Vegas Online – Hotels, Casinos & More

Attractions at this dazzling Las Vegas Strip hotel include an opulent health and beauty spa (surcharges) and an indoor shopping/dining mall styled like a 1920s Parisian street scene, with shops and restaurants located in charming storefronts. Paris Las Vegas connects to the Art-Deco Bally’s via a short interior passage that virtually merges the two hotels. Bally’s features rhinestone-bejeweled dancers and classic lounge acts.

A guided elevator ride (surcharge) whisks guests to the top of the half-scale Eiffel Tower, rising 460 feet above the street. A two-thirds-scale Arc de Triomphe sets the tone at the hotel’s entrance. Partial replications of the Louvre, the Paris Opera House, and the Hotel de Ville (city hall) augment the Parisian flavor. All are noteworthy shutterbug opportunities.

Dining temptations include the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, with panoramic views; the chic Les Artistes Steakhouse; a French-inspired buffet; a sidewalk café; and a bistro with alfresco seating.

Both self-parking and valet parking are complimentary (gratuity not included).

About a mile from the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, and Fashion Show Mall, the Bellagio offers multiple non-gaming facilities.

With a design based on Zen philosophy, the 65,000-square-foot Spa & Salon at Bellagio (surcharge) features travertine marble, granite, bleached walnut, onyx, reflecting pools, water walls, and illuminated aqua-colored glass. The spa has 54 treatment rooms, men’s and women’s saunas, steam rooms, and spa tubs of varying temperatures. A fitness center offers yoga, Pilates, and spinning classes.

Via Bellagio hosts such luxury boutiques as Prada, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and Hermès. An ornate vault of glass and green wrought iron, the Conservatory shelters a seasonal flower garden. A Mediterranean garden with fruit trees houses five heated pools, three with oversize fountains.

Meeting and event space includes two grand ballrooms and 14 meeting rooms from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet. A business center provides high-speed Internet access, printing, faxing, copying, shipping, and other services (surcharges).

What to expect:

Exquisite, opulent, gracious—these descriptions convey the appeal of Bellagio to world travelers who wish to vacation like royalty. A marble lobby features a ceiling of 2,000 glass blossoms created by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Via Bellagio offers shops and designer boutiques under a ceiling of etched glass and green wrought iron.

The 29,000-square-foot Japanese-style MGM Grand Spa & Health Club offers treatments such as Zen Stone Massage, couples massage, Fijian Sugar Rub, Parafango with Exfoliation (Austrian mud and paraffin), airbrush body bronzing, Chi Yang Energy Facials, and nail care. Hair styling is by Cristophe Salon of Beverly Hills.

The spa includes a fitness center with a wide selection of cardio and weight machines, along with men’s and women’s saunas, steam rooms, relaxation lounges, and spa tubs. Use of spa facilities is available for a daily charge or complimentary with a treatment.

The resort’s Grand Pool Complex has five pools. The number of pools available to guests at any given time depends on the season and number of guests at the resort. Wet Republic features additional pools, spa tubs, bungalows, party cabanas, daybeds, and chaise lounges.

A business center offers computers with high-speed Internet access (surcharge) and laptop stations (surcharge). Wireless Internet access (surcharge) is available in public areas.

The on-site Forever Grand Wedding Chapel comprises two chapels; guests can also exchange their vows on an outdoor terrace overlooking the pool. Wedding services include catering, photography, music, and floral arrangements (surcharges for all).

What to expect:

Billing itself as “maximum Vegas,” the 5,044-room MGM Grand Hotel and Casino contains all of the Vegas energy and excitement under one roof. The hotel is fronted by a 45-foot-tall lion, the largest bronze statue in the United States and a tribute to the MGM film studio’s legendary roaring-lion symbol.

Amenity highlights:

ntertainment includes a lion habitat, headliners and sports events at the Grand Garden Arena, a nude-female dance troupe from Crazy Horse in Paris, a re-creation of the 1970s New York dance club Studio 54, and the Cirque du Soleil production KÀ. An array of dining choices includes a French restaurant by celebrated chef Joël Robuchon and a branch of New York’s acclaimed Fiamma. Two pool complexes include outdoor pools, spa tubs, and cabanas.

