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| - Had a three-night stay here with the GF to celebrate our six months together. Since watching "Ocean's Eleven" as a kid, I remember dreaming of staying at the Bellagio someday - in large part because I wanted to walk around and utter that cheesy Andy Garcia line - "In my hotels, there's always somebody watching" - to anybody that would listen.
We got a really killer deal on our mid-August stay - thanks in part to the GF's discount through AAA. In comparison to other standard room rates that we had been scouting out (Wynn, Cosmo, etc.), the Bellagio offered the best bang-for-the-buck.
Unfortunately, due to some awful traffic on the way into Vegas (go figure, it was a Friday), we didn't arrive at the Bellagio until around 9 PM. Surprisingly, the check-in desk was still completely slammed with people - but it's a ton of fun to people watch! The lady and I had a ton of fun seeing who could count more Rolexes and Cartier LOVE Bracelets among the crowd of folks trying to check-in.
We were given a room on the fifth floor of the Spa Tower, on the non-fountain side. I'm not sure if the floor really matters when you're on the side of the hotel that isn't facing the Strip; perhaps this was a slight on the hotel's part (due possibly to how young my girlfriend and I look/are), but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
The room itself oozed sex appeal and a sense of contemporary edginess. Being that I never got the chance to stay at the Bellagio prior to its big renovation, I can't comment on how much of an upgrade this facelift provided. What I can say is that the room's beautiful indigo trim and wood furnishings gave off a very "new school Vegas" feel. The free wifi, - which was very reliable and lag-free - was also an excellent touch. The wall-mounted flat screen was surprisingly large for a standard room, and families will be happy to know that the setup accommodates video game systems. The real star of the show, of course, was the much-hyped Bellagio bed. While I won't delve into details, I'll point out that I had little trouble getting a good night's sleep on this fluffy cloud of a bed - no matter what state I was in!
All this being said, there were little things about the room that detracted from these otherwise-perfect accommodations. The glass door to our shower didn't close all the way; its rubber hinge seemed to get caught in the marble doorframe. As a result, tiny puddles of water would start to accumulate outside the shower if we forgot to place on the ground.
Also, it's a shame that standard Bellagio resort rooms are equipped with such spacious mini-fridges/freezers - yet these same fridges provide no extra space for guests' food/drinks (because they're filled to the brim with minibar items). Thus, this creates some problems if you're bringing home leftovers from a meal. It sorta felt as through the drive to make a profit seemed to supersede a potential opportunity to offer guests a welcome - and very practical - accommodation. I'm not sure if this is standard practice on the Strip, but I was nonetheless surprised.
Between going out to Hakkasan within an hour of arriving in Vegas and making two visits to Marquee (Dayclub & Nightclub) the following day, my girlfriend and I knew that we'd need to stay somewhere where we could take a break from the action. Thankfully, Bellagio provided that welcome sense of cleanliness and serenity that we had been hoping for. In spite of the fact that the hotel's clientele was (on average) about a generation older than my GF and I, I seldom felt as though we were out of place at Bellagio. In fact, it was kind of refreshing being able to make our way back to the hotel after a long night of clubbing and have an empty Conservatory to drunkenly wander through.
(^ I'd highly recommend giving that a try, by the way; a walk through a tourist-free Conservatory is breathtakingly serene, and a visit during peak hours does not compare in any way whatsoever.)
Where the hotel really won me over was with the little customer service touches that made our stay so memorable. From chatting about my last trip "back home" with a fellow Filipino who delivered our bags to our hotel room, to being greeted with a big smile from the Newsstand (general store) clerk on the three separate times that we ventured into her shop to buy chasers, I never felt that "cooler-than-you" attitude that I sometimes encounter when indulging in the finer things. I appreciated the staff's down-to-earth attitude and consistent cheer. Hell, even from the guards manning the elevator lobby greeted us with a smile and a pleasant "good morning" towards the end of our trek back from Hakkasan.
In spite of the fact that we stayed in a standard room, my girlfriend and I felt very much at home in the Bellagio. Once we finally manage to recover from the financial gut-punch of our past Vegas weekend, we'll set our sights on our next trip - and chances are likely that the Bellagio will be playing a major role!
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