text: I've been to Vegas at least 20 times and have stayed in at least 15 different hotels. I've seen how bad things can get (Westward Ho) and I've seen the five star side of things (Venetian). During my visits I almost always visited the Bellagio to play poker or just hang out because I felt it was the classiest joint on the strip. I always dreamed of staying there, but the high price was hard to justify.\n\nSo this was my first stay at the Bellagio and I saw things that I had never seen before. Things such as $24.95 per day WiFi access, $6.00 handling fee per letter to receive mail at the hotel, $1.00 per minute computer usage, and a $10 per day fridge rental fee. I heard things that I had never heard before in a hotel, namely my neighbor urinating. The sound coming through crisp and loud through the vent above the camode. The constant sound of dripping water in the shower drain. And dealers informing me that I have to bet $25 per hand at blackjack to get MGM/Mirage rewards.\n\nIn addition to surprises, there were things that I found simply disappointing. The pool closed at 6:00 PM. The CRT television had around 30 stations, and 10 of them were in Chinese. And most requests (hangers, pillows, towels) took an average of 45 minutes to arrive. Yes, I actually timed each request because I had read another review on Yelp about how fast they had things delivered, they said usually in less than 10 minutes.\n\nIs this just a negative review? No, I hope not. There are some really nice things at the Bellagio:\n\n* choice of down or foam pillows\n* the fountain show and an amazing view of the strip\n* fancy and expensive restaurants\n* comfortable beds with good linens\n* a fancy bathroom with a beautiful glass shower and large tub\n* almost as much marble as the other nice hotels on the strip\n* a very helpful conceirge desk, although sometimes understaffed\n* lots of shaded parking close to the lobby (but not to our tower)\n* good, invisible, and quiet ventilation in the bathroom\n* reliable and quiet HVAC with 1/2 degree increments\n* electric curtains, although the switch wasn't near the window\n* clock radio with iPod dock (although not for iTouch or iPhone)\n\nWhen we checked out of the hotel, we had an overwhelming sense of being nickle and dimed, despite paying a premium to stay there. Perhaps after reading this review you won't suffer the same sticker shock and awe, and can enjoy your stay knowing how much you will be billed when you check out.\n\nWill I go back and stay there again? Yes, I will. Not having a flat panel TV is not the most important thing about staying at a hotel. The most important thing is making my wife happy, and she absolutely loved the spa. As far as I know, only guests are able to use the spa on weekends so that will be the one reason we will return.