Insider tip:

Exclusive in Las Vegas, the two-hour Dreaming Ritual treatment and massage at the health spa features oils and wraps inspired by Australian Aboriginal culture.

The Monte Carlo Hotel Las Vegas is a Mediterranean style resort, hotel and casino. Granite and Italian marble details are in every deluxe room in this sprawling 3,002- room hotel, with 259 magnificent suites. Cherry wood and brass fixtures as well as views of the Las Vegas Strip or the pool area of the Monte Carlo Hotel Las Vegas make every room a nice place to be. Fine bath and body products from Gilchrist and Soames are in every bathroom.

City views, a seating area with a sofa, and a half bath and a full bath with a spa option are features of the Monaco suites. A full-sized spa tub with Las Vegas Strip views, a wet sauna, and king sized beds make the Spa suites a luxurious choice during your stay at the Monte Carlo Las Vegas.

A spa has a fitness facility, as well as body wraps and the latest treatments to pamper mind and body. Visit the golf concierge to book a tee time at a nearby Las Vegas golf courses. The cascading waterfall of the 21,000 square-foot pool area is a highlight of the resort. The Lagoon pool is a classically styled pool, while the kiddie pool, heated spa pool and wave pool and easy river ride are also part of the Monte Carlo Hotel pool, so you never get bored.

Within the pool area are the tennis courts, which feature the following amenities:

Morning Tennis Clinic
Tennis Lessons
Court Rental
Racquet Rental
Match Maker
100 Ball Hopper
Ball Machine
Speed Gun
Racquet Stringing

For a fresh new look, visit the Monte Carlo Signature salon. This unisex salon and barbershop is open every day from 9am to 7pm. The Salon is located in the Street of Dreams, a cobblestone avenue that is lined with trees as well as shops and restaurants such as Elton’s, Indulge, Lunettes, Monte Carlo Collections, and Bubbles. These are newer shops, which have been added to the Street of Dreams, which already had the Medici Cigar Club and the Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery when it first opened in 1996.

Aged mesquite grilled steaks and seafood appetizers draw diners from all over the Las Vegas Strip to Blackstone’s Steakhouse. A cigar lounge and a wine cellar offer a hint of the elegance you can expect at Andre’s French restaurant, open at 6pm every day. Reservations are highly recommended. The Market city cafe has Italian food and Dragon Noodle, which is open from 11am to 11pm, are both good casual dining options.

The Lance Burton Magic Shop, and the Club Casino Royal add hours of fun to your stay at the Monte Carlo Las Vegas. The Backstreet arcade has 60 kinds of games and is open daily from 10am to 10pm.

For more entertainment, buy a ticket to the Lance Burton Magic show, which is every night at 7pm, with additional late night shows on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10pm. Houdini’s lounge is a no cover bar that has live piano music from 10pm to 1am Thursday through Sunday. The Monte Carlo Casino Las Vegas is open 24 hours and has more than 2,100 video poker and slot machines which cost anywhere from 5 cents to $100. You have your choice of 95 gaming tables with classic games such as Craps, Caribbean Stud, Baccarat, Keno, double-deck Blackjack, single zero Roulette and Pai Gow Poker in the Monte Carlo Casino.

Isn’t this exactly the kind of hotel you think about — or dream about or fear — when you think “Las Vegas”? There it is, a jumbled pile mock-up of the venerable Manhattan skyline — the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Public Library — all crammed together, along with the 150-foot Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, all built to approximately one-third scale. And as if that weren’t enough, they threw in a roller coaster running around the outside and into the hotel and casino itself. And inside, it all gets better. There are details everywhere — so many, in fact, that the typical expression on the face of casino-goers is slack-jawed wonder.

