Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Liberace Slept Here . . . & You Can, Too
If you assumed that staying at one of the Strip's large “theme resorts” was
as over-the-top as you could get in Vegas, think again. Liberace's house
is now a rental, and those willing to spend $275 a night can swim in his
piano-shaped pool, gaze at his 6-foot tall painting of Valentino, and
lounge in rooms once frequented by Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, and
other friends of the original “piano man.” At night, guests pull the gold
lame drapes closed and climb into Mr. Showmanship's own bed, waving
goodnight to themselves in the mirrored ceiling above. Set in a pricey
neighborhood, the home can sleep up to ten people in five bedrooms and
tends to book up months in advance, so if you're interested, contact cur-
rent owner
Cyril K. Bennett
(
%
702/273-0523; www.greatrentals.com/
NV/18118.html)
as early as you can. Later in the chapter, I'll also list a
fabulous B&B operated by Liberace's former personal chef (p. 51).
Green Valley, while lovely residential areas, can be a good 30-minute drive
from the Strip; stay in Summerlin and you're looking at about a 20-minute
drive.
4.
What's the square footage of the home?
The more space you have, the
more privacy each member of your party gets.
If you can combine the right answers to the questions above with the right
prices, I say go for it. As with the homes rented by the agencies (which are, in
some cases, the same ones being offered on such sites as VRBO.com), you're
obtaining the lodgings for a less expensive, more relaxing vacation. Let me repeat
for emphasis: private swimming pools and Jacuzzis, golf courses right next door,
lots of space and privacy, a fully useable kitchen complete with all the flatware and
cutlery you need to avoid busting your budget eating every meal on the Strip. I
think these are the elements for a great Vegas vacation, particularly for parents
who might want their kids to have a respite from all the neon and naughtiness of
the Strip.
HOTEL & B&B STAYS
Four percent of all the hotel rooms in the United States are in Vegas. That's some
135,000 rooms altogether, enough to house the entire population of the country
of Iceland. And because the overriding philosophy in Vegas can be summed up in
three words—“More, More, More!”—an estimated 40,000 additional hotel
rooms and condos are slated to be added to the Vegas plate over the next 4 years.
So finding a room should be a cinch, right? I wish! Actually the opposite is
true. On weekends in 2006, occupancy at the city's hotels averaged a whopping
92%, with weekday occupancy rates at a not much better 83%. Vegas also hosted
over 23,000 conventions, which in turn brought over 6.5 million people into the
city. Add to those numbers the bettors who descend on the city for the World
Series of Poker, the Super Bowl, March Madness, the National Finals Rodeo, and
