PHOTO: Bellagio (courtesy Ryan Rudnansky)

After an interesting and entertaining first three days in Las Vegas, my first week in Sin City had just begun.

On Thursday, my day started off with a spa treatment by ESPA at Vdara, and ended with tours of ARIA, Crystals shopping center, Bellagio and the Vdara hotel.

Upon entering ESPA at Vdara, you instantly realize how quiet it is, especially compared to the bustling Strip. I was greeted with a bright smile by the front desk staff, and then shown to the men’s area, where I donned a comfy robe. I made my way down a long corridor with wood sidings that I could actually smell.

Before entering the massage area, Jackie Casey, my licensed massage therapist, asked me what type of day I planned on having, then had me choose scented oils based on that. There are energizing oils, calming oils and everything in between. I chose the energizing oil.

The 50-minute massage, dubbed “The Revitalizer,” was a treat. Beyond the great job Casey did (I learned I had a good deal of knots that needed to be worked on), the environment of the room was incredibly calming. The light, background sounds and temperature can be adjusted according to the guest’s preferences, and a bowl with a scented liquid is also placed beneath the guest’s nose during the treatment (there are several scents to choose from).

When I wasn’t drooling or in a daze, I learned that Casey had been a massage therapist for 19 years, which a) didn’t surprise me and b) proved that ESPA at Vdara is serious when it comes to hand-selecting members of its team.

By the time the treatment was over, I was incredibly loose, and it literally felt as if I was floating back down the corridor to the men’s area. And as I floated to ARIA, I found myself wondering why I don’t do this more often.

You can tell ARIA is truly unique from the start. Man-made waterfalls line the walls of the front, while Kirin statues greet you.

Inside, red and gold Chinese lanterns and dragons hung from the lobby ceiling, part of ARIA’s seasonal decorations for Chinese New Year. To the left, I noticed ARIA’s sleek Lobby Bar, a lounge with contemporary designs and a wide-open feeling.

I met Jessica Weaver, PR coordinator at MGM Resorts International, at Lemongrass Vietnamese Restaurant at the north end of the first floor.

From there, we met up with Clare E. Brady, director of villa services at ARIA, and headed up to check out some rooms.

 

The first room I saw was the Penthouse, one of the Sky Suites. It featured a contemporary, simplistic design, as well as plenty of room (Penthouses range from 1,465 square feet to 2,060 square feet). Of course, there were also floor-to-ceiling windows, a breakfast bar, and customizable technology that can be adjusted to greet guests for a truly personalized feel. 

Next, we checked out ARIA’s famed Sky Villas, which range from 2,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet. After a butler greeted us inside, my eyes locked on to a golden winding staircase. I was also shown a bar area, a pool table for the sharks, a spa and sauna, and a massage area. On top of that, there’s also an in-villa barbershop service for the gents, which has inevitably been wildly popular.

Outside, ARIA has three elliptical pools, surrounded by a variety of planting themes. That’s in addition to the adults-only LIQUID lounge and pool area, which has been known to host quite the party.

But one thing that may be overlooked about ARIA is its conference center, which boasts a whopping 300,000 square feet of meeting spaces, including the 51,225-square-foot Bristlecone Ballroom. ARIA also has its own wedding chapel (opened last summer), which includes live streaming services for family members and friends who can’t make the reception.

While you’re walking through all of this, you can’t help but notice that ARIA is a piece of art in itself. Everywhere you look, there’s a unique design or a sleek statue. From water concepts to a sculpture made out of boats to a 270-foot fountain to a fine art collection, ARIA is an artist’s dream. There’s even an electronic ticker in front of one of the entrances that displays “truisms,” or sayings designed to get you thinking (there are more than 100 phrases that alternate).

Whether you love art or just like to look at cool things, ARIA is a visual treat.

After ARIA, we walked through Crystals shopping center. While I’m not much of a shopper, this is one center I could enjoy for its art alone. For the shoppers, it only offers high-end products, including the largest Louis Vuitton in North America (so bring your piggy banks). On top of that, it is the largest retail district to receive LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

I was able to get a tour of the boutique hotel, Vdara, as well. Not only does Vdara sport unique art like ARIA and Crystals, it’s also dog friendly, welcoming dogs of up to 70 pounds. There’s a nearby dog park, and even an in-suite dining menu specifically for dogs.

If you are looking for an intimate, personalized experience in Vegas, Vdara is a good bet (it also doesn’t hurt that it has a Forbes four-star spa).

To finish off Thursday, I was given a tour of Bellagio.

You can’t talk about Bellagio without talking about the Bellagio Fountains, of course. Featured in numerous films and dubbed the No. 1 attraction in the world on TripAdvisor, the Fountains still stand apart from the rest 15 years after debuting.  The color-changing Fountains encompass 8.5 acres, can shoot water 460 feet up into the air, and are synchronized to more than 30 famous songs.

But Bellagio has much more inside.

Its Conservatory & Botanical Gardens attraction is a sight to behold. For Chinese New Year, it featured red lanterns and fireworks, an array of Asian plants and trees, dancing figures, a giant cluster of coins, a gazebo, and a golden horse statue kicking up its front legs in the center of it all.

And, to think, this display was temporary: The conservatory changes with the seasons.

From there, I was shown Bellagio’s Chairman Suite.

The suite, boasting more than 4,000 square feet, includes a spectacular view of the Fountains, 24-hour butler service, Tuscan Italian décor, a formal dining room, marble bathrooms, a therapeutic bath and steam showers, a chandelier and water features, and a master bedroom, guestroom and living room (all with fireplaces and high-end TVs). That’s in addition to a private registration experience at the Chairman’s Lounge.

Sign me up.

