Beautiful Artwork at the Bellagio Las Vegas
With its main entrance just south of Flamingo Road, the Bellagio is inspired by an Italian village overlooking Lake Como in the sub-Alpine north of Italy. The facade of the Bellagio will remind you somewhat of the themed architecture Steve Wynn employed at TI, only this time it’s provincial Italian instead of Caribbean. The Bellagio village is arrayed along the west and north sides of a man-made lake, where dancing fountains provide allure and spectacle, albeit more dignified than the Mirage’s exploding volcano.
Rising behind the village facade in a gentle curve is the 3,933-room hotel, complete with casino, restaurants, shopping complex, spa, and pool. Added in late 2004 was a 33-story Spa Tower with 819 hotel rooms and 109 suites. Bundled with the tower are a restaurant, four shops, and additional convention space. Imported marble is featured throughout, even in the guest rooms and suites, as are original art, traditionally styled furnishings, and European antiques.
Guest rooms and meeting rooms also feature large picture windows affording views of lushly landscaped grounds and formal gardens. The Bellagio recently remodeled 2,568 guest rooms in its original Bellagio Tower. Jewel-toned color palettes are derived from the property’s extensive gardens floral pageants, and fountains.
Inspired by the hotel’s renowned horticultural exhibits, botanical photographs line the walls, and there is enough lighting to illuminate a Cirque du Soleil performance. Most welcome is the laptop-sized safe and iHome docking station in the nightstand. Each room features a minibar and high-speed Internet. Rest assured these newly renovated accommodations readily deliver the abundant charm and class anticipated at the AAA Five Diamond property.
Surprisingly, the Italian village theme of Bellagio’s lakefront facade is largely abandoned in the hotel’s interior. Though a masterpiece of integrated colors, textures, and sight lines, the interior design reflects no strong sense of theme. In two steps, passing indoors, you go from a provincial village on a very human scale to a monumentally grand interior with proportions reminiscent of national libraries. The vast spaces are exceedingly tasteful and unquestionably sophisticated, yet they fail to evoke the fun, whimsy, and curiosity so intrinsic to the Mirage and TI
Perhaps because Las Vegas has conditioned us to a plastic, carnival sort of stimulation, entering the Bellagio is like stepping from the midway into the basilica. The surroundings impress but do not engage our emotions—except, of course, for the art, and that is exactly the point. Seen as a rich, neutral backdrop for the extraordinary works of art displayed throughout Bellagio, the lapse of thematic continuity is understandable. No theme could compete, and none should.
Fiori di Como ceiling at Bellagio by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly
The art is everywhere, even on the ceiling of the registration lobby, where a vibrant, colorful blown-glass piece by Dale Chihuly hangs. Wonderful works are showcased in the Bellagio’s restaurants. Original Picassos, for example, are on exhibit in the restaurant of the same name. The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is touted as Las Vegas’s premier art gallery.
Architecturally, Bellagio’s most creative and interesting spaces are found in its signature conservatory and botanical gardens and in its restaurants. As you walk into the main entrance the primary garden is straight ahead. The opulent and oversized displays change seasonally according to the theatrical floral whimsies of the supremely accomplished botanical staff.
If you spend time at the Bellagio, visit each of the restaurants for a moment, if only to take in their stunning design. Many of Bellagio’s restaurants, including a Las Vegas branch of Le Cirque, feature panoramic views. Some offer both indoor and outdoor dining experiences. In addition to the restaurants, Bellagio serves one of Las Vegas’s best—and not unexpectedly one of the city’s most expensive—buffets. With the exception of the buffet and coffee shop, Bellagio’s restaurants require reservations, preferably made a month to six weeks before you leave home.
The Bellagio’s showroom hosts a production of the justly acclaimed Cirque du Soleil. Though terribly expensive, the show is one of Cirque’s most challenging productions yet, featuring a one-of-a-kind set that transforms seamlessly from hard surface to water. Like Bellagio itself, the Cirque production “O”(from the pronunciation of the French word eau, meaning “water”) lacks the essential humor and humanness of Cirque’s Mystère at TI but is nonetheless one of the hottest Cirque tickets in town.
Retailers in the shopping venue include Chanel, Tiffany, Prada, and Giorgio Armani. Bellagio’s purported target market includes high rollers and discriminating business travelers who often eschew gaming properties.
If you stay at Bellagio, you will find the same basic informality typical of the rest of the Strip, and, surprisingly, you will encounter in the hotel more people like you than super-rich. Expressed more directly, Bellagio Las Vegas is a friendly place to stay and gamble and not at all pretentious.
For a complete review of all Las Vegas hotels check out The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2015