If you enter the casino via the Brooklyn Bridge (the walkway from the Strip), you’ll find yourself in a replica of Greenwich Village, down to the cobblestones, the manhole covers, the tenement-style buildings, and the graffiti. (Yes, they even re-created that. You should see the subway station.) The reception area and lobby are done in an Art Deco, golden-age-of-Manhattan style; you’ll feel like breaking into a 1930s musical number while standing there. It’s a wow! all right. The word “subtle” was obviously not in the lexicon of the designers. We will leave it to you to decide, based on your own aesthetic values, if all this is a good or bad thing. Let’s just say that to us, it’s very, very good indeed. This is exactly what we come to Vegas for — unbridled, unrepentant, theme-gone-wild.

Upstairs — oh, yes, there’s much more — is the arcade, which is Coney Island-themed (naturally), and just as crowded as the real thing. Kids play boardwalk games in the hopes of winning tickets redeemable for cheap prizes. (You’re never too young to start learning about gambling.) The line for the roller coaster starts here. There are many restaurants, all housed in buildings that fit the theme of whatever New York neighborhood is represented in that particular part of the hotel.

Park Avenue Deluxe

Broadway Deluxe

Rooms are housed in different towers, each with a New York-inspired name. The place is so massive and mazelike that finding your way to your room can take a while. There are 64 different layouts for the rooms, which are currently undergoing their third makeover, probably moving them ever farther from the original Deco-inspired decor to something bland. Still, they should be comfortable, and though the bathrooms are small, they are done in a pleasing gray marble. There can be a loooonnnggg walk from the elevators, so if you have ambulatory issues, you had best mention this while booking. Rooms in the single digits seem to be in the Empire Tower, if that helps give you a clue to location. Light sleepers should request a room away from the roller coaster. The health club and spa just got an expensive new makeover and are much larger. The mediocre pool is right next to the parking structure.

In addition to a particularly nice food court and a number of more-than-decent restaurants, including reliable Italian chain Il Fornaio, there are several festive and beautifully decorated bars throughout the property. Coyote Ugly is a party-hearty bar where dancing on furniture is encouraged and the female bartenders are hired just to be sassy. At The Bar at Times Square, dueling pianos set the mood for a lively neighborhood bar conviviality. This is home to the topless and adults-only Cirque du Soleil production Zumanity, which we think is overrated.

The main casino area is done as Central Park, complete with trees, babbling brooks, streetlamps, and footbridges. The change carts are little yellow cabs.

Facilities:

7 restaurants; food court; casino; showrooms; outdoor pool; health club; spa; Jacuzzi; video-game arcade w/midway games; tour desk; business center; salon; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms

Vegas prides itself, these days, on offering all sorts of “luxury resorts.” Vegas exaggerates — in some cases, by a lot. Truth be told, this is the only luxury resort (Four Seasons Las Vegas is a luxury hotel more than anything else because of its setup), and it’s not even in Las Vegas. It’s on the outskirts of next-door suburb Henderson, on the shores of Lake Las Vegas, meaning a 30-minute or so drive from the Strip.

Why on Earth are we recommending it? Because to come here is to come to a gobsmackingly beautiful resort — between the sparkling water and the crisp mountains, all the better in the early evening with a warm breeze blowing, this is the serene oasis everyone dreams of when he or she comes to the desert. Plus, it has all the pampering bells and whistles you could want. Here’s the thing you have to remember: Those Strip “resorts” aren’t in the hotel business; they are in the casino business, and the hotel is just a sideline. Ritz-Carlton is a proper hotelier, and you are the beneficiary. Certainly, the price is not cheap (though watch the website for some great deals), but once you realize what’s included — all manner of treats that Strip “resorts” will charge you for as extras, plus impeccable service and a setting that’s a dream — it’s not a bad deal. Come here for a true getaway, and treat Vegas as a nearby attraction, an additional perk for your vacation.

Set right on the shores of the man-made (but so’s Lake Mead, and we’ve gotten over it) Lake Las Vegas, and styled like an Italian lakeside resort, this property couldn’t be more handsome, from the lobby to the cool-palette rooms, with plump beds, comforters, and Frette linens. All bathrooms are large and fully marbled (not tile, but real marble), with deep and long soaking tubs and amenities for miles. Most rooms have water views (make sure you get one of those) either of the serpentine lake (our favorite) or of the little bay that abuts the property. Some have balconies, and all have windows that open. Keep an eye on the lake for sightings of the big fish that occasionally cruise just below the surface.

