Las Vegas Hilton
Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas
NV 81909
(+1) 702 414 1000
www.venetian.com
Location Built in the site of the legendary Sands, a place in the sun. The Venetian was the last casino North on the centre strip but now it has Wynn and then Encore to its North. It is connected to Palazzo and there is a bridge to Wynn. The location is not bad.
Theme Obvious isn’t it ?? Venice and my have they don it well you walk over the canal and into Doge’s Palace to enter the casino with a big tower that looks like it should be in Italy on your right, as you enter there are great marble floors and a ceiling that could have been done by Michangelo. The whole place is very well done with no expense spared you walk down to Canal Shops and on to St Marks Square you will only realize that you are not in Venice by the price of the coffee. There is of course a canal with authentic gondolas and the gondoliers will serenade you, you will be pleased to know that it does not smell like Venice.
Rooms, the rooms are all suites, you need to be aware that a Suite in Vegas can be and often is a big room with a seating area in Venetian all the rooms are suites and these are big rooms with a sunken seating area. The seating area is great big corner sofas and a nice table and amore with TV in. The rooms here are lovely though maybe a little dark, the bathrooms are big and have a separate tub and shower and little room with the WC in it, two sinks and lovely bitter orange toiletries. Housekeeping was not great at the Venetian when we arrive (9pm) the room had not been made up properly and we had to get housekeeping to address this which they did quickly, on two other occasions the room was not cleaned or made up properly and we had to get housekeeping to sort this out which they did.
Attractions Well I guess I have listed the main ones above however Madame Tussuards is here it may not be as big as the one in Baker Street, but good never the less and with many castings of Vegas legends it is a must. Oh time traveler is a of simulation ride, there are better ones on the Strip at Luxor. Venetian is home to Phantom of the Opera and this is performed in a theater builtsoley for this show ! Venetian is home to the Canyon ranch Spa which is up there with the best of the Spas in Las Vegas.
Shopping Good the canal shops are well themed and generally see goods of an Italian nature and like anything in the US if its imported its expensive and this is no exception. There is also a little bit added on to buy Italian goods in an Italian location ! Fashion show Mall is also just across the road if you cant get what you want here.
Dining There is no buffet here its not that sort of joint however the selection of top draw eating establishments is immense with no fewer than 13 places to fill you tummies up. There are Mexicans, Italians, Seafood, Chinese and a Steakhouse. The only place that we can afford to eat is the Café Lux this is very posh 24hr coffee shop and like everything else here it is good but priced accordingly and still half the price of its counterpart in Italy. The food court is small but has a couple of good delis however like everything else it is not cheap.
Gaming 100,000 sq ft of upper class gaming space to be honest some of the newer and louder machines do look out of place in these surroundings, to my surprise there were a fair amount of nickel machines included in the 2,500 that go right up to $500 per pull !! There are over 50 table games reportedly with minimum limits usually around of $15. The casino is lovely and has a well heeled feel to it but it does feel slightly cold. The patrons are a mix of T-shirt tourists (like ourselves) coming to look and marvel, and the well heeled well dressed but non flash guests of the hotel. Weekend nights however there are groups of 20 something’s who think that they are rock stars rolling around drunk and acting like a-holes, this ruins the place enough to make my mind up never stay there again, security do nothing about them even when reported.
Drinks Service When we were playing on the nickel machines it was not too hot however once we moved to the quarter machines this improved good service and nice drinks,
strong G & T at 10am may not be the best start to the day but at least they were willing.
Best Thing The rooms are lovely and the Grand Lux Café has great food and great service
Worst Thing The fact that drunk 20+’s seem to rule everything at the weekends and ruin it for everyone else and the resort seems to think that this is OK. Everything is expensive this does not mean it is not good value but on our budget we can’t afford to spend too much time at the Venetian
Overall This is a classy joint filled with classy things the theme is great and well thought out it feels much more like Venice than many of the other theme casinos and their respective models, however it is not up to the same levels as Wynn, Encore or Bellagio. If you are on the Strip you must visit Venice just make sure it is not at a weekend evening.
