Paris Las Vegas Charming, Fun Despite Size
Luxury, Attention To Detail Don't Come Cheap
Updated: 7:47 a.m. EST October 27, 2003
Paris was one of the few Las Vegas hotels that opened in the late 1990s that could be described as an instant hit. While many of the other megaresorts stumbled out of the gate and took a while to catch on (such as Venetian), Paris was immediately popular with just about everyone, including me and the others at Vegas4Visitors.com.
A recent visit only confirmed what we had been thinking -- Paris is one of the best hotels on the Las Vegas Strip.
The concept is nothing new: take a scenic city, country, or locale and recreate it in the Nevada desert. It's been done with Rome, New York, Venice, Egypt, New Orleans, and on and on. But from the massive Eiffel Tower replica to the cute little tins that the soap comes in, this place stands above the pack with nice touches and awe-inspiring detail.
Of course, the centerpiece of Paris is the Eiffel Tower replica, soaring some 50 stories above the Strip. As you pull in the main drive, you are greeted by a row of fountains leading to a faithful replica of the Arc de Triomphe. The French flags are back, although not quite as omnipresent as they were before nervous execs took them down during the whole Iraq brouhaha. We decided to forgive them for their temporary loss of rigid spines and have moved on.
The casino area is surrounded by a Parisian village facade, so you feel as though you are wasting your money in a park in the heart of the city. The ceiling is even painted to resemble the sky, lending to the feeling of openness. The turn-of-the-century setting lends an air of romance and elegance that are probably missing from the real city at the turn of the millennium. When you come here, you have to take some time to notice the little things like the ornate cherub statuettes holding up the light posts and the accordion player wandering the cobblestone streets of the shopping area. Also, notice the big things like the legs of the Eiffel Tower, which extends into the casino through the roof. Apparently, they built the tower first and then built the casino around it.
Once you register in the ornate white-marble lobby, it's a short walk alongside the casino to the elevators. Upstairs, the rooms are a treat. Standard rooms are not the biggest in town, but they're more than adequate, with one king or two queen beds, a couple of chairs, a writing desk, alarm clocks, data ports on the phones, irons and boards, and an armoire with a big TV featuring pay-per-view movies and other online services. The bathrooms are average size with a lot of marble, hair dryers, and your typical bath amenities.
When you check in, find out if you get one of their petit suites, a room we have been lucky to stumble into a couple of times. These are at the end of the wings of the tower and are a bit larger than the average room, adding a few more square feet, a dressing area, and a proper desk to work at, although you may struggle to find enough outlets to operate the phone, the lamp, and your laptop computer. But this is Vegas, what are you doing on a laptop computer anyway?
Back downstairs you'll find a host of entertainment and dining options scattered around the casino and through the French village-theme shopping arcade. Among our favorites in the dining category are Mon Ami Gabi, Le Village Buffet, and the little bakery just off the lobby that has some of the most amazingly authentic French pastries on this side of Atlantic. There's also a new Asian restaurant with a hip nightclub called Risque above it overlooking the Strip.
At this point, there is no permanent show in the big showroom, but they have rotating headliners so be sure to find out who is playing during your next visit.
There's also a pool and spa on the roof above the casino. It's a little too plain and expansive for our tastes, but there is something about sipping a cocktail on a lounge chair at the base of the Eiffel Tower that is undeniably appealing.
Oh, and of course there's the Eiffel Tower itself. If you can handle the stomach churning ride in the glass elevators up to the top of the thing, you won't find a better close-up view of the Strip anywhere in town. It's also a great vantage point from which to watch the Bellagio Fountain Show across the street.
The staff is required to say "merci" and "bonjour" all the time, which at first seems silly and affected -- especially when you hear Myrna from Little Rock saying it to you at the sundry store. But after a few times it becomes charming and part of the fun. Everyone here, in our experience, has been friendly, attentive, and forgiving of people who lock themselves out of their hotel rooms. Thank you, Paris security.
As with most hotels in Las Vegas these days, this level of luxe treatment doesn't come cheap. They usually have an average room rate of around $125 and up weekdays, and anywhere from $30 to $100 more than that on weekends, however we've seen them as low as $99 on off-peak weekdays. Unfortunately, we've also seen them well over $300 on peak weekends, so who knows? If you're able to afford whatever they are charging, you'd have a hard time doing any better for the cost.
It's hard to imagine using the word "charming" to describe a 3,000-room megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip, but we're going to. Paris is without a doubt the most charming hotel on the Strip and one of the best in all of Las Vegas.
Paris Las Vegas
3665 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
888-BONJOUR
Highs: Great location, terrific theme execution, very nice rooms
Lows: Can be expensive to stay here
Location: 10 -- Central Strip location means you're in the thick of things
Price: 6 -- One of the more expensive on the Strip
Value: 9 -- You get a lot for your money
Rooms: 9 -- Some of our favorites in town
Casino: 9 -- Parisian village theme is a lot of fun without being overwhelming
Amenities: 9 -- Rooms have all of the necessities and most of the niceties
Facilities: 8 -- Lots of dining, entertainment, gaming and relaxation options
Service: 9 -- Very friendly
Fun: 9 -- This is one themed hotel that does it right.
Bonus: 9 -- One of the best in Las Vegas
Vegas4Visitors Rating: 87
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Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
