Bellagio | VegasDefined

Aug 31

Bellagio Hotel and Casino

Near the center of Las Vegas Boulevard, adjacent to where it is crossed by Flamingo Road, lies Bellagio, the second best casino hotel in the United States. The mere sight of this mesmerizing structure says it all. Bellagio stands out for its simplified and elegant beauty that patronizes the theme of Bellagio, a township in Italy. The architecture is one of the costliest constructions of all times and it beholds a grace of its own. Inaugurated in 1998, the building is noted for its original and sophisticatedly dominant design and layout.

bellagio_at_dusk All the grand hotels and casinos in Las Vegas offer all sorts of luxuries to its customers but there are many features that separate Bellagio from the rest. The fountains that offer a striking welcome to its guests are one of the main attractions of not just Bellagio but the entire Las Vegas Strip. People passing by Bellagio along the Strip, are often silenced by these entrancing fountains that dance to the rhythm of delightful music played in the background. It is a stunning site that evokes childlike awe among the onlookers. People visit the strip exclusively to capture the beauty of Bellagio Fountains in their memories. The fountains are based on a grand lake that stretches about 8 acres of the property.

Bellagio is wide known for hosting the Cirque’s renowned show “O”. The Cirque de Soleil is all about underwater performances and water ballet presented by some of the best underwater dancers in the world. The specialty about Bellagio is that it provides the guests with a very tranquil stay which is a rare luxury in a place like Las Vegas. Its location and surrounding is quite eco-friendly with acres of garden space that facilitates good privacy to its residents. Another attraction that you shouldn’t be missing is its Fine Art gallery that showcases rare artworks of archeological value. It features great weekend parties at The Bank which is an ultramodern night club. The hotel is complete with a salon and spa and a range of luxurious bars. It has several restaurants that provide a wide variety of cuisines and preparations. And among its numerous records, one is for owning the world’s tallest chocolate fountain.

When it comes to hospitality and quality service none can beat Bellagio. It has won the AAA Five Diamond Award which has put the hotel among the list of top hotels in the world. Its casino presents with an 116,000-square feet gaming area. The stakes are comparatively a bit more expensive but the game features are customized for a high profile gaming experience. For elite guests it has special villas that separate them from the rest of the world.

To reach here from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport one need to travel less than 4 kilometers. The average check rates hovers around 280 dollars; however, there are special deals that offer rates as low as around 150 dollars.

Tagged with: Bellagio Hotel

Sep 07

No Ideas Where or What to do in Las Vegas Part 1

Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, Casinos, Do's and Don'ts, Dos, Rio All-Suite, Vegas Underground 2 Comments »

Things to do in Las Vegas

I just thought I’d share with everyone a list I have used in the past as reference up until I’ve become very familiar with Las Vegas. I still carry 1 – 2 copies of this list just in case someone in my party needs a good simple reference. Generally speaking, people within my Las Vegas party splits up during certain times in the day and they always seem to thank me for it. =)

Here’s a list of 10 free things to do in Las Vegas:

1. Tresure Island’s Sirens of TI Show: This begins with a 17th century clash between a group of beautiful, tempting sirens and a band of renegade pirates. With their mesmerizing and powerful song the Sirens lure the pirates to their cove, stir up a tempest strong enough to sink a ship, and transform Sirens’ Cove into a 21st century party. Experience music, dance, excitement and seduction – nightly at 7:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 11:30 p.m. in Sirens’ Cove at the front entrance of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. (My personal favorite)

2. The flaming volcano at the Mirage. Every 15 minutes from 7 p.m. to midnight, the Mirage’s faux volcano erupts only a few steps from Las Vegas Boulevard, sending fire 100 feet into the sky and transforming a waterfall into streams of molten lava.

3. The Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas. This resort is host to a collection of more than 300 birds, including a flock of pink Chilean flamingos. African penguins, swans, ducks, and turtles also cavort amid lush tropical foliage imported from all over the world.

4. The dancing fountains of Bellagio. The Bellagio hotel opened in 1998. Every afternoon and evening, the hotel’s man made turquoise lake becomes the staging ground for a 1,000-foot-long fountain display. Watch jets of water burst 240 feet in the air, sweeping and dancing up the lake.

5. White tiger exhibit at the Mirage. Famed illusionists Siegfried & Roy once presented a world-famous magic show complete with lions and rare white tigers at the Mirage hotel.

6. Caesars Palace. Stroll to the Forum Shops, and watch a seven-minute show of special effects as Roman statues come to life.

7. Gondola watching at The Venetian. Whether you’ve visited Venice or not, you’re bound to enjoy the surreal experience of watching gondoliers maneuver their elegant wooden boats through the “canals” of a 500,000-square-foot shopping mall.

