On the Strip‘s busiest corner, what was formerly a mock Victorian casino hotel is now a classy boutique property. (You’d never recognize that this was formerly the 1970s-era Barbary Coast, and then briefly Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon.) While other Strip casino resorts overwhelm visitors with endless choices, Cromwell narrows things down to just the very best options: celebrity chef...

Inside the swanky Cromwell casino and boutique hotel mid-Strip, Drai’s packs a powerful, three-in-one punch. By day, you can hang out poolside in the beach club, which is open seasonally for sunbathing, splashing, and getting down to DJs. Late at night after dinner and a cat nap, return for one of the Strip’s coolest club scenes, with more room to move here than...

At the Encore casino hotel, next door to the Wynn resort, palm trees and sunset-hued parasols surround a triple threat of tiered pools. Stark white minimalist “lily pads” let you lounge in the pools, or you could pay to retreat to a VIP cabana or bungalow for loads more privacy. Show up on Sundays for big-name DJs like Tiësto spinning...

Along with Encore‘s XS and Drai’s at the Cromwell, Marquee reigns over the Strip‘s nightclub scene. At the Cosmopolitan, this club has a trés seductive indoor/outdoor layout, with sexy gogo dancer booths and four-story LED screens poised above the dance floor, which has ginormous 50-foot ceilings. Super-star house and hip hop DJs take things beyond the tired old Top 40 and mash-up...