Romantic Las Vegas

Our Local Expert Says:

This Las Vegas-style Venice is a must-see. The Venetian offers first-class accommodations and amenities, along with canals and gondoliers.

Description:

One of the most elaborate hotel spectacles in town, The Venetian falls squarely between an outright adult Disneyland experience and the luxury resort experience currently dominating the Vegas landscape. The big draw here is the rooms, all suites, and all successful examples of that same luxury resort mindset, though the commitment to theme in the Grand Canal Shoppes is certainly appealing.

The hotel's exterior, which re-creates most of the top landmarks of Venice (the Campanile, a portion of St. Mark's Square, part of the Doge's Palace, a canal or two), ranks right up there with New York-New York as a must-see, and since you can wander freely through the "sights," it even has a slight edge over New York-New York. This may be the only hotel in Vegas where it seems inviting to wander around outside in the front. As stern as we get about re-creations not being a substitute for the real thing, we have to admit that the attention to detail here is impressive indeed. Stone is aged for that weathered look, statues and tiles are exact copies of their Italian counterparts, security guards wear Venetian police uniforms -- all that's missing is the smell from the canals, but we are happy to let that one slide.

Inside, it's more of the same, particularly in the lobby area and the entrance to the extraordinary shops, as ceilings are covered with hand-painted re-creations of Venetian art. With plenty of marble, soaring ceilings, and impressive pillars and archways, it's less kitschy than Caesars but more theme park than Bellagio. The lobby says classy hotel, if "classy hotel on steroids." The lobby, casino, and shops can all be accessed from outside through individual entrances, which helps avoid that irritating circuitous maneuvering required by most other locations. This is all the more appreciated because the casino seems to have a most confusing layout, with poor signage; perhaps it's just our problem with spatial navigation, but we consistently got lost on the way to the guest elevators.

A room makeover has pared down the previously over-the-top fussy decor, which is a good thing, but then again, apart from the size it's not as dreamily romantic on the eye. Now the suites have the same sleek new look as The Palazzo, though the beds lack The Palazzo's fluffy comforters. The towels are nicer here. You still can't see the bathroom TV from the tub. The marbled bathrooms rocketed virtually to the top of our list of favorites, in a tie for second place with those at Bellagio. (Mandalay Bay's THEhotel are the best.) Devices for the hearing-impaired (ranging from door-knock lights to vibrating alarm clocks and telecaption decoders) are available upon request.

Despite the niceties, there is a certain amount of price gouging at this hotel that unpleasantly reminds one of the real Venice. There is a charge for that in-room faxing and printing, and the minibar is automated so that if you so much as rearrange items inside, you are charged for it.

And all this is even before the Venezia Tower, with over 1,000 more rooms, with the same large and lush footprint and style as the originals. The tower has its own check-in and gestalt -- somehow, it comes off even more lush than the original hotel, which is pretty frilly to start. It's like a Four Seasons on human growth hormones, with over-the-top opulence. The gas lamp-lit lobby hallway slays us, as do the flatscreen TVs in the bathrooms. Rooms here cost about $35 more a night (in theory -- in practice, anything goes with hotel pricing in Vegas) and we would spend it. The trend toward casino hotels adding additions that are away from a casino -- "Nope, no slot machines here. We are just a luxury hotel. Really!" -- is a disingenuous stance that is actually entirely genius. There are many who prefer their Vegas at arm's length, whose finest compliment for a hotel is, "It doesn't seem like it's in Vegas." These people are willing to spend extra to stay in a grown-up atmosphere, and certainly are more inclined to want a comfortable room -- and nothing says "comfortable room" like "plasma TV in the bathroom."

Many celebrity chefs and high-profile restaurants are in residence at The Venetian. Eateries include Bouchon (by Thomas Keller, perhaps America's top chef), Delmonico Steakhouse, Canaletto, Valentino, Mario Batali's B&B Ristorante and Pinot Brasserie. Nightlife options include the Blue Man Group and a special production of the long-running Phantom of the Opera. And, of course, there is an elegant but confusingly laid-out casino.

The Venetian has five pools and whirlpools, but its pool area is disappointingly sterile and bland. Pools are neoclassical (think rectangles with the corners lopped off), and the fourth-floor location probably means that more dense foliage is not going to be forthcoming. The Venezia Tower has a courtyard pool area that is amusing, but the water space is tiny.

