It's big! It's bad! It's bella! One of the most remarkable hotels on the Las Vegas strip is without a doubt the Bellagio. It has a huge presence that to some may even seem overwhelming. While it is a resort with some seriously significant substance, it is not necessarily everyone's cup of tea...uh, espresso. But, of course, in the end that depends on your personal taste and what it is you are looking for in terms of your home away from home for your Las Vegas Vacation.
The Bellagio is modeled after the municipality in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy, and it even includes an eight-acre reproduction of Lake Como that fronts Las Vegas Boulevard. The lake is the site of the Bellagio Water Fountains. These fabulous and free shows feature lights, undulating and dancing fountains that shoot as high as 250', and a variety of operatic, classical and broadway music. The shows go off every half hour from from 3:00-8:00pm and every fifteen minutes after 8:00 until midnight Monday through Friday, and every half hour from noon until 8:00pm and every fifteen minutes after 8:00 until midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Shows may be canceled if there are high winds.
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| Lobby Decoration |
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| Bellagio Lobby |
The Bellagio was opened in 1998 at a cost of 1.6 billion dollars, and it began the new era of modern luxury resorts in Las Vegas. It has a definite Euro flavor, with a European-styled pool area and spa, and European-styled casino. It has a presence to it that shouts "Big!" but it also strikes some visitors as being less personal than some competitive hotel resorts such as the Paris Las Vegas, which is directly across the street. The hotel has 3,993 rooms, and it is vast and ideal for people who like to walk.
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| Lobby With Dale Chihuly Glass Sculpture |
The lobby area has a botanical theme and is an incredible sight to behold. It features the Fiori di Como, a ten million dollar Dale Chihuly glass sculpture of 2,000 handblown flowers. The sculpture is thirty by seventy feet and was the largest glass sculpture in the world when it was made.
Another notable feature of the hotel is the Bellagio Conservatory which continues the botanical theme. It is a 14,000 square foot indoor garden with a glass ceiling. The plant and flower displays get freshened every day and arrangements vary and reflect the seasons and holidays. Just like the Bellagio Water Fountain shows, the Bellagio Conservatory can be enjoyed free and makes a great draw for frugal Las Vegas vacationers, regardless of where you are staying. The reported cost of maintaining the conservatory reportedly runs well into the millions of dollars every year!
Not surprising for a fancy and posh resort, the Bellagio has extensive options for wining and dining. In addition to more casual choices, there are five fine dining restaurants: Michael Mina, Jasmine, Prime Steakhouse, and the AAA 5 Diamond award winners La Cirque, and the Picasso which features paintings and ceramic works by the great artist. Guests can also wine, dine and feel fine with themed wine and cooking experiences at the Epicurean Epicenter. And for people looking to give in to the desires of their sweet tooth, the Jean-Philippe Patisserie should provide everything you need. It has a very cool twenty-seven foot tall chocolate fountain, and an even more cool Flying Saucer manned by giant chocolate space-bunnies.
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| Chocolate Bunnies From Outer Space at the Jean-Philippe Patisserie |
Another excellent stop on a Las Vegas vacation is the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Okay, this one's not free, but it has some really great retrospective shows featuring all kinds of art from photographs to Monet paintings. The gallery originally showed off artworks owned by Steve Wynn, the original owner of the Bellagio. The Bellagio Conservatory and the Bellagio Art Gallery offer a nice counterpoint and respite from the standard high energy-charged activities of the Strip. The gardens are free to experience, and the gallery is practically free with an entrance fee of less than twenty dollars, about the cost of one typical hand of blackjack in the European-styled casino. The casino is a big one, and yes there is sports betting as well as two poker rooms along with typical table games and an endless sea of slot machines.
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| Scenic Ceiling of Umbrellas Hanging Like Bats in a Colorful Cave |
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