Vegas Round Two: Our Palazzo at the Venetian Suite Stay (Dragons & a Pricey Taco Bell)
June 2025
We’re headed to Vegas… again. And this time, it’s for another 4D movie—How to Train Your Dragon. Because apparently, we enjoy being physically attacked by movie seats now.
Holly found an absolute screaming deal at the Venetian. The only catch? We couldn’t book two nights in the same room. At first that sounded like a logistical nightmare… but it turned out to be the best “problem” we’ve ever had.
We got one night in a regular suite and another in a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath, living-room-and-dining-room, living-like-royalty suite—with a perfect view of the Sphere right outside our window. The employees and everyone staying there were so friendly that, after this stay, I don’t think we’ll ever book a “normal” Vegas hotel again. We’re spoiled. Completely ruined. There’s no going back.
Leaving a Day Early (a Rare Smart Decision)
The movie started at 9 AM (who approved that time?), and we really did not want to wake up at 3 AM and question all of our life choices on the drive in. So we left a day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Henderson.
Honestly? Great call. The hotel had a nice little pool, comfortable beds, and a free breakfast that actually mattered—eggs, sausage, pancakes, cereal, pastries, fruit juices, and coffee, to name just a few things.
Best of all, it was only about a half hour from the theater, so we got to enjoy a real breakfast like civilized humans instead of inhaling gas-station snacks in the car.
The 4DX “How to Train Your Dragon” Experience
From there we headed to the Regal Red Rock theater in Summerlin to catch How to Train Your Dragon in 4DX. The movie itself was so cute—if you loved the animated original, you’ll love this one. Highly recommend.
But let’s talk about the 4D part… it was aggressive.
We’d already learned our lesson watching Twister in 4D, with the chairs bouncing us all over the place. Somehow, though, we forgot to think about the dragon fight scenes. Big mistake. In a 4D seat you actually feel every punch—and every dragon battle. My kids knew better than to pick an action-heavy 4D movie. I should have listened.
A Quick Stop at Tivoli Village
After the movie we had a little extra time and noticed a nice shopping center called Tivoli Village. Even if you’re not into shopping, it’s worth a stop just to see the exotic cars parked out front.
We spotted a Bentley, a Maserati, and of course plenty of Mercedes and BMWs. We admired them for about five minutes, then climbed right back into our trusty Honda like, yep… this feels correct.
Checking Into the Palazzo at the Venetian
Next we headed to the Palazzo at the Venetian. I had requested an early check-in, and they actually got us in at 11 AM.
We decided to use valet—we got spoiled with it last time in Vegas—and when we pulled up, the valet took our luggage and sent it straight to the room so we didn’t have to drag it through the casino. That gave us a chance to look around and enjoy lunch at Grimaldi’s Pizza before heading up.
Our First Suite (and the Magic Curtains)
When we got to the suite, we were shocked at how big it was. We had a view of all the pools from our window, plus a golf course at a nearby hotel.
The room had two queen beds, a couch, a table and chairs, a double sink, and a nice soaker tub in the bathroom. The only downside was that we couldn’t use the refrigerator—it was already stocked with items to purchase, so opening it felt like a financial risk.
Oh, and the automatic blinds. This part is still funny. My mom was trying to open the curtains and could not figure it out. She’d touch the blinds and they’d magically go up, and she had no idea what she’d done. Turns out Megan was quietly pushing the buttons the whole time—and none of us knew it. We obviously had a good laugh once we figured it out.
It’s Basically Its Own Little Town
Once we were settled and our luggage arrived, we set out to check out the shops—and could not believe how many shops and restaurants were packed into this place. It was like its own little town, complete with indoor gondola rides. We really wanted to do the gondolas but didn’t get the chance.
At the time, the hotel was partnering with Kenny Chesney, so they’d set up an area with cornhole, a giant Jenga game, and a store to buy his merch. It felt like hanging out at a BBQ in his backyard. It was really fun.
Ole Red: Music, Dancing, and a Very Honest Gambler
That evening we headed to Ole Red, Blake Shelton’s bar, and enjoyed the food, drinks, and live music. They even had a couple of ladies dancing up front, soaking up the music.
