CityCenter and around
When MGM Resorts opened the CityCenter complex, in 2009, the aim was to add a whole new neighbourhood to Las Vegas, giving the city a new kind of sleek, corporate architecture. By building a self-contained enclave set back from the Strip, they would vastly increase the value of what was previously unused land, and finally make it possible to expand east–west. A massive financial gamble, the project involved a huge new casino, Aria; a high-end shopping mall, Crystals; and several hotel-and-condo skyscrapers. A new neighbourhood has indeed appeared, stretching from the open-air Park in the south, adjoining the soon-to-be-renamed Monte Carlo, as far as the now-veteran Bellagio to the north. The one fly in the ointment is the brash new Cosmopolitan, cheekily added to the one tiny speck of Strip real estate that MGM didn’t own.
Monte Carlo/Park MGM
3770 Las Vegas Blvd S 
702 730 7777, 
montecarlo.com, parkmgm.com. MAP
With the unveiling of CityCenter, the low-profile Monte Carlo casino became increasingly prominent in the plans of owners MGM. Ten years on, the space between the Monte Carlo and New York–New York has been transformed into a largely pedestrianized plaza known as The Park, and is home to the huge, multi-purpose T-Mobile Arena. At the time of writing, the Monte Carlo remained open but was being overhauled, in preparation for being re-branded in 2018 as the Park MGM. Alongside the Park Theater concert venue, the new complex is expected to hold an Italian marketplace, Eataly, with restaurants and food counters, and a nominally distinct 300-room boutique hotel, NoMad.
Crystals
3720 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 590 9299, theshopsatcrystals.com. MAP
As the one public component of CityCenter to abut the Strip, Crystals certainly catches the eye. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, its jagged, colourful facade makes a contrast with the white walls and air-conditioned cool of its interior. Its primary role is as a (hugely expensive) shopping mall, The Shops at Crystals.
Purely as a spectacle, however, Crystals is well worth a quick walk-through. At one point, it was planned as an urban park, and it features some extravagant, playful wooden structures, including the intricate 70ft Treehouse, home to the stylish Mastro’s Ocean Club restaurant, as well as a pair of arching wooden “pods”.
There’s also plenty of water on show, including the swirling glass-encased fountains on the lower floor, and some dazzling sculptures of neon light.
The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 698 7000, www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. MAP
At first glance, most Las Vegas visitors assume that The Cosmopolitan, facing Planet Hollywood across the Strip, is just one more piece of the modernist jigsaw puzzle that comprises CityCenter. It’s not; it’s an entirely separate luxury casino-hotel, stacked up vertically rather than sprawling horizontally, and impishly squeezed atop the former Jockey Club car park, slap in front of CityCenter, which MGM never managed to buy up.
Since opening in 2010, the Cosmopolitan has made itself very much at home in this prime spot, seducing locals and tourists alike with its glitzy architectural flourishes, high-profile Marquee nightclub, excellent array of appealing restaurants just steps away from the Strip, and general evocation of glamorous days gone by. In the evenings especially, its buzzing public spaces tend to jostle with excited crowds.
The Cosmopolitan is a throwback to the old Las Vegas, when each casino was separately owned and run, acted like the rest of the city didn’t exist, saw its business as being all about gambling and nightlife rather than shopping, and aimed to keep visitors on site by making it all but impossible to find the exits. Be warned that the Cosmopolitan also has the last laugh on CityCenter: while you might understandably assume that you could simply walk all the way through the building and reach Aria, you can’t – there’s no pedestrian through route.
Aria
3730 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 590 7111, www.aria.com. MAP
Although the CityCenter “neighbourhood” is supposed to be easy to explore on foot, you’re only likely to visit Aria, the casino at its heart, if you make a very deliberate effort to reach it. Pedestrians can get here outdoors by following its hot, exposed approach road 250 yards west from the Strip, or more comfortably indoors, via the Crystals mall or the much longer walkways through Bellagio and the Monte Carlo. A gleaming sci-fi monorail also connects Aria with both those properties, but the stations are so far back from the Strip that you gain very little by using it.
From the outside, with its sleek, curving skyscrapers, Aria looks more like a sophisticated big-city corporate HQ than a casino. The traffic circle in front of its main entrance holds a pulsating fountain, while to the left, more water cascades down a sleek, glistening black wall, 24ft tall.
