Casino Reviews

MGM Resorts International has joined the ranks of many other hotel chains. As a result, it is now delivering free WIFI on its properties in public areas. Many casinos have now joined the ranks of WiFi available in Vegas Hotels. They finally have gotten the message that not only was this an irritation to their guests, it was also a missed opportunity. As a result, they now can advertise their services and activities that are taking place on the property.

In a statement, and we quote, “MGM Resorts said the system is currently live at Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and The Mirage. The system is expected to be installed this year in the Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor, and Excalibur”. They join other casino properties across the US that have been offering WIFI on their properties for some time.

WIFI Available in Vegas Hotels – Competition

In many Strip casinos, Wi-Fi is only available to hotel guests or convention attendees. With the new MGM Resorts system, basic Internet access will become available to anyone who comes into public areas. Areas such as the lobby, pool area, casino, and restaurants. The system, developed with Cisco Systems, doesn’t require a password. MGM Resorts hotel guests will pay for and receive upgraded service. Convention attendees can upgrade to a higher-speed system.

WIFI Available in Vegas Hotels – Service

Experience with this type of service suggests that the speed will not be fantastic. But will be useful and suitable for email and light browsing. MGM Resorts officials believe that the Wi-Fi system will turn their entire properties into a hot spot. It will support tens of thousands of guests with multiple Internet-enabled devices.

Apps developed for these casinos will advertise their services, and allow for reservations and other activities. We expect that over the coming years these services will develop into a rich set of services. — Paul Richardson 613 298 6297

The Wynn Hotel & Casino is by far the best hotel and casino from almost every aspect including the Wynn Casino Shops. We try to stay at this hotel every time we go to Las Vegas.

Pictured on the left is the corridor that leads in from the strip past all of the high-end shops. They are nice to look at, however way beyond our price range. I am not sure why all of the hotels do this, the Wynn hotel is no exception, but they all have these shops that the average person cannot afford to shop in. They have beautiful clothes, purses, diamonds and even cell phones that you would never even look at because of the price. Great place to window shop.

Wynn Casino Shops – Casino Entrance

As you near the end of this corridor of shops, you will be approaching another really beautiful area just before you reach the casino.  Wynn has designed a garden area were many people take pictures and spend time admiring the plants during the day and the flowers and lights at night. This is near the Wynn Casino Shops.

These flowers are constantly updated and kept flourishing by perfect care each and every day. Since we are easterners, we get up early when we are in Vegas and often are down stairs by five or six in the morning. The gardeners are still there working on the flowers making sure they are looking perfect for the coming day. They have probably been there all night working on the flower beds, trimming flowers that have matured and even changing plants that need to be recycled. Many people stop at these gardens every day to have pictures taken with their families.

Gardens are Beautiful

We will show one more picture that we really enjoyed. These flower gardens run the length of the casino along the front of the hotel facing towards the mountain with its cascading waterfall and lake. There is also a bar in the middle of the gardens which looks out onto the casino on one side and on to the gardens on the other.

All of these pictures were taken during the day, however can you imagine how beautiful this area is at night with all of the lights etc. We find that this is such a beautiful area to stroll through. The only thing missing are benches were people can sit and taken in everything around them. They really should have benches for people to sit on. The Casino of course does not want you to sit among flowers, they would rather have you sitting in the casino and playing the slots for a while to help make them some money and pay for all of the beautiful things in the hotel.

More to See at the Wynn Hotel

There are many other features to take in while visiting the Wynn casino. for example there is the championship golf course, there are many restaurants to dine at, bars to visit and even a Ferrari store. You have to pay to get into the latter, if you want to visit this particular store. I guess they really want to keep kids and the riff raft out of the store. You have to be really interested to want to pay to see this particular store.

The hotel is also well situated along the strip. Across the road is the fashion show mall. On the other the corners are the Venation hotel  and TI or Treasure island. These are all great places to visit . Spend some time at either going to shows, watching free entertainment or playing in their casinos.

The Wynn hotel and casino is a must see if you are spending time in Las Vegas. Even if you are just visiting and staying at another hotel take some time to visit this hotel. It is definitely worth the walk. We actually go to Starbucks every morning across the street at the Fashion Show Mall. Coffee is a little less expensive and you get out for a walk. It is approximately a 20 minute walk to get from your room, walk through the casino and the hotel, across the street and over to the Starbucks store.

Imagine and it is just across the street. Always take good walking shoes when you are in Las Vegas. You will need them even if you just stay within your own hotel. They are huge and designed to keep you on their property instead of staying to other hotels. Have fun and enjoy Las Vegas.

One of our favorite things to do every time we visit Las Vegas is to go to the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio hotel. The gardens are located just off the main lobby and you can also access the restaurant as well by walking thought the gardens. The Bellagio changes the gardens to coincide with the seasons so there is always something new to observe.

We have included several pictures of the conservatory at various times of the year. There is always something different  to see and I would recommend at least half an hour to really see all of the gardens. There are usually lots of people taking pictures and looking at the flowers and arrangements of flowers etc in the gardens. This is definitely a must see while you are in Vegas regardless of whether you are staying in the Bellagio or not.

Bellagio Conservatory – Imagination and Originality

You have to really give the designers of these gardens credit. They have a lot of imagination and they definitely are original in their designs.  While the Bellagio does not encourage children at this hotel, this is a place you can bring your children and we are sure they will enjoy the Halloween and Christmas designs and decorations. They really pay attention to detail.

All of the flowers are real and they are watered and manicured every day. Any flower that is not doing well is replaced and any that grow too fast are trimmed. There is a lot of work to maintain these gardens and the folks at the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens do a fantastic job. Again we encourage you to visit and enjoy these gardens.

