spring Specials

Check out the Venetian website for some great spring specials including suites at $139. The Venetian and her new twin tower, the Palazzo Las Vegas, offer one of the most elegate venues on the strip and at the special rates make for a great bargain this spring in Las Vegas.

Trump Tower is also now open though I don't have details yet on rates or specials there.

Walking Las Vegas

I recommend the Las Vegas Strip walks listed below, though of course this list is pretty subjective. I'm stringing these together North Strip to South into a single walk you could do in one afternoon over many hours, though ideally you'll see Las Vegas at a slower pace.

Wynn: From the front huge waterfall in front to side waterfalls, exit or enter the Wynn at the side that is across from the Palazzo to see some of the most dramatic water landscaping anywhere. Roam around the Wynn a bit, and then head out and over the street on the footbridge/escalator at the south end of the building to the Palazzo.

The Palazzo and Venetian: Las Vegas' newest hotel is the luxurious Palazzo, part of the massive Venetian Hotel and Casino / Sands Convention Center empire. From the Palazzo Lobby you can walk to the pretty indoor waterfall and some halls and over to the Venetian Hotel's amazing indoor canal. Complete with Gondolas, restaurants, luxury shops, and afternoon opera and performances the Venetian has in my opinion the greatest appeal of all the Las Vegas themed hotels. In the Grand Hall sit and have a coffee and listen to the players sing. Leave the Venetian via the massive moving walkway complex at the "front" and south of the building, which takes you back down to Las Vegas Boulevard.

Next you'll walk a bit down the strip to Paris Las Vegas which is impossible to miss thanks to the half scale (which I think translates into 1/4 the volume) replica of the Eiffel tower with the massive legs literally buried in the casino floor. Stroll the charming Parisian "Street" in the hotel area and consider a trip up to the top of the Tower, which costs about $10 but offers neat views of the surrounding area. If you know the *real* Eiffel Tower this is not remotely in the same league as a travel experience, but like the hotel it's a neat replica and a tiny taste of the real France. Head back out to Las Vegas Boulevard and the Strip.

Bellagio Fountains and The Bellagio
Almost directly across from Paris Las Vegas are the magnificent Bellagio Fountains, which I think is the world's premier synchronized fountain/music displays. This is a "must see" in Las Vegas - a beautiful lake a large city block long filled with hugely powerful fountains that shoot off in synch with music from a powerful outdoor sound system. Views are good from anywhere, but I think the best view is near the middle of the block where you can realize the gigantic size of the display.

After the fountains you'll head to the Bellagio's *north* entrance. Don't try to get in from the Bellagio's South side - you'll have to walk a lot of extra distance to get in.

Once inside the Bellagio, visit the lobby area for the Glass Sculptures, the Conservatory for amazing landscaping which changes with the season, the amazing huge Chocolate fountain in the "Spa" wing, and just take in the general opulence of this magnificent venue.

Another walk that is away from the Las Vegas Strip area is the key "big" attraction in Downtown Las Vegas is the Fremont Street Experience, a huge video presentation on a canopy that stretches over the entire street for several blocks. This is worth seeing and to get there simply ride the Deuce bus for $2 from the Strip to Fremont street and back. Take a few hours to stroll the downtown area which in my opinion gives a better feel of "historic" Las Vegas than the strip where the mega casinos are much more amazing and extravagant but also are little empires unto themselves.