Bellagio: Hotel Review

Bellagio Las Vegas... My Review (Spoiler: It's earned five stars from me!)

Over the past four days of my vacation in Las Vegas, my mom and our friend and I took up residence on the Strip at the venerable Bellagio Hotel. Having reigned supreme for sixteen years there since 1998, the Bellagio is named after a charming Italian town located near Lake Como. So, with an international namesake and heritage, the stakes are high for Bellagio. And, in the effort to deliver on its exotic inspirations, this AAA Five Diamond Award-winning hotel certainly doesn't disappoint.

Although Bellagio isn't the newest hotel on the Las Vegas Strip that competes in the luxury category — in recent years, there has been an influx of modern hotels such as the Aria and Cosmopolitan, and for the past decade Steve Wynn's remarkable Wynn Hotel and, more recently, its sister property the Encore have gained a global reputation — Bellagio holds its own as one of the best. Brought to life by Wynn himself, in fact — who is arguably one of the most visionary and influential hoteliers in the world — Bellagio is a feast for the eyes and the senses, and whether you're there for the casino or the pool or the onsite attractions, this massive resort has something for everyone.

I've stayed at Bellagio twice previously over the years, and my grandparents are big Las Vegas fans who stay at Bellagio at least once a year, though they've also stayed at other nearby hotels along the Strip such as the Aria and the Wynn as well. One of the first aspects of the hotel's identity that hits home for me every time I pull up to its main entrance, though, is how it retains a very personable feel despite its sheer size. It's huge! With nearly 4,000 rooms, it is certainly one of the largest hotels I've ever stayed in anywhere in the world.

That said, although there are many people jostling in every direction throughout the hotel, it has never struck me as chaotic or out of control. Instead, it has always retained a peaceful atmosphere throughout, which evokes the hotel's core values of luxury and discerning service.

Upon entering, the visual spectacle is instantly made clear. The entire ceiling, soaring high above the registration desk and main foyer, is crowed by two thousand multicolored glass flowers, blown by hand, whose blossoms hang down from the rooftops and drown the chamber in their luminous glow. This visual spectacle, which bursts with an explosion of vibrant colors and lots of life, is called Fiori di Como, and was designed by the artist Dale Chihuly. It has become a Las Vegas and Bellagio signature, and instant demarcation of the hotel and its proclivity for high flying, imaginative displays of art and shape and color.

As one progresses beyond the main foyer, the Italian vibes manifest. The floor is laden in intricate mosaics of terracotta–colored square tiles which form elegant patterns, weaving in and out amongst one another like braids, and marble gleams in every direction. Italian-inspired fountains rise up from the floor and towering pillars frame up the view as though supporting the soaring domes of ancient Rome.

Past all this comes yet another myriad of visual delights. The Bellagio Gardens, the veritable beating heart of the hotel, call hundreds if not thousands of tourists to their shores, earning all of the awe-struck "Ooohs!" and "Aaaaahs!" that they receive. The Gardens are a conduit which split off into various directions, leading to Café Bellagio and Michael Mina Restaurant on the right to the Jean Philippe Chocolate Shop & Patisserie and lots of shops and boutiques on the left. It is the center of the Gardens, though, that form what is perhaps the hotel's most defining chamber, where every few months an army of interior designers go to work creating fanciful displays that defy the imagination and bring to life many distinctive and unforgettable visual themes.

The Bellagio Gardens: An Undersea Oasis

This time around, the Bellagio Gardens were transformed into an undersea universe, a world below the surface of the ocean, bathed in spectacular color and light. Dramatic displays of every kind of flower imaginable formed shapes like giant turtles and even a mermaid, perched against the wall of a waterfall, while giant fish hung from the ceilings and poked out of every crevice, looking as though they were plucked out of Finding Nemo and resurrected amidst the Italian Riviera charm of the Bellagio. Jellyfish dangled their long tentacles from the rooftops, while jets of water shot upward in all directions, keeping guard over a treasure chest filled with tantalizing buried treasure. ​

Walking through this labyrinth of undersea jewels and scenes, enhanced by the music of Disney's famous animated movie The Little Mermaid playing faintly in the background, was a transportive experience in and of itself, warranting countless pictures and the thought of just how unique it was to be suspended in this aquatic cocoon while actually standing in the center of the dry, arid, inhospitable sand dunes of the Nevada desert just outside.