The health club is the sort where all machines have flatscreen TVs, and the spa offers hot and cold plunge pools, plus a 360-degree Vichy shower and Prada skin treatments and products. There is one basic pool (with nice gazebos for shade) and one little “sandy beach” dipping area. And the overall service? We felt like if we sneezed, three people would have rushed at us with tissues, and four would have called doctors, just to make sure we were okay. It’s also quiet, a great change from the hurly-burly found at most Strip hotels. And yet, it’s not at all stuffy; no one minds if you run around in a bathing suit and bare feet.

The activities are the best around, from a large array of desert and mountain hikes, both on your own and guided (including a restful one that includes a round of Tai Chi in the evening), to stargazing (you are far enough from city lights, so the looking is good) to boating on the lake to honest-to-gosh fly-fishing. Daily yoga sessions and other physical fitness classes are also offered. And the hotel has access to two high-level golf courses.

Medi Cafe Terrace

Firenze Lobby Lounge

Parents, in particular, should note that the club-level rooms offer, for an extra $100 a night, access to a lounge (complete with its own concierge and even more fabulous service), with nearly ’round-the-clock free “snacks,” generous (and most of the time, rather fancy) enough to cover all your meal needs — that, plus free drinks, alcoholic and otherwise, makes this option a bargain. Think how much you spend on meals and drinks, and tell us that it doesn’t routinely go over an extra $100 a day. Right next door is a charming faux-Italian village with nearly 40 shops and restaurants (so you need not rely on the hotel’s restaurant, though it is excellent), plus a large, if borderline dull, casino, if you want that kind of action but don’t want to drive to the Strip. There are regular shuttles to the Strip for a $35 fee, though why anyone would leave here is beyond us.

Facilities:

Restaurant; bar; casino; 2 pools; health club w/some free exercise classes; spa; summer children’s program; concierge; tour desk; business center; shuttle to Strip; salon; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms.

In room: A/C, TV w/pay movies, Nintendo, dataport, high-speed Internet access (for a fee), Wi-Fi (included in resort fee), minibar, hair dryer, iron/ironing board, safe.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Vegas is simply not a good place to bring your kids. Most of the major hotels have backed away from being perceived as places for families, no longer offering babysitting, much less exciting children’s activities. Further, fewer hotels offer discounts for children staying in parents’ rooms, and many of the others have lowered the age for children staying free.

In addition to the suggestions below, you might consider choosing a non-casino hotel, particularly a reliable chain, and a place with kitchenettes.

* Circus Circus Hotel & Casino

Centrally located on the Strip, this is our first choice if you’re traveling with the kids. The hotel’s mezzanine level offers ongoing circus acts daily from 11am to midnight, dozens of carnival games, and an arcade. And behind the hotel is a full amusement park.

* Excalibur

Though the sword-and-sorcery theme has been considerably toned down, Excalibur features an entire floor of midway games, a large video-game arcade, and more. It also has some child-oriented eateries and shows. It also now has a heavily promoted male-stripper show, though, so it’s not perfect.

* Four Seasons

For free goodies, service, and general child pampering, the costly Four Seasons is probably worth the dough. Your kids will be spoiled!

* Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay certainly looks grown-up, but it has a number of factors that make it family friendly: good-size rooms, to start, which you do not have to cross a casino to access; a variety of restaurants; a family-appropriate show; a big ol’ shark attraction; and, best of all, the swimming area — wave pool, sandy beach, lazy river, lots of other pools — fun in the Vegas sun!

* MGM Grand

While decidedly no longer targeted toward families — their high-profile nudie show Crazy Horse Paris! should be your tip-off — MGM Grand is still frequented by families, thanks to an excellent swimming pool area, a decent arcade, and other goodies.