Aria also identifies itself more with, say, Chicago than Las Vegas, by eschewing billboards, video screens and neon in favour of prestigious contemporary art. Sculptors represented include Henry Moore, one of whose signature abstractions stands in the tiny gap between Aria and Crystals; Claes Oldenburg, responsible for the giant typewriter eraser near the Strip; Antony Gormley, whose Feeling Material hangs from the ceiling; and Maya Lin, whose 84ft silver casting of the Colorado River stretches above the check-in desks.
While Aria’s dazzling modernism certainly makes a welcome contrast with traditional Las Vegas aesthetics, in the end, of course, it’s all in the service of Mammon – and more specifically, gambling. There’s plenty more cutting-edge design to admire as you walk through the casino proper – don’t miss the Poker Room fringed by gigantic golden playing cards – but there’s little reason to linger unless your intention is to gamble.
Both the upper and lower levels of Aria hold a fine roster of restaurants, bars and cafés, but there are very few shops. Devoid of slots and gaming tables, the upper level can feel cavernously empty unless the Convention Center is in full swing.
When Aria opened it was home to a Cirque du Soleil tribute show to Elvis Presley. An unlikely fit for such a forward-looking property, the show swiftly ended its run, as did its replacement, Cirque’s Zarkana. With the showroom now closed, Aria has shifted its focus to the Park Theater instead.
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 693 7111, bellagio.com. MAP
Ranking high among Las Vegas’s absolute must-see casinos, Bellagio proudly surveys the Strip across the graceful dancing fountains of its own broad, semicircular lake. This cream-coloured vision of Italian elegance was unveiled in 1998 as the final great flourish of the twentieth century’s fastest-growing new city. It was the handiwork of legendary entrepreneur Steve Wynn, who spared no expense in his bid to follow his success with the Mirage by building the greatest hotel the world had ever seen. His original idea was to model it on a French Mediterranean beach and call it Beau Rivage; that changed after he visited the village of Bellagio, beside Lake Como in Italy.
Although Wynn himself is no longer at the helm – when MGM bought out his Mirage corporation in 2000, he took the money and ran down the street to start again – Bellagio is still going strong, racking up the highest turnover and biggest profits in the city. It’s also larger than ever, having thrust a tentacle southwards to create an indoor walkway down to CityCenter. As Bellagio’s northeast corner is just a few steps across a pedestrian bridge from Caesars Palace, many sightseers use it as a corridor to stay out of the sun as they head south, creating a constant flow of visitors.
Almost all of Bellagio’s Strip facade is taken up with waterfront restaurants, so once you’re inside you won’t see much of the lake. Similarly, its colonnaded pool area is only open to guests. Even so, the sheer opulence of the main casino floor is astounding, and several of the public areas should not be missed. In addition to the Conservatory, be sure to walk through the hotel lobby, where a vast chandelier of multicoloured glass flowers, created by sculptor Dale Chihuly, swarms across the ceiling. And take a glance behind the check-in counter to see the Roman gardens, accessible to employees only.
When Bellagio first opened, the management briefly attempted to impose a dress code and bar the children of non-guests. Las Vegas’s democratic open-to-all traditions soon put paid to that policy, however, so there’s nothing snooty about the crowds you’ll see window shopping in the exclusive stores of the small Via Bellagio shopping arcade, or gasping at the menu prices for its magnificent but undeniably expensive restaurants. Other than the building itself, the two most popular attractions that bring in visitors from elsewhere are the buffet and Cirque du Soleil’s long-running, breathtaking water spectacular, O.
The Fountains of Bellagio
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S. Mon–Fri 3–8pm every 30min, 8pm–midnight every 15min; Sat noon–8pm every 30min, 8pm–midnight every 15min; Sun 11am–3pm every 15min, 3–8pm every 30min, 8pm–midnight every 15min. Free. MAP
Even when it’s lying dormant, Bellagio’s ice-blue eight-acre lake makes an impressive spectacle in the Nevada desert. When it erupts into a balletic extravaganza of jetting fountains, as it does from morning/early afternoon until midnight daily, it’s the best free show in town. The sky-high spurts and streams are accompanied by booming music – mostly songs from Broadway shows and popular classics. For anyone other than diners in the expensive waterfront restaurants the best views are either from the Strip sidewalk (stake your place early), from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris or from the guest rooms in either Paris or the Cosmopolitan.
The Conservatory
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S. Open 24hr. Free. MAP
Ever since Bellagio opened, its magnificent Conservatory has been considered one of the major sights of the city. A glassed-over courtyard ringed by galleries and restaurants, it’s repeatedly transformed by a huge team of gardeners into extravagant themed shows that include bizarre whimsical props amid an extraordinary array of living plants. The five separate seasonal displays start with the Chinese New Year and then celebrate spring, summer, autumn and winter. During the week it takes to dismantle each show and prepare the next, there’s nothing to see.