Another huge draw available to the public, whether or not they are staying in the Bellagio, are the water shows at the massive lake undulating in front of the hotel façade. Beginning each afternoon, seven days a week, the Bellagio Fountains are electrified, shooting water higher into the sky than I've ever seen before. Like synchronized swimmers working in harmony to perform in unison, the Fountains form intricate patterns of water above the surface of the lake as their jets pump more and more of it into the sky. It's romantic, charming, nautically-inspired, and lots of fun, and it has become a Bellagio signature that I imagine all visitors to Las Vegas have seen and experienced at least once.

THE FOOD

Modern Las Vegas simply wouldn't be Las Vegas without food, and at Bellagio, there are plenty of delicious gourmet eats to go around. From Michael Mina to one of my personal favorite steakhouses, Prime by Jean Georges Vongerichten (one of New York City's most esteemed chefs who heads up restaurants from The Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side to Spice Market, ABC Kitchen, and Mercer Kitchen downtown), there are various and sundry culinary hotspots at Bellagio which command attention and admiration. There are plenty of other upscale spots within Bellagio's walls demanding the same tier of prestige as Prime and Michael Mina, such as the legendary Picasso and Le Cirque, and the more relaxed yet ultra trendy American eatery FIX, which looks out onto the main casino floor. (You might just see someone win big while biting into that burger!)

On the more casual side, the Jean Philippe chocolate shop adjacent to the Bellagio Gardens and Café Gelato (which serves, as the name suggests, some of the richest and creamiest gelato this side of the Eternal City) are not to be missed. Jean Philippe, in fact, is quite famous for its massive fountain of rich, oozing chocolate lava — white, milk, and dark — which flows from tunnels cascading down from the ceiling along glass tiers and cataracts, all the way into the floor, encapsulated by massive, translucent glass shields. It's a marvel from an engineering perspective and, even more so, from a sweet tooth perspective, so it's always fun to spend a few minutes wondering where all that chocolate goes when it flows away... And how delicious it would be to dip in a spoon for just one single second and take a taste. :)

THE ROOMS

The rooms and suites at Bellagio are the epitome of comfort and sumptuous accommodations on the Las Vegas Strip. In a town where there are so many hotels so close together, especially ones that run the gamut from luxury to budget, hotel excellence can be a hit or miss commodity. Some hotels are designed to keep costs and room rates down at night, while others are about going all out, and the Bellagio certainly falls into the latter category. Although some newer neighbors have taken up residence along the Strip in recent years, including the Delano which just opened and other aforementioned mainstays noted in this very Blog post, the Bellagio has managed to retain its edge as one of the most discerning hotels on the Strip, largely thanks to a recent renovation that saw the rooms overhauled with new accommodations and interiors.

That renovation really paid off. The hotel was amazing beforehand, and is even better now. We stayed in the main tower, and I was very surprised at the sheer size of the rooms themselves, something I had forgotten about since the last time I visited Las Vegas. The Bellagio's rooms are massive, with more than enough space to spread out and luxuriate. After a long flight from Manhattan to Las Vegas on my first day there — and, I imagine, the party hard habits of many Las Vegas visitors who stay out all night long while in Sin City — another welcome feature are the incredibly comfortable beds, which feel like clouds. I got some of the very best sleep I've had in months on that Bellagio mattress, which seemed like an ultra plush pillow-top designed to encourage pure slumber bliss. Fair to say the Bellagio beds were on par in terms of comfort with beds at Four Seasons Hotels, which are particularly well-liked in their own right.

Our view was just as noteworthy, facing out high above the huge pool area with the outdoor Italian-inspired gardens below, and the towering megalith that is the Cosmopolitan Hotel standing proudly across the horizon. Take a look at the pool below! (FYI: I checked out the pool too and it was awesome. Can't believe I hadn't been there on my previous visits to Las Vegas, but I'm glad I finally made it. There are several pools spread out across a huge outdoor terrace, lined with corridors covered in evergreen foliage and dotted with romantic fountains that look like they came out of a Greco-Roman storybook. So cool!)

The Mediterranean-Inspired Pool Deck at Bellagio

THE VERDICT

If you're looking for a luxurious experience at one of Las Vegas' most venerable hotels, then Bellagio should absolutely be on your short list to look into. I heartily recommend it, because it has all of the whimsy and peerless luxury of the Wynn and Encore married with the fame of its Fountains and indoor Garden displays. At many times, it actually felt like a cruise ship, beckoning you to never leave the front door, because there is just so much good stuff to enjoy packed within its walls. But, nevertheless, it is the ideal outpost from which to get out and explore the Strip, and I can't wait to return and do it all over again at Bellagio.

***** Five-stars!

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