Romantic Vegas Vacation

San Francisco, a bustling, cosmopolitan city in northern California, is the centerpiece of the Bay Area, well-known for its diverse ethnic and political communities, hilly terrain, world-class restaurants and scenic beauty.

It is the home of the ‘50s beat generation, the ‘60s flower power students, the ‘70s gay rights movement, the ‘80s culinary revolution and, of course, the ‘90s technology boom. Today, the city remains the epicenter for all things cyber and is on the leading edge of the sustainable food movement.  

Ride a cable car, walk across (or windsurf under) the Golden Gate Bridge, scribble poetry in a North Beach café, shop at the hip boutiques along Union Street, check out the latest exhibit at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, see an opera, then club-crawl through cyber-cool South of Market.

So much to see and do, it’s no wonder why Tony Bennett left his heart there.

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada. Commonly referred to as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” it is situated in the midst of the southern Nevada desert landscape. The city has giant mega-casino hotels, decorated with lavish care and attention to detail to create a fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos have names that evoke romance and mystery—Luxor Hotel and Casino, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, and the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. Others evoke popular worldwide destinations, such as: New York-New York Hotel and Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, and The Venetian. There is an abundance of shows and many of the larger casinos now include high-end shopping areas with designer stores.

Opportunities to gamble are found in most places in the Las Vegas metro area, as well as McCarran airport and small supermarkets. However, please be advised that it is state law that all gamblers must be at least 21 years of age. Las Vegas is also the wedding capital of the world. Both parties must have valid ID and the cost is $55 per couple. The Las Vegas Wedding Bureau is open from 9 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, including holidays. No waiting period is required.

Vegas has some of the best climbing in America. Red Rock Canyon is located on the western edge of the Las Vegas city limits and features hundreds of traditional/gear and sport routes. Climbing is possible year-round, though spring and fall tend to be most comfortable.

Presenting a Vegas spin on the upscale culture of Venice, the Venetian is located on the Strip and features a Grand Canal complete with gondola rides, a 120,000 square-foot casino, elegant accommodations, and is approximately four miles from McCarran International Airport.Located on the site of the historic Las Vegas Sands and connected to the Sands Expo and Convention Center, the Venetian's signature feature is its quarter-mile Grand Canal, a waterway by piazzas and shops on which guests may partake in gondola rides. Performers entertain guests along the Grand Canal's cobblestone walkways. The Grand Canal Shoppes include 80 international boutiques and name-brand outlets. The hotel's casino offers table games, a semi-private high-limit salon, slot and video poker machines, and a luxury race and sports lounge. Live entertainment includes Broadway shows such as the Blue Man Group, the Phantom of the Opera, and Wayne Brady. The Venetian is also home to Madame Tussaud's wax museum, housing replicas of celebrities. Canyon Ranch SpaClub is a 69,000 square-foot, two-level wellness and fitness facility offering massage therapies, beauty treatments, a beauty salon, acupuncture, a fitness center, whirlpools, saunas, a 40-foot indoor rock-climbing wall, fitness classes, and a cafe. The five-acre pool deck atop the fourth level of the Venetian tower has three pools, one whirlpool, ten cabanas for rent, cocktail service, and a central bar.

This French restaurant is located within the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Golden-brown chairs, walls, curtains and white tablecloths manage to lend a simple yet tasteful ambience. Exquisite wines, three-, four- and even five-course menus are available, but at steep rates. Try the Cantaloupe Gazpacho or go for the Untraditional Steak Tartar with Oxtail Consomme. Around 150 people can be comfortably accommodated here.

O solo mio! You will be the recipient of a vocal performance as your personal gondolier trained by masters in Venice, Italy takes you on a trip you will never forget. These crafts navigate the canals that run through the Grand Canal Shoppes located at the Venetian Hotel Casino. Reservations are required if you want a singing gondolier to take you on your journey.

