Rising between CityCenter and Bellagio, the Strip‘s flashiest casino resort has upped the ante. Forget about stuffy casino hotels that lamely try to imitate the elegance of Old Europe. Cosmopolitan is aptly named; it’s sophisticated, young and ambitious. Here beauty has finally tamed the beast of the Strip. Whimsical contemporary art and priceless museum pieces are everywhere you look around the...

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...

At Mandalay Bay, the Delano luxury boutique hotel-within-a-hotel ropes in stylish thirtysomething crowds with its sleek modern design, spacious hotel suites, and a tempting mix of chic amenities. It’s a surprisingly peaceful retreat, but just steps away from the buzzing casino floor. Sip unique cocktails and fine whiskeys in the downstairs Franklin bar or ride the glass elevator up to the 64th-floor Skyfall Lounge...

M-Bay’s gold-tinted high-rise towers are like elegant exclamation points at the Strip‘s southern end. A posh casino is accented by two boutique hotels: the Four Seasons, a nongaming hideaway; and the modern Delano, splashed with contemporary art and a top-tier spa. Don’t miss the dizzying 64th-floor Skyfall Lounge reached via a glass elevator, or the equally sky-high Foundation Room. Also check out...

Want a good reason to venture off the Strip? The Palms casino hotel will give you a whole bunch. Let’s start with the nightlife and the view from the 55th-floor balcony of the futuristic ghostbar. For pure rock ‘n’ roll, catch a live concert at