At one point, one of the ladies pulled an older gentleman up to dance, and watching his wife’s expressions was the cutest thing. Then the other lady got the wife up to dance too. Adorable.
We headed upstairs to check it out, and it was lovely—you’re outside, the weather was beautiful, and you get a great view of the Bellagio fountains.
On the way back down, we shared the elevator with a very drunk guy who proudly told us all about his big win at Caesars. He even pulled out his wallet to show us. His girlfriend was not very happy about it, but he was a hoot.
The Most Expensive Taco Bell Ever
Later, my mom wanted a late snack, so we figured we’d hit Taco Bell—usually cheap, right? I can tell you it was not. (Vegas, please explain yourself.)
For comparison: the next day we spent a couple of hours at the pool while we waited to get into our next room, and the food and drinks we ordered poolside—tip included—came out cheaper than that Taco Bell run. And it was a lot better, too.
The Five-Hour Wait for Our Suite
When it was finally check-in time for our two-bedroom suite, we went to the kiosk… and it told us the room wasn’t ready. We asked a staff member when it might be, and they weren’t sure, so we left and went window shopping around the resort.
We checked back a couple of hours later. Still not ready. We weren’t the only ones waiting, either—we saw several unhappy customers, and we really felt for the employees, who had no control over the situation.
By the time we finally got into the room, Megan went straight to bed and my mom fell asleep too. Swimming, walking around, and waiting roughly five hours for our room had completely worn them out.
A Suite That Thought of Everything
This suite was on another level. The bathroom was stocked with slippers, robes, bath salts, hairspray, a toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash, shaving cream, and a razor. Even the toilet paper was nicer than in the first room.
There was even an accessory box with a sewing kit, a nail file, cotton swabs, and a shower cap. And with three bathrooms, nobody had to wait: my mom was soaking in the jacuzzi tub enjoying a bubble bath, Holly was showering in another, and I still had a third all to myself. No more “does anyone need the bathroom before I go?”
A little while later, I heard my mom yelling. I ran into the room and there she was—covered head to toe in bubbles. She’d apparently been yelling for a while, and since I wasn’t coming, she’d decided to come find me. She wanted me to take a picture of her in the bubble-filled jacuzzi tub so we could send it to my dad. Of course.
Sphere Views and Five-Star Service
We loved watching the Sphere change colors right from our window. One of these days, we’re going to catch an actual show inside it.
The service in this suite was incredible. We were wandering around looking for the ice machine when an employee—basically a butler—stopped and asked what we needed. He took our bucket, got the ice himself, and told us that next time we needed anything, we could just call and someone would bring it up.
Room Service: The One Miss
On our last morning, we thought it would be nice to have breakfast delivered, since we had a whole dining room table. We ordered an omelette, a breakfast burrito, fruit, a potato pancake, and a strawberry protein shake.
It arrived on a cart, and the server set the table with plates, silverware, and napkins, then laid everything out. The presentation was lovely… but the food itself wasn’t great. The protein shake was very sour, and nothing had much flavor. Honestly, the poolside food was a lot better.
Final Thoughts
Even with the long wait and a so-so room-service breakfast, we absolutely loved our stay—and we’re so glad we got to experience both the regular suite and the two-bedroom suite. The friendly staff, the little luxuries, and that Sphere view out the window made this a trip we’ll be talking about for a long time.
If you’re planning a family trip to Vegas, the Palazzo at the Venetian gets our enthusiastic recommendation. Just maybe skip the Taco Bell.
Know Before You Go
Leaving a day early paid off—staying in Henderson put us about 30 minutes from the theater with a free hot breakfast.
Skip heavy-action movies in 4DX unless you want to feel every punch; save the format for something lighter.
Request early check-in and use valet—ours honored an 11 AM check-in and sent our luggage straight up.
Build in buffer time on room-change days; our two-bedroom suite took about five hours past check-in to be ready.
Poolside food was cheaper and better than an off-Strip fast-food run—and a lot more relaxing.
Don’t open the stocked mini-fridge unless you’re ready to pay for it.
More from our family travels: our Hotel Grand Pacific Victoria review and our Arizona-to-Washington road trip.
Planning your next adventure? Get our free Travel Checklist on the homepage before you go.
Comments