Las Vegas Hotel Review: The Bellagio

The Bellagio sits on the hallowed grounds that
one was home to the Dunes Hotel Casino Country club
and golf course. I remember flying in
at night and the first thing I saw was from the airplane window
was the neon Dunes sign. Even though the Dunes was on its last
breath, we were sad to see it go and wondered if Steve Wynn
would be able pull off this huge undertaking. I remember
watching the hotel going up and seeing the huge hole that
would become its lake and fountain show. Could he do it?
Yup! He did it with his usual flair and style.
The hotel is now under the MGM group, and they've
managed to keep it upscale and unique.

The hotel rooms are done in shades of
and earth tones. The bed is probably the most
comfortable bed you've ever slept in. If it weren't
in Las Vegas, you couldn't get me out of it.
The pillows are both feather and poly, the linens have to
have a huge thread count, they are like buttah.

The bathrooms have a large garden tub, a separate
shower and a large vanity full of upscale toiletries.
You'll find body lotion, shampoo, conditioner,
mouthwash, a small vanity pack full of q-tips,
cotton balls and a nail file,
a shower cap and depending on the mood of your maid,
other stuff like a lint brush, a shoe buffer and
other fun surprises.Oh, the towels are think and
fluffy and have big B's on them. And besides having a
hair dryer,you'll find a scale.
After chowing down and going one buffet over the line,
you don't want to face THE SCALE. Just kick it under the
vanity and pretend it doesn't exist.

Expect turn down service and chocolate on your bed stand.
You have your high priced mini bar that operates on a sensor.
you don't want it, don't pick it up because it will show up on
your bill. By the way, the chocolates in it are to die for,
but they'll cost you.

The unique feature of their rooms are the automatic drapes.
They operate by touch buttons on the foyer wall and by the
bed. Fun to play with, very useful to wake up your sleepy
partner. Your room has a safe and a TV. If you are lucky
enough to score an free upgrade to a view room or pay extra
for the fountain view, you can watch the fountains from
your window and tune your TV to the Bellagio fountain
music station and hear the music in your room.
Very cool!

The pool complex is like walking into a Tuscan garden.
There are individual pools, way out of everyone's price
cabanas, fountains, topiaries, flowers and cedar trees.
There's a pool side restaurant and drink service so
you can lounge all day long either in the sun or the shade.
The landscaping has nooks and crannies where you can lounge
without being bothered.

The Bellagio Pool Complex

The hotel is spotless. Spotless. The rooms in the original
tower of the hotel have all been updated to match the
rooms in the new tower. This hotel is amazing, if you get
the chance to stay here,don't hesitate!

The staff is helpful and accommodating.There is nothing
snooty about this place despite what you may have heard.
Everyone is all about you having a great time.

The Bellagio has an under 18
child policy. Some people are ticked off by it. Others
like me applaud the idea of no strollers except for hotel
guests. I've been rammed by so many strollers in Las Vegas
that I just want to tell the parent...go to Disney for
gawd's sake. Or what are you doing with that kid at
2am walking around? Get a brain. I'm in favor of keeping
the Bellagio an adult oasis. Directly from the web site,
here's their policy:

You must be 18 years of age or a registered hotel guest to
enter Bellagio Casino.

The following exceptions apply to
minors who are at least 5 years of age and accompanied
by an adult at least 18 years of age:

• Restaurant reservations for Michael Mina, FIX, Sensi, Circo,
  
• Jasmine,
  
• Le Cirque, Picasso, Shintaro or Prime
• Attending a wedding in our Wedding Chapels
• Attending a convention function
• Attending a performance of "O"
• Gallery of Fine Art
• Children of hotel guests and non-hotel guests are allowed
  
• if accompanied
  
• by an adult. Non-hotel guests with children must have
  
• their tickets in hand prior to arriving to Bellagio.
• Visiting a Via Bellagio shop by appointment only

Strollers are allowed for hotel guests only.

Las Vegas Hotel Implosions, Mourning the old Hotel Casinos

In Las Vegas, old hotels never die. They are put to death in a massive
implosion, done with fanfare, as only Las Vegas can do.

I will always mourn the Dunes' sign. The sign was the first thing we spotted
as out plane started to land. The neon and the glittering lights was old Vegas. The casino inside pretty much sucked, in the last years it was nearly empty. But the sign beckoned me in every time. I'm not mourning the Dunes, because my favorite hotel, the Bellagio took its place. I just miss the sign.

The Hacienda made way for Mandalay Bay. The old Hacienda housed some amazing acts: magician Lance Burton when he was starting out, the late Red Foxx and Cook E Jarr ruled the lounge and the casino in his leopard spandex. The casino was full of cigar smoke, but I miss the atmosphere. The buffet was horrible,but hey, they served free wine.

The Desert Inn was imploded to make way for Wynn's. The Crystal room at the DI was THE place to see a Las Vegas. I remember seeing Frankie Vallie and the 4 Seasons. The room was gorgeous, but you had to go through this claustrophobic tunnel to reach the showroom. The showroom manager led me to the best seat in the house WITHOUT a tip! Guess he liked me or it was easier to shut me up by seating me!! At one time, staying at the DI was the hottest room in town. Wynn's took its place with the most expensive to build hotel rooms in Las Vegas.

And who can ever forget the Sands, with their round towers? It was the home of the Rat Pack, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. I regret I didn't go there during the Rat Pack heyday. You still hear stories of how Sinatra would deal cards after a show in the casino and pay off all the losers. The Sands was a fun place, I still have a lot of the old Sands cups and mugs they gave away just for walking in the door. And it was the home of the original "Viva Las Vegas" afternoon show that was ALWAYS packed. The wood in the casino was dark, ceilings were low and full of chandeliers, unlike today's ultra modern casinos. Today, the marble palace, the Venetian stands in its place. I wonder if their ghosts haunt the Venetian? Wouldn't that be a fun haunt?

I found this page on Vegas.com that shows the old hotels and their implosions. Its a fun look at the old hotels going down!