Casino Reviews

The Venetian Casino and Hotel is another one of the most beautiful and elegant hotels in Las Vegas. As you enter the Venetian Hotel & Casino from the strip at street level you cross one of the canals. Consequently ou can take a ride in one of the gondola’s plying the canals. There are indoor and outdoor canals both with gondola’s to ride. You enter the Venetian Hotel & Casino on the main floor from the strip. In addition vacationers can also take the moving walkway to the second floor. The moving walkway runs from the strip to the canal shops area. Most noteworthy this is also a must see with many beautiful shops and restaurants including the artificial ceiling

There are 19 restaurants in total in the hotel. The Venetian Hotel & Casino provides excellent service and is a full service hotel with all of the services that anyone could require. These include of course the casino, restaurants, fine dining, coffee shops, gorgeous pool, shops, large conference facilities, and ample parking. The Venetian Hotel & Casino also has several bars with entertainment. As a result the rooms are a bit more expensive, with every one of them offering a suite style accommodation.

A new tower and casino has been added recently to the Venetian complex. This new vacation resort is called the Palazzo and is situated immediately beside the Venetian Hotel. We have only toured the palazzo casino as well as stayed at this hotel. However it is much the same as the Venetian, i.e. Elegant! You will not be disappointed.

Venetian Casino and Hotel – Slot Machines

The Venetian features Megajackpots® machines. They range from $1.00 Megabucks® (with jackpots that have gone higher than $30 million) to Wheel of Fortune®. As a result there is  something here for everyone.

The Venetian proudly offers a luxurious high-stakes slot experience. Denominations range from $1.00 all the way up to $1000.00 games. In addition jackpots go as high as $1,000,000.00 with progressives slot machines.

They also have a wide variety of video poker games with denominations ranging from $0.25 up to $25.00.

Table Games

The Venetian offers a full range of table games in lavish and friendly surroundings. With over 139 casino games, there’s sure to be something for everyone. They also offer a high-limit salon. Which includes 20 table games including Baccarat in a gaming area. Hence casino table games include:

• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Pai Gow tiles
• Pai Gow poker
• Caribbean Stud™
• Big Six
• Three Card Poker™
• Spanish 21
• Casino War
• Texas hold’em Poker
• Let it Ride

Restaurants

In addition all of the restaurants are excellent and include the following:

• AquaKnox – Seafood
• B&B Ristorante – Italian
• Bouchon – French
• Canalette – Italian
• Delmonico Steakhouse – All American Steakhouse
• Pinot Brasserie – French Steakhouse
• Postrio Br & Grill – Contemporary American
• Tao – Asian Bistro
• Vaentino – Italian
• Zeffirino – Italian Seafood
• Canyon Ranch Cafe and Grill – Healthy Spa Cuisine
• Eniteca Otto Pizzeria – Italian
• Grand Lux Cafe – Global Cuisine
• Noodle Asia – Pan Asia
• Quick Elite
• Riva Poolside – American
• Taqueria Cafionita – Mexican
• The Grill at Veneation – Italian
• Tintoretto Bakery Italian bakery
• Trattoria Reggiano – Italian

Major Points of Interest

If you are just passing through the hotel, you will want to take a moment to see the following areas:

• Canal shops
• Gondola rides inside and outside in the canals
• Open and bright almost cheery casino
• Live entertainment beside the casino
• Great pool area

What We Liked

These are some of the items or areas that we liked about the Venetian Casino and Hotel.

• Free entertainment
• Canal shops
• Great Casino with good comps
• Suite style rooms
• Large Convention Space
• Elegance everywhere
• Free drinks while you are playing the slots or the tables
• Central location, close to several other excellent hotels and the Fashion Show Mall

What We Don’t Like

These are some of the items or areas that we did not like about the Venetian Casino and Hotel.

• Could not think of anything

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Venetian slot players card system called Grazie. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at the Venation and the Palazzo.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms and meals, email mailing list of promotions, access to entertainment are just a few of the promotions. In addition they provide a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Venetian hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. Also the parking garage is patrolled on a regular basis. In addition it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109. The Venetian hotel is near Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Blvd. Hence it is across the street from Treasure Island the Mirage Hotels. Down the street you have the Palazzo, the Wynn and the Encore and the Fashion Show Mall.

