I’d never visited Las Vegas before the summer of 2013, so I don’t know personally of the Strips’ glory days, neither the beloved Rat Pack era (of course) or the decades that followed, when themed casinos dominated Las Vegas Boulevard. There are remnants of that latter period on view today, so if you want to visit Egypt, King Arthur’s court, the Brooklyn Bridge, Venice, or the Eiffel Tower in Paris during your Vegas getaway, you most certainly still can…and should, because those landmarks are part of Vegas’ classic, and very photogenic, kitschy charm.
Slowly though, the casinos and resorts of the Vegas Strip are becoming less period pieces and more futuristic time pieces — luxurious spaces wrapped in iridescent glass, encasing immaculate gambling floors, celebrity chef restaurant outposts, and ultra high-end shops catering to guests tossing keys to their 100K cars to the valet.
The Aria Resort & Casino is one of those new, glimmering structures. It sits on the south end of the miracle mile like a diamond in the Vegas Strip’s hand, offering high rollers looking for a seat at the exclusive Ivey Room poker table, families seeking an all-ages iteration of a Sin City romp, and everyone else in between, every single thing they could want for in Vegas under a single roof.
We’ll check into the Aria’s rooms in a minute, but first, let’s eat, drink and be merry.
With over 14 restaurants, cafes and coffee bars, Aria’s dining options are as varied as they are impressive.
Sage leads the pack for a well-paced, accessible haute cuisine experience at the hands of impeccable servers willing and able to guide the adventurous and cautious alike to a meal worth remembering…and Instagraming. [Tip: start your meal at Sage with the organic slow-poached egg with black truffles and crunchy bread!]
If upscale, previously illegal cocktails are your thing, you’ll be pleased to learn that Sage has one of the most extensive absinthe programs in the country (seen above).
Five50 is Shaun McClain’s gourmet pizza joint located within Aria’s Race and Sports Book, and boasts a menu of sandwiches and enticing pizza combinations such as the divine Truffle Pizza w/ truffle salami, shaved black truffles, bechamel, thyme and potato. My god that was so good. There’s also a milkshake menu well worth exploring. [Tip: order the Thin Mint Milkshake, and thank me later.]
Michael Mina’s Bardot Brassiere brings Paris’ 5th arrondissement to the Nevada desert with sumptuous steak frites and sauce bearnaise, and clever interpretations of French classics escargot (below) and duck a l’orange. [Tip: finish things off with the chocolate macaron, sandwiching decadent chocolate mousse and salted caramel, and you’ll find yourself in the happiest food coma all of time.]
Finally, the Aria resort’s humorously plain-Jane-named The Buffet raises the bar for that most stereotypical of Vegas casino dining options: the buffet. The dessert section is ‘off the chain’, as the kids might say, and the Tandoori portion of The Buffet is delicious and the only one of its kind on the Strip (I may or may not have had 6 pieces of Naan). You’ll (try not to) gorge yourself on brisket, pancakes, crab legs, crawfish, waffles, salad, soup and so much more.
While Aria’s restaurants fill your belly, Cirque du Soliel’s Zarkana will fill your eyes with wonder. The all-ages appropriate (save for a little pasties humor…on a male clown), aerial acrobatic show is the only Cirque du Soliel event anywhere allowing photography during the performance. And the seating inside the theater is curl-up-in-a-ball comfortable. You and your family will fall in love with the free form, non-narrative theatrics of Zarkana at the Aria.
You’ve been well fed and entertained. Now it’s time for slumber. Upon entering your room at the Aria, the lights softly come to life, jazz music beings to play (literally and cinematicly), and the floor-to-ceiling windows’ curtains open to reveal the lights and action of the famed Vegas strip laid out before your tired but still glistening eyes.
There is more technology in the rooms of the Aria than in any other hotel room you’ve ever stayed in. The lights, TV, curtains and wake-up settings are all operated bedside, from a touch screen device. During your stay, the room’s features will bend to your preferences and personality, and the turndown service will ensure you feel like a king even after you’ve squandered the kingdom’s riches in the casino.
The Vegas Strip is no stranger to change and so this pendulum swing towards timeless luxury and style shouldn’t surprise anyone.
You’ve got approximately one zillion accommodation choices in and around Las Vegas, but the Aria Resort & Casino should be at the top of your wish list because of the hi-tech rooms, Cirque entertainment, foodie dream sequences, the spa (which I didn’t even mention!), the location, and the sheer undeniable glamor of it all.
Read more about The Aria and other MGM hotels, restaurants and entertainment options on the MenWhoBlogLV website.
*The Aria Resort & Casino provided me a weekend stay with food and entertainment. All opinions expressed above are honest and unbiased, as always. I really did eat well, have a ton of fun at Zarkana, and sleep in extreme comfort, albeit for only a few hours each night before ESPN popped onto the screen and the curtains opened, letting the warm sun fill room 22002 with light at 7:45 A.M., just as I’d (foolishly) programmed it to do the night before.
*All photos taken with the Samsung NX1, 85mm and 16-50mm S lenses.
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