Caesars Palace is probably the best know of the huge theme hotel casino complexes in Las Vegas. Opening in 1966 as a 680 room resort the hotel now has over 3300 rooms and has nearly 15500 square metres of gaming area and has resident performers including Bette Midler, Elton John and Cher.The exterior and interior of the huge complex is themed in classical Roman style with huge statues, marble floors, triumphal arches, mosaics the whole works, its so easy for your mind to escape and think you are in Rome thousands of years ago- it is that authentic- except for the bling bling and ching of thousands of gaming machines. If you are into shopping- Caesars’ offers some of Vegas’s best with the Forum Shops, here over 160 of the most luxury brands offer every luxury product you could ever want. The mall is noted as being America’s most successful shopping malls being the highest grossing in the USA- leaving the glamour of Rodeo Drive back in Los Angeles for dead. Caesars’ has a wealth of great dining, including the Vegas favourite- the buffet and plenty of entertainment other than the big music stars including The Pussy Cat Dolls Lounge, Pure Night Club and plenty of free entertainment like animated character fountains and a free show called Fall of Atlantis.Now owned by the Harrah group, the future looks even more amazing for Caesar’s with yet another billion dollar expansion on the horizon, which will include another 29 storey hotel tower, a new events centre and a pedestrian promenade and some more casino space.
It’s Vegas week here at Tripandom and we thought we’d start with one of our favorites the Paris casino situated on the Las Vegas Strip. The casino features a 5/8ths scale replica of the Eiffel Tower (they wanted to build a full size one but the airport was too close), a neon sign in the shape of the Montgolfier balloon, a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe and a replica of La Fontaine des Mers. The front facade of the building imitates the Paris Opera House and the Louvre. The tower contains a french restaurant between the top of the legs as well as an elevator that takes you to the top of the tower for a fantastic view of the strip. The legs of the tower go down into the casino floor where a bar sits between them. The complex is home to around a dozen restaurants and cafes all with a French or European theme so it’s a great place to go if you want to get away from the American burger or Vegas buffet. Read the rest of this entry »
Crown Casino in Melbourne is Australia’s largest entertainment precinct being home to the one of the world’s biggest gaming facilities, the city’s best restaurants, clubs, bars and exclusive shopping. Another huge attraction is the nightly fireball or Gas Brigades show which explode into the night sky every night between dusk and midnight (except for bad weather). The huge flames explode out of eight 10 metre high towers and the gas flame can reach sizes of 7 metres in diameter and are the largest ever created in the world all programed with a state of the art computer system. Crown Casino is currently planning the biggest Australian hotel to accompany it’s already huge complex. The $300 million dollar project will feature another 658 rooms bringing the Casino’s rooms to more than 1600 and will feature new convention facilities, bars, restaurants and a huge new retail showcase. It is hoped the new wing will open in May of 2010 in time for the $140 million dollar refurbishment the Casino is currently undertaking. Read the rest of this entry »
The famous New Frontier Casino in Las Vegas is no more after a spectacular implosion brought down the historic building over night. The New Frontier is most famous for being the first of the Strip’s theme casinos and the first Las Vegas performance of Elvis Presley, the hotel has had other famous performers over the years including ex President Ronald Regan, Wayne Newton and Vegas favorites Siegfried and Roy. The Last Frontier opened in 1942 as a cowboy inspired casino then took on a bit of a space age theme for a while before returning back to the western theme with cheap hotel rooms and bikini bull riding to name a few of its features. In its place will be the most lavish resort and casino on the strip. Developers plan to spend about 5 billion dollars and expect doors to open some time late 2010 early 2011. The strip (as usual) is going through some huge changes with several billion dollar plus projects planned or under construction.
The Bellagio Hotel in entertainment capital Las Vegas would have to be one of the world’s most beautiful hotels and you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars a night to enjoy some of the glamor. The Bellagio features what would have to be the world’s most amazing water display with a fully choreographed fountain display set to spectacular music in the forecourt of this huge hotel. The show happens several times an hour and is best viewed in the evenings when the incredible lighting combines with the sound and music to put on a incredible show with water being shot hundreds of feet into the air. Make sure you get there early to get a good spot as it is very popular.
