My wife and I stayed here with our son who we were visiting. He now lives and works in LA and we decided that three nights in Vegas plus a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon would be fun. We had never visited before and our son's experience at one of the more downmarket hotels was not too good.

The Bellagio is fantastic. It is vast but somehow that does't matter and the staffing levels and service are top class. We reqested a lake view room and were on the 26th floor. The fountains which perform to music at 30 minute then in the evening at 15 minutes are stunning. Such a variety of music from classical to musicals with Elvis and Frank thrown in. Many of the numbers end on a high note and this often coincides with the fountains sending the water above the height of our room and the roof of the hotel.

The other stunning aspect of the hotel are the 20 or so incredible restaurants. We sampled four and they were all varied, both in price and cuisine, and consistently good. Two of the ones we visited are in the Michelin Guide (Sensi and Noodles ) and I am sure that Yellowtail, the new Japanese one, will be very soon. We could have spent two weeks trying out the restaurants just in our hotel, let alone all the others.

Only negatives were the loud music that blares out around the lovely Italian style swimming pool complex. We visited the real Bellagio on Lake Como in Italy last year and can confirm that there is no loud music there! My son has a band in LA and is into music in a big way and even he thought that the loud music round the pool was out of place. Also, when I got stuck in one of the elevators for about five minutes with five other guests I asked the person on the emergency phone to contact my wife who was in our room at the time and unaware that I was stuck in the lift. The operator said she would but my wife was blissfully unaware what had happended when I eventually returned.

I thought that Vegas would be for us, as for many, a place we visit only once but as I write I am thinking of all those restaurants we have yet to visit plus the high standard of staffing and service at the Bellagio and I have to say I am very tempted.

Location: Excellent, right in the middle of the strip and beside the shops in the Roman Forum;

Check-In: Very efficient. Was expecting big cues from other reviews but we only had to wait behind one person;

Room: Good size, nicely furnished and with an excellent bathroom. We booked a lake view room and I would seriously recommend this. You can watch the shows from your floor to ceiling window with the music playing from your TV;

Facilities: This is a massive hotel – as most in Vegas seem to be – but security ensures that only guests get near the elevators. We ate in the Bellagio Café, FIX and had the breakfast buffet. All very good quality and great atmosphere in FIX. Also suggest going for a drink in the Fontana Bar by the fountains. Lots of shops but a bit out of our price range!

Value: Good value considering the room and location. I guess all that competition and the size of the place keeps room rates down!

Just returned from Bellagio with my family of 5. Required 2 rooms and booking on line was a saving. I used trip advisor to "guide" my choice and was happy with a previous recommendation for MGM which we visited 2 years ago but wanted to try somewhere new.
We weren't disappointed.This place is everything it promises.
I am not a gambler so my review is not affected by whether I won or lost on the tables and for me the Bellagio is a fantastic place to stay. Very central , great staff ( although our requested adjoining rooms were 12 rooms apart ), easy check in and out and wonderful facilities.
Only disappointment was the food being very expensive in the restaurants. Cafe's offer a full menu and broader choice for those with kids or fussy eaters but the portions are still way to large for most kids ( and adults) to eat , generally order half as many meals and share. The buffet is not really for "sofisticated" dining and very crowded and noisy. In room breakfast dining was affordable and beautifully presented.
Pool area clean and the best of other properties viewed and only for guests.
Book Bellagio , it's fantastic and you're in Vegas and you should spoil yourself !!!

We have just returned from a week in LV at the Bellagio and would definitely return.

Check in: From the moment we arrived we loved the hotel. Check in (4pm on a Sunday) was not too busy, taking only around 5minutes. The service was friendly, and we got a room on the 28th floor with a lake view as requested. We were also warned by the staff by the weight activated mini bar - which was appreciated as we know not all staff would have done the same. A useful point to remember is there is a mini bar AND a refreshment "tray" on top of it - BOTH are weight activated! And once you see the prices (not as bad a 5 star prices in Europe though) you'll be glad to not pick anything up..

The room: You have to walk through the casino to reach your room, as has been said many a time, but we did not find this a problem as the walkways are clearly marked with black carpet and there are huge signs reading "Guest Elevators" all around! The lifts are the quickest we have ever been in, they actually make your ears pop! Remember to always take a room key even if just one of you is popping out as you need to show it to get in the elevator block.

Our room itself was immactulately clean, and we could not seen any signs of wear and tear. The room itself was large with plenty of wardrobe and storage space, and our view was fabulous. The bathroom was also large, beautiful glass shower and good sized bath and sink.

Other services: Housekeeping came twice every day whilst we were out and we had no troubles; toileteries and towels were plentiful and replenished each day. Chocolates on the bedside tables at turndown were a nice touch!

We used the bell desk to book our grand canyon excursion, the lady at the desk was helpful in recommending a variety of options and very quick in arranging the booking for us.

The casino area: One of the best we visited. Major plus point is the wide aisles, help to prevent crowding. Easy to navigate too. Lots of $10 tables for blackjack (and to a lesser extent roulette), even on a Friday/Saturday evening which is good for those with limited gambling money.

Restaurants dotted around the casino floor and shopping areas. Good selection, though most will cost around $100 at least for two courses and wine. Of the mid-price places we enjoyed Sensi and Fix, but thought Olives was overated.

All in all a fantastic stay, I could wax lyrical for a lot longer but I do not want you to get bored! Highly recommended.

PS we visited pretty much every casino on the strip and had a good wander round each - our brief thoughts on the other plush ones:

Wynn: Very smart but north strip location not quite as good in our opinion. Restaurants quite pricey and table limits higher ($15-25 minimum in evenings). More modern and luxurious than Bellagio but casino appeared more dressy and pretentious too.

Venetian/Palazzo: Very large... Great theming around the good shopping area but casino area confusing in layout and little theming which seemed strange. Also seemed to pump a perfume smell around which we noticed when you walked in. Good choice of restaurants for all budgets.

We didn't actually stay at these, so can't comment any more but I doubt you'd be disappointed at either. They all seemed good. However, in our opinion the Bellagio was the best all rounder.

Hope this helps.