Bellagio - Las Vegas

The Bellagio is one of the more famous hotel and casinos in Las Vegas, and arguably the most luxurious. The Bellagio is most known for its Fountain Show facing the Vegas strip.

The first time I was in Las Vegas, we were in a taxi driving by the Bellagio and the Fountain Show happened to be going. That was the best way to start off my trip! The Fountain Show is done to music, once every half hour in the afternoon, and every 15 minutes from 8pm to 12am. And the best thing about it is it's completely free! Just walk up from the strip to one of the great vantage points, enjoy the romance, and get ready to be blown away! I've seen the show a few time, and even once from the Eiffel Tower across the street! It was amazing!

The shops inide the Bellagio are magnificent! If you go in a particular entrance, I swear you walk through a mile of up-scale shops. Before I went to Las Vegas, I watched the movie "21" and a scene in it was when they were in the middle of a shopping spree. I remember thinking to myself, "where the heck do they have a mall on the strip?" Haha! Once you make it to the casino, it is extravvagant! When just standing and looking around, everything looks plush! The only downfall about the Bellagio casino is that they have automatic card shufflers, so if you know how to count cards (from the movie "21"), the Blackjack tables at the Bellagio aren't going to be for you.

The Bellagio Buffet is a spectacle on its own. This buffet has seen world-renowned chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay. The buffet prides itself on their selection of seafood, among other gourmet food! You will not want to miss it!


Tips on the Bellagio:
-If you aren't a big seafood fan, you might want to try a different buffet.
-The Bellagio has one of the highest room rates on the strip, so if you are in Vegas on any kind of budget, I would suggest staying at another hotel.

Vegas Baby!

Can you believe it took me 25 years to get to Vegas?! This past year, I attended the Travel Academy in a suburb of Minneapolis, and as a graduation gift in October of '09, my fiance and I went to Las Vegas! There truly is no better place to unwind. I really had no idea what I was in for when our plane landed.

First of all, if you can imagine something you thought was larger than life, imagine that thing 10 times bigger and you have Vegas! I've seen it all on T.V., the strip, the hotels, the lights, but to say it was amazing is a complete understatement!

The extreme north end of the strip is under construction, making way for 2 new hotels/casinos, so it was a long walk to get to the first casino, or maybe it just seemed like it because I was so excited to get there! When we got into the thick of it all, we really just walked in to each casino/hotel we came to, just to check them out. All the hotels have different themes, so it was very cool to see how each hotel ran with their own ideas! A few hotels had mini shows being performed out in front, so we stopped and watched them, and even those were elaborate! Some of the shows include the Sirens of TI (Treasure Island), the Fountain Show at the Bellagio, and a Volcano Show at the Mirage.

Here are some tips on Vegas:
-Vegas is probably the cheapest destination in the U.S. right now, so keep an eye out for lots of flight and hotel deals. The further away from the majority of the strip you stay, the better the deals. It should be noted that there is plenty of public trasit, so you won't be spending your "fun" money on a taxi ride.
-When you check into your hotel, ask for any deals or offers the hotel might have.
-When you see something along the strip that you want to buy, buy it, because there is so much to see, you will most likely never go back.
-Don't spend all your money in one casino. Spread it out because you will want to experience each casino. Vegas requires a lot of self-control.