The Venetian

Sometimes a name really does say it all. Imagine that somehow, for some reason, the venerable seafaring city of Venice were painstakingly recreated (in the desert) as a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip, and you’d have essentially the right idea. It’s either a jaw-dropping tribute or an unforgivable insult to the real Venice, depending on your perspective — but either way, there’s no denying that the Venetian is a hotel like no other. No expense was spared in replicating St. Mark’s Square with its famous clock tower, or in reproducing some of Venice’s most famous artworks for display here. And the canals come stocked with their own singing gondoliers, who are indistinguishable from — and in many cases actually are — the real thing.

Add to this some four thousand suites, in a pair of towers that flank the square, and you’ve got yourself a truly monumental hotel — one that includes no fewer than seven restaurants, including not just offerings by Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck but an outpost of Bouchon by perhaps the most highly decorated American chef, Thomas Keller. There’s also a spa by Canyon Ranch, no slouch in the wellness department, and entertainment options that include residencies by some of the biggest names in rock and pop music. We’re well aware that the Venetian, and Las Vegas more generally, isn’t to everyone’s taste, but when in Rome....