* New York-New York

Overstimulating and hectic, for sure, but between the roller coaster and the Coney Island-style midway, not to mention just looking around, this has options for children (though going almost anywhere requires walking through the casino).

* Orleans

With some kid-friendly possibilities (a bowling alley and movie theaters), a not particularly lascivious environment, and at a distance from the decidedly lascivious Strip, the Orleans is a viable family-appropriate hotel, with something for each age range — including a casino for those of age and desire.

* Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas

Like the Four Seasons, it’s costly, but with so many recreational activities and the Lake Las Vegas setting (well out of the way of the path of Sin City), it offers a lot over the regular Vegas resorts.

* Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

For families looking for reasonably priced, if not particularly exciting, digs, this is a good choice. Plus, it’s not in the middle of the Strip action, so you and your kids can avoid that. Thus far it’s not moving in the “adult entertainment” direction, and it has thrill rides at the top.

Who Kept the Kids Out?
– Some hotels — notably Bellagio, which started the practice, and Wynn Las Vegas — ban children who are not staying on-site from stepping foot on the hotel premises and ban strollers even if you are staying there. Child-free adults love the bans, but families who travel to Vegas (can we say yet again that this is not a family destination?) may be seriously inconvenienced by it. The policy doesn’t appear to be uniformly enforced (hotels don’t want to offend parents who have plenty of dough to gamble, after all), but we’ve seen families and teenagers get turned away from a hotel because they couldn’t produce a room key. If you’re traveling with your kids, or want to be free of someone else’s, your best bet is to call your chosen hotel and ask what its policy is.

Mandalay Bay is one of our favorite hotels. Why? Well, we love that the lobby (impossibly high ceilings, calm, gleaming with marble, and housing a large aquarium), and the other public areas really do make this seem more like an actual resort hotel than just a Vegas version of one. You don’t have to walk through the crasino to get to any of these public areas or the guest-room elevators, the pool area is spiffy, and the entire complex is marginally less confusing and certainly less overwhelming than some of the neighboring behemoths.

We wouldn’t say it really evokes colonial Southeast Asia — oh, maybe around the edges, if you squint, thanks to the odd bit of foliage or Balinese carving. This may well keep out the gawkers, who are looking for bigger visual thrills, but we find a place whose theme doesn’t bop you over the head refreshing.

The freshly redone spacious rooms are among the most desirable on the Strip. There is no tropical influence; they’ve gone with geometrics like everyone else, though theirs are very handsome indeed. The bathrooms are the crowning glory: downright large with impressive, slightly sunken tubs, glassed-in showers, double sinks, and separate water closets, plus lots of fab amenities. Rooms on higher floors have some of the best Strip views in town, but usually cost an additional fee.

Service overall is pretty good, and those pool-area employees are the tops in Vegas, though there were no security guards at the guest elevators. A monorail system connects the hotel with Luxor and Excalibur, which are located in the heart of the Strip action, and this should more than help you get over any feelings of isolation.

The restaurants in Mandalay Bay feature some of the most innovative interiors in Vegas, each one more whimsical and imaginative than the next. Even if you don’t eat at the hotel, drop in and poke around the restaurants: Aureole, a highly rated branch of Charlie Palmer’s renowned New York City restaurant. And then there’s rumjungle, which features a dramatically skewered all-you-can-eat multicourse Brazilian feast, which you’ll enjoy while listening to world-beat drums, surrounded by walls of fire and water and other striking visual features. More casual food can be found at House of Blues, whose Southern delicacies are often quite palate-pleasing; HOB is probably the best place in town to see rock bands. Mandalay Bay has a showroom where Mamma Mia!, just finished a years-long run, and a separate arena that was inaugurated by none other than the late Luciano Pavarotti. There’s also a big, comfortable casino, airier and less claustrophobic than most, plus three bars, often featuring live music at night.

