Hotel Review

3730 Las Vegas Blvd

Location:  On the Strip

What makes it Special? Unique modernist architecture

Entertainment Attraction: Cirque du Soleil show Zarkana

Number of Rooms: 4004

Overview:

The newest luxury addition to the Strip, the Aria Resort has since 2009 been offering guests an opulent Vegas experience like few others, thought it comes with a price-tag that’s also rarely equaled.

Incorporating two 61-story high curvilinear glass towers, the Aria’s sleek, modernist structure will wow visitors before they’ve even checked in. Once they have, they’ll marvel at their spacious, tastefully-decorated rooms or, if they’ve got money to burn, luxury sky villa with incredible views. Rates aren’t cheap, especially for the latter option, which can top $900 a night. Nonetheless, that expenditure elevates guests into Vegas royalty for the duration of their stay.

You can idle by the three ellipse-shaped pools and then visit a spa where you’ll be pampered by experts in the art of relaxation, or have a more active day playing golf on the exclusive Shadow Creek course.  For dinner, the Aria’s restaurants leave you spoiled for choice:  16 restaurants run the gamut from Spanish tapas at Julian Serrano to seafood at American Fish to Mexican specialties at Javier’s.

After dinner, guests can either visit the Aria’s sophisticated casino – covering all areas of gambling from Baccarat and slots to Ultimate Texas Hold’em – or enjoy the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil rock opera Zarkana. If you’ve still got energy after that, why not bop till you drop at the stylish Haze Nightclub or ‘50s-inspired lounge Gold Lounge?

The Aria is – excuse the pun – truly an operatic experience, though like any trip to the opera, it doesn’t come cheap.