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The Draw
• The glorification of excess -- where else can you indulge (and recover) so thoroughly?
• Grade-A chef poaching -- this longtime hot spot for American culinary celebrities is now drawing the global superstars as well: Michelin all-stars Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon have all joined the ranks
• Swank boutique hotels, adding sophistication to the surreal Strip
The Scene
There were those who scoffed when Las Vegas began trying to convince the world that it had a touch of real class. Those days are gone. New boutique hotels like MGM's Skylofts are setting benchmarks for stylish decor. There's hardly a celebrity chef who doesn't have a world-class eatery somewhere on the Strip, and Vegas can now claim more master sommeliers than anywhere else in the country. Tony Award-winning Broadway shows now regularly sweep into town, and Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-themed "LOVE" has been added to the roster. The city also boasts a handful of quality museums and a restaurant called Picasso where you can dine beneath originals. Still a mecca for booze-soaked bachelor parties and busloads of slot machine-seeking tourists, Vegas now caters to a worldly urban elite as well.
To Be Seen
• Mandalay Bay. This celebrity chef epicenter offers an embarrassment of culinary riches: Alain Ducasse's Mix, Hubert Keller's signature restaurant Fleur de Lys and Charlie Palmer's Aureole, complete with four-story wine tower and "wine angels" who fly up to retrieve your bottle.
• The Bellagio The place where poker superstars hone their game is also, possibly the most luxurious destination on the strip.
• The Venetian For decompressing rather than gaming, here you can relax at the world-famous Canyon Ranch Spa, grab a bite at Thomas Keller's Bouchon, stroll the Grand Canal Shoppes or get some culture at the Rem Koolhaas-designed Guggenheim Hermitage Museum.
For The VIP
• High style Skylofts, the amenity-rich duplex penthouses at the amenity-rich duplex penthouses at the MGM Grand, come with a butler, limousine service, private elevator and floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views.
• Club for swingers A round at the notoriously exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Course, the highest-priced public course in America, is available to guests of any of the MGM Mirage hotels. A limo takes you out to the course, where a personal caddie awaits.
• Poker facial A day at the Vegas outpost of the famed Tucson-based Canyon Ranch Spa Club is the perfect respite for neon-weary partiers. One of the best spas in the country, this place is 69,000 square feet of bliss.
Overrated
Hard Rock's Rehab Party. If you plan to attend this much-hyped poolside party, expect a steep cover, a long line (unless you're a hotel guest) and a jam-packed scene.
Underrated
Downtown. Fremont Street has been steadily on the rise since entrepreneur Steve Wynn set his sights on the area. Check out vintage Vegas signage at the Neon Museum, or wander through the Arts Factory, the closest thing Vegas has to an arts district.
Don't Miss
Cirque du Soleil Of this Vegas mainstay's five long-running shows, the water-themed "O," performed in, out and over a 1.5 million-gallon tank, is widely regarded as the best.
When To Visit
Fall, Winter, Spring. Summertime temperatures often top 100 degrees F in July and August, though if you're inside air-conditioned resorts all day, you'll hardly notice.
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