Las Vegas is a city of surprises. After all this is a town that sprung from nothing in the middle of the desert and boy, it never lets you forget it. So, when I pulled up to The Aria Hotel in a taxi I was ready for some eye popping sights. A grand cobblestoned circular drive sheltered a fountain spouting higher than any in Kansas City and the reception desk in the cavernous lobby was bookended by Plexiglass vases at least 25 feet tall sprouting bud vases of dangling lavender orchids. It was a subtle reminder of where I was and the chiming sounds of the casino drove that point home. Blame it on Liberace; Vegas is anything but subtle. A central atrium hung with hundreds of yellow origami birds dangling in the bright morning sunlight had an instantaneous calming effect and the lush gardenlike setting all around me invited a moment of repose (perhaps after a bad night of losing I thought).
I thanked myself that my suite was not far from elevator bank (truly the essence of luck in this city) and a swipe of my key in the door took me once more quite by surprise. Like Moses at the Red Sea the curtains concealing all the windows magically parted and the room sprang to life. Standing agape in the roomy foyer, I could see that each room was furnished with a large flat screen and remote that controlled every aspect of the surroundings – temperature, light, music, television/video systems, entertainment, draperies, wake-up calls and request for service – all a click away on a device. It was so technologically advanced that I was at once thrilled and scared. Was I ready to embrace a totally remote controlled environment? Surprises continued round every corner – three giant rooms, one a full sized dining room adjoining a state-of-the-art kitchen and a bath worthy of visiting royalty. The latter included the most outrageous surprise of all and it wasn’t the double Jacuzzi. If you haven’t heard of the Washlet by Toto, the Japanese wonder toilet seat, you need to start paying more attention to the level of comfort some of us are requiring.
Whoever decided to include groundbreaking amenities as such in the suite’s design stayed true to the legend of Las Vegas. Don’t disappoint the guests! And well, wow, the Aria definitely does not disappoint. From the snazzy furnishings and elegant accoutrements to a fully stocked wet bar and white marble bath, there is just about anything you could dream of wanting in a hotel room. But once the 3 pools beckon, you’ll be outa there and afterward, you know you’ll be hitting the casino where the level of sophistication is just not the norm in Sin City.
*Aria has no less than 8 restaurants on site for fine dining as well 3 for casual dining plus a pizza bar, patisserie and 2 cafes, one a Starbuck’s. If its nightlife you’re after the hotel has your back with 6 watering holes including the Baccarat Lounge where the posh ambience is a welcome sanctuary. Zarkana, the wildly popular spectacular by Cirques du Soleil, performs nightly on the Promenade Level. Overall the property has an unbridled Zen atmosphere and after dark the fountain’s ever changing hues are dazzling to watch.
