Do you like the bright lights and excitement of Las Vegas?  I sure do!  Even my children love Las Vegas and they are way too young to gamble.  Having been to Las Vegas twice in the last month, I thought I would use this article to bring you up-to-date on what’s going on in this close-by vacation spot.

I wonder if you have heard of Lake Las Vegas?  It is a master-planned community with a large man-made lake and a town that resembles an Italian Village.  There are two major resort hotels at Lake Las Vegas – The Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt Regency.  Both are luxury properties with large rooms, good food and are attractive to people who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the strip.  (It’s about a ½ hour drive to the strip hotels.)  We stayed at both properties and found them to each have their own advantages.  Kids prefer the pool with a waterslide at the Hyatt.  The Hyatt Regency also has its own small casino for the adults.  The Ritz-Carlton connects to a larger casino in the beautiful village.  It is great fun to stroll in this little town on a lake.  Even more fun – Lake Meade and Hoover Dam are just a short drive from Lake Las Vegas.  We took the kids on rented wave-runners on Lake Meade and had a blast!

I must admit that I like being in the center of the action more than the relaxed resorts by the lake.  I love the casinos, the shows, and the 24-hours-a-day excitement.  I am energized by the decadence that is Las Vegas.  Just a week after our Lake Las Vegas trip with the kids, my wife and I had the pleasure of staying at the Bellagio.  The Bellagio is beautiful, as is Steve Wynn’s new resort appropriately named “Wynn”.  There are many similarities between the two properties and most people touring the hotels are doing their own comparisons.  You simply can’t go wrong with either one.  In the same category of upscale deluxe Vegas strip properties, we would be remiss if we didn’t include the Venetian, Four Seasons, the new all-suite tower at Caesars Palace, and new all-suite wing of the Mandalay Bay Resort called The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.  For a super-deluxe condo experience, try the new Signature at MGM Grand.  For the most amazing two-floor suites in Vegas, try out the new Sky Lofts at MGM Grand.

Here are a few “signature” features of the various properties:

Bellagio – Magnificent water show in front of the hotel flowing to the sounds of opera and popular classical music.

Wynn – Keeping up with the owner’s high standards can’t be easy, but everything is flawless here including some amazing restaurants.  Red 8 has some of the best Chinese food in a casual setting.  This hotel even has a Ferrari dealership that people pay to browse in!  Even standard rooms are big with plasma TVs and magnificent beds.

Venetian – The shops at the Grand Canal are a sight to see.  They do an unbelievable job of making you feel like you are truly in Venice!

Four Seasons – Tucked on the top floors inside the main Mandalay Bay tower is the Four Seasons, complete with its own lobby and separate quiet entrance into the casino.  It combines a true oasis with easy access to all the action.  Combine that with the famous Four Seasons service and you have a real winner!

Caesars Palace – Once the original luxury hotel in Las Vegas, it has gone through many transformations over the years.  The last one has brought the property up to the standards of its newer competition.  The brand-new all-suite tower is terrific.  The remodeling of the casino has opened up what used to be a rather confining space.

The Hotel at Mandalay Bay – Another all-suite property that is a trendy hotel within a hotel.  All suites have plasma TVs for your viewing pleasure. The lighting and atmosphere is similar to that found in Ian Schrager hotels.  If you’re really “cool”, this might just be the place to be seen. 

MGM Grand (Signature at MGM Grand and Sky Lofts) – MGM has mastered the art of hotels within hotels.  The Sky Lofts are actually part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World organization.  This is kind of funny since it occupies the top floors of a 5,000 room hotel!  The Signature at MGM Grand is actually three residential towers with condominium suites that are rented out to the public, complete with a higher level of service than you might get at a regular hotel.  If you choose the regular rooms in the main hotel, we strongly recommend you pay a few extra dollars for a Bungalow Suite.  It gives you a lot of extra room for just a few extra dollars.  Don’t miss their famous lions roaming around their glass-enclosed habitat in the casino!

For entertainment, the shows are more elaborate than ever.  Cirque du Soleil has extravaganzas all over the strip.  We saw “Ka” recently at the MGM Grand.  We were as impressed with the showroom as we were with the show.  We also saw the Broadway show “Mama Mia” at Mandalay Bay and loved it.   Top magicians including David Copperfield and Lance Burton appear regularly.  Celine Dion, Barry Manilow and Elton John have shows that keep them entertaining in Vegas much of the year.   Other top stars make Vegas their temporary home at least a few times annually.  The shows are not as inexpensive as they once were, but they are usually worth the money.  Today’s shows also offer everybody a more fair opportunity to get the best seats.  In the old days, it was all about who you knew and how much you tipped.  Today, most showrooms sell tickets with real seat numbers so you have none of the anxiety associated with where you will be sitting. 

I could visit a different restaurant every night for months in Las Vegas and never be disappointed.  I would also gain quite a bit of weight, but that’s another story.  Some of the best celebrity chefs in the world now make Las Vegas their home.  Each hotel tries to outdo the others with their food offerings.  If you like high-quality big buffets, it is worth a trip to “Dishes” at Treasure Island or the buffet at Bellagio, but the absolute best buffet we have ever been to is at The Wynn.  More stations than you can count, and high quality meats, seafood and presentation.  If you only have a few minutes and want to grab a quick lunch, the food park at Caesars Palace takes fast-food to a new level.

Las Vegas is like no other city on earth.  I love it!