• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

Large, airy rooms come with a full kitchen at the element Summerlin.    (Photo: Courtesy of element by Westin Las Vegas Summerlin)

Take advantage of comped amenities like mountain bike rentals and poolside barbecues at the element Las Vegas Summerlin (from $119). The bright, modern design and apartment-sized rooms are a welcome contrast to its just-off-the interstate location 15 minutes from the strip.

Stay on the Strip – but a removed ten miles south of the circus – at the seven-month-old, 400-room M Resort Spa Casino (from $90). Book a Flat Suite for the freestanding bubble-jet tubs and panoramic views of the desert and the strip. Downstairs, the Hostile Grape serves 160 varietals by the glass.

Book a gothic boudoir at the Artisan Hotel (from $99), a born-again Travelodge just north of the Strip. The swank lounge serves strong, innovative cocktails and the onsite wedding chapel (should you feel the urge) is more romantic than cheesy. The Mediterranean-style, palm-tree ensconced pool is one of the best – and least crowded –in the city.

Published on Sep 24, 2009 as a web exclusive.