Top 10 Hotels:
1. The Wynn/Encore(9.5)
Anyone who knows Vegas should know that the Wynn is the place to stay. At first glance, you might not think that this hotel is all that great. However, the more you explore, the more you realize that this place is a vast, smorgasbord of awesomeness.
First of all, the "Tower Suites" at the Wynn are worth the price ($350-400 a night). These suites are located on only the top floors of the Wynn and they feature breathtaking views of the golf course and the strip (depending on what side you're on). Let me take a second to describe the Wynn Tower Suites: these rooms are huge and they have windows which go from the ceiling to the floor in both the bedroom and the living room. The bathrooms are palatial with his/her sinks/vanities, etc. Basically, everything in this place is nice.
Also, staying at the Tower Suites gives you the opportunity to go to the private pool area which is only open to those staying in the suites. This is just another amenity that makes these rooms totally worth it.
On top of that, Wynn has some of the best restaurants in Vegas. S.W. (Steve Wynn) steakhouse serves excellent steaks but the entertainment at the Pool of Dreams is the real draw. It's very difficult to describe but if you go you won't be disappointing. The automated frog who sings "Low Rider" is just one of the acts in this dinner show.
2. Bellagio (8.5)
This is a truly awesome hotel as a whole. However, the rating would be higher if we hadn't had a problem with the air conditioning in the room. Also, don't even think about touching any of the food in the refrigerator unless you intend to eat it (both in the literal sense and the monetary sense). There are sensors that can tell if you moved the food (but most other hotels in Vegas such as the Wynn have these sensors as well). To Bellagio's credit, they give me a refund for the peanut M&M's that I ate to make up for the air conditioning problems.
Aside from these minor issues, Bellagio is a nice hotel. Cara and I stayed in a standard room which was nice but not amazing. The views of the pool are excellent though and the fountains are more awesome then you can imagine (you have to see them to understand, they're basically water cannons rather than "water fountains.")
3. The Hotel (8)
This is a great, well-priced, modern hotel that is connected with Mandalay Bay. Also, it is the only large hotel in Vegas where you don't have to walk through a smoky casino to get to the rooms.
4. Mandalay Bay
Awesome pool area and awesome spa.
5. Caesar's Palace
This hotel is HUGE. It has a mall inside that has basically every luxury store of the best malls in America, including stores like Harry Winston, etc.
6. The Palazzo
7. MGM Grande
8. New York New York
9. The Palms
10. Luxor
Top attractions:
1. Cirque du Soleil "O" (Bellagio) (9.5)
Cara and I have seen 4 Cirque shows: 1. La Nouba (Downtown Disney, Orlando), 2. Mystere (TI, Vegas), 3. Love (Mirage, Vegas), and 4. "O" (Bellagio, Vegas). We have come to the concensus that O is the best water show and that La Nouba is the best non-water show. However, if we had to chose between La Nouba and O it would probably have to be O.
If you've never been a Cirque show there's a few things you should know. The shows generally have a bunch of stuff going on at once and they feature intense acrobatics and beatiful music. You don't have to be "artsy-fartsy" to enjoy a Cirque show. Rather, they are generally very exciting and they keep keep your adrenaline going throughout.
However, I should talk more about O. O is one of the older Cirque shows but it is widely considered the best. O has one of the most expensive stages in the water and a big reason for that is: the water. The stage evolves througout the entire performance in that it goes from an 8-10 feet of water to no water at all in mere minutes. I don't want to spoil it but the performances are exciting and "daredevil" esq. Rest assured, you will be amazed if you see this show.
2. La Reve (The Wynn) (9.5)
First, to dispel any confusion, La Reve is not technically a Cirque show but it was created by Dragone who did previous work for Cirque. Despite this, La Reve really feels like a Cirque show from start to finish in that it progresses by alternating acrobatics/dance and comedic relief. However, there is a slightly different feel regarding the storyline. Typically, Cirque shows have a very sparse storyline whereas La Reve's drive is slightly more narrative. Also, La Reve debateably has more of a main character/protagonist in comparison to other Cirque shows.
The idea behind La Reve is that it's an artistic interpretation of Picaso's painting of the same name. It begins with a girl in red who descends into a dream and her male savior attempts to rescue her from the dream throughout the performance.
The whole performance was excellent and very enthralling. La Reve and O are truly the two top shows in Vegas and I would challenge anyone to show me a better performance.
3. Helicopter over the Strip (Maverick Helicopter Rides)
5. Cirque du Soleil "Mystere" (Treasure Island) (8.0)
6. Cirque du Soleil "Love" (Mirage) (7.5)
This is the Cirque show which is based on music by the Beetles. Honestly, this is not a typical Cirque show in my opinion. The focus is even more on audience interaction than other shows. Also, the stunts and acrobatics are not nearly as impressive as O or La Nouba. However, if you REALLY love the Beetles then you might find this show more enjoyable than I did. Don't get me wrong, I like the Beetles but I'm not enough of a fan that I wanted to see an artistic interpretation of random Beetles songs. Bottom line: Love is entertaining but not amazing (and if you love the Beetles then you might love the show...no pun intended).
7. The Fountains (Bellagio)
8. Water Show (The Wynn)
Pretty cool show to watch while eating at either the S.W. (Steve Wynn) Steakhouse or the restaurant across the way. Basically, stuff pops out of the water such as a woman's face and a frog pops up from behind the waterfall and sings "lowrider" (awesome right?). Not a must see but definately a bonus if you eat at one of the Wynn restaurants which are bordering the "Pool of Dreams."
Top Clubs:
1. Tryst (The Wynn)
This club is an indoor/outdoor club that features a large waterfall in the outside area. Although Tryst only has one floor the club is large (but still doesn't compare to Ibiza clubs in terms of size). Expect to hear dance music which consists of remixed pop songs and other rap-ish songs. Don't expect any true trance music. This is the best dance club we've been to in Vegas.
2. Pure (Caesar's Palace)
3. Ghost Bar (The Palms)
Top Restaurants:
1. Picasso (Bellagio)
2. Mesa Grille (Caesar's)
3. Mix (TheHotel)
4. Tao
5. Olives (Bellagio)
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