Vegas - The Venetian

[Rank Amateur]

USA today article on crooked games at the Venetian.

 

[Mara]

Lop...no we haven't ventured out really...we tend to just get lazy in town! Even if we drive, we find that we just park our car in the hotel and don't drive again until we leave. Literally all we do is lay around, eat, sleep, pool, drink...hee hee. I love that the Hyatt has a great pool-bar service..so you can just eat and drink all day at the pool..then nap!

We usually go out at dusk when it's cooler, and have dinner along the strip...then walk around a bit and people watch or get ice cream.




I have a few fave shops along the street, one at the very end, I forget the name but it's an awesome import place that sometimes has some great big old pots for plants and things like that. Some things like Asian inpsired basket trunks etc. I loved it so much that we started driving instead of flying because their stuff was so cheap, but I couldn't get it back with me on the plane easily!

We haven't been in a year and half...but before that I would go about once a year. Oh well!

Too much going on right now! Our next driving trip will probably be out to San Luis Obispo in summer, we love that town.

 

[hoorray]

I think I know the shop you like -- it has some great stuff. It's hard to beat just hanging out at the pools in PS, but if you ever get motivated, head out to Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. There are a couple of nice Marriott resorts, another Hyatt, a Westin, etc. The El Paseo shopping is fun, but it is not walking distance from the resorts.

 

[Heyjud]

Just got back from a 3 day trip to Vegas. Stayed at the RIO. Very nice place. All the rooms are suites, and the food was fantastic! I will need to diet for months to make up for all I ate! The slots were MEAN but we did well at the blackjack tables! Still no place in the world like Vegas and the Venetian is amazing, but as far as shopping, I still LOVE Ceasar's Forum shops the best! Hard to settle back to reality after a trip like that.

 

[micheald]

Visit Memorial Day weekend 5/31 - Dinner Buffett at Bellagio.

I have read very good reviews of Bellagio, Aladdin and Paris buffetts so we decided to try all of them during our visit this past weekend. The buffet dinner at both Aladdin and Paris were very good. I cannot say the same thing about the Bellagio. We paid $37.95 each for memorial day's gourmet buffett. When we walk in, the cashier was talking to the other cashier while talking payments for our dinner and handed out our receipt without saying a word our even making eye contact. I expected at least something like 'Enjoy your dinner', in contrast the staff at Aladdin were very courteous and polite. Food was pretty good but not great. Large selection of Seafood - no lobster, exotic meat (buffalo roast), chilean seabass. Here is one surprise - every sushi bar that I have been to have been prepared by Japanese chefs, at the Bellagio the sushi chefs were Mexican folks, the Toro (Tuna) was not properly sliced. Another story except for the folks at the bar none of the waiters or waitresses speak good english. I had to say twice we wanted a non smoking table since the waiter could not understand me well. I witness one of the waitresses who is about 5"1' spilling a drink on a customer's jacket. Also my waiter only came once for serve us drink and did not return until we were almost done eating. Only the folks at the Bar a native speaker. I am asian south american and I value diversity but the folks at the Bellagio Buffett are not well trained period!!!

I first I thought may I am too picky about everything because I was comparing a $37.95 dinner at Bellagio vs $23.95 at the Aladdin. My wife agreed with me although she was more into the food and could care less about bad service and an arrogant cashier.

We also visited the Orleans buffett and at $6.95 for the lunch buffett it was better than Harrah's dinner buffett which was $16.95. The Orleans served cajun dishes live stations.

My final recommendation - DO go to the Aladdin Spice Market Buffett. Do go to the Orleans buffett lunch or dinner. Do go the Paris buffet. Skip - Harrah's and Bellagio's buffett. I will write a review about my favorite buffett later on.

Thank you - I now need to lose the couple of pounds I gained (in 5"10 and 180). Cheers.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

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. Skip - Harrah's and Bellagio's buffett. I will write a review about my favorite buffett later on.

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Harrahs is horrible in general. I've been to Vegas four times and we ended up staying there once because a family member got us a great deal and it was BY FAR the least impressive of the ones we've stayed at. The hotel part was gross, old, & outdated, and even our smoke free room was embedded with the odor of stale smoke probably left over from the 70s. It was so bad that we had to request a room change.

Michelle

 

[Mara]

I've learned to avoid all the old hotels in Vegas unless they have been entirely remodeled. They are just too old, smelly and not even always that much of a savings. There's too many hotels in Vegas with a huge spread of price ranges to have to settle for a bad one IMO! I've never been a fan of buffets...regardless of how pricey they are or what they serve..it always seems like it's not fresh and the food seems double-warmed (probably is). Can only really do breakfast buffets since that seems to be the least painful...hard to butcher a croissant or fruit..and stay away from strange yellow-orange eggies!

 

[Jennifer5973]

I just came back from Vegas and a six-day stay at Bellagio and I agree-although I received outstanding service I was less than impressed with the buffet. I also didn't go to any other buffet...we actually only left the Bellagio one night to go to dinner at the Venetian.

I am not a big buffet person anyway but we tried it one day for lunch (got tired of eating at the poolside cafe) and it was ok. I wasn't overly impressed with the food and the service was average at best. I agree with Mara-- I think breakfast buffets are the best because A. it's stuff I never have time or patience to make at home and B. it's hard to screw up. Oh, and they are usually cheap.

I was impressed with Aqua and Olives at Bellagio. And I loved the outdoor patio at Fontana Bar. We had to cancel our reservations at Prime on our first night becasue I drank too many pina coladas in the sun by the pool and had to "lie down" for the evening...

We had a Mara experience--sleep, eat & drink by the pool, then spa & nap for me, poker for him, then more drinks & dinner.... we did NOTHING.