The Palazzo  Hotel & Casino is another one of the most beautiful and elegant hotels in Las Vegas and a sister hotel to the  Venetian Hotel & Casino. You can enter from the strip at street level . There are indoor and outdoor canals both with gondola’s to ride. You enter the Palazzo Hotel & Casino on the main floor from the strip. Vacationers can also take the moving walkway to the second floor from the strip and enter the canal shops area. This is also a must see with many beautiful shops and restaurants including the artificial ceiling. There is a pedestrian walkway across Spring Mountain road to the Wynn hotel and Casino, with direct entry into the Palazzo hotel.

Palazzo Casino & Hotel – Restaurants

There are 15 restaurants in total in the hotel. The Palazzo Hotel & Casino provides excellent service and is a full service hotel with all of the services that anyone could require. These include of course the casino, restaurants, fine dining, coffee shops, gorgeous pool, shops, large conference facilities, and ample parking. The PalazzoHotel & Casino also has several bars with entertainment. The rooms are a bit more expensive, with everyone of them offering a suite style accommodation. This is a brand new hotel with the last few years. Everything is spectacular, with beautiful rooms, great views of the strip and the mountains.

We have toured the Polazzo casino as well as stayed at this hotel. However it is much the same as the Venetian, i.e. Elegant! You will not be disappointed.

Slot Machines

The Palazzo features Megajackpots® machines from $1.00 Megabucks® (with jackpots that have gone higher than $30 million) to Wheel of Fortune®. There’s something here for everyone.

The Palazzo proudly offers a luxurious high-stakes slot experience. For example with denominations ranging from $1.00 all the way up to $1000.00 games. And jackpots go as high as $1,000,000.00 with progressives slot machines.

They also have a wide variety of video poker games with denominations ranging from $0.25 up to $25.00.

Table Games

The Palazzo offers a full range of table games in lavish and friendly surroundings. With over 139 casino games, there’s sure to be something for everyone. They also offer a high-limit salon, which includes 20 table games including Baccarat in a gaming area. Casino table games include:

• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Pai Gow tiles
• Pai Gow poker
• Caribbean Stud™
• Big Six
• Three Card Poker™
• Spanish 21
• Casino War
• Texas hold em Poker
• Let it Ride

Restaurants

All of the restaurants are excellent and include the following:

• Carnevino – Steakhouse
• Cut – Steakhouse
• LAVO – Italian
• Moreles French Steakhouse and Bistro – French
• Table 10 – New American
• Sushisamba – Japanese, Peruvian & Brazilian
• Zine Noodles Dim Sum – Pan Asian
• Canyon Ranch Grill – Healthy Spa Cuisine
• Dal Toro Ristorante – Italian
• Dos Caminos – Mexican
• Expressamente Illy – Italian Cafe
• First Food & Bar – American
• Grand Lux – Global Cuisine
• Solaro – American
• Lagasse’s Stadium – American

Palazzo Casino Major Points of Interest

If you are just passing through the hotel, you will want to take a moment to see the following areas of the Palazzo Hotel & Casino.

• Shopping area joining the Venetian and Palazzo Hotels
• Canal shops
• Gondola rides inside and outside in the canals
• Open and bright almost cheery casino
• Live entertainment beside the casino
• Great pool area

What We Liked

These are some of the items or areas that we liked about the Palazzo Hotel & Casino.

• Free entertainment
• Canal shops
• Great Casino with good comps
• Suite style rooms
• Large Convention Space
• Elegance everywhere
• Free drinks while you are playing the slots or the tables
• Central location, close to several other excellent hotels and the Fashion Show Mall

What We Don’t Like

These are some of the items or areas that we did not like about the Palazzo Hotel & Casino.

• Could not think of anything

Palazzo Casino Slot Player Card

They are part of the Palazzo slot players card system called Grazie. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at the Venation as well as the Palazzo.

There are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. For example free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions. Also free or discounted meals, access to entertainment. As well as a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Palazzo hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109. The Palazzo hotel is near Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Blvd across the street from Treasure Island the Mirage Hotels. Down the street you have the Venetian, the Wynn and the Encore and the Fashion Show Mall.

We recently stayed at the Wynn Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. After staying at a number of other hotels in Las Vegas as well other cities, this hotel is by far the best we have visited to date.  Steve Wynn has done a fabulous job of designing and building a work of art. He also runs a hotel the way it should be run. Everything is kept clean and sparkling. It is updated on a regular basis with new furniture in the rooms, electronic controls for the lighting and the curtains. Everything is state of the art.

