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    September 4
    Leaving Las Vegas I just returned from my yearly trip to Las Vegas. It is amazing to see how much has changed each year that we visit. This year we decided to try a few different things from our normal itinerary. We did stay at the Bellagio. (www.bellagio.com) It is our favorite hotel on the strip for many reasons. For me, the Bellagio experience starts with the smell when you walk inside. The Bellagio was one of the first hotels that started using a signature scent to help shape the experience. The minute you walk into the hotel, there is a very welcoming scent. It is not something that you can pin point but when you smell it again it brings back memories of the Bellagio. They also have very comfortable rooms, large bathrooms, firm pillows and great views of the strip. The pool area is also beautiful. They have well manicured roses and Italian inspired gardens surrounding the pool. There are plenty of chairs available. One of the very nice things, is it is not necessary to rush out first thing in the morning to stake out your spot at the pool.  There are many chairs available and helpful pool attendants to assist, if necessary. They also have many cabanas available for rental if you are looking for even more hospitality. As much as I love the Bellagio, I did contemplate trying out the newly opened Palazzo Hotel. After visiting it, I will seriously consider staying there for a couple of nights on my next trip. It is a beautiful hotel. It is the new tower that is connected to the Venetian.  It is very high ceilings and wide hallways. The wide hallways keep it from feeling cramped when the people started to pile in. They have a bunch of great new restaurants including the Wolfgang Puck steakhouse named, Cut and a great small-plate place named, Lavo. Both spots had great lounges to start your evening off with a glass of Prosecco or a martini. Another, new spot that we tried was Koi. Located in the Planet Hollywood casino, Koi is a Japanese fusion restaurant. They have a large menu of sushi and other cooked dishes such as Kobe beef pot stickers (my fav). The great secret of this restaurant is that they have a large area of windows that overlooks the fountains at the Bellagio. We only found about this by accident. We asked to be moved to that area when being seated. We were told that the tables within this area are only available when spending a $100 per person including alcohol. While this may seem like a lot, please remember this is a sushi restaurant. Many of the dishes are in the $20- $30  range and the cocktails start around $12. Therefore, it is VERY easy to meet this minimum. There were only a few other tables taken in this room. You are seated on comfy couches with lots of pillows and have a fantastic view of the setting sun and fountains at the Bellagio. We easily made the $100 minimum without ordering anything that we would not have ordered if seated in the regular dining area. The second secret tip that I will offer is a great place to watch the Bellagio fountain show. The restaurant Prime has a great patio that only serves cocktails and dessert. If you eat at Prime, you get preferred seating on the patio for dessert. However, if you go early enough, they will allow you have cocktails and watch the show without first eating dinner at Prime. This patio provides a front row view of the fountain show with the beautiful Paris hotel and Eiffel Tower in the background.   It was another very successful trip to Las Vegas, I only wish I could have come back with more money. Photo Attributed to Frank Gruber

    Leaving Las Vegas

    I just returned from my yearly trip to Las Vegas. It is amazing to see how much has changed each year that we visit. This year we decided to try a few different things from our normal itinerary. We did stay at the Bellagio. (www.bellagio.com) It is our favorite hotel on the strip for many reasons. For me, the Bellagio experience starts with the smell when you walk inside. The Bellagio was one of the first hotels that started using a signature scent to help shape the experience. The minute you walk into the hotel, there is a very welcoming scent. It is not something that you can pin point but when you smell it again it brings back memories of the Bellagio. They also have very comfortable rooms, large bathrooms, firm pillows and great views of the strip. The pool area is also beautiful. They have well manicured roses and Italian inspired gardens surrounding the pool. There are plenty of chairs available. One of the very nice things, is it is not necessary to rush out first thing in the morning to stake out your spot at the pool.  There are many chairs available and helpful pool attendants to assist, if necessary. They also have many cabanas available for rental if you are looking for even more hospitality. As much as I love the Bellagio, I did contemplate trying out the newly opened Palazzo Hotel. After visiting it, I will seriously consider staying there for a couple of nights on my next trip. It is a beautiful hotel. It is the new tower that is connected to the Venetian.  It is very high ceilings and wide hallways. The wide hallways keep it from feeling cramped when the people started to pile in. They have a bunch of great new restaurants including the Wolfgang Puck steakhouse named, Cut and a great small-plate place named, Lavo. Both spots had great lounges to start your evening off with a glass of Prosecco or a martini.

    Another, new spot that we tried was Koi. Located in the Planet Hollywood casino, Koi is a Japanese fusion restaurant. They have a large menu of sushi and other cooked dishes such as Kobe beef pot stickers (my fav). The great secret of this restaurant is that they have a large area of windows that overlooks the fountains at the Bellagio. We only found about this by accident. We asked to be moved to that area when being seated. We were told that the tables within this area are only available when spending a $100 per person including alcohol. While this may seem like a lot, please remember this is a sushi restaurant. Many of the dishes are in the $20- $30  range and the cocktails start around $12. Therefore, it is VERY easy to meet this minimum. There were only a few other tables taken in this room. You are seated on comfy couches with lots of pillows and have a fantastic view of the setting sun and fountains at the Bellagio. We easily made the $100 minimum without ordering anything that we would not have ordered if seated in the regular dining area. The second secret tip that I will offer is a great place to watch the Bellagio fountain show. The restaurant Prime has a great patio that only serves cocktails and dessert. If you eat at Prime, you get preferred seating on the patio for dessert. However, if you go early enough, they will allow you have cocktails and watch the show without first eating dinner at Prime. This patio provides a front row view of the fountain show with the beautiful Paris hotel and Eiffel Tower in the background.  

    It was another very successful trip to Las Vegas, I only wish I could have come back with more money.

    Photo Attributed to Frank Gruber

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