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| - I'm leaving this review as a Las Vegas local, which means my priorities and opinions of a casino differ from travelers.
First off, I've always preferred the CET (Caesars Entertainment) casinos. MGM Resorts seem second class compared to CET, but nevertheless I had a friend who wanted to explore Bellagio. Having various friends come to Vegas throughout the years I have become somewhat of an expert on where to dine, where to go for entertainment, etc.
I planned out for us to see the conservatory, for us to dine at Bellagio Cafe, and for us to attend the Hyde Nightclub! Now, I had never been to the cafe or nightclub so I was learning more about this casino as well! We had a beautiful lunch at the cafe. The food was delicious and priced well (for Vegas). It provided a beautiful view of the conservatory which of course my friend loved!
After lunch we went back to my house (eight minutes away from the strip) to relax and get ready for the nightclub. We were told it was free open bar until 12:30am. One thing led to another and we were heading back to the strip around 11:30pm. Not wanting to waste more time I opted for valet parking. We then proceeded to the nightclub where we had a fabulous time -- beautiful view of the fountains!!
Everything about this night was amazing!! Until we went to pick up my car. I was out of town when MGM Resorts started to charge for parking so it completely slipped my mind! $18 to have parked for roughly three hours. That is ridiculous!!! Marriott in other cities charges $15 a day valet parking, in and out privileges.
I'm fortunate that being a Las Vegas local I can do self-park free of charge. I will do this in the future. However, being charged $18 for valet rubbed me the wrong way and ended what was a 5-Star night on a low. I was ready to recommend Bellagio to several friends, but because they would have to pay to park, I strongly recommend CET casinos over Bellagio or any MGM Resorts casino. The two exceptions would be if they're with me, meaning they would not have to pay to park. The other exception is them park at the nearest CET property and walk to the MGM Resort of their choosing.
Bellagio was fabulous that night, but CET casinos could've been just as fabulous, if not more fabulous! Those casinos charge $0 to park. Bellagio/MGM Resorts charge $18. Seems like a no-brainer where to go.
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