by Charleen Larson

Created on: December 27, 2008

Hotel entrepreneur Steve Wynn's $1.6 billion Bellagio Resort continues to turn heads a decade after its grand opening. Starring in a blockbuster Hollywood movie alongside the likes of George Clooney and Brad Pitt didn't hurt, either. Part of the fun of visiting Bellagio is trying to spot Ocean's Eleven locations. The dramatic curved staircase where red-suited Julia Roberts first made her entrance has since been removed, but you can stroll the tree-lined path to the garage portico where Tess Ocean tearfully vowed she would wait for Danny, or strike a pose near the Fountains of Bellagio while towering waters sway and Debussy's Clair de Lune plays.

Everyone says you should visit the Conservatory, where the floral displays change with the seasons, and raise your eyes to the lobby ceiling to gaze at Seattle artist Dale Chihuly's massive jewel-toned Fiori di Como glass flower installation, and it is undeniably true you should do these things. However, Bellagio delights in smaller touches as well. The little Italian cafe serving coffee and pastries is a welcoming gem. In the courtyard the tiled pools, five in all, are classically designed in magical Mediterranean settings. Perhaps poolside you'll sip a Bellagio Mojito, redolent with fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and mint. You can lounge in your own private cabana if you wish or indulge in a plum persimmon massage treatment in an oasis of citrus topiaries and parterres. In the Botanical Gardens whimsy takes a bow as small jets of water perform seemingly impossible feats. A traditional English afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream can be yours in the elegantly-appointed Petrossian Bar each afternoon from 2 to 5 pm, or wait a bit longer and try the caviar sampler paired with fine vodkas.

Even the standard queen or king rooms go above and beyond what one expects from a Las Vegas resort. With marble flooring, luxury linens, hugely comfortable mattresses, remote-controlled draperies, separate soaking tub and shower and twice daily visits from housekeeping, you may never want to leave. This reviewer once booked a standard queen for arrival a week before Christmas and was upgraded to a tower suite. That may not sound like much in these days when some lesser hotels sell you a "suite" that consists of one room, but a Bellagio tower suite is a 1500 square foot exercise in indulgence, one you will never forget.

Ah, luxe. Ah, heaven. Ah, Bellagio!

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