It’s all downhill from here.

No matter where I travel in Las Vegas from this point forward, nothing will top the accommodations of the Venetian Las Vegas Casino, Hotel & Resort.

From the deluxe room to the top-rate environs throughout the entire facility, the Venetian sparkled with class: first class.

Situated in the middle part of the Strip, the Venetian is handy to anywhere – not that you really want to leave.

Every room in the 4,000-plus-room, 36-story hotel is an upscale suite – at least 700 square feet but up to 1,500 square feet. They include sunken living rooms, multiple flat-screen HDTVs, Italian marble in the bathrooms and more. Many include Roman tubs with separate glass-enclosed showers.

But that’s only the start of it. You can’t stay cooped up in your room forever, but what awaits in the rest of the Venetian is truly memorable.

Having vacationed in Venice, Italy, I can attest that the Venetian replicates the experience, minus the negatives of the actual Venice (high prices, less-than-pristine canals, etc.).

The massive lobby is the first hint of what’s to come. The impressive gold-hued painted ceiling evokes the best that Europe has to offer. The ceiling is truly stunning and causes pause for all visitors, especially those with a camera.

The painted ceilings don’t end. After strolling through a portion of the second-level shopping area, visitors are welcomed by amazingly real-looking painted ceilings that give the illusion of a bright, blue sky. This scene makes the same attempt by rival Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino look amateurish. The scene also marks the beginning of the Grand Canal Shoppes, with more than 80 fine shoppes and world-class restaurants along cobblestone indoor walkways.

Two punctuation marks lie under these ceilings: a replica of the famous St. Mark’s Square, and a long indoor canal complete with gondolas maneuvered by singing gondoliers.

The latter is romantic, iconic and only at the Venetian. We delighted in the one-of-a-kind attraction and were more than satisfied with the value: one-fifth the cost of actual Venice.

Of course, the Venetian also offers outdoor gondola rides, where a replica of Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge and the St. Mark’s Basilica bell tower reign tall.

Back inside, the pristine shoppes never seem to end. That’s because of the Venetian’s unique set-up with its twin, the neighboring The Palazzo Las Vegas. The two free-flow into each other on the first and second levels. Guests can roam for hours at a time, delighting in all the impressive window shopping. Combined, there are well over 200 shoppes, restaurants and lounges.

One of the best restaurants is Zine Noodles Dim Sum, a palate-pleasing foray into everything Asian, including Cantonese, Szechuan, Taiwanese and Vietnamese. There’s a reason this has been voted consistently as the best Asian restaurant in Las Vegas. Our samplings of appetizers, barbecue and roasted items, soup, various noodle and rice items, chef specials and clay pot dishes verified this sentiment. Cap the meal with a refreshing Tropical Fantasy.

Bouchon Bakery was another favorite, deserving of its reputation for addictive croissants and other baked goods.

The pool deck cements Venetian’s status as elite. The five-acre area mimics a Venetian garden, leading to three pools, a hot tub, 23 cabanas, a poolside café operated by Wolfgang Puck, cocktail service and a retail shop.

One night, we were walking back from the Strip when someone nearby began acting unruly. I began feeling uneasy about the situation, but, suddenly, the Venetian appeared within our sights. We veered off the main sidewalk, onto the inviting moving escalators with a gradual incline that takes you right up to the lobby.

With the Venetian, everything was all uplifting.