Royally Flushed

Rooms at ARIA Casino Resort at the heart of CityCenter Las Vegas are on sale during MGM Resorts' holiday promotion.

This year, “Black Friday” shopping can include snagging a great deal on a winter getaway to Las Vegas when you book with one of MGM Resort’s special holiday sales.

One of the properties participating is the new ARIA Casino at CityCenter, home to two of our newest fave restaurants:  tapas bar Julian Serrano and Sage Restaurant.  Serrano’s eponymous spot features a wide selection of  luscious “small plates” such as salmon with truffle bechamel and portabello mushrooms, a deconstructed Mediterranean Stew with shrimp and sole and a warm salad of spinach, garlic, pine nuts and raisins that is unforgettable and guaranteed to keep vampires away for at least a week.  (Yes, there is that much garlic and it is divine.)  Also, don’t miss the white wine sangria with notes of pineapple and pear.

Book the holiday sale rates through 12/1/10  for travel dates through February 28, 2011.  Use the links and promo codes below to check out all the dates and details:

ARIA “10 Day Holiday Sale” Promotion Runs: Nov 22, 2010 – Feb 28, 2011. Promo Code: AR10DAY (Exp 12/1/10)

Mirage ” Winter Sale” Promotion Runs: Nov 22, 2010 – Feb 28, 2011. Promo Code: MIRBLK10W (Exp 12/1/10)

Luxor “Holiday Special” Promotion Runs: Nov 22, 2010 – Feb 28, 2011. Promo Code: L1122 (Exp 12/1/10)

Another special deal from MGM hotels comes just in time for the Wrangle National Finals Rodeo happening December 2 – 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.  Stay at MGM Grand and get not only a great room rate but also lots of 2-for-1 deals and freebies.

MGM Grand Las Vegas “NFR at MGM Grand” Rates from $69/nt. * Your NFR Maximum Vegas package is at the MGM Grand – Your package includes: 2 for 1 buffet, Two (2) complimentary admissions to Studio 54 or Tabu Ultra Lounge, Two (2) Complimentary cocktails at the 4 main bars (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Nov 24 – Dec 18, 2010. Promo Code: MKT410 (Exp 12/11/10)

Here’s one more great deal — this one from the Monte Carlo Las Vegas which offers easy access to NYNY and to CityCenter.  Monte Carlo is also home to the new Minus5 Ice Lounge, a cool (pun intended) spot for a late night cocktail.

Check out all the nice goodies that come along with this terrific room rate offered in the Vegas Partyscape package: Monte Carlo “Vegas Partyscape” Rates from $39.20/nt (2nt Min). *Two Neighbors – One Vegas Playground – Book now and enjoy all of these inclusions – NYNY: Free $10 Game Card at The Sporting House, 2-for-1 Breakfast at Il Fornaio, 2-for-1 Admission to The Roller Coaster, 2-for-1 Admission to ROK Vegas Nightclub,One Free Dessert at Nine Fine Irishmen (refer to NYNY Coupon Book for details)- Monte Carlo: Free Margarita with entrée at Diablo’s, 2 for 1 Buffet, Free shot with entry at Minus5 Ice Lounge, Buy 2 get 1 free Cupcakes at the Cupcakery, 2-for-1 “Mouth Watering Burger” at The Pub (*see site for additional details and restrictions). Oct 28, 2010 – Feb 28, 2011. Promo Code: XPRTYWB (Exp 2/28/11)

CityCenter's towering Vdara Hotel shines brightly in the Vegas sun.

Like a Broadway debut from the city it’s trying to emulate, CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip is opening…softly. Beginning last week with the December 1st grand opening party at the 1,495-suite Vdara Hotel, project CityCenter continues to open piece by glittering piece with the Crystals retail and dining complex and the new Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas now open as well. All three properties are, however, a prelude to the main act: the 61-floor MGM MIRAGE Aria Resort & Casino featuring over 4,000 rooms, a new Cirque du Soleil show – Viva Elvis – plus eateries from such well-known chefs as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Julian Serrano. Aria will open December 16th.

CityCenter is not just another high-end gaming property opening in Las Vegas. This 67-acre parcel of prime Strip real estate — site of the biggest privately financed construction project in United States history — is now home to a “city within a city,” an urban landscape of shining skyscrapers, public art displays, an elevated train, residential condos and even a “pocket park.”

We visited last week and got a first glimpse of the Vdara Hotel and the Crystals shopping area. Both are striking examples of the city-chic contemporary architecture guiding the entire project. All sharp angles and shimmering surfaces, the thin December sunlight bounced from one building to the next creating an urban canyon of sorts.  And, honestly, having lived in D.C. as well as having spent considerable time in NYC, we have to say that we really did feel like we were in a major metropolitan neighborhood.

We entered CityCenter via the new pedestrian walkway running from the Bellagio into the Vdara Hotel. It is a striking contrast to go from the lush Italianate surroundings of the Bellagio and into the stark yet stunning halls of the ultra-modern Vdara. (Be sure to check out the bar at Silk Road restaurant before continuing on into the hotel’s reception area.)

Bar Vdara is a cozy spot for a cocktail (albeit an expensive cocktail )and affords a great view of the interior courtyard of CityCenter which features a Nancy Rubins sculpture in a starburst design composed of castoff canoes. (Read more about the artist and see a similar sculpture here.)

