This was my first time staying at the Venetian and I still like it as a casino, but probably not as a place I’d like to stay.
The vibe in the casino is nice and relaxed but fun and the crowd is in the middle of the age types – somewhere between younger people and older people.
One of my favorite places in the casino was the sportsbook. It’s pretty big and since it wasn’t NFL season it felt like a respite from the rest of the casino.
One great thing is that the Venetian sportsbook still gives out drink tickets with bets. I received a few with my losing bet, but at least I was able to cash them in for a few awesome glasses of Blue Moon.
While I was at the sportsbook bar I cashed on 4 aces in Double Double Bonus Poker! I was only playing $1 since I threw it in waiting for my beer. Too bad.
I found the Venetian pretty crowded all day and night as there were a lot of tourists and families with children. I’m a single dude and screaming kids are not what I want in Vegas.
The Grand Canal Shops were crowded with browsers, shoppers, eaters and drinkers. I tried to avoid the shops during operating hours because of all of the people, but was happy to sneak in to grab some coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Also, during regular hours the shops also had this CREEPY live statue.
The Venetian has done a great job branding themselves as a semi upper class family hotel without being stuffy. It’s taken years to get that kind of equity.
On the other hand the Palazzo, which is relatively new, has not yet reached a similar critical mass. The Shoppes were dead like they were on my other two visits. However, for the first time in three visits the casino floor was PACKED on a weeknight. Maybe there is a turnaround slowly happening at the Palazzo.
Food options are another thing I liked at the Venetian. There is both quantity and quality.
The food court by the casino is easy to get to and has a nice variety of food as well as free wifi. The full service restaurants are good as well and Delmonico is one of my favorite steakhouses in Las Vegas.
I tried First Food and Bar, which is hidden between the two hotels, and it was excellent. It wasn’t too crowded and had interesting food such as cheese steak dumplings and ahi tuna nachos.
One negative for me as a solo traveler this trip was that there was no iphone reception inside of the Venetian Grand Lux Cafe. I hate eating alone and keeping my head buried in my phone is usually a good trick to pass the time. Unfortunately I couldn’t do that while eating lunch inside the restaurant. So I scarfed down this BBQ pork sandwich and headed out ASAP.
On a better note, I was able to sit “outside” the following morning and grab some steak and eggs. My favorite hangover remedy.
Overall, I enjoyed the Venetian and will likely continue to make it a place to visit when I’m in Vegas, but I don’t see myself staying there again. There are a lot of positives about the casino, but the wear on the rooms and the hordes of families and tourists give me reason to go elsewhere.
However, the Palazzo is both empty enough for me most of the day, but crowded enough at night in the casino to feel alive. If given the chance to return, I would highly consider the Palazzo.
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It’s unfortunate that the very things that draw us to stay at a particular resort are also the things that draw other people to them. I felt the same way at Paris. “Why are there so many lookie-loos?!” But when I ‘m not staying there, I’m one of those lookie-loos. 🙂 Next time you wind up eating alone at a restaurant without wifi, make sure you have something non-electronic to read, eh?