We stayed two nights with friends who live in Henderson and two nights at Wynn.

Our plane arrived Monday night about 10:30, friends picked us up and took us directly to Green Valley Ranch to gamble for a while. Tuesday we played 36 holes at Tuscany in Henderson. The pro shop is still in a temporary building with lots of construction still going on all around, however the course is complete and in great shape.

Tuesday night they took us to the Silverton to see the mermaid show, it turns out that it’s dark Monday and Tuesday. We had drinks and dinner in the Mermaid bar, excellent bar food with very reasonable prices. The casino was fun and quite attractive.

Wednesday we checked into Wynn, it’s beautiful. Has Steve Wynn outdone Bellagio? He probably never thought when he built Bellagio it would one day be his competition. Wynn has all the markings of Bellagio, but with more color. Somehow we never made it to the pool, so I’m not able to comment on it. As for the rooms, they’re very spacious but probably shy of the 640 square foot size they say their rooms average. (Didn’t bring my measuring tape, but in the process of building a house I’ve become somewhat of a master at pacing off accurate measurements).

I had made reservations 2 weeks in advance for SW Steakhouse Wednesday night. We were seated at a perfect table with a view of the lake and waterfall show. The food and service was outstanding. The light show projected onto the waterfall was a colorful, computer animated, SHORT, jungle themed video. A large head emerges from the water towards the end of the show and a couple of large marionettes dangle from above the waterfall. All a bit strange and didn’t seem to fit in such an elegant setting. In my opinion this show doesn’t compare to the fountains at Bellagio.

We ate lunch at The Buffet Thursday as well as breakfast Friday. Both were top notch for buffets.

Thursday night we saw Le Reve, both of us enjoyed very much. When we picked up the tickets in the afternoon we were warned that we could be splashed in the front row and were given the opportunity to move to the back row. Decided to stick with the front row and don’t regret it. Towels were given to us prior to the show but we really didn’t need them, just a few small splashes. As for the show, it’s fantastic with wonderful music and acrobatics. It would be difficult to try to explain it. “A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams” is a perfect description of the show. It’s not a “Cirque” show but is very similar to one. If you’ve seen and liked “O” you’ll like Le Reve. The theater in the round makes every seat center stage.

We ate at Corsa Cucina after the show, arrived about 10:00 P.M. and got right in with no reservation, as with the other restaurants it was fantastic. Late lunch Friday at Zooza Crackers deli before leaving for the airport. Good food but lousy service.

With the exception of the bell woman on arrival, all employees I had any contact with were very friendly as well as helpful, the staff seems to be first class.

To sum it all up, Wynn is at the top along with Bellagio in my opinion. I think I’d be equally happy in either hotel, each one has it’s own strong points.