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 693 7871, bellagio.com. Daily 10am–8pm. $17. MAP
Originally home to Steve Wynn’s own art collection, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art managed to survive Wynn’s departure and continues to put on changing exhibitions that generally last for around six months. The entrance fee is high for such a small space though, and only worth paying for the better shows, such as the 2012–13 display of twenty paintings by Claude Monet, which was curated in conjunction with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
< Back to CityCenter and around
Shop
The Shops at Crystals
3720 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 590 5299, theshopsatcrystals.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 10am–11pm, Fri & Sat 10am–midnight. MAP
Pitched at Las Vegas’s proverbial “whales”– high-rolling big spenders – the glitzy Shops at Crystals makes no bones about being very high-end indeed. With its sparkling white walls, and exquisite sculptural features, few dare stray into boutiques belonging to designers such as Paul Smith and Stella McCartney.
Buffets
The Buffet at Aria
Choices at CityCenter’s one buffet are more limited than elsewhere, but the food is a cut above. The sushi and Indian specialities are excellent and the desserts are the best in town. Pay $13 extra for unlimited beer, wine, champagne or Bloody Marys. An entire lobster is served at your table during weekend dinners.
Buffet Bellagio
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 791 7111, bellagio.com. Breakfast Mon–Fri 7–11am $22; lunch Mon–Fri 11am–3.30pm $26; brunch Sat & Sun 7am–3.30pm $33 (or $45 with champagne); dinner daily 3.30–10pm, Mon–Thurs & Sun $37, Fri & Sat $42. MAP
The first “gourmet buffet” in town sparked standards, and less happily prices, to rise all over Las Vegas. While no longer quite as exceptional, it still features an amazing array of food; even for breakfast you can have salmon smoked or baked and omelettes cooked to order, with fillings such as crabmeat.
Wicked Spoon
Level 2, The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 698 7000, www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Brunch Mon–Thurs 8am–2pm $28, Fri–Sun 8am–3pm $36; dinner Mon–Thurs 5–9pm $42; Fri & Sat 3–10pm $49; Sun 3–9pm $49. MAP
Although the Cosmopolitan’s buffet is hard to find, right at the back upstairs, plenty of visitors make their way here to enjoy a wide range of carefully prepared cuisines. Most are served as individual portions, though you can take as many as you like. There’s no breakfast; fill up with a late-morning brunch instead.
Restaurants
China Poblano
Level 2, The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 698 7900, chinapoblano.com. Mon–Thurs & Sun 11.30am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am–11.30pm. MAP
The concept of combining Asia and Mexico goes back a long way – china poblana is the national dress of Mexico. Here, in what looks like a street café, it is Chinese and Mexican cuisines that are blended. Only a few dishes, like the $18 Huitlacoche noodles, literally mix the two, but by picking and choosing you can make yourself an interesting, good-value meal.
Estiatorio Milos
Vast urns and exquisite statues adorn this beautiful Greek restaurant. For lunch there’s a fantastic $25 set menu; in the evening your choice from the array of fresh fish, flown in daily from Athens, will arrive at your table cooked to perfection, and costs around $50 per person.
JAVIER’S
Spectacular Mexican restaurant, complete with terrifying wooden carvings, that serves all the standard dishes, scrupulously prepared, for around $20 – a build-your-own-tacos plate for two costs $50 – as well as inventive variations like lobster enchiladas for $30, and shrimp, steak and seafood mains at up to $50.
Jean Philippe Patisserie
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S jpchocolates.com. Mon–Thurs 6am–11pm, Fri–Sun 6am–midnight. No reservations. MAP
It takes rare self-discipline to walk past Jean-Philippe Maury’s extraordinary bakery without pausing to swoon at its central feature; the world’s largest chocolate fountain swirls around the entire room, cascading through endless funnels and pipettes. The urge to stop for a $5 mug of hot chocolate, if not a pastry, is all but overwhelming.
Julian Serrano
One of Las Vegas’s biggest hits of recent years, this beautiful tapas bar tastes even better than it looks. Most tapas cost $12–15 for a small portion; be sure to branch out and sample fabulous creations like the cocoa butter balls filled with chilled gazpacho. Larger mains include paella for two from $45.