Other Things to See at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino

This is one hotel everyone has to visit and spend some time at, even if you are not a gambler. As you walk along the strip in front of the hotel you cannot miss the lake in front of the hotel. During the afternoon and evenings, they run regular shows playing beautiful music which the water fountains follow in sync.  Definitely something to see while in Las Vegas.

Inside the hotel there are at least 5 pools that customers can visit and spend relaxing afternoons at. There are several viewing areas for people to step out on to observe the pool area if you are not staying at the hotel. Guests of the pool area must show a valid hotel key in order to enter the pool area.

There are many restaurants at the hotel spread all over the property. This is a 5000+ room hotel plus a large conference center area so there is a lot of walking involved and many restaurants spread around the hotel. One that we enjoy and try to visit every time we go is the little coffee shop just down from the guest elevators. They have really great muffins and coffee among other things and fantastic jam to go along with them. Windows look over the pool area as well so you can enjoy your coffee with a view.

Getting to the Bellagio

If you are driving to the Bellagio, the entrance can be found off the Las Vegas Strip. Use the same entrance for the valet parking or to the parking garage. There is ample parking. It is very safe with an entrance from the garage directly into the hotel lobby area. They now charge for parking in the publich parking garage. If you are walking,  it is a bit of walk. However you can enter from the strip and walk through the shopping area from one side. Or along moving walkways from the other end of the lake.

Both are very enjoyable and there is lots to see as you enter the hotel and the casino. We really like the Bellagio and stay there every chance we get. If we are staying somewhere else at another hotel we always take the time to go to the casino, the gardens and the coffee shop as a minimum. It is almost a tradition now for us to visit the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, the Bellagio Casino. We think you should too even if you do not spend any time gambling, it is well worth the visit.

Other pages on our web site that you may want to visit about the Bellagio hotel can be found by clicking here.

The Aria Casino is located in the new City Center complex developed by MGM Grand. This is a huge complex and we will describe it in other posts, however this one will focus on the buffet at this casino. The buffet is open and bright, with windows along two sides. This is unusual since many casino buffet rooms are inside and enclosed on all four sides. One side looks out on to the pool area, two of the hot tubs while the other looks onto the pool area entrance. So you have some great views while dining at the buffet and enjoying your lunch or dinner.

Aria City Center Casino – Casino Buffet

We went to the casino and tried their buffet during May 2011 and found it to be excellent. Our overall top buffet is at the Mirage Hotel and casino, however this one ranks a close second. The price is reasonable and the decor and serving dishes are unique as you may observe in some of the pictures. The deserts are excellent, small portions which is ok with us since this means you can try a variety of deserts without wasting a lot of food.

The day we went they offered crab legs hot or cold and of course shrimp. They had all of the other main menu items along with various nationalities as well from Indian,, Mexican, Italian and Japanese. There is definitely something for everyone including the traditional meat and potatoes which many people love.

You definitely will not go hungry here!

Buffet Details

Price Range:$$ $30 to $35 range

Accepts Credit Cards:Yes

Parking:Garage

Attire:Casual

Good for Groups:Yes

Good for Kids:Yes

Takes Reservations:No

Waiter Service:Yes

Outdoor Seating:No, but some seats have a view of the pool

Wi-Fi:Paid

Good For:Dinner, Brunch

Alcohol:Beer & Wine Only

Noise Level:Average

Ambience:Casual

Has TV:No

Caters:No

Wheelchair Accessible:Yes

Visiting the Fremont Street Experience is one of the must things to do in Las Vegas. It is free, and the best time to visit is in the evening to experience the light show and the entertainment. If you are staying somewhere on the strip in one of the strip hotels, take a taxi, or the bus or drive down to downtown Las Vegas and see the Fremont Street Experience. The best time to go is early evening, just before it gets dark. Park at the Golden Nugget Hotel parking lot. Get your parking stub stamped at the cashier’s cage in the Golden Nugget. Then head out to the street.

The picture above is showing one of the shows that is done in lights on the ceiling. Of course, you can play a little in the casino or have dinner there or in any of the other hotels. But the main reason we are suggesting you want to make the trip down is to visit Fremont Street and take in all of the action.

What is the Fremont Street Experience?

The entire street, which is the original downtown Las Vegas mecca is covered over by about six city blocks. On the ceiling every 30 minutes at night, they put on a sound and light show for all of the tourists. The lights from the casinos shown in the picture on the left are turned off, and the show begins with a fabulous light and music show that really will enthrall just about anyone. There are no street lights on this section of Fremont Street since the casinos generate more light than any street light ever would. The street is closed to auto traffic, and there are literally thousands of people strolling along and watching the show on the ceiling.

This picture shows what the street looks like during the daytime. Nothing special, but you can see the supporting columns that hold the ceiling up and support the prominent speakers that deliver fabulous sound. When the light show is not on, many other activities are also taking place. It changes all of the time, so if you do not see what we saw, I am sure you will see other things as well that are equally interesting.

Entertainment

For example, there were two dance bands at either end of the street. These bands, the singers, and the dancers were excellent and worth spending some time listening to. You can also zip lining along the street for several blocks as well. They have this set up above the street level, and four people can go simultaneously. Usually, groups have races to see who can get to the other end the quickest.

Many people will pose for a picture. There are cartoon characters as well as characters from various TV shows. Of course, there is always an Elvis or two. You can take your picture with one of these characters. Note that they will always have their hand out for a tip. This is how they make their living. Although they initially make it look like something they do for fun, they have their hands out for a tip. There was even a mini Elvis, as shown in the picture on the left. And, of course, he wanted his tip afterward.

If you have been to the Fremont Street Experience, write a comment or two about your experience. It is well worth spending the time to go there. Make sure you hold tight to your wallet or purse while watching the show.