VW: Hotel & Casino Review

So, when you think of Vegas, Casinos are the first thing to come to mind.  And why not?  It is the city of gambling after all.  When I watched television, and I saw shots from Las Vegas, it always showed the same thing: Neon lights on the outside, and bright flashing lights on the inside.  The colorful carpeting was a mainstay, and nothing really jumped out at me.  In that way, I would say that television truly mis-represents Las Vegas.

To begin, neon lights are almost absent in most places, replaced by giant monitors and big glowing displays.  It’s bright, colorful, and a full-on attack to the senses.  When I rode down the street at night, it was a fight between wanting to see everything and look at nothing all at the same time.

The true surprise came when I actually entered these casinos…

The Paris:

We stayed at the Paris, and arrived there at twilight.  We arrived at the perfect time, as the final rays of the sun bathed the neo-classic structure.  If you were to ignore the bustle outside, it was easy to think you were entering a fine manor in the French countryside.  Inside the first thing of note is the ceiling, some three stories high and painted like a sky in twilight.  The wrought iron street lamps helped enhance the illusion of being outside.  I had to do a double and triple take when I first entered.  It was quite impressive.

Not so impressive were the gigantic banks of slot machines in the middle of the floor.  But it is a casino, it’s to be expected.  I was too busy looking at the walls, floors, and ceiling, all made to give me the illusion of walking down a French street.  The front desk was in a side area made to look like a ballroom in Versailles, which it pulled off well, with grand crystal chandeliers and paintings of pre-revolution royals and nobles, with the exception of a neon ad for blackjack on the rear wall.  Pity they had to mar a perfectly good room with that.

The rooms we had there were simple and elegant, but something of more standard hotel fare, rather than keeping to the old French illusion.  The hotel was set up very simply, and it was easy to find our rooms.  The hotel was clean and I was never bothered by the staff.  All in all, the Paris gets an A.

Bally’s:

At first glance, I thought it was related to the health club.  But, it’s simply another casino.  It’s architecture was such a sad disappointment after coming from the Paris.  It was plain and unremarkable.  The best thing about Bally’s is that it connects to the Paris and leads to a nice walkway above the street for easy access to the Bellagio.  Bally’s is a C.

The Bellagio:

The theme is a mishmash of European styles.  I’ve seen French Ceilings, Italian tiles and carpets, and English overhangs.  Despite that (or perhaps because of it?) it ends up looking very elegant, like the summer palace of some forgotten member of royalty.  The fountains were amazing, and I could have spent a long time simply looking at the carpets and windows.  Add to that a nice conservatory and art gallery, and it ends up being a fun place to go to.  It’s also the most expensive hotel in Vegas, from what I hear.  B.

Caesar’s Palace:

Greco-roman decor, and very nicely done at that.  The place is littered with columns and statues both inside and out.  It has a lot of space outside with statues and fountains that take quite awhile to walk around, and then an indoor street that stretches on much like that of the Paris (though it doesn’t pull it off quite as well).  The central fountain with Poseidon was breathtaking, especially since the ceiling was much higher there, doing a better job at creating the illusion that you’re outside.  On the casino floor itself it’s smoky and confusing, without to much of the greco-roman style, so the casino itself really ruins Caesar’s as a whole.  B-.

Planet Hollywood:

Regurgitated faux-glamor at it’s best.  The silver, dark purple, and gold don’t play well here at all.  When I walked in, several casino employees tried to sell me things and entice me with free gifts.  We were almost tricked into attending a timeshare presentation when they offered us a free meal and tickets to some magician.  Further into the hotel, you can see the areas that have not yet been remodeled, and the style of the old Aladdin casino still exists.  It had a streets of Marakesh theme to it, reminding me of Indiana Jones movies.  It was actually really cool.  It was sad to see it slowly taken over by the white and silver paint they were slopping all over the halls.  F.

MGM Grand:

Everything Planet Hollywood isn’t.  With a Metro-Goldwyn Lion theme, and classic black and gold, it pulls off the feel of old Hollywood quite well.  It was easy to navigate, with a lot of good restaurants around.  Not quite as impressive as Paris or the Bellagio, but it was very nice in it’s own right.  B.
The Venetian:

Ah, the Italian-themed casino.  After my own heart.  Everything was right out of Italy’s renaissance.  From the Michaelangelo paintings on the ceiling, to the streets of Venice complete with gondola (post-renaissance, I know, sue me).  There was a night club called ‘Tao’ there, which boasted a line of a thousand people or more.  This made some areas quite difficult to go to.  The hotel as a whole was pretty crowded, but it seemed to be prom night for the locals, so maybe that’s to be expected.  B+.
The Luxor:

Not too fond of Egyptian things, but this was enough to impress me.  The beam of light shooting from the top gave it a nice sci-fi slant that I really enjoyed.  I had always thought the pyramid was built like a normal building, but with slanted walls.  I was shocked when I entered and saw a giant chamber extending all the way up.  The rooms are actually along the slanted walls, and an inclinator (an elevator that travels at a 45-degree angle) takes people to their rooms.  From sheer style alone, and amazing architecture, Luxor gets an A.

And there you have it.  I know I didn’t post the Excalibur, because I didn’t really go there.  I did pass through it briefly, but not really enough to give it a fair review.  I did see some fantasy-themed shops, but nothing particularly impressive.  The inside looked like a typical hotel with a dragon thrown in here and there.  But as I stated, I only saw a little bit, maybe there’s some amazing scenery somewhere in there as well.

Maybe next time.

Zel-kun out.