Recent Trip to Las Vegas
I love Las Vegas. This was our third time to Las Vegas and the second time that we have vacationed there. You really can’t get a better bang for your buck than Las Vegas if you are looking for a warm destination with great resorts and endless entertainment. My wife and I recently got back from a four night stay at the new Aria Resort & Casino and thought I should write about the trip and review the hotel and the shows that we saw.
Aria Resort & Casino Review
Two years ago we stayed for three nights at the Mirage and really like it there. We were hesitant to try a different hotel, but I managed to convince my wife to book us at Aria. The Aria hotel was completed in December 2009, so we were excited to stay at one of the newest hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. Aria is located at the very back of the new City Center development that includes the Orient and Vdara hotel, the Veer condos, and the Crystal shopping center. As soon as you walk into the hotel lobby you are greeted with a sweet vanilla aroma, but that quickly dissipates and the smell of cigarette smoke fills your lungs. The casino floor didn’t seem as big as other casinos on the strip, which is a fine because I don’t gamble. There is a three storey conference centre attached to the back of the resort, numerous expensive restaurants, a spa, and four swimming pools.
The Aria swimming pool area was fantastic! They have three large swimming pools, one adult party pool called Liquid and three small hot tubs. Since it was February, they had two pools closed and the Liquid pool was also closed (they wouldn’t be able to handle me anyway!). The pool was not very busy and by not busy, I mean NO ONE was there. I had the entire swimming pool all to myself! I confess that I felt a little bit awkward swimming in a huge swimming pool with a lifeguard watching my every stroke. It was really nice though, I got a glimpse into what it would be like to be super rich and have a beautiful swimming pool and my own personal lifeguard. Each of the three swimming pools are surrounded by these little cabanas that each had a couch, a dining set, a 40″ flat screen TV, a mini fridge and their own soft lounge chairs. Since the pool area was completely bare, I could wander around and relax anywhere I wanted to – it was a fantastic way to relax and unwind for a few hours.
Aria Hotel Room Review
Our hotel room was very nice and modern. You just have to tap the key card against the door handle and it opens. When we entered the hotel room the lights and the TV automatically turned on and the window curtains also automatically opened. It was a pretty cool feature. Aria has a touch screen remote that controls all the features in the room. From the touch screen remote I could adjust the temperature in the room, turn off the individual lights in the main room AND in the bathroom, control the TV, open and close the automated curtains, and even contact the help desk to order room service. You could set the curtains to gradually open in the morning if you wanted to wake up to light instead of the sound of an alarm.
The Aria bed was like sleeping inside a pillow! The Aria custom-made king sized mattress was incredibly soft and when topped with their feather duvet and pillows, sleeping and relaxing in bed was literally heaven.
I highly, highly, highly recommend staying at the Aria Resort & Casino. I liked the technological features in the room, the pool is superb, and whole atmosphere as the resort is bright and new. The only possible downside is that the Aria hotel is located at the back of the City Center development and is about a five minute walk from the hotel to the street, but excerise never hurted anyone…. well, maybe my hurt feet a little bit.
O – Cirque du Soleil Review
This was the first show that we saw on our trip and we were not disappointed. ‘O” by Cirque du Soleil is by far and away the most entertaining Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. The ‘O’ theatre is in the Bellagio hotel, which is located right beside City Center. It was pretty quick to get to the Bellagio from Aria as they have a tram that connects the two. We managed to get second row seats just off to the side of the centre of the theatre. They were fantastic seats for this Cirque show, as all the action in this show takes place in the middle or at the back of the stage. This is a show that you want to splurge to get the best seats you can afford.
The calibre of the Cirque du Soleil performers in ‘O’ is top notch. The ariel jumps and high dives into the water were spectacular. I also enjoyed the clown performances between set changes. I loved the voice of one of the clown performers whenever he would say “Aye, Aye, Aye“. If you are in Las Vegas, you MUST see ‘O’!!!
The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil Review
My wife and I saw The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil show two years prior but had seats at the back of the theatre (they were promotional tickets from the Mirage). As big Beatles fans, we decided to see The Beatles Love show again, so we went to Tix 4 Tonight and bought front row tickets. Front row tickets to this show probably aren’t the best seats, as the stage is up higher than the first couple of rows and the stage is very spread out, plus some of the props are tall and can block your view of some of the action going on at different parts of the stage. A plus is the fact that you can really see up close all the performers and have them smile at you. One other thing is that front row audience members in Cirque du Soleil shows tend to get ‘picked’ on. I had a performer pour steam out of kettle onto my head…
If you are a Beatles Fan you will enjoy the show. The music is really good (of course) and the Cirque du Soleil performers do a good job. I found that there is more dancing around on stage than the acrobatic stunts in our Cirque du Soleil shows, but the stunts that they do are really good.
Mystere Cirque du Soleil Review
The Mystere Cirque du Soleil show is one of the older Cirque du Soleil shows on the Las Vegas strip. The Treasure Island theatre is showing its age compared to the other theatres we went to. We bought cheap tickets online before we came to Las Vegas and we had fifth row seats for this show and I thought they were pretty good.
I thought the show was pretty good, but my wife thought it was slightly boring. Two of the performers missed jumps during our show, which kind of deflated our thoughts on the show. We got two tickets good seats for $100 and that was probably a fair price for the performance we saw.
The BeatleShow Review
Two years ago we saw the ‘Fab Four’ Beatles cover band performance and this was the same show only renamed and in a different theatre in Planet Hollywood. I still enjoyed the show the second time. The BeatleShow cover band performers look like The Beatles and they go through about three or four costume changes and wig changes to reflect the different music eras of The Beatles. My wife and I tend to be the youngest people in the crowd and always get a kick out of the part where the audience is asked to stand up and dance. It’s funny watching people in their 60′s and 70′s ‘dancing’ or more accurately described as swaying back and forth.
Yesterday, The Beatles Tribute Band Review
The Yesterday Beatles tribute band performs in the Tropicana hotel and in an older cabaret type theatre where everyone had a front row seat. I liked the close and intimate room where “The Beatles” make eye contact with you and interact with you directly. Their ‘George Harrison’ was really old, probably in his late 60′s or early 70′s, but he still could rock. I liked the song selection in the ‘Yesterday’ performance better than ‘The BeatleShow’. The Yesterday show tickets were much cheaper and I thought it was a better performance. The Yesterday performers didn’t look like The Beatles as much, as the group members were all older (45+).
Las Vegas Review
This trip was fantastic! I would love to go to Las Vegas on a more regular basis to get the chance to get off the strip and experience some other attractions. I like going in the off-season when it isn’t as busy and isn’t incredibly hot. I love strolling along the Las Vegas strip and taking it all in. My one and only major complaint are those street vendors everywhere stuffing cards in your face on every street corner. It’s extremely annoying, but I guess they call it sin city for a reason.