Travel Suggestions Blog

the Las Vegas Strip

Walking down “the strip” of Las Vegas is a very surreal experience: colossal palaces surround you on either side; fountains bathed in soft lights shoot water high into the air to classical music, cascading back down into the aqua pool below; homeless people ask you for beer money, while short Vietnamese women ask you if you’d like to come to the strip club; fannie packs, alligator shoes, American flag shirts, straw cowboy hats, neon stretch pants and crocs are everywhere, juxtaposed by the swanky row of stores from Tiffany to Louie Vuitton; lights are flashing everywhere like seizure-inducing anime cartoons, as the palms sway gently in the breeze. There is no place in the world quite like Las Vegas Nevada. Whether it’s your first time passing through or your annual escape, you’ll likely want to peruse as many of the Las Vegas casinos as you can, even if only to gawk at the architectural wonders.

You’ll notice the palatial Bellagio on Las Vegas Boulevard by its magnificent music-themed fountain “water-ballet” amid the Romanesque 8-acre lake that sits before the behemoth Italian structure. Here you’ll find thirteen restaurants serving California, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as Cirque du Soleil performances, the Petrossian Bar and The Bank nightclub. You’ll marvel at The Conservatory, which is arguably one of the most awe-inspiring views on the Las Vegas Strip, with its greenhouse natural lighting, brilliant towering plants, giant butterfly sculptures, vivid flower arrangements, hundred-year-old fountain and blown-glass ceiling sculpture; you’ll feel like you’re in “Honey I Shrunk The Kids.”

The rooms are cosmopolitan and bathed in sage and dark wood with plush furnishings. The health club is newly redone as well, with natural lighting, personal attendants holding iced towels and drinks and excellent plunge pools at the spa. Swimmers list The Bellagio as one of their favorite on the strip with its neoclassical Roman garden and Grand Patio featuring godly pillars and domes. Shopping amenities boast pure swankiness: Tiffany, Armani, Gucci and Prada, to name a few. The casino itself features high-limit slots, semi-secluded roulette, blackjack, craps and baccarat, and a great 7 card stud area, as well as being the host to the Texas hold’ em, World Poker Tour.

The Venetian is the most intricately detailed theme casino in Las Vegas. The 4,027 rooms are spacious and some of the most handsome in town, with sunken living rooms, marble baths, LCD plasma screen televisions, wireless internet, remote-controlled Roman shades, glass showers, deep soaking tubs, crown moldings, thick half-canopies draped over the beds, natural-colored stately furniture, traditional Venetian art and backlit onyx walls. Indoor canals with gondoliers add a romantic touch in this Italian-themed Vegas hotel that rivals Disney theme-park decor. Many guests enjoy the ability to navigate around the resort without being forced through the casino area, as is the case with many of The Venetian’s neighbors. The shopping is particularly impressive here with alligator shoes, $2,000 watches and a recreation of St. Mark’s Square with glass blowers, minstrels and actors. You can also find a branch of the Guggenheim Museum here! While the pools are nothing to write home about, the spa (with nutritionists, physical therapists, massage chairs and acupuncturists) and the gym (with aerobics, yoga, dance, pilates and rock climbing) make up for it.

This is, of course, just a small smattering of the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. In other cities, you wouldn’t dare walk into a hotel with no intent of renting a room. Yet the hotels in Las Vegas invite you to come in, gamble a little, marvel at the scenery and architecture, catch a show, purchase a spa service or go shopping in the esplanade. More than just a place to rest your head, these behemoths are all-in-one empires that will make you feel like a king or queen while you’re in town.