There are no fewer than four pools (entering this area is like going to a water park, thanks to upgraded security — all guests, regardless of age, must show a room key), including the touted wave pool, which is, unfortunately, a classic example of Vegas bait-and-switch. It can’t handle waves of any serious size, but bobbing in the miniwaves is delightful, as is floating happily in the lazy river (tubes are available for rental — we say save some bucks and share a tube with friends, taking turns using it). Though it was already the finest pool area in town, recent overhauls have given it even more style, adding in a poolside casino, restaurant, and bar. All in all, this area alone makes this resort a top choice for families (except, perhaps, in the topless swimming area).

The health club is sufficiently stocked to give you a good workout (it should be, as they charge guests $27 per day to use it — $20 for the gym only at THEhotel’s facility). The spa area proper — featuring hot and warm pools, plus a cold plunge pool — is exotically designed, as close to those found in the Turkish spas in Eastern Europe as we’ve come across, though without the weathered decay of decades or centuries, which can be a good thing. Load up on that rich moisturizer when dressing — it costs $17 a bottle in the store outside the door.

Facilities:
22 restaurants; casino; 12,000-seat events center; 1,700-seat performing-arts theater; aquarium; wedding chapels; 4 outdoor pools w/lazy river and wave pool; health club; spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; watersports equipment/rentals; concierge; tour desk; business center; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms

You won’t find any sleeping lions in the jungle of this city tonight – after two weeks in preview mode, The Lion King will finally have its gala premiere and official opening tonight, May 15, at 7:30 pm. And as we’ve learned in our interview with associate director John Stefaniuk, the Vegas production is one of the biggest that Disney Theatrical Productions has ever staged, with a bigger set, bigger cast, and even a few big surprises.

“When they decided to come to Vegas, they wanted to bring the full Broadway lavish production rather than an augmented version of the show that doesn’t use quite as many technical elements. We decided to bring the entire production – as a matter of fact, a larger production than one we’ve ever done before, including Broadway, to Vegas,” Stefaniuk explained.

That production includes more than 200 puppets, including rod puppets, shadow puppets, and full-sized puppets; 21 musicians, 17 wardrobe people, and 5 hair/makeup artists; 700 lighting instruments; and twelve bird kites in one number alone.

For the Vegas show, Stefaniuk and the Disney ‘core’ team hand-picked an international cast of performers with credits in The Lion King and other shows all over the globe. Playing the sardonic and devious “Scar” is Thom Sesma, while Alton F. White plays the role of the regal lion king “Mufasa.” His son “Simba” will be played by Clifton Oliver, and Kissy Simmons will play the courageous lioness “Nala.” Buyi Zama will play the wise baboon shaman “Rafiki,” and giving life to the wisecracking meerkat “Timon” is Damian Baldet. His friend “Pumbaa” will be played by Adam Kozlowski, while the prim and proper hornbilled bird “Zazu” is played by Patrick Kerr.

The cast also features nine South African natives, including Buyi Zama, and three ensemble members from Las Vegas.

And even if you’ve seen The Lion King before, you’re sure to get a unique experience every time you see it, especially here in Las Vegas. Each cast has its unique chemistry, and when it comes to the Mandalay Bay production, the chemistry is even fiercer when you add in the spirited South African south members and the energy from the Vegas audience.

“It’s funny, you rehearse the show and rehearse the show, and no matter how much you rehearse it, it’s that feedback and that energy back from the audience that really gives the actors that last piece that you just can’t give them,” said Stefaniuk.

If you want to enjoy a little additional Lion King fun or get excited for the show, drop by the chilly ice lounge Minus 5 today to check out a cool new ice sculpture of Simba. Carvers began yesterday at 1 pm and put the final touches on his mane at 6:30 pm.

Also, guests can get a behind-the-scenes look at the Vegas production at an exhibit on display at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place. The exhibit features historical photographs, imagery from Lion King productions around the world, and maquette models designed by director Julie Taymor that served as prototypes for the countless costumes and puppets developed for the show. Spread throughout the Shoppes at Mandalay Bay, the exhibit follows how The Lion King was brought to the stage, revealing the vision behind its choreography, costumes, puppets, masks, music, and more.

And don’t forget to check out the show itself! The Lion King performs nightly Saturday through Thursday at 8 pm on weekdays and at 4 pm and 8 pm on weekends