Four Seasons leads Las Vegas on world's best 500 hotels list
For the second straight year, the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas leads Sin City properties on Travel+Leisure magazine's list of the world's 500 best hotels.
The Four Seasons is one of four Las Vegas hotels on the 2009 list, which also includes the Bellagio, The Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas, all of which either have their own golf courses or have partnerships with some of the best Las Vegas golf facilities.
The Ritz-Carlton-Lake Las Vegas, which was on the 2008 list, did not make this year's rankings, which are determined by the magazine's readers.
Located next to Mandalay Bay, The Four Seasons is the first hotel to open in Las Vegas without a casino. Golfers at the hotel get priority tee times next door to the tropical-themed Bali Hai Golf Club, plus they also have access at Royal Links Golf Club. Both golf properties are owned and operated by Walters Golf.
One of the most appealing aspects of the hotel, according to T+L, is that the hotel seems to provide a sense of tranquility not found at most hotels and casinos on the Strip.
"The property's location at the south end of the Strip means it's already removed from much of the city's chaos - but the sense of sanctuary is reinforced by the hotel's hushed marble entrance, relatively painless check-in (so much quicker than at the hotel-casinos), express elevator, and gorgeous, garden-surrounded pool (if for some reason you forget your swimsuit, a disposable one can be provided for you)," according to the magazine.
Guests at the 424-room Four Seasons also have easy access to Mandalay Bay and are welcome to enjoy its family friendly "beach."
The Bellagio
With nearly 4,000 rooms, nine villas, 13 restaurants and five bars, The Bellagio, came in just behind The Four Seasons among Vegas hotels on the list. According to the magazine, the Bellagio is "Italianate extravaganza in the middle of the Strip that is quintessential Vegas, complete with top-notch dining and a dancing fountain."
The Bellagio, of course, is famous for its choreographed fountain show as well as its Gallery of Fine Art and its botanical gardens. The hotel also partners with Bali Hai and Royal Links Golf Club as well as Desert Pines Golf Club, another Walters property, to offer golf packages.
Wynn Las Vegas
According to T+L, Wynn Las Vegas is a "sophisticated hotel on the Strip with a golf course and a casino that is flooded with natural light from an adjacent atrium." There's also a 140-foot forested mountain and a wall of water on the property.
The golf course is the exclusive Wynn Golf Club, which caters to high rollers or guests willing to shell out $500 for a green fee. There are also six large luxurious villas located on the Tom Fazio-designed course, which features water on 11 holes, including a 37-foot water fall near the 18th green.
The Venetian
The Venetian, according to T+L, is a "colossal Italianate fantasy, replete with faux Grand Canal, located near the center Strip, with 700-square-foot standard rooms that are nearly double the size of average Las Vegas rooms."
The hotel offers a variety of golf packages, featuring courses such Chimera Golf Club, Silverstone Golf Club and the Arroyo at Red Rock Country Club as well as Bali Hai, Desert Pines and Royal Links.
Inside The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, you'll not only find singing gondoliers on the replica canals but also 19 restaurants, 80 international boutiques of The Grand Canal Shoppes, the Madame Tussaud's wax museum and the Canyon Ranch Spa Club.
click here to see T+L's entire list.
February 11, 2009
Mike Bailey, Senior Staff Writer
Mike Bailey is a senior staff writer based in the Houston area. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 20 years in the golf industry. Before accepting his current position in 2008, he was on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @Accidentlgolfer.