A true Vegas landmark, the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino's 1,149-foot tower dominates the Sin City skyline and features adrenaline-pumping rides at its summit.The Stratosphere Tower features a revolving restaurant and lounge, indoor and outdoor observation decks, a spa, the Chapel in the Clouds, and several rides. Insanity--the Ride spins riders over the edge of the tower at a rate of three Gs. The X Scream is a giant teeter-totter that flings riders over the edge of the tower and back. Lastly, the Big Shot catapults riders up a portion of the tower at 45 miles per hour. The hotel is home to an 80,000-square-foot casino, featuring slots and video poker machines, a poker room, table games, keno, and a race and sports book.The Roni Josef Salon Spa offers massage therapies and beauty treatments. The showroom features award-winning entertainment: American Superstars pays homage to the likes of Britney Spears and Michael Jackson, and Bite is an adults-only erotic show about vampires. Other entertainment options include live music at the Images Lounge, the Oasis Lounge nightclub, drinks at the Crazy Armadillo, and Romance at the Top of the World. The outdoor swimming pool is located on the eighth floor, and also features a whirlpool, a waterfall, a snack bar, a poolside bar, and cabana rentals. Other amenities include a fitness center, laundry services, a business center, the seasonal Beach Club 25 (an adult area featuring fitness equipment, table tennis, and volleyball), tour assistance, flowers and gift orders, and retail shopping.Each room has cable TV, pay-per-view, alarm clocks, hairdryers, and wireless Internet access (for a fee). The hotel offers a complimentary evening shuttle to Miracle Mile Shops. Please contact hotels for more details on the schedule. Please note that a 7.50 per night resort fee is included with the total cost. This fee covers 108th Floor Observation Deck Passes and Much More.

Located atop the 800-foot high Stratosphere Hotel Casino, Top Of The World Restaurant offers a view of Las Vegas that is unmatched. The room rotates slowly at 360 degrees per hour so you can see the entire city from every angle. The service is superb and the excellent menu features steaks, fresh fish and lobster. Cocktails and a moderately priced wine list are available. Truly, this is an unforgettable dining experience. Afterwards, you can ride the rollercoaster at the top.

Located inside the Bellagio hotel, Spa Bellagio welcomes you to a rich and rejuvenating range of facial and body therapies. Try the Bellagio Stone Massage—aquamarine gemstones are used to massage your face and body—for a warm and refreshing touch. The spa also offers various other therapies, such as the Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Indian Head Massage and Thai Yoga Massage. Pick up products from the in-house sale to carry the relaxed feeling home. Spa Bellagio also houses a sauna room, a steam room, a salon and a fully equipped fitness center. Reservations are recommended.

A visual water symphony choreographed to music provides an unforgettable welcome to the Bellagio Hotel Casino. The water jets span more than 1000 feet and can shoot up to 250 feet in the air while seeming to dance to choreographed lights and romantic classical music. It is a spectacular sight and one worth taking the time to view while strolling along the boulevard. Be sure to bring a camera as this is one of Vegas's best attractions; not to mention, it is also free! Every 30 minutes until 7p, after which shows are every 15 minutes.

Step into Jean-Philippe Patisserie and take a trip back to childhood when you were a little kid just finishing some chocolate ice cream, leaving a good portion of it on your face because you ate it so excitedly. That is how you'll leave this take-out dessert spot, located in the luxurious Bellagio. Choose from bite-size chocolates, savory crepes, fluffy cakes, sweet cookies, crisp salads, and warm paninis. With sweets in hand, take the opportunity to gaze upon the world's largest chocolate fountain at the entrance to the shop.

Is it Paris, or Las Vegas? Paris Las Vegas, of course. Ride to the peak of the 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower in the glass elevators. At the observation deck on top, you will behold a breathtaking view of the Las Vegas Strip from 540 feet up. The 11th-floor Eiffel Tower Restaurant is formal dining at its finest; reservations are necessary. Tickets available at the Tower.

This restaurant is well known for a variety of fresh seafood and outstanding steaks cooked to perfection. The frites are absolutely addictive. Choose to sit inside or relax outside on a beautiful day, the decor makes you feel as though you are in a Parisian bistro. There are excellent choices on the menu such as the cold appetizers, hot appetizers, Gabi's classics as well as the extensive wine list. Don't miss the amazing desserts like the creme brulee and the bananas foster crepe. Food is reasonably priced with generous servings.

