Romance in Las Vegas

If romance is what you're after for a trip to Vegas, then this is the place to stay. I visited almost every hotel on the Strip and could not find a hotel that just spelled romance to me. Riding the gondolas, walking the St. Mark's Square, the pool area in Venezia (the new addition to The Venetian), the wonderful restaurants, and the fabulous rooms contribute to this atmosphere. The price is right for a room here. I got an extremely good deal for going during the week, arriving on a Sunday. It makes a huge difference.

The rooms here are all suites. We had an excellent view of the Strip from our room for nothing extra in cost. All I did was ask, and you never know what they have available. Also, here’s just a travel tip in general: be nice to those check-in people, because they will be very good to you in return. Anyway, back to the rooms. The rooms have a lot of space, and the bathrooms are all about marble. They all have separate shower and bath tubs. I like the room amenities here as well.

Unfortunately, if you are staying in the old part of the Venetian, you have to go through the casino to get to your room, although if you get a suite in Venezia, you go the other way at the entrance.

This hotel really captures everything about Venice, except for the fact that Venice is rather dirty and the water smells bad. Besides that, you really feel like you're in Italy. The Grand Canal Shops have all high-end expensive stores and restaurants, but it is so charming to just walk around and see them. The gondola rides are sometimes romantic, but you need to hope for a good singer. I heard some that weren't so great. The museums (The Guggenheim and Madame Tussaud’s) at the hotel were both really fun to see.

If you really want to go in style though, stay in the Venezia Tower. It really makes the experience even more charming. It feels more secluded and the staff treats you better on this side.

The spa is also the best in Vegas. Don't miss out on this one.

PLEASE EAT HERE! You will not regret it for a moment. This is the most unique of all buffets in Vegas. Why? Because instead of trying to make food from all sorts of cultures and countries and doing only a decent job with each, this place does it all French. Each station contains cuisines from different regions of France. Most of the dishes are like eating gourmet French you would have to pay outrageous money for small portions.

One of my favorite regions made fresh shish kabobs with several delicious sauces you could choose from. They had a great variety of dishes, which were all great, including a cold bar with shrimp and crab legs. The desserts were actually kind of disappointing, but it was okay, because the made-to-order crepes were a perfect dessert for me.

If you want the most romantic experience in Vegas, this is where you have to go. Sitting atop the Palms hotel is the most exquisite dining experience I've ever had. It wasn't just the food, it was also the view. This is the best view of the Strip because you can see all of it through three sides of the restaurant covered in windows.

The food is amazing, though very expensive. For appetizers we had the soft-shell crab, which was perfect, and the best lobster bisque I've ever had. For an in-between course we had sorbet in their glass flower cups. For my entrée I had a filet mignon served over mashed potatoes and baby vegetables with a sauce that was to die for. It was a $42 dish, and that's definitely not cheap.

For dessert we shared a Grand Marnier soufflé and banana-four-ways. Both were amazing, but if you're wondering what the banana thing is, you'll just have to go and find out.

This is the biggest buffet I've ever gone to. Not only is there a mass quantity of food, but it's also of very good quality. There were a few things I avoided just by looking at them, but generally it was all very good. I had to try everything, even if it meant me not being able to walk afterwards. It was Sunday brunch, so I started with breakfast. The make-your-own omelette was excellent, with a some good filling choices. After breakfast, I started on Chinese and Japanese, then onto seafood, like peel-and-eat shrimp and crab legs. After that, I tried other miscellaneous items like Italian and Mexican. Lastly, dessert was pretty good. I never got to the salad bar, but I'm sure it's pretty good.

Unforunately, I only got to eat breakfast at this wonderful new establishment. This restaurant is a classic French bistro in the Venezia Tower of The Venetian. It sits next to the beautiful gardens/pool area and has a lovely outdoor seating area (very hard to get at dinnertime). Breakfast here was a huge hit for my wife and me. The food is outstanding, and it is not to be missed. Dinner is very reasonable for what you get. Don't pass this place up.

I know this doesn't sound like a romantic thing to do, but we found a couple that give you some really nice gifts if you attend. Many people go to timeshare meetings for the free gifts but then end up buying something. A lot of people worry that they might get someone who's very persistent and pushy. I, on the the other hand, just love the freebies and will sit through one of their presentations just to get them.

We attended a Marriot presentation where the product was very expensive. We decided to go because the gift was really lovely. They gave us free lunch at Zefferino's (a nice Italian restaurant overlooking the Grand Canal in The Venetian), a gondola ride, and two tickets to Madame Tussauds wax museum.

We didn't buy, but we enjoyed our gifts very much. A gondola ride can be very romantic, and lunch at Zeffirinos is very nice, and the wax museum is fun. There's a day full of fun right there.

I probably wouldn't want to pay full price for the gondola ride or the wax museum, but it's certainly worth it for free.