Oh yeah, and that concludes Thursday.

On to Friday…

To kick off my day on Friday, I didn’t have my usual plain bowl of Cheerios with coffee and orange juice.

Instead, I had breakfast at THEhotel, a part of Mandalay Bay. At “the café (all lowercase),” I met up with Jeff Eisenhart, MGM Resorts International’s vice president of leisure sales and marketing, and Shant Apelian, PR manager.

Both were excited about what MGM Resorts had in store for the future.

The new Monte Carlo plaza is a big story for the company. Not only will the plaza eventually connect to a 20,000-seat arena MGM Resorts has planned, it’s also going to open up The Strip a bit, offering a “patio culture” to “people watch,” as Apelian explained.

There is also a lot more planned for THEhotel, which already boasts 43 stories of suites, the multiple award-winning miX restaurant, a bathhouse spa, a gym and, of course, the café (the smoked pork benedict is delicious, FYI).

THEhotel is scheduled to be transformed into Delano Las Vegas in September, which will be themed around Miami and the South Beach lifestyle.

It's also worth pointing out that The Mirage has opened up its luxurious Lanais and Villas to the public for reservation for the first time. 

The Lanais include two spacious living rooms, a wet bar, a master bedroom and master bathroom with a whirlpool tub and a private backyard with a dipping pool.

The Villas feature a secluded backyard patio area, a private heated pool, a wet bar, entertainment systems, and even a putting green.

Both the Lanais and Villas are customized to fit guests' preferences. Items such as custom bedding, pillowcases and robes greet guests, while toys are also provided for the kids. That's on top of a concealed entrance, 24-hour butler service, and catering and bartending.

After eating better than a normally do for breakfast, Apelian took me on a tour of Mandalay Bay.

The 64-floor resort and casino has a lot to offer.

Beyond its array of stylish and accommodating rooms, it’s a hotspot for partying and nightlife. It has a night club called Light, which features DJs, light shows, special effects and—get this—Cirque du Soleil performers who do acrobatics above the dance floor.

It also has a day club called Daylight, which takes full advantage of the Mandalay Bay Beach: an 11-acre pool complex with a 1.6 million-gallon wave pool, 2,700 tons of real sand and 100 rentable cabanas, day beds, bungalows and personalized villas. Daylight will be kicking off again soon, with Mandalay Bay Beach’s popular Beach Concert Series running from May through September.

Other big events include the Electronic Daisy Carnival in June (enchanting EDM fans the world over) and the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September.

Mandalay Bay is also a grand conference site in Vegas. About half of its business comes from conferences alone, and its 1.7 million square feet of meeting space makes it the fifth-biggest conference center in the country.

The 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center has hosted a variety of special events, including the Latin Grammy Awards, the JCK Las Vegas Show (the jewelry industry’s premiere trade show) and UFC fights (it hosted UFC 170 on Saturday).

Of course, Mandalay Bay also features Shark Reef Aquarium, as well as its own wedding chapel.

After meeting up with Apelian, I checked out the aquarium. 

First of all, the design of Shark Reef Aquarium mirrors the design of Mandalay Bay, featuring lush foliage, ferns and trees.

It also features more than 2,000 animals, including over 100 different species (15 different species of sharks). There are some species I had never even heard of before, including my new favorite, the Lionfish (its spiky head/mane protects it).

A Golden Crocodile and a Komodo Dragon greet visitors from the start. I also enjoyed the colorful jellyfish exhibit and the shark tunnel and exhibit, while a mass of kids swarmed the touch pool.

Then, there are the restaurants.

The stylish Kumi is a new Japanese lounge restaurant. Red Square Restaurant & Lounge looks like something straight out of a James Bond film. Aureole features angels/women with wings retrieving wine for guests from a giant wine tower.

As for me, I tried out Fleur by Hubert Keller.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Before getting into the delicious food, I think it’s important to talk about the atmosphere.

While you can have a simple, quiet meal at Fleur if you want, I’d encourage diners to talk to the staff a bit. Fleur certainly has character.

You can tell there’s camaraderie among the servers and general managers, whether it’s the way they interact with one another, or the nicknames they give each other.

And, I gotta say, talking to Assistant General Manager Bradley Weinstein was a riot. He joked about anything from getting seriously addicted to the mashed potatoes and brownie lollipops at the restaurant, to being so used to imitation mint that the first time he tried Fleur’s profiterole dessert made of real mint he wasn’t sure what it was.

Of course, there’s the food, too.

Do yourself a favor: get the white onion soup veloute to start. It may sound rather simple, but it absolutely explodes with taste. From then on out, I knew I was in for a mouth-watering meal.

I continued with mozzarella flatbread, grilled octopus (one of Weinstein’s favorites) and—to top if off—crispy branzino (European seabass complete with baby artichokes, pork belly and a French barigoule beurre blanc sauce to die for).

There is also a variety of drinks you can scan through (you can tap on a electronic screen to view the ingredients of each).

Whether you are looking for a restaurant with a communal feel overflowing with character, or simply want a delicious meal, Fleur by Hubert Keller is a fine choice.

To cap off my first week in Vegas, I decided to check out the Hakkasan nightclub at the MGM Grand I had heard so much about.

This place was out of this world.

The first two floors is a stylish restaurant featuring a sleek bar and divided, yet open dining compartments.

The third, fourth and fifth floors make up the nightclub, which is a sight to behold. A spacious dance floor sits in the center, thumping to a DJ as different colored lights flash across the venue. Partiers mingle on the dance floor, or dance on elevated platforms. Others scan the scene from the floors above, or hang out at the multiple bars near the music. I found myself jumping from one area to another to end the week (before retiring to the quiet confines of my room, of course).