ZUMANITY is a Cirque du Soleil production, but it is more Cirque du Sensuality than Soleil. Billing itself as "Another side of Cirque du Soleil," this New York-New York Hotel & Casino resident production makes the most of its difference from other Cirque shows. A combination burlesque/cabaret, ZUMANITY, recalls the ribald Rocky Horror Picture Show of years gone by. The flavor of ZUMANITY can best be tasted on its menu of production numbers like Body2Body, Dislocation, 2Men and Midnight Bath and Orgy. Needless to say, ZUMANITY is not a show for the little ones, but it's pure Las Vegas entertainment, with a sharp sexual edge. As part of the Cirque du Soleil international brand, all of the production values and especially the performaces and visuals are extraordinary. Audiences also enjoy the direct interaction with the cast, as is typical Cirque behavior, when the players make everyone part of the show. Contortionists, dancers, aerialists and other high flyers jam enough stunts into the 90-minute show to leave you exhausted by the time you walk out of the Zumanity Theatre.

Nestled within a garden atop the Venetian Hotel, this 69,000-square-foot facility offers complete fitness, wellness and beauty facilities for the mind, spirit and body. A typical treatment is the Rasul Ceremony, featuring medicinal muds and steamed herbs, with alternating rinsing treatments. The King's Bath offers a relaxing bath in exotic oils, with floating rose petals and candlelight, followed by a massage for an 80-minute session. The Canyon Ranch Cafe, offers tasty and healthy foods prepared in gourmet style.

Presenting a Vegas spin on the upscale culture of Venice, the Venetian is located on the Strip and features a Grand Canal complete with gondola rides, a 120,000 square-foot casino, elegant accommodations, and is approximately four miles from McCarran International Airport.Located on the site of the historic Las Vegas Sands and connected to the Sands Expo and Convention Center, the Venetian's signature feature is its quarter-mile Grand Canal, a waterway by piazzas and shops on which guests may partake in gondola rides. Performers entertain guests along the Grand Canal's cobblestone walkways. The Grand Canal Shoppes include 80 international boutiques and name-brand outlets. The hotel's casino offers table games, a semi-private high-limit salon, slot and video poker machines, and a luxury race and sports lounge. Live entertainment includes Broadway shows such as the Blue Man Group, the Phantom of the Opera, and Wayne Brady. The Venetian is also home to Madame Tussaud's wax museum, housing replicas of celebrities. Canyon Ranch SpaClub is a 69,000 square-foot, two-level wellness and fitness facility offering massage therapies, beauty treatments, a beauty salon, acupuncture, a fitness center, whirlpools, saunas, a 40-foot indoor rock-climbing wall, fitness classes, and a cafe. The five-acre pool deck atop the fourth level of the Venetian tower has three pools, one whirlpool, ten cabanas for rent, cocktail service, and a central bar.

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada. Commonly referred to as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” it is situated in the midst of the southern Nevada desert landscape. The city has giant mega-casino hotels, decorated with lavish care and attention to detail to create a fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos have names that evoke romance and mystery—Luxor Hotel and Casino, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, and the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. Others evoke popular worldwide destinations, such as: New York-New York Hotel and Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, and The Venetian. There is an abundance of shows and many of the larger casinos now include high-end shopping areas with designer stores.

Opportunities to gamble are found in most places in the Las Vegas metro area, as well as McCarran airport and small supermarkets. However, please be advised that it is state law that all gamblers must be at least 21 years of age. Las Vegas is also the wedding capital of the world. Both parties must have valid ID and the cost is $55 per couple. The Las Vegas Wedding Bureau is open from 9 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, including holidays. No waiting period is required.

Vegas has some of the best climbing in America. Red Rock Canyon is located on the western edge of the Las Vegas city limits and features hundreds of traditional/gear and sport routes. Climbing is possible year-round, though spring and fall tend to be most comfortable.

San Francisco, a bustling, cosmopolitan city in northern California, is the centerpiece of the Bay Area, well-known for its diverse ethnic and political communities, hilly terrain, world-class restaurants and scenic beauty.

It is the home of the ‘50s beat generation, the ‘60s flower power students, the ‘70s gay rights movement, the ‘80s culinary revolution and, of course, the ‘90s technology boom. Today, the city remains the epicenter for all things cyber and is on the leading edge of the sustainable food movement.  

Ride a cable car, walk across (or windsurf under) the Golden Gate Bridge, scribble poetry in a North Beach café, shop at the hip boutiques along Union Street, check out the latest exhibit at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, see an opera, then club-crawl through cyber-cool South of Market.

So much to see and do, it’s no wonder why Tony Bennett left his heart there.