The Canyon Ranch SpaClub is run by a branch of arguably the finest getaway spa in America. This is an unbelievably lavish facility, certainly the finest hotel spa in town. From the Bed Head and Bumble & Bumble products on sale in the shop to the nutritionists, physical therapists, and acupuncturists on the staff to the vibrating massage chairs that you rest in during pedicures -- geez, what more could you want? Well, we want our own home gym to be as nice as the one here, with ample equipment, racks of big TVs, and a staff eager to help you with advice and bring you bottled water. The $35-a-day fee is high, but it does include a full day's worth of classes, ranging from regular aerobics to yoga, Pilates, and dance. Did we mention the rock-climbing wall, which, because this is Vegas, costs extra?

The Grand Canal Shoppes rank with the Caesars Palace shops as an absolute must-see. Like Caesars, the area is a mock Italian village with a blue, cloud-studded, painted sky overhead. But down the middle runs a canal, complete with singing gondoliers. (The 10-min. ride costs about $15, which seems steep, but trust us, it's a lot more in the real Venice.) The entire thing finishes up at a small re-creation of St. Mark's Square, which features glass blowers, traveling musicians, flower sellers, and the like. Expect to run into famous Venetians such as a flirty Casanova and a travel-weary Marco Polo. It's ambitious and a big step up from animatronic figures. Oh, and the stores are also probably worth a look -- a decent mixture of high-end fashion and more affordable shops.

Facilities: 18 restaurants; casino; showroom; wedding chapels; 6 outdoor pools; health club; spa; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; extensive shopping arcade; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms

Description:

Location. Designed to emulate 1920s Paris with replicas of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, the Paris Las Vegas is located on the south end of The Strip in Las Vegas, Nev. The Paris Las Vegas connects to Bally's Las Vegas via an interior passageway. This property is located adjacent to Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino.
Hotel Features. Positioned on the 11th floor of the Eiffel Tower, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant serves classic French cuisine including seasoned lamb and foie gras. Meats and cheeses served at Le Village Buffet are selected from each French province of origin. The hotel features an 85,000-square-foot casino housed beneath a replica of Paris' wrought-iron train platforms. The hotel offers a pool complex with a seasonal pool and two oval spa tubs. Located on the pool deck, Café Du Parc offers views of the Eiffel Tower. The Paris Spa by Mandara, the hotel's 26,000-square-foot spa, includes a fitness center, sauna, steam room, spa tub and vanity bar. The spa offers Balinese health treatments and massages and wraps that include the Elemis Exotic Coconut Rub and Milk Ritual Wrap. Le Boulevard recalls outdoor Paris with storefronts, streetlamps, stone paths and sky-simulated ceilings.

Guestrooms. The Paris Las Vegas' 2,916 guestrooms feature French-inspired décor and custom European furnishings. Select rooms feature complimentary in-room safes, built-in wet bars with sinks and refrigerators, and separate seating areas with sofas and coffee tables. Bathrooms contain marble bathtubs, separate showers and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. Select bathrooms include jetted tubs and dual sinks. High-speed Internet access is available for a fee.

Expert Tip. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle service to a partner property, the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

Please Note:
The hotel requires photo identification and a credit card deposit (per day) or a cash deposit (per stay) at check-in for incidental charges. Cash deposits can be applied to in-room movies and telephone charges only. Check-in is not permitted if the requested deposit is not provided.

Our Local Expert Says:

Romantic, French restaurant at the top of Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower.

Description:

Just above the Strip, on the 11th floor of the Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower replica, Chef J. Joho's Eiffel Tower Restaurant offers French cuisine and breathtaking views of the Las Vegas Strip. The Eiffel Tower Restaurant's combination of ambiance and gourmet food set it apart from other restaurants on the Strip. Yes, other Las Vegas restaurants may have a view and great food, but they're not at the top of a miniature Eiffel Tower. This is a great place to see the Bellagio's Fountains do their dance, but with this kind of romance in the air, you'll probably be more interested in what's going on at your table than anything else.

Chef Joho has artfully updated a French classic menu. Highlights include a grand seafood platter with lobster, shrimp, crab, oysters and clams; lobster thermidor; a terrine of foie gras and marinated figs; tournedos rossini with foie gras and truffle sauce and banana souffle. Chef Joho combines classic French fare with a modern twist; look for dishes like the roasted rack of lamb with tarragon jus and glazed turnip.