8. Circus Circus Hotel and Casino Circus Acts. They fly through the air with the greatest of ease… Awe and wonder are always just within your reach at Circus Circus. Experience the world’s largest permanent circus, highlighting the center stage of the Carnival Midway daily. See performances daily from 11 a.m. – midnight

9. The Rio All Suite Hotel Show : Masquerade Village Sky Show. The excitement is hotter than ever at Rio’s Masquerade Village with the Show in the Sky! All-new sets. All-new costumes. All-new choreography. Even if you’ve seen it before, Rio’s all-new Show in the Sky is a must-see again. It’s a unique performance every time, with three different shows featuring stunning dancers in eye-popping costume fashions from the likes of DKNY and Victoria’s Secret. Your jaw will drop as these talented performers perform all-new routines to edgy music as fantasy floats glide above the crowd, creating an energetic and dynamic musical celebration. The all-new Show in the Sky is performed hourly from 7 pm until midnight every Thursday through Sunday.

10. Fremont Street Experience. This is located not on the regular Las Vegas Strip but rather in downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street. This is a must see 90 foot high, four block long electronic canopy that presents spectacular sight and sound shows. This pedestrian promenade was built to attract visitors to the Downtown area of Las Vegas. It is surrounded by 10 casino/hotels. Every night at dusk the shows begin and continue throughout the night until midnight. The Light and Sound show features over 2 million lights and a 28 speaker, 540,000 watt sound system. Definitely, one of a kind!

- carpe diem

Tagged with: downtown las vegas • fremont street • las vegas casinos • things to do

Jul 31

Bellagio Electrical Failure

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Bellagio Power Failure : estimated: $3 Million Loss / day

Some of you may already of heard about this or seen the movie Oceans 11 (Bellagio didn’t really get robbed). I just felt like I needed to share with you an interesting fact about the history of Bellagio Las Vegas. A short history lesson if you will. On the day of April 11, 2004, the casino experienced a very nasty electrical failure.

You can imagine if you were a guest during this Easter holiday, you were not going to be a happy camper. The already booked guests of 800 rooms (approx 1,500 inconvenienced guests) were slowly transferred to other properties. The Bellagio has approx. 3,000 rooms, one of the largest in Las Vegas. The power outage lasted up until April 15, 2004.

$3 Million x 5 = Approx $15 Million Dollar in losses!

The cause during the first few days were unknown up until near complete repair was the real culprit of the electrical power failure revealed. County officials said that the failure was caused by degradation of material used to connect the power cables that run alongside the resort.

Note: They had problems putting up the backup power because of bad planning in my opinion. They never realized it up until they had this “Bellagio Electrical Failure” problem, that a design flaw in the development of the $1.6 billion resort may be responsible for the problem with the backup power system.

Transmission cables for both primary and backup power run parallel to one another through the same duct work, which made it impossible to run the backup system while the primary power failure was being assessed and repaired.

It’s 4 Years after and it seems that everything is fine now. The Bellagio is still one of my favorite casinos.

Tagged with: Bellagio • bellagio electrical failure • vegas gossip

Jul 30

Bellagio Casino Resort Fountains

Bellagio 2 Comments »

Bellagio Casino has a Major Free Vegas Show Attraction:

Bellagio Water / Fountain Show

A refreshing addition to your entertainment options, the Fountains of Bellagio were destined to romance your senses. Take in a complimentary Las Vegas show of water, music and light thoughtfully interwoven to mesmerize its admirers. All for your amusement, the most ambitious, choreographically complex water feature ever conceived amazes against the beautiful backdrop of Las Vegas’ lavender sky. Each dynamic performance from the Fountains collection is unique in its expression and interpretation. Fall in love with the stunning nature of this unprecedented aquatic accomplishment while relishing a clever concert of opera, classical and Broadway tunes.

Here are the Show Times for the Bellagio Fountains / Water Show:
Monday – Friday
3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
show every 1/2 hour

8:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
show every 15 minutes

Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays
12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
show every 1/2 hour

8:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
show every 15 minutes

*Schedule may vary.
**Shows are subject to cancellation due to high winds

Some Further Details of The Bellagio Water Fountain Show:

Here’s a list of Theme Songs that the fountains dance too.