The Crystals retail and dining area can be accessed from the Strip via a new pedestrian bridge and walkway (across from Planet Hollywood) or by tram (the “elevated train” mentioned earlier) from the neighboring Bellagio. (The tram continues on to the Monte Carlo conveniently linking all three MGM MIRAGE properties: Bellagio, CityCenter and the Monte Carlo.)

At Crystals, we found a lot of construction still underway with only about 40% of the retail area occupied by stores. This is high-end (think nosebleed-level) shopping. From the three-story flagship Louis Vuitton boutique ( a Strip-side LED light show will take place every night from dusk to dawn) to Roberto Cavalli, Mikimoto pearls, Hermes and Prada, this is destination shopping at its finest. BESO, a fine-dining spot from actress Eva Longoria Parker with celeb chef Todd English in charge of the kitchen, is open on the first floor. The spot also features, Eve, a swank nightclub.  Additional restaurants from English, Wolfgang Puck and other top toques will be opening in the future.

Here are some pics from our recent trip PLUS the latest promotion codes and links for getting the best room rates at both Aria and Vdara.  Also, check out the CityCenter website for more information on the project.

The multi-level Crystals shopping and dining area at CityCenter Las Vegas.

Opening December 16, the new Aria Resort & Casino is the crown jewel of CityCenter Las Vegas.

Veer Towers form a background for the new Crystals shopping area at CityCenter Las Vegas.

Bar Vdara at CityCenter is highly-recommended for people-watching.

There's a sculptural feel to the burnished metal portico marking the entrance into the Vdara Hotel.

The CityCenter tram runs past the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and Veer Towers.

Vdara “Winter Special” Rates from $139/nt (2nt Min). *Stay Two Nights at Vdara Hotel & Spa at a Special Introductory Rate from $139 and Receive a $50 Resort Credit (*See site for additional detail and restrictions). Dec 1, 2009 – Mar 31, 2010. Promo Code: VRLVCVA (Exp 4/1/10)

ARIA “Winter Special” Rates from $159/nt (2nt Min). *Enjoy this incredible offer at ARIA, MGM MIRAGE’s newest resort-casino at CityCenter – Stay Two Nights at a Special Rate from $159 per night and Receive a $75 Resort Credit (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Dec 17, 2009 – Apr 1, 2010. Promo Code: AR159G75 (Exp 4/1/10)

The Crystals in Las Vegas will open its doors to shoppers on December 3. (Photo/content property of www.RoyallyFlushed.com)

So much has happened since our January report on the happenings at MGM Mirage’s CityCenter Las Vegas that what we’ve decided to do is post our newest CityCenter photos and then give some highlights of the project along with a list of websites/articles you can go to for more info.

Aria Resort & Casino

Scheduled to open December 16, Aria is taking room reservations now at their new website. Click around the ARIA Home Page and you’ll find photos of the rooms, a section on some of the chefs and restaurants planned plus info on the new “Elvis” show at Aria which, to quote the website, comes from the “creative geniuses at Cirque du Soleil® (who) have created a new show exclusively for ARIA. The production pays tribute to Elvis’ music and life, fusing dance and acrobatics, live music and iconic tracks, nostalgia and modernity, high technology and raw emotion. In short, the show will be in Elvis’ image: powerful, sexy, whimsical and truly unique.”

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Las Vegas

This 47-story non-gaming hotel features 227 residences plus 392 Adam D. Tihany-designed rooms and suites with contemporary decor and “subtle oriental touches.”  The 23rd-floor Sky Lobby is just one of the luxurious design elements guests will encounter when staying at the new hotel.  Check out the Mandarin Oriental Hotel website for artist’s renderings of the rooms, the soaring lobby and an exclusive online brochure.  Opening date is currently scheduled for December 4th and the hotel will begin taking reservations on August 17th. (more…)

A view of the new CityCenter project in Las Vegas. (Click on each photo to enlarge.)

Check out these latest photos from two new construction projects happening on the Strip in Las Vegas.  With soaring glass towers in shades of cool blue and chartreuse, wickedly-angled walls and sharp points define some structures while sinuous curves soften and enrich others.  These are the elements that define the new CityCenter project and its neighbor to the north, the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino.

CityCenter, from MGM Mirage and partner Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World, (more…)

A view of the construction at CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip.

Curious what the rooms will look like when Aria, The Strip’s newest mega resort under construction at the 67-acre MGM Mirage CityCenter complex, opens late next year?  Then check out this excellent four-page article on Vegas Tripping for an extremely detailed look at the design model for the resort’s King Deluxe room.  With a color palette featuring bronze and royal purple, the room’s two most striking features for me are the floor-to-ceiling windows and the clean simple lines of the furniture.

In addition to the sophisticated decor, rooms will also feature über-technology including a 42-inch LCD flatscreen TV that acts as the operations hub for the room.  A user-friendly (at least they hope) joystick-type remote will keep controls for lights, draperies, a/c, and more at the fingertips of room occupants. 

The Aria, an MGM Mirage property, will have more than 4,000 rooms in a 61-story tower along with an adjoining casino.  The sprawling CityCenter development, a joint venture of MGM Mirage and Dubai World, will also include three luxury non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental, The Harmon Hotel Spa & Residences and Vdara Condo Hotel; Veer Towers, the development’s only strictly residential buildings; approximately 2,600 condominium residences; and The Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot dining, retail and entertainment district.