Lunch and dinner menus are available, and reservations are strongly suggested. The dinner menu offers a la carte items and a tasting menu for a six-course meal. Lunch includes appetizers, sandwiches (Spicy Moroccan style lamb burger, for instance), and entrees. The bar also has a menu, which might be the least expensive way to sample the food at The Eiffel Tower Restaurant. A meal here will set you back--the regular lunch hamburger, for instance, is $16.00. Presumably, if you're eating at The Eiffel Tower Restaurant, you're more concerned about romance than finance.

This is a great place to pop the question, and special packages are available for wedding proposals. The "Propose in Paris" plan will give you a window table, a special menu, champagne, photographs, and a dozen long-stem red roses ($500 per couple).

Description:

Thomas Keller made his name with his Napa Valley restaurant French Laundry, considered by many to be the best restaurant in the United States. Bouchon is a version of his Napa Valley bistro. We had mixed expectations. On the one hand, he's a certifiably genius chef. On the other hand, he's not going to be in the kitchen, which will be producing bistro (which is to say, not innovative) food and, what's more, based on the rather lackluster Napa Bouchon.

Our negative expectations were confounded by the right, left, and center of the menu -- yeah, we've tried nearly all of it and can report that humble though these dishes sound, in nearly every case they are gold-standard versions of classics. Someone is certainly keeping a close eye on this kitchen, and that someone has learned the lessons well. Ever wondered why people get worked up over raw oysters? The sweet and supremely fresh (kept in water until the moment they are served to you) Snow Creek oysters will enlighten you as they seem to melt on contact with your tongue. Fifty dollars seems like a lot for pâté, but here a complex multiday preparation produces a buttery whip that is so rich, it's an appropriate -- and highly recommended -- appetizer for four. Don't miss the bacon and poached-egg frisée salad, or the cleanly seared salmon over poached leeks, prepared to such perfection it doesn't need the accompanying sauce. Gnocchi is earthy and assertive, a peasant version of an Italian favorite, while beef bourguignon is exactly as you expect it to be, in the divine perfection sense. Leg of lamb has all chewy bits excised before cooking, leaving it a garlic-permeated bit of tenderness. This is a superlative Vegas restaurant, and while it may be hard to reconcile the prices with the apparent simplicity of the food, recall that it takes serious skill to make even the most humble of dishes correctly, as your palate will reassure you.

Description:

The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Hotel Casino are a Vegas-ized version of Old Venice. St. Mark's Square is filled with swanky restaurants like Wolfgang Puck's Postrio or upscale Italian food at Canaletto. Upscale retailers like Dooney & Bourke, Kenneth Cole, and Banana Republic fill the village-like mall. Here you'll find "Streetmosphere," the Venetian's term for the wandering, costumed street performers who sing and imitate statues. But without canals and singing gondoliers, Venice would be incomplete.

The Las Vegas Venice's canals travel through the Grand Canal Shoppes and emerge outside in front of the Venetian. Two rides are offered: one inside, one outside (outside dependent upon the weather). Rides are $16 for adults, and be sure to look your best for your photo opportunity (extra for pictures at the end of the ride). Rides last 10 to 15 minutes.

Inside the Grand Canal Shoppes, you can watch the gondolas to get an idea of what the ride is like. Stop at the area next to the Taqueria Canonita (or go inside the restaurant and ask for a table "outside" on the patio, overlooking the canal) and you'll have a great view of the gondoliers singing to their passengers before they turn around to head to the dock.

A special wedding gondola is available for wedding ceremonies. Old Venice inspires romance, and the Venetian Las Vegas hasn't missed this. It's the perfect Las Vegas resort for the Las Vegas production of "Phantom of the Opera," an abridged version of the original production.
 
A gondola ride may be romantic, but it's also fun for families. Rides are free for children under two. The Grand Canal is fun for kids, especially the "Streetmosphere." Whatever your age, the faux architecture, ever-changing sky, and charming little bridges across the canals are fun to look at.

Description:

This is a 90-minute, intermission-free, heavy-on-the-special-effects, costly staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ubiquitous musical, The Phantom of the Opera. The show's fans (and they are legion) will doubtless yowl, but they survived the movie adaptation, while the rest of us might be a little happier with some of the fat trimmed away, though somewhat befuddled by the plot. The lowdown: There's a guy in a mask, and he loves a girl who sings, and she loves him, but she also loves another boy, and there are caverns and canals and romance and tragedy and mystery and murder and light opera. Staged on the former site of the failed Guggenheim Museum (transformed into a $40-million theater), the musical is even more high-tech than the original Broadway staging, with increased special effects and whatnot (like anything can top that chandelier crash). Phantom is over the top, but then, so is Vegas, and this seems like a good fit. Monday through Saturday at 7pm, Monday and Saturday also at 9:30pm.