The Fountains of Bellagio Music

* Title: One, Singular Sensation. Artist: Original Broadway Cast. Composer: Marvin Hamlisch. Work: A Chorus Line, Broadway Musical. Year: 1975. Length 4:43

* Title: Hoe-Down. Artist: London Symphony Orchestra. Composer: Aaron Copland. Work: Rodeo. Year: 1988. Length 3:30

* Title: Simple Gifts. Artist: London Symphony Orchestra. Composer: Aaron Copland. Work: Appalachian Spring. Year: 1988. Length 3:12

* Title: Singin’ in the Rain. Artist: Gene Kelly. Composer: Alex North. Work: Singin’ in the Rain, Movie Musical. Year: 1952. Length 3:32

* Title: Rondine al Nido. Artist: Luciano Pavarotti. Composer: Vicenzo deCrescenzo. Work: La Rondine, Opera. Year: 1990. Length 3:23

* Title: Luck Be A Lady. Artist: Frank Sinatra. Composer: Frank Losser. Work: Guys & Dolls, Broadway Musical. Year: 1955. Length 5:14

* Title: Winter Games. Artist: David Foster. Composer: David Foster. Work: Composed for Winter Olympics. Year: 1987. Length 3:00

* Title: Hey, Big Spender. Artist: Gwen Verdon & Original Broadway Cast. Composer: Cy Coleman. Work: Sweet Charity, Broadway Musical. Year: 1966. Length 3:35

* Title: Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye). Artist: Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman. Composer: F.Sartori, L.Quarantotto. Work: Pop Song. Year: 1996. Length 4:04

* Title: Hallelujah Chorus. Artist: Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Composer: Handel. Work: The Messiah. Year: 1992. Length 3:53

* Title: Carol of the Bells. Artist: Los Angeles Master Chorale. Composer: M. Leontovich. Work: Christmas Carol. Year: 1996. Length 1:29

* Title: O Holy Night. Artist: Placido Domingo. Composer: Placide Clappeau. Work: Christmas Carol. Year: 1984. Length 3:57

* Title: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. Artist: Johnny Mathis. Composer: Meredith Wilson. Work: Christmas Carol. Year: 1997. Length 2:18

* Title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Artist: Johnny Mathis. Composer. Eddie Pola & George Wyle. Work: Christmas Carol. Year: 1997. Length 2:45

* Title: We Need a Little Christmas. Artist: Johnny Mathis. Composer: Jerry Herman. Work: Mame, Broadway Musical. Year: 1997. Length 1:54

* Title: Sleigh Ride. Artist: Johnny Mathis. Composer: Leroy Anderson. Work: Christmas Carol. Year: 1997. Length 2:57

* Title: Santa Baby. Artist: Madonna. Composer: J. Javita & P. Springer. Work: Christmas Carol. Year: 1987. Length 3:57

* Title: Your Song. Artist: Elton John. Lyrics: Bernie Taupin. Work: Elton John. Year: 1970. Length 4:10

* Title: God Bless The USA. Artist: Lee Greenwood. Composer: Lee Greenwood. Work: American Patriot. Year: 1992. Length 3:57

* Title: Star Spangled Banner. Artist: Whitney Houston. Composer: Francis Scott Key. Work: CD Single. Year: 2001. Length 5:08

* Title: PinkPanther. Artist: Henry Mancini. Composer: Henry Mancini. Work: The Pink Panther, Movie Soundtrack. Year: 1964. Length 2:39

* Title: My Heart Will Go On. Artist: Celine Dion. Composer: James Horner. Lyrics by Will Jennings. Work: Let’s Talk About Love & Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture. Year: 1997. Length 5:08

* Title: Fly Me To The Moon. Artist: Frank Sinatra with Count Basie. Composer is Bart Howard; from the work The Very Best of Frank Sinatra, 1957; Length: 2:28

* Title: This Kiss. Artist: Faith Hill. Composer: Beth Nielsen Chapman, Annie Roboff and Robin Lerner; Work: Faith; 1998, Length: 3:00

* Title: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Artist: Mikhail Rudy. Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov; Work: Theme of Paganini; 1992, Length: 2.55

* Title: Gayaneh – Suite: Dawn, Ayeshe’s Dance. Artist: London Symphony Orchestra. Composer: Aram Ll’yich Khachaturian; Work: Spartacus; 1942, Length: 4:12

* Title: Overture/And All That Jazz. Artist: Catherine Zeta-Jones. Composer: Fred Ebb & John Kander; Work: Chicago Soundtrack; 2002, Length : 4:37

* Title: Ecstasy of Gold. Composer: Ennio Morricone; Work: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Soundtrack; 1966, Length: 3.22

* Title: Viva Las Vegas. Artist: Elvis Presley. Composer: George E. Stoll; Work: Viva Las Vegas Soundtrack; 1963, Length: 2.25

This is a must to put on your List of shows to see in Las Vegas! Have fun and I hope you all enjoy this beautiful water show on your next trip if you haven’t seen it already!

Tagged with: Bellagio • free show

Jul 29