Las Vegas

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Las Vegas - not just for gamblers

An October 2000 trip to Las Vegas by Constance

BellagioMore Photos

New York isn't the only city that never sleeps! Las Vegas is non-stop! You don't have to step foot in a casino to have the time of your life. The sights and sounds provide constant entertainment.

  • 13 reviews
  • 18 photos

Las Vegas - not just for gamblersBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Put on some comfortable shoes and start walking down the strip. Although spending money is easy in Vegas, there's plenty to do for free! Just viewing each hotel from sidewalk is an experience in itself. Several of them provide free shows in front. The Mirage has an exploding volcano, Treasure Island features a battle between 2 ships and Bellagio has a dancing water show that chances every 1/2 hour. Venture inside each hotel and see how they carry their theme throughout the place. Paris has a little french village complete with a bakery, The Venetian has a glorious ceiling in the lobby and the Mirage has a wonderful fish tank and white tigers.

Quick Tips:

Plan in advance. Las Vegas is not just for vacationers it's full of conventions and hotels and shows can book up quickly during certain times of year.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is not a necessity in Vegas. There is an abundance of cabs and even a monorail system between several of the hotels. Everything you could possibly want is within reach for a inexpensive cab ride or short walk.

Mandalay Bay Resort and CasinoBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Mandalay Bay"

Blue Motion
Mandalay Bay is my favorite place to stay in Vegas. It's located at the very end of the main strip away from all the other new hotels, which means it's virtually tourist free. You don't have to worry about congestion with crowds wandering in taking photos and sight-seeing during the day. The majority of people here are hotel guests and the casino's rarely over-crowded. Nights are a little busier due to the quantity of five star restaurants here. The selection is amazing! You can stay a week here and never have to leave the hotel for a top class meal. Mandalay Bay is best known for it's pools. There is a oean wave pool complete with a sand beach. This isn't the type you've seen in water parks. These are real waves that gently roll and crash into the beach. There's also a wonderful moving 'river' that lets you sit back on inner tubes as the current takes you on a gradual tour around the other regular pools on the property. If you're looking for a place that has it all, Mandalay Bay is it. It's the ultimate escape and the pools, the spa and the restaurants will keep you coming back.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Constance on June 25, 2000

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 632-7777

MirageBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "The Mirage"

This Tub is HUGE
I thought the Mirage was a bit tacky. The lobby has a jungle theme and it's full of tourist with cameras taking photos of the white tigers. It draws the kind of crowd that comes to Vegas just to see Siegfreid and Roy. It gets very irritating very fast. Our room was okay and priced fairly considering we were never in it. The best part of the hotel is the spa! It has a huge jacuzzi pool that was a wonderful escape from the casino. It did cost about $20 to use the gym/spa facilities but the pass is good until they close at 7:00. We usually fly out at night so the spa is a perfect place to freshen up before we leave. They have a huge 20,000 gallion aquarium behind the front desk with over 1000 fish in it. I was totally impressed until I found out the coral inside the tank was fake. Poor fish. There's also a large tiger display with one lonely white tiger in it. It's a beautiful animal but the exhibit looks like a palace and is totally concrete. They do have a large pool for it to play in but not one tree in site. Count on a large gathering of tourist here as well. Check the place out as you're walking down the strip just to have done it once. It's worth a look but not a stay.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by Constance on June 25, 2000

Mirage
3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(800) 374-9000

The Desert InnBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

The Desert Inn is for grown ups. It has a wonderful classy feel and is one of the few hotels in Vegas where the casino isn't the most important part of the hotel. If you're looking for a nice relaxing place to stay after a crazy day in Vegas, this is the place. The spa and rooms are great and the staff makes you feel like royalty. It's a little off the beaten path but worth it.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Constance on June 25, 2000

The Desert Inn
1140 East Desert Inn Road Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 654-4780

New York New York Hotel & CasinoBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "New York-New York"

Very large rooms that had wonderful views of the strip and surrounding mountains. The only think I didn't like was the purple tinting on the windows. It made me feel like I was in a strange dream. The main hotel area features a cleaner and safer version of the 'city streets' of New York with various restaurants and shops. Along with an amazing architectural replica of NYC the hotel offers a first class rollercoaster. The coaster starts inside the hotel, then leaves the building and rushes you out into the Vegas lights. You'll have wonderful views of the strip from every conceivable angle as you're being propelled throught the air.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Constance on June 23, 2000

New York New York Hotel & Casino
3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 740-6969

BellagioBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Hand Blown Ceiling
Want to feel like you're one of the 'rich and famous'? Step into Bellagio. Everything from the huge hand blown glass flowers in the lobby ceiling to the fine art collection oozes affluence. You can smell the flowers in their glass-domed 13,573 sq.foot garden conservatory as you enter the lobby. It's impossible not to seek out where the amazing smell is coming from. Our room was large and overlooked the dancing fountains. I spent a good part of one night with my face pressed against the window watching the shows. The pools are wonderful and numerous and the staff makes sure your every need is taken care of. The only down side to this hotel is the massive amount of tourist activity inside at all times. Prepare to spend a lot of time walking around crowds and being blinded by flash bulbs.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Constance on June 23, 2000

Bellagio
3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 693-7111

Venetian Resort Hotel CasinoBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "The Venetian"

Guided Tour
We tried - but they were booked, so we actually didn't stay here. However, we did spend a lot of time in the casino, shops and restaurants. This place is HUGE! It's supposed to have the largest rooms in Vegas and if the rooms are anything like the rest of the hotel I believe it!

