Amenity highlights: A 9.5-acre Mediterranean garden featuring fruit trees and slender cypresses is home to six heated pools, three with oversize fountains and the two largest—180 feet and 150 feet long—open year-round. The garden also offers four jet spas roomy enough for 12-18 people, expansive sundecks, and luxurious for-rent cabanas furnished with television, telephone, refrigerator, sink, dining set, padded lounges, and both ceiling fan and misting system for cooling.

Insider tip: On request, undecided diners may peruse the offerings at Bellagio's sumptuous breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets before buying a meal ticket.

Amenity highlights: Guests at the Ritz-Carlton enjoy a 36-hole championship golf courses and an outdoor swimming pool with a view of Lake Las Vegas. At the lake, guests may try water sports such as canoeing, kayaking, sailing, fishing, and boating (fees charged). Indoors, the hotel offers a 40,000-square-foot casino with slots, video poker, and table games.

Amenity highlights: The pool complex offers two large, heated pools flanking an expansive sundeck dotted with palm trees. The shopping/dining promenade runs in a 1.2-mile circle under a softly lighted "sky" ceiling. The opulent, 32,000-square-foot Elemis Spa offers two-room suites for couples, beauty treatments, and a fitness center.

Insider tip: Located between the main casino and the mezzanine, Sinbad's Lounge is a terrific place not only for enjoying live evening entertainment but for viewing the hotel's entire neon-lit spectacle.

Amenity highlights: A spectacle of Roman-style grandeur featuring cypresses, palm trees, marble columns, and classical statues, the 4.5-acre Garden of the Gods supplies four pools and two 12-person spa tubs set amid lovely statues. The focal point is the round, 10,000-square-foot Palace Pool containing a rotunda in which stands an outsized, gilded statue of Caesar. The rectangular Neptune Pool provides 5,000 square feet of lap-swimming space. Screened from the others, the narrow, 150-foot-long Venus Pool welcomes topless sunbathers. The fourth pool was added in 2004. Cabanas with television, telephone, ceiling fan, and padded lounges are available for rent.

Insider tip: By going to the Caesars Palace desk near luggage carousel Number 1, guests arriving at the airport may check into their rooms while waiting for luggage to arrive.

• Warm colors and marble decor give this 599-room resort the feel of an oversized Tuscan villa, three blocks east of The Strip.
• One- and two-bedroom units have refrigerators, microwaves, and cable TV/VCRs. Some have full kitchens and jetted tubs.
• Guests can swim in two outdoor pools, reserve a massage, or play pool, bingo, or other games in an activities center.

Amenity highlights: A three-acre jungle garden includes two sand-beach lagoon pools (open seasonally) connected by a channel, a spiral-tunnel water slide, a grotto bar, and four roomy spas. A wood gazebo contains blackjack and craps tables, and there are also three swim-up blackjack tables. For-rent, thatch-roof cabanas come with television, phone, and ceiling fan. Rock plays continuously.

Insider tip: Thanks to underwater speakers, music can be heard below the swimming pools' surfaces.

Amenity highlights: The hotel's 86,654-square-foot casino has nickel to $500 slots, 300 video poker machines, 70 game tables, 24-hour live keno, and a race and sports book. Clint Holmes, "the Voice of Las Vegas," plays at Harrah's every night except Sunday. Along with a 12-piece band, Holmes performs popular songs, including Las Vegas standards and current hits. Other shows include The Mac King Comedy Magic Show and Skintight, a sensual late-night adult review.

Insider tip: Carnaval Court is the large, open-air area between Harrah's and the Imperial Palace. It is a popular casual nightspot with gaming tables, live music, beer and food vendors, and a high-energy atmosphere. It is one of the few outdoor places along the Vegas Strip to enjoy a snack and hear live music.

Amenity highlights: The hotel is decorated with stucco, exposed wood, iron railings, arched hallways, and tile accents. The 50,000-square-foot casino has 1,200 slot, video poker, and keno machines as well as table games and sports book. Guests relax at the hotel's two outdoor swimming pools and at Aquae Sulis Spa, with 36 treatment rooms, mud-bath spas, and an exercise room.

Insider tip: Guests receive preferential tee-times at the adjacent 18-hole TPC Summerlin Golf Course, a regular stop on the pro golfing tour. Greens fees apply.

• This 17-story hotel is across from the Las Vegas Convention Center and three blocks from Las Vegas Strip casinos and shows.
• Large suites provide two TVs, high-speed Internet access, and separate living areas with sofa beds, wet bars, and mini-fridges.
• Hotel highlights include a year-round outdoor pool and spa tub, a business center, and a casual restaurant with room service.

Amenity highlights: Open during warm months, a large, heated lagoon pool and surrounding sundeck provide swimming fun and sunning opportunities. Poolside cabanas are furnished with television, telephone, and refrigerator. Three year-round spas secluded in a rock garden offer relaxation opportunities.

Insider tip: From late morning to late night, guests arriving at McCarran International Airport can go to an MGM Mirage check-in facility in the south baggage-claim area where they can check into the hotel and purchase show and events tickets while waiting for luggage. Guests can also book a shuttle van to the hotel.