The Venetian Hotel and Casino

We wanted to drive the boat but the stripey-shirt guy in the weird hat was being an asshole that day.

Walking into the Venetian is like entering another country – Venice, Italy, to be exact. The hotel takes the theme to the extreme, complete with frescos on the ceiling, plenty of good Italian eats, and a gondola-littered canal winding through the shopping district.  While the fact that the canal is actually built on top of the casino floor may seem eerie, you’ll quickly forget the gallons of water raging above your head once you start gambling.

Although there are plenty of old-timers here, the recent addition of TAO Beach and the Tao Nightclub thankfully brings a plethora of hot singles to the casino.

Sweet Suites and Renowned Dining

The Venetian is all suites, all the time. The Venezia Tower offers newer accommodations, but the navigation challenges to get to the main area of the resort can make this area tough, especially after a night of partying.

The Venetian Tower offers five different room categories that range from the ultra posh to TVs in the bathroom. Jackpot!  The top five floors include concierge suites with private check-in and turn down service – which is perfect if you scored big during your last trip to Vegas.

Dining is delicious at the Venetian, with no less than 11 fine dining establishments featuring chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Emeril. It shouldn’t be a surprise that many of these joints have received an “excellent” rating.

TAO: The Venetian’s Saving Grace for Entertainment

For partying, we need to mention only three letters: TAO.

During the day, TAO Beach is one of the hippest places to party on Sunday, rivaling Hard Rock’s Rehab.  If you want to mix a bit more classiness with a great DJ accompanied by a percussionist, fantastic Tao-Tini pitchers, and hot eye candy, TAO Beach is the perfect daytime destination.   We were a little disappointed to find a lack of gaming poolside, however, since many hotels are now offering that service to us diehards.

Of course, the opening of the Tao Nightclub brought in the hipsters to tone down the stuffiness of the Venetian.  The crowd is generally attractive, especially on the rooftop, and you can easily rub elbows with celebrities like Lebron James and Rhianna who are known to frequent the club.  Find a promoter or book a table to avoid the long line, and then you can simply enjoy the beautiful people (did we mention the girls that bath together in the nude wearing nothing but flower petals?) and the good vibe.

And when you feel like a bit of culture, the Venetian favorite, Phantom of the Opera, is the most critically acclaimed show on the Strip.

This hotel is big, bold and beautiful. Even if you don’t sleep here, it’s definitely a spot to check out, whether you party at TAO or lose a few bucks at the tables.