Loving Las Vegas – What’s not to Love – Belissimo Bellagio

Before my first trip to Las Vegas last year with Paula, I had it in my mind that I probably wouldn’t like Las Vegas, that it would be crass and over the top.  The only reason I came then was to attend the Shareasale Affiliate Marketing convention at the Rio.

Well I came and was instantly captivated. I fell in love with Vegas, so when the opportunity arose for me to return this year with my husband, I jumped at the chance. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction to this  larger than life, fun city.

We navigated around quite easily because of the great transport system, and I do advise you to take advantage of the Deuce buses and the monorail. Save your legs and you will get to see and experience so much more.

We arrived in Las Vegas at the Paris hotel around 5pm and after taking photos for our hotel review, we set out on our first foray to suss  out a particular  pawn shop to buy reloading equipment, my husband is an avid hunter and reloads his own ammunition.  Well we went to the wrong place so didn’t accomplish what we had set out to do. But that left us free to get on with the neat stuff, visiting the casinos.

There really is just so much to see and do in Vegas. The Casino’s are huge and there is always something going on, especially with all the free shows and the paid entertainment. It’s not just about gambling.

If you’re planning to catch a show, make sure you check out the prices in your ‘Vegas 2Go‘ or  ‘The New Today’ magazines available in the lobby of most hotels. These magazines have plenty of information about Vegas and lots of coupons to save you money. Reduced price tickets are also available both Downtown and along the Strip at the ‘TixrTonight’ stands.

So what did we see – Lets start at the Bellagio

So now its just a matter of checking out some of the individual casinos and we crossed the road from Bally’s to visit the beautifully luxurious Bellagio. As you strolling around the hotel and casino it doesn’t take much to see why Bellagio has been awarded the 5 Diamond Hotel award by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the Mobil 5 star award.

The inspiration for the construction of the Bellagio was the  Bellagio Resort on Lake Como in Italy. It was built on the site of the old Dunes hotel at a cost of $1.6 billion and even the extravagant opening ceremony on October 15 1998, had a reported cost of $88 million, showing that this was no ordinary ocassion.

The Bellagio Hotel and Casino is renowned for it’s fabulous choreographed fountain display featuring lights  and music  that operates in front of the hotel in the 8 acre man made lake. Each show attracts hordes of tourists and I have watched the  display from a number of vantage points, but one of the best would, in my opinion, have to be from the top of the Eiffel Tower across the road at Paris. This gives you a birds eye view of the show – amazing

Variations of the display can be seen every 30 minutes in the afternoons and early evenings, and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. to midnight.

We could actually see and hear the show from our room at the Paris and funnily enough you just tune out after a while and although you hear the music it is rather pleasant and not at all intrusive.

Each of the water shows are choreographed to various pieces of music such as:

• Con Te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye) – Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
• My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
• “The Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone which is part of  the  score  for the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Sergio Leone.
• All That Jazz (from Chicago)
• Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
• Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus – Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Big Spender (from Sweet Charity)
• Luck Be A Lady (from Guys & Dolls) – Frank Sinatra
• One (from A Chorus Line)
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Rachmaninov
• Sabre Dance – Aram Khachaturian
• Singin’ in the Rain – Gene Kelly
• The Star Spangled Banner – Whitney Houston
• Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
• Your Song – Elton John
• This Kiss – Faith Hill
• Santa Baby – Madonna
• Winter Games – David Foster

There is an urban myth that the lake is filled with treated greywater from the hotel. This is not the case, it appears that  there a golf course once existed where the lake is now, and a fresh water well that was drilled to irrigate the golf course and keep it green.

There is a network of pipes with over 1,200 nozzles which are coordinated with the  4,500 lights to create these amazing water displays.

Fur different types of nozzle help to  create the various effects:

• Oarsmen -  These are the jets with a full range of spherical motion
• Shooters -  These shoot the water upwards
• Super Shooters – These send the water into the air  for  as high as 240 ft (73 m)
• Extreme Shooters – These send the water up into the air for as as high as 460 ft (140 m) and the water makes a resounding sound as it crashes back into the lake.

The fountains were designed by WET, a company that specialize in creating extraordinary fountains and architecturally designed water features, and the estimated cost to build the fountain is around US$75 million.

Crossing over the road by the bridge from Bally’s to Bellagio we enter and come across the Bellagio balloon display. Then on through to the reception area.

Now the reception area in the Bellagio is quite something to see.

There are a few features that deserve some particular mention. Probably the first thing that catches your eye is the ceiling insert ‘Fiori di Como’ with it’s 2000 hand blown glass flowers by Dale Chihuly. This piece of art is truly exquisite an unfortunately my photo doesn’t do it justice.

This fountain is in the lobby just at the entrance to the Bellagio botanical gardens. The theme in the gardens is changed 5 times a year in order to reflect the seasons Summer, Fall (Autumn), Winter and Spring and also Chinese New Year. We are here at the height of summer so the theme is bright and colorful with a floral decorated ferris wheel, an avairy, fountains spouting water in radom spurts, floral frogs and ladybugs.

It is a riot of glorious color and it is hard to imagine that this beautiful display is located inside a casino.

 

How cute are these fine looking fellows, heading of fishing in their floral fishing waistcoats.

And finally, even the floor in the lobby is belissimo

Now I haven’t yet had the pleasure of staying at the Bellagio, that is a treat for another visit to Las Vegas.

Apart from the Casino, the fountain show and the gardens there are also the shows to see.  Bellagio hosts the Cirque du Soleil show ‘O’. The show features a 25 foot deep pool which holds 1.5 million gallons of water, they don’t do things by halves.   You will be amazed and enthralled by the fantastic Cirque du Soleil high divers, acrobats, synchronized swimmers, fire dancers and contoritionists.

The show is on Wednesday to Sunday at 7:30pm and 10:30pm and tickets range from $99 -$150.

Don’t forget to eat at one of the many restaurants where you can experience fine dining at its best.

When we are in Vegas we tend to eat at the buffet’s and ‘The Buffet’ at Bellagio ranges in price from:

• $14.95 for breakfast, Monday to Friday.
• $19.95 for lunch, Monday to Friday.
• $27.95 for dinner Sunday to Thursday.
• $35.95 for the Gourmet dinner Friday and Saturday
• $28.95 for Champagne Brunch Saturday and Sunday – $23.95 without the Champagne.

All in all a beautiful casino to stroll around and while I remember, don’t forget to take a look at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, which at the moment is showing “Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol & Friends” .  Admission is $17 for adults and $10 for children 6 to 12 years.

Another fine feast for the senses.

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Tagged with: Bellagio • bellagio botanical garden • bellagio fountain • bellagio hand blown glass flowers • bellagio las vegas

Filed under: America & Canada • Las Vegas

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