Feature - Top 3 Las Vegas Casinos
The lure of Las Vegas has made it one of America’s most popular holiday destinations. A heady mix of gambling, showbiz and all-round glitz make it an irresistible place for a vacation.
We’ve chosen three of the best Sin City casinos to tempt you.
1. Bellagio
The iconic Bellagio hotel and casino sits on the Vegas strip surrounded by fountains and a huge eight acre lake. It was built in on the site of old Dunes hotel and casino, and was inspired by the Bellagio resort on Lake Como in Italy.
The Bellagio complex was masterminded by Steve Wynn and built by his company, Mirage Resorts, Inc. The casino opened with an extravagant $88 million ceremony on October 15th 1998, and has been Las Vegas’ benchmark for elegance ever since.
One of the Bellagio’s most famous features is the ornate ceiling work in the lobby. Dale Chihuly’s ‘Fiori di Como’ is made up of thousands of hand-blown glass flowers covering two thousand square feet of ceiling space.
The Bellagio’s fountains are not only for decoration. They form part of an spectacular music and light display that can be seen from the Strip.
The fun continues inside. The Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic production ‘O’, the second permanent production for the world famous circus show. The resort also has a conservatory and botanical gardens with seasonal displays.
When it’s time to get down to the important business of gambling, the Bellagio holds its own. Professional card players flock to the poker room, many using it as their home base due to the high table limits. Such is the Bellagio’s kudos that it has also partnered with the World Poker Tour to host several of their tournaments.
The Bellagio is a Las Vegas icon, featuring in many films including ‘Lucky You’ and ‘Ocean’s Eleven’.
2. Wynn Las Vegas
An imposing slab of polished stone looking out over the strip, the Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club is a AAA five diamond and Mobil five-star complex, and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. The US$2.7 billion outfit is named in honour of casino developer Steve Wynn.
The complex was built on land formerly occupied by the Desert Inn Hotel and golf course, and was originally to be called Le Rêve. The site was designed by Jon Jerde, and opened on Wynn’s wife’s birthday in 2005. The Wynn was the first casino to combine the room key and the casino frequent-player card into one.
Among its unique points is the Penske-Wynn Ferrari-Maserati dealership where lucky gamers can spend their winnings.
There are several free attractions to lure in visitors such as the curtain waterfall which spills into a three acre lake. This is where the ‘Lake of Dreams’ show happens, during which images are projected onto the wall of water with a musical accompaniment.
Also on a musical theme is the ‘Le Rêve’ show which mixes sound with spectacular diving routines. The Wynn is also home to ‘Avenue Q’ and ‘Spamalot Las Vegas’.
After basking in the buzz of the gaming halls punters can enjoy some retail therapy in the shopping complex or wind down on the only golf course on the Las Vegas Strip. Partygoers flock to nightclubs Tryst and Blush to live it up among the high rollers.
3. Caesars Palace
Built around an Ancient Roman theme, Caesars Palace is located on the west side of the Strip between the Bellagio and the Mirage. It is operated by Harrah’s Entertainment and was begun in 1962.
Creator Jay Sarno chose the name ‘Caesar’ to evoke royalty and prestige. The hotel has over three thousand rooms in five towers called Augustus, Centurion, Forum, Palace, and Roman. The Forum tower contains suites with a thousand square feet of space. The Roman theme is carried on throughout the complex, with elaborate decoration and architecture. The shopping centre was designed to resemble the Forum in Rome.
The Colosseum is where the entertainment happens. It was built especially for Celine Dion’s ‘A New Day’ show, and has since hosted stars such as Elton John and Bette Midler.
As well as the shows there’s an exotic car showroom, Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain free shows, and the Pure Nightclub with a Pussycat Dolls lounge.
There are plans in place for a massive development to the casino with an additional 37,000 square feet of floor space being built. At present the casino is spread over 129,000 square feet, and has everything from high limit slots to table games.
Make your own mind up about Las Vegas’s best casinos. Find the cheapest flights at FlightComparison.co.uk.