Incredible Vegas! It's been over 7 years since I have been to Vegas and every time I go back it just gets more incredible and outrageous. But you got to love it!I was attending a Travel Conference in May so I decided to arrive a few days early to see the new hotels and take in some shows. They did not disappoint. First off we got to stay in the beautiful Venetian. What an exquisite hotel. They offer all suites and the hotel, rooms, casino and Grand Canal shops are wonderful. I love Italy so staying here made it so special for me. They really did a fantastic job of duplicating some of the wonderful sites in Italy, like Doges Palace, Bridge of Sigh, St. Marks Square, The Campanile, The Rialto Bridge and of course the canals, both inside and out of the hotel, complete with gondolas and singing gondoliers.
We had the standard suites which were very large and comfortable around 680 sq ft. We loved it. The rates right now are around $149.00 a night, which I feel was a bargain considering the size of the room, the hotel itself and the location on the Strip.
While at the Venetian we ate at the reasonably priced Grand Lux, they now have one at the Palazzo (The Venetians sister property). The decor is fun and the food pretty good. Open 24 hrs. We also had burgers one evening at I Love Burgers on the second floor near the shops in the Palazzo, although pricey for hamburgers, I will say it was probably the best burger I have ever had. There are numerous restaurant to chose from, however most are very pricey, but that's Vegas!
We had tickets to see Phantom, which I loved. The production in Vegas was very good with the exception of the lead actor who played the Phantom, although he had a good voice and his acting was good, we felt his voice was not strong or powerful enough, other than that is was great, the set was phenomenal they even had the Chandelier come cashing down into the audience. (uh oh, maybe that was a spoiler for some of you... sorry). The other popular shows that the Venetian has was Jersey Boys, which I heard was very good too and The Blue Man Group. I won't say much about them, I saw 20 mins of the show at a different venue and walked out! Although I know other people like the show...so it just depends on your taste. I would not recommend them, save your money! :)
You can spend probably 4 days alone just inside the Venetian and the Palazzo, there is so much to see and do and they are really beautiful resorts. I did try my hand at the slot machines a few times and did not have any luck in the casino in the Venetian, but on the last day I tried the slots in the Palazzo and kept on winning, so that was fun....They have a huge selection of slot machines, all the new ones available at both resorts.
