July 11-15, 2023

We stayed with our two tween/teen kids at the Venetian for a few nights in Vegas this summer. I chose the Venetian since I’d never stayed there before, they had good deals for the nights we would be in town, and I wanted to check out everything this massive resort had to offer, after all, it’s the biggest resort in Las Vegas, and the second biggest in the world!

The Location

The Venetian is towards the northern end of the strip, very close to The Wynn, The Mirage, and Caesars resorts. It’s location is not super important, though, as this is truly one of those Las Vegas resorts where you almost never need to leave! That said, the last time we brought the kids to Vegas, we stayed at The Mandalay Bay resort, at the total opposite end of the strip, so we definitely wanted to check out the north side. I can’t say that either end of the strip is better or worse. If it’s your first time, I would try to stay more towards the middle, like at Bellagio or Park MGM, or at Planet Hollywood. No matter where you stay though, if you’re going to be touring around, strap on your walking shoes because these casino/resorts are enormous and it takes a long time to get from one to the next!

The Amenities

The Venetian literally has everything and anything you could ever dream of contained in one massive complex. Like I said before, you don’t have to ever leave this resort on your trip to Vegas if you didn’t want to! The pools here are really nice, with cushiony loungers which are definitely a step up from most other resorts on the strip. The side tables by the pool are even marble, or at least some kind of heavy stone instead of cruddy plastic! Service by the pool is excellent, and there are a ton of pools to choose from as well. You can even walk over and check out the Palazzo pools, as well. This pool complex is enormous.

The workout facility here is massive as well, and even has a rock climbing wall! The kiddos definitely took advantage of that, and Eli did at least 4 different climbs. Don’t miss scheduling an appointment at the Canyon Ranch Spa either. You could spend an entire day here in their wet and dry rooms even apart from whatever service you choose. I absolutely love this space, and it’s a great getaway. It can get pretty busy, though, so sometimes it’s not quite as quiet as you would expect for a posh spa.

There is literally a giant mall within this resort, which is called the Grand Canal Shoppes. Here you can find all sorts of designer stores, restaurants, and other shops for whatever you might need. The mall is modeled on the streets and canals of Venice, and you can actually get lost in here too, but that’s part of the fun! If you’re really wanting to drop a lot of cash, you can spend about $35 per person to take a gondola ride down the canal that runs through the middle of the Shoppes. There are also a ton of other activities you can do here, including a VR Sandbox (which my husband and kids had a ton of fun at!), and an escape room, which we didn’t have time for this trip. You cannot be bored here, even if you’re under 21!

The casino floor here is large, but definitely not the biggest on the strip. You can find all of your favorite slot machines and table games here, though, and it’s always chock full of people.

There are not too many casino floor bars here, however, which I thought was kind of a bummer. Previously, I had really enjoyed having drinks at The Dorsey, however we found it was closed. The space recently reopened with a new concept called the Juliet, so I will have to go back to check it out! That said, the other casino bars are located over at the Palazzo, so you will have to take a little walk to have a nice drink in the crazy casino atmosphere if that’s your bag.

The Restaurants

Between the Venetian and Palazzo, there are around 40 different restaurants that you can check out! That is an insane number, but their website does make it easier to narrow down based on what you are looking for. They literally have every kind of cuisine and price range you would want, and you will definitely not go hungry here.

We ate at five different restaurants at this resort while we were here. We had a quick lunch at the Grand Luxe Cafe – which is basically like The Cheesecake Factory without all the cheesecake. We had simple sandwiches, pastas and salads here and it was just fine for a quick, not-too-fussy lunch.

I would note that I also did order a room service lunch one day, as I was working in the room while the hubby and kids were out and about. The service was prompt, the food delicious, and not too expensive.

We had dinner one night at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, where we had a quick meal before seeing a show. We enjoyed their delicious burgers and totally over-the-top shakes. Do not get your own shake if you’ve already had dinner, you definitely will not finish it! They are crazy and huge! The face of the lady in the background of this photo says it all!

We had a lovely, mid-range dinner the night we arrived at Brera Osteria which is in the St. Mark’s Square area of the Grand Canal Shoppes. We loved our dinner here, and it was a great, mid-range Italian meal. You can read all of the details about this dinner in my article here.

We had brunch at Bouchon, which is one of my favorite places to eat on the entire strip, having been here at least five times. This lovely french bistro, headed by Chef Thomas Keller, has absolutely knock-your-socks-off food, and has a fun, bustling vibe. We loved the GIANT macarons!

Finally, our best meal of the trip, and one of my top meals of the year so far, was at Wakuda, which is on the Palazzo side of the resort. This was an incredibly special meal in a super cool and funky atmosphere, and if you love Japanese food, and not just sushi, do not skip eating here. Check out my full overview in my article here.

I can honestly say that we ate better here at the Venetian Resort than we did when we visited Venice, Italy back in 2017! Las Vegas has really stepped up their game in the restaurant department, and I’ll definitely have to come back to the Venetian to check out some more of its offerings!

The Room

All of the rooms at the Venetian are suites, and I booked a Luxury Two Queen Suite. These rooms are very large and are about double the size of any other standard room on the strip. We needed the space for the four of us, and we used it all! I also knew that I would be working for one of the days of the trip, and so I needed some space to do that.

The room was super comfortable and spacious. There are small, luxe details that make you think you’re in a much fancier hotel than you really are including fancy soap dishes and a separate vanity area in the bathroom as well as marble tiles and a huge soaking tub. The furnishings are solid and nothing seemed cheap. The room was the best and biggest room I’ve ever stayed at on the strip, and a great value. For four nights, I paid $755.00 (not including resort fees). The Tuesday-Thursday nights were only $120 per night, but the Friday night stay was double.

The Vibe

The vibe at this resort is kind of all over the place. The casino floor and the Grand Canal Shoppes are totally frenetic, as you would expect on the strip. However, there are plenty of very chill areas in the resort as well. The hallways to the rooms are very quiet, and make you feel like you are in a luxurious palace in Italy. The Palazzo side of the hotel is also much more relaxed as their casino is smaller, and there are simply fewer people over there, since there isn’t a major tourist draw there like the Grand Canal Shoppes. Overall, this is an extremely bustling resort chock full of people, but you can definitely find moments of peace here if you are looking for it.

The Recommendation

I would highly recommend staying at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas for a ton of reasons. First, these are the nicest and largest standard rooms on the strip, and they do offer plenty of discounts – make sure you sign up for the Grazie rewards program! Second, this is essentially a self-contained resort. If you’ve been to Vegas plenty of times, and don’t plan on touring around much, The Venetian is a great getaway and has everything you would ever need for a sojourn on the strip. Third, there are a ton of detailed, luxe touches all over that make you feel like you’re staying in a much fancier place than you’re paying for. From detailed moldings and arches in the hallways, to fancy soap dishes, and marble tables by the pool, you’ll definitely feel like you’ve been upgraded, even if you’re staying in a standard room. Finally, our kids absolutely loved staying here, even though it doesn’t have a cool wave pool like at Mandalay Bay. Eli said that he liked it at the Venetian better because, “you don’t have to walk through a casino to exist outside of your room,” and this is totally true, because the casino is on the lower level, and you can mostly avoid it if you are coming and going through the Shoppes. I’ve been loyal to MGM Resorts for almost 20 years, however with their recent rewards devaluation, I’ll definitely be staying here at the Venetian whenever the price is competitive.