The Venetian hotel.

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The first time we ever went to Las Vegas we stayed initially in the Venetian hotel. Despite reading about it and looking at the web site nothing actually prepares you for the first impressions when you walk through the doors of the hotel. The car pulls up into a covered area where doormen greet you and porters deal with your luggage. We walked into the reception area which was absolutely vast. The sight of all the Gold Leaf and opulence will leave you speechless. We were ushered around to another area where we were told that it was a bit more exclusive and we could check in here. I was overcome by the opulence of the building the art work on the walls and ceilings and stood like a lemon at the check in counter stunned by it all. The rooms are all suites and are very large and comfortable. We took the lift up to our suite along never ending corridors. Opened the door to go into the room. There was a small hallway which leads into the bed area which can have kingsize or two queen size beds. The bathroom is the biggest bathroom I have ever seen with a walk in shower, closets and bath. There is a sunken lounge area (two small steps down) with sofas coffee tables, writing desks and large panoramic windows giving fantastic views of the strip or/and the mountains. All the hotels are themed hotel and as the name suggests this hotel if themed on Venice and contains an indoor and outdoor canal which you can take a gondola ride. There is a Plaza called St. Marks Square with a painted ceiling of clouds and blue skies the lighting is dimmed slightly during the evening. There are a variety of shops along the canals with walkways along the canal. Some are reasonably priced shops and others really quite expensive. There are quite a few restaurants throughout the hotel ranging from quick fast food joints to more formal sit down restaurants. The food served in the hotel is phenomenal. Our first morning our breakfast actually looked so good like a work of art that we did not want to eat it as it looks so good. There are theaters inside the hotel complex which in some cases have been specifically built to house certain shows. One of my favourite shows was phantom of the opera and the stage set was quite unique and very Las Vegas style, big and brash and very OTT, compared to New York and London. There is a madame Tussaud's near St Mark's tower and the Lagoon and the front of the hotel resembles the Doge Palace of Venice. Of course the hotel has the casino with all kinds of gambling games, machines, spinning wheels, roulette wheels and card tables. There is massive security around the place and cameras are not only watching the gamblers but also the staff. The staff are regularly moved around the tables to give them a break and to make sure that there is fair play and no chance of fiddling going on. The hotel is ideally situated in the middle of the strip enabling you to walk either left or right to visit the other grand hotels along the strip. This is my favourite hotel in Las Vegas because of its location on the strip and the levels of comfort inside.