Bellagio - Las Vegas, NV Review

We recently took a long weekend and headed to Vegas.  Now, most people either love Vegas or hate it.  I actually don't fall into either camp.  I've been there a few times and I'm sure I'll be back, but it's not on my top 10 (or 20) places to visit.  That being said, we had a great time at the Bellagio.  It's located right in the middle of the strip, the pools are amazing, the rooms are great, and the service was excellent.  The Casino & Sports Book are ok.  (For those looking for low table minimums, you may want to head somewhere else, minimums move up awfully quick on the weekends.)

We paid about $200 / night for our room, but I'm guessing you will likely pay more during peak season (fall / spring) and may pay less in the winter /summer.  (We were there in mid-May.)  While the room seemed reasonably priced, the prices at the in-hotel restaurants were outrageous.  We ate a very basic lunch by the pool one afternoon (a sandwich, a salad, chips & salsa, a lemonade and a diet coke) and it cost $70!!  You can do much better by taking a walk and eating outside the hotel.  Along those lines, if you weren't able to bring your suntan lotion with you - given the new airport regulations - take a walk to the CVS a couple blocks away.  You can get lotion for a few bucks rather than the $15-25 they charge by the pool.

A couple other notes.  Try to get a room away from the elevators.  The walls are surprisingly flimsy, not a good thing late night in Vegas.  (Initially, our room was right near the elevator bank.  We stayed there one night and asked to be moved the next day.  They were great about it, and our next room was perfect.)  Finally, the pool does get pretty crowded on the weekends during peak season.  You may want to head down by 8:30/9:00am or so if you want to save a good spot, and you'll probably need to be down by 9:30/10:00am to get a spot at all. 

Overall, we had a great time and will certainly check out the rates at the Bellagio the next time we head to Vegas (as long as the rates aren't crazy, we'll be staying there again).