For a full review of the Wynn Hotel and Casino, click here.

Wynn Casino Las Vegas Update

We used to think that the Bellagio, which was also built by Steve Wynn, was the best hotel in Las Vegas. Make no mistake, it is a beautiful hotel. One that we would love to stay at anytime. However if I have to rank the two, the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas is a step above the Bellagio.

Dining at the Wynn

We ate at the deli the first  night, not wanting to take too much time out from playing the slots. The service and the food was quite good. This is a deli after all and a fast food kind of place for a casino. I hesitate to use that term at the Wynn, since it does not compare at all with the traditional fast food kind of places that we think about. Cloth napkins,  regular utensils and meals served to you at your table. You order your meals at the counter. This is the style we are describing at the Wynn’s deli restaurant.

We also dined at the Wynn buffet. Now this buffet would probably be considered expensive by many people who go to buffets at $35 a person. However when you consider that you can choose from lobster, crab legs, and all of the other usual types of food, the price does seem to be more reasonable.  Very few buffets will include lobster ! Need less to say we thoroughly enjoyed the meal and also ate way too much!

Our Room

Our room at Wynn was located on the 23rd floor over looking the strip and the western mountains. You could not ask for a better view. We could see the pirate show at Treasure Island as well as the volcano eruption at the Mirage.

The room itself was simply elegant and we did not have an upgraded room. I can just imagine what a suite would be like. White Leather furniture, two flat screen TV’s, one for the bathroom, one for the main room, a desk to work at and a fantastic view. There was also an electronic console which allowed you to control the lights and the curtains as well as the temperature all from the comfort of your bed. The only thing missing is the ability to make a coffee for your self in your room.

Waterfalls

Outside at the front of the hotel along the strip is an actual mountain complete with large pine trees, several waterfalls and lakes. surrounding the lakes are several restaurants that on nice days in Vegas you can sit and enjoy your meal outdoors. Most days are spectacular in Las Vegas, although you do get a few when it is too cold or even rain, however these are very seldom.

The picture on the left is one of those waterfalls, however on the day I took this picture it was turned off for maintenance. There was a guy in the lake at the bottom taking out leaves and other debris that accumulates from time to time. Still even with no water it is a spectacular view in the middle of the desert!

We will stay at this hotel again and we can personally recommend it to anyone reading this post. Feel free to leave comments if you also have stayed at this hotel. Spam comments will be auto deleted.

This is a news alert for anyone planning to go to Vegas and stay at the Mirage Casino and Hotel in Jan and Feb of 2016. Pool Closed at the Mirage Casino. It is usually closed for major maintenance at this time of year. We suggest that you check with the front desk before making reservations during the winter months if you want to use the pool area.

Sometimes it is closed for maintenance. The water has been drained and it looks like the bottom and the sides of the pool are being redone. It can be very disappointing if you want to use the pool during this time.

Checking the Mirage web site did not show any indication that the pool will be closed. Nor any update as to what is planned for the pool. We are never sure if the pool is being repaired or if the MGM group will be making major changes to the pool area. For any that have been there, you will recall that it was always a great place to be with lots of sun all afternoon, waterfalls and bridges. A great place to spend the day working on your suntan.

Annual Maintenance

The Mirage hotel routinely uses Jan to perform regular maintenance on the pool. The weather is usually cooler and the pool is not heated so it is a good time to perform this maintenance, however, the least they could do is let people know that it is closed before they book their trips. It would be a big disappointment if you were planning to soak up some sun on warm January days. Right now you cannot even go out on the pool deck due to all of the workman and the noise.

For more information about the Mirage Hotel and Casino, click here.

We are staying at the Mirage hotel for two nights at the end of Jan comp’d by the hotel. We have not stayed here for a few years, preferring to stay at the Wynn or the Bellagio hotels. I guess it is a slow time for them and they wanted to get us back to spend a few dollars. For those of you who are not aware, using a slot card at a hotel will usually get you free meals and free nights. However, if you stop gambling at a hotel, sometimes they will invite you back, give you some free stuff, etc. to get you coming back to their casino. We used to stay here all the time and then stopped.

Well, we are fortunate to be able to take advantage of this offer this year as we are on our way to California.