Mastro’s Ocean Club
Crystals, 3720 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 798 7115, www.mastrosrestaurants.com. Daily 5–11pm. MAP
Even the new Las Vegas still has a penchant for a good old-fashioned steakhouse, though this one stands out from the crowd not so much for its heavy-duty $50-plus rib-eyes as its amazing setting; reserve early and you get to dine in the bowers of Crystals’ whimsical wooden Treehouse.
Michael Mina
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 693 7223, www.michaelmina.net. Mon–Sat 5.30–10pm. MAP
In his flagship restaurant adjoining Bellagio’s Conservatory, Egyptian-born Michael Mina continues to reinvent his tried and tested classics. Starters like tuna tartare with mint cost up to $28, while mains range from $42 to the $55 filo-dusted Dover sole and Mina’s signature lobster pot pie. The chef’s tasting menu costs $128 (wine pairings $88 extra); there’s a no-choice vegetarian menu for $85; and at 5.30pm or 6pm you can enjoy a $68 pre-theatre menu.
Noodles
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 693 8131, bellagio.com. Daily 11am–2am. MAP
Bellagio’s casual, walk-ins only, pan-Asian diner, off the main casino floor behind the Baccarat bar, is well worth seeking out. Its intriguing decor looks great and the food, with cuisines ranging from Thai and Vietnamese, to Chinese and Japanese, is no disappointment. Noodle dishes are around $18 and at weekend lunchtimes dim sum typically costs around $9.
Olives
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 693 8865, bellagio.com. Daily 11.30am–10.30pm. MAP
This elegant modern American restaurant offers an experience to savour. For a light meal, opt for an $18 flatbread topped perhaps with fig and prosciutto. Full mains tend to be pricier, with pasta dishes at over $40 and steaks over $50, but the succulent roasted chicken costs $22 at lunch, $29 for dinner.
Scarpetta
Level 3, The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 698 7960, www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Daily 6–11pm. MAP
Courtesy of “new Italian” chef Scott Conant, the food is even better than the view at Scarpetta, which has huge panoramic windows overlooking the Bellagio fountains. All of Las Vegas has flocked to enjoy starters like his $18 tuna “susci”, and mains including short rib and bone marrow agnolotti (stuffed pasta; $25). For the full works, go for the $110 set menu.
Bars and lounges
Chandelier
Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 698 7979, www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Casino level open 24hr, other levels hours vary. MAP
Beneath the dazzling, dangling canopy of the eponymous two-million-crystal chandelier, the Cosmopolitan’s centrepiece bar soars through three separate levels. It’s the middle floor where the action is, with DJ music and a buzzy crowd.
Clubs and music venues
Marquee
Levels 2 and 17, The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 333 9000, marqueelasvegas.com. Nightclub Mon & Thurs–Sat 10pm–4am; Dayclub daily 10am–7pm in summer. Cover varies $25–100. MAP
This cutting-edge indoor-outdoor nightclub with a pool-centred “dayclub”, features a 50ft-high main floor, the Boombox, overlooking the Strip, and the Library, which has pool tables. The dayclub is smaller than at Encore, but attracts bigger-name DJs and celebs. Add in drinks and the dollars add up; buy a wristband for the whole weekend.
PARK THEATER
Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd S 844 600 7275, www.montecarlo.com. See website for schedule. MAP
Five-thousand-seat indoor arena, with a larger stage than the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, that’s primarily used for live music. So far it’s hosted residencies by the likes of Cher, Ricky Martin and Bruno Mars, with prices ranging $55–205.
rose.rabbit.lie
Level 2, The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S 877 667 0585, cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Wed–Sat 6pm–midnight; cover for special events. MAP
Self-proclaimed “modern supper club”, targeted at The Cosmopolitan’s hipster clientele, that remains deliberately hard to categorize. Having abandoned the avant-garde performance-art show with which it opened, it now stages retro-style gigs, and one-off events, and serves excellent cocktails and bar food.
T-MOBILE ARENA
3780 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 692 1300, www.t-mobilearena.com. See website for schedule. MAP
Set back from the Strip between New York–New York and the Monte Carlo (now known as The Park), this huge covered stadium was unveiled in 2016 as the centrepiece of The Park development. Holding twenty thousand spectators, and home to the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team, it has put on gigs by Kanye West, Barbra Streisand and the Rolling Stones, plus boxing matches, basketball games and award ceremonies. Concert tickets range $55–250.
Shows
O
Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S 702 693 8866, cirquedusoleil.com. Wed–Sun 7pm & 9.30pm. $138–217. MAP
This phenomenal show centres on a metal-mesh stage, any part of which can suddenly disappear beneath the performers’ feet. The dazzling array of death-defying leaps and plunges create a show you’ll never forget.