Travel Blogger

Bellagio of Las Vegas, Room Remodel & New Fountain Tracks

Things have changed since my last visit to the Bellagio in May of 2011.  Not only has the Bellagio of Las Vegas just finished a much needed $70 million room remodel, but they have added three new songs to the music repertoire of the hotels signature fountain.

Guest will find the Resort King Rooms now feature either an indigo and silver combination or a green tea and plum palette while the Resort Queen Rooms offer an amber and butterscotch motif.  (butterscotch....did I type butterscotch?  Now I can't stop thinking about sweets and the great pastry and candy at the hotels Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie!)

All room three designs can also be booked overlooking the hotels iconic 8 1/2 acre lake and the magical Fountains of Bellagio.  FYI: Music from the fountain is available via the TV, seeing the fountain from the room is a great experience.

The performance playlist of the iconic Fountains Of Bellagio has also been updated.  Unlike the old rooms, the Fountains didn't need a bit of improving, but three fantastic new songs have been add to the lineup.  Wonder if I should call them "performances", "shows" or "visual extravaganzas"?  The "spectacle" now includes the classic swing band hit, Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood",  Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean, and diamonds appear above the 8 1/2 acre Bellagio lake with ”The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."  This blend of music and hydro science is done by the folks at WET Design.

I didn't stay at the Bellagio during my recent Vegas visit in January 2012, it was sold out, so I will review the rooms at a later date.  But I did visit the fountains, and as always they never fail to impress.  One photo provided by property, all others Copyright 2012 MurrayOnTravel.com.

Should You Use A Luggage Lock?

Is it worth having a lock on your luggage?  Some say don’t bother, luggage locks are cheap and easily cut off.  But I say Yes, put a lock on your suitcase.  My favorite is the luggage lock from WordLock.   It is a TSA approved padlock that uses a four letter word you select as the combination and the TSA have a key to open it if needed.

But if you suitcase has a zipper don’t even think that it is secure from an experienced thief.  Just watch the video below:

 

How do you get around the zipper issue?  Use a hard shell suitcase that can be secured with a TSA approved padlock when you are flying, and using a sturdy padlock when on the ground.  Pelican or Zero Halliburton make high quality cases that use TSA locks built-in or are designed to take padlocks.  When buying a suit case that doesn’t use a zipper make sure they take a real padlock. 

Pelican cases are heavy duty plastic cases that are designed more for transporting equipment than clothing.  Zero Halliburton cases are more expensive and might make the suitcase a target for thieves that think that an expensive suitcase has valuable contents.  A new supplier is Nanuk, I haven't seen them in person.

Some zippered suitcases allow you to lock the zippers handles to a stationary location on the case.  This defeats the ability to repair/close the zipper after a bad guy has forced the zipper open with a sharp object as seen in the video. 

I also like hard cases over fabric cases because they help protect your valuables from rain or liquids that may break in another suitcase on a flight.   Picking up your suitcase and noticing it smells like wine, made me a believer in hard cases. 

It happened to me at the end of a trip, if it had happened at the start it would have been a disaster.   I still use some old soft cases, but put everything in a plastic bags.  I’ve also found that if you frequently travel in the tropics fabric luggage can degrade and fall apart quickly. TB

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