Updates at the Mirage

The Mirage is very nice and has been updated in recent years to be more contemporary. We like bright airy places and the casino is now darker than it used to be. It still has the beautiful fish tank behind the reception desk. Also he tropical waterfall at the entrance to the casino and classy bars and restaurants.

Our room has also been updated with new furniture and designs. Gone are the boxy clothes drawers. They have been replaced by a sleek glass and wood wall that encompasses the flat-screen TV. There is a desk for those of us that feel the need to work while we are on vacation. Also for road warriors to keep up with the email back at the office.

Speaking of email, one of the things that the MGM group has started in Vegas and Atlantic City is a resort fee. They now charge from $15 to $35 per night for access to the internet, newspaper and the gym. There is no choice in this, even if you do not use these features. Apparently Harrahs also does this as well. Most of us cannot exist without the internet these days. However, there are also so many free sites around that we do not need to pay for the service.

As of this writing, we do not think that Wynn is levying this daily charge.

Comments are appreciated.

The Encore Hotel and Casino is located next door to the flagship Wynn Casino and Hotel. Both are located in prime locations at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Spring Mountain road. The Fashion Show Mall is across the street, TI Casino is on another corner and the Venation/ Palazzo is on the other corner. With so much in the immediate area, you will have a fun filled few days in Las Vegas at the Encore.

If you happen to golf, why not play golf at the Wynn Golf course behind the Wynn Hotel. Book your T off time early so that you will be assured of being able to play while you are in Las Vegas. The twin towers of the hotel complexes make an imposing site on the Las Vegas skyline and if you are fortunate enough to have a room on the 53rd floor as we did the view is totally spectacular!

One side of the hotel faces west with a view of the Las Vegas Strip and the mountains with the setting sun, while the over faces east so you can watch the sunrise over the mountains in the morning. The east facing side also provides a view of the Wynn golf course. Steve Wynn is one of the premiere designers in Las Vegas. He has had his hand in the Bellagio, the Mirage and Treasure Island. The Wynn and Encore hotels are equally spectacular with a forested mountain in front of the hotel and rushing mountain streams cascading off the mountain they provide a beautiful setting for many of the restaurants that surround the  small lake at the bottom. If you have an opportunity to dine in one of thees restaurants don’t hesitate. You are in for a treat!

Encore Casino Las Vegas – Slot Machines

There are over 800 slots of all types including real spinning slots, video real slots and video poker slots ranging from a penny all the way up to $5000! I cannot imagine playing a slot machine for $5000 for one pull of the handle or press of the button. Obviously the high rollers enjoy this kind of play from time to time. There are also progressive slot machines were you can win $10 million on a penny slot machine with the maximum bet wagered.

Table Games

The table games are located on the main floor of the casino and include Baccarat, Black Jack, Big6, Roulette, European Roulette, Let it Ride, Mini Baccarat, Pai Goa Poker, Three Card Poker, and Casino War. You can also wander over to the pool at the Encore or Wynn pools to play Blackjack around the pool.

Restaurants

There are a number of restaurants at the Encore, all of which are very excellent dining places catering to just about everyone’s tastes. The restaurants include Sinatra, Botero, Wazuzu, Society Cafe Encore, and Wynn Dining. We have eaten at Switch and found it to be a unique establishment with excellent food and the best steaks.

The unique thing about this restaurant is that the walls and the ceiling switch decor every 15 to 20 minutes. The walls may be sinking into the floor to be replaced by a new decor or elevating into the ceiling. Also the ceiling itself changes. One minute there is a large chandelier only to be replaced with several smaller ones with a totally different decor on the ceiling.

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Free drinks while gambling served in nice glasses
• Buffet, although expensive is very good
• Pool area and spa free to hotel guests in a tropical setting with a swim up blackjack table
• Hotel rates are very reasonable, especially if you have an Encore slot card
• Covered garage parking
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas
• You really have to visit the Encore to appreciate it
• Walk way between the Encore and Wynn hotels

What We Did Not Like

• There are no real complaints about the Encore hotel & casino
• It is a 5 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Wynn slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at the Wynn as well as the Encore hotel and casino.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a win / loss  tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Encore hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

The Encore hotel is right next door to the Wynn Hotel and Casino.Across the street is the Fashion show mall. Access the parking garage as well as valet parking from Las Vegas boulevard. The address is 313 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Coming into Las Vegas take I15 and exit at Spring Mountain east and then turn left onto Las Vegas Blvd.