Description:

This huge dining room is located inside the Mt. Charleston Hotel and offers sweeping 180-degree views of the surrounding mountains. Fieldstone fireplaces and cathedral ceilings add to the charm of this pleasant restaurant. Entrees include delectables such as Tournedos of Beef and Salmon Filet with Dill Sauce. Your meal will come with salad, vegetables, potato and freshly baked bread. Wine and cocktails are available from the full-service bar.

Description:

Nestled within a garden atop the Venetian Hotel, this 69,000-square-foot facility offers complete fitness, wellness and beauty facilities for the mind, spirit and body. A typical treatment is the Rasul Ceremony, featuring medicinal muds and steamed herbs, with alternating rinsing treatments. The King's Bath offers a relaxing bath in exotic oils, with floating rose petals and candlelight, followed by a massage. The Canyon Ranch Cafe, offers tasty and healthy foods prepared in gourmet style.

Description:

ZUMANITY is a Cirque du Soleil production, but it is more Cirque du Sensuality than Soleil. Billing itself as "Another side of Cirque du Soleil," this New York-New York Hotel & Casino resident production makes the most of its difference from other Cirque shows. A combination burlesque/cabaret, ZUMANITY, recalls the ribald Rocky Horror Picture Show of years gone by. The flavor of ZUMANITY can best be tasted on its menu of production numbers like Body2Body, Dislocation, 2Men, and Midnight Bath and Orgy. Needless to say, ZUMANITY is not a show for the little ones, but it's pure Las Vegas entertainment, with a sharp sexual edge. As part of the Cirque du Soleil international brand, all of the production values and especially the performaces and visuals are extraordinary. Audiences also enjoy the direct interaction with the cast, as is typical Cirque behavior, when the players make everyone part of the show. Contortionists, dancers, aerialists and other high flyers jam enough stunts into the 90-minute show to leave you exhausted by the time you walk out of the Zumanity Theatre.Performances: F-Tu 7:30p, 10:30p; W-Th Dark Tickets: $65-$125

Description:

Wine angels, high-tech gadgets, and fine dining characterize Charlie Palmer's Aureole at Mandalay Bay. The exterior of the restaurant, a wall embedded with sculptures of body parts, is the first sign that this Las Vegas restaurant offers a different kind of experience.

The four-story glass wine tower is the centerpiece of Aureole. Over 9,000 bottles of wine await a wine angel's touch—the lovely ladies who "fly" like aerialists to retrieve the bottles. An iPad holds the wine list, which is probably a good idea considering how long it would be in printed form. Tech-loving guests will enjoy the gadgetry that assists them in navigating the extensive wine offerings.

The food is American, but with influences from many cuisines. One of the signature dishes is the wood-grilled filet mignon with a cabernet sauce. As with any restaurant of this caliber, the menus change seasonally.

Diners can choose from two rooms: seats in the main dining room allow guests to watch the wine angels, while a table in the Swan Court offers a view of the swan pond. Meals are more expensive in the Swan Room, and menus  in the two areas are slightly different.  Three-course prix-fixe menus begin at $75 per person. A happy hour in the lounge (5-7 p.m.) is a way to enjoy some of Aureole's fine food and wine, but at a more affordable cost.

Description:

Another Las Vegas hit for restaurateur Wolfgang Puck, this place presents an eclectic offering of globally inspired dishes in a romantic atmosphere. Freshly baked breads start off the meal, as well as wonderful appetizers. For an entree, try the famous wood-fired pizzas or the more exotic quail with spinach. The lamb chops are also exquisite. Two options include the relaxed bistro cafe or a dining room for more formal meals. Both restaurants feature complete wine and bar services. Located inside the Venetian Hotel. Private dining is available.

Description:

How about getting married in a gondola while floating down the Grand Canal? Or perhaps say your vows at the Rialto Bridge, where legend has it that if you kiss your mate under this bridge, your love is destined to last. No matter what ceremony you choose, it is sure to be truly memorable and unique. This venue is located at the Venetian Hotel Casino.

Description:

At the Paris-Las Vegas Hotel, two elegant wedding chapels await you: Chappelle du Jardin (seating 30 guests) and Chappelle du Paradis (up to 100 guests). Besides simple ceremonies, there are six packages to choose from. The Eiffel Tower package allows the couple to wed at the top of the authentic replica, surrounded by the spectacular lights of Las Vegas. Another package includes a massage for the bride and groom, the ultimate in luxury and relaxation.