You could easily spend a whole day shopping here and still not see all the shops. They have a huge variety of restaurants. Everything from fine dining to a cafe and bakery.

The attention to detail in this hotel is astounding! Hand painted replicas of Venetian art, tons of marble and pillars, archways fountain and statues.

There's even a canal that runs through the hotel that you can take a boat tour on! Then there's St. Marks Square that actually feels like a town square, complete with a blue sky painted far above. You'll even see wandering groups of singers and entertainers along with many vendors.

We would have loved to stayed here but considering how much we spent in just one day it's a good thing we had to go back to our own hotel.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Constance on July 17, 2000

Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 414-1000

Paris Las VegasBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino"

Bread Delivery
It's a bit 'Disney' but cool to visit. We didn't stay here but did wander in, shop and took some fun photos. It was packed with other tourists and seemed more crowded than the other hotels we visited.

The 50 story Eiffel Tower replica is great and has a wonderful view of the strip. It's especially great if the Bellagio fountain show is going on! They also have a great Arc D'Triumph, Louvre and Opera House.

The shops inside are cute and you can actually forget you're in a casino for a while. Wander the 'streets' and gaze up at the buildings and the 'sky'. You can even catch the smell of fresh bread baking if you time it right. We saw a 'delivery boy' on a bike with his fresh baked bread outside the hotel. It was a bit cheesy at times but it was fun to explore.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Constance on July 17, 2000

Paris Las Vegas
3655 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 946-7000

Red SquareBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Located in Mandalay Bay, Red Square is a unique experience. The bar is amazing and has more vodkas than I knew existed. The decor is very dark and red and definitely feels 'Russian'. Being a vegetarian, I wasn't a huge fan of the food. There was a limited selection and it was quite pricey. I left feeling hungry. While I don't recommend it for dinner, it is worth dropping by for a couple of cocktails and seeing the decor.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by Constance on June 25, 2000

Red Square
3950 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
+1 877 632 7800

RumjungleBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The rumjungle is another theme restaurant at Mandalay Bay. Their specialty is all you can eat meat but they also have plenty for us vegetarians. However, if you're the type that doesn't like to see large hunks of flesh being walked around the restaurant and sliced at each table - this place is not for you. The bar here is wonderful and the staff great. It's definitely worth stopping by to have one of their speciality cocktails and check out the environment. They have a great wall of water and throw a little fire in too!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Constance on June 25, 2000

Rumjungle
3450 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, Nevada 89118
+1 877 632 5300

Drai's RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Drai's"

While being a very nice restaurant, Drai's is located in Barbary Coast - one of the more cheesy casinos you'll find in Vegas. The food here is alright but for the price and the arrogance of the staff I'd have rather spent my money elsewhere. The majority of the couples we saw the night that we went consisted of middle aged business men with their 20-something call girls. Expense accounts must be a wonderful thing. The lounge is nice but there are so many new wonderful restaurants in Vegas that I wouldn't recommend this one.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by Constance on June 25, 2000

Drai's Restaurant
3595 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
+1 702 737 0555

Mandalay Bay Shark ReefBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay"

Shark Reef is the newest attraction at Mandalay Bay and it's worth a look. They have over 100 sharks, plus fish, sea turtles and rays in a 1.6 million gallon saltwater aquarium. It starts out fairly cheesy. You enter what appears to be a temple in the rain forest, complete with jungle noises, (I'm not sure why there's no wave sounds). You wind through the temple and view exhibits with gators, sea turtles, monitor lizards and other fish. Then it gets interesting. A clear tunnel underneath the HUGE aquarium. Very large sharks swim overhead close enough that you can see their teeth. The tunnel leads to a large room that is surrounded by the aquarium. In the center of the room is a 'touch tank' where you're allowed to feel some ocean life, (horseshoe crabs, small sharks, star fish, rays). There's an amazing tank full of jelly fish in here that is mesmerizing! There's no 'show' here. You go at your own pace and take as long as you want. We went at a moderate pace and it took us 30 minutes to see the entire exhibit. Although we didn't see it, at certain times they have a diver inside the tank that can communicate via a high-tech underwater system with visitors and answer questions. Adult tickets were $12.95 and it's open from 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Constance on July 10, 2000

Mandalay Bay Shark Reef
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 632-7777

Cirque Du Soleil:OBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | ""O""

The signature show at Bellagio is the Cirque du Soeil performance 'O'. If you see one show while in Vegas this should be it. After living in NYC and experiencing Broadway for a year, I can safely say this show blows all others away! The stage cost $80 million to create and turns from a dry stage to a diving pool in a matter of minutes. The show combines the amazing talents of acrobats, divers, and dancers. Every second of this show will amaze you. There is so much going on at all times that you could see this show again and again and see something new every time.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Constance on July 10, 2000

Cirque Du Soleil:O
Bellagio Casino / 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
888.987.3456

About the Writer

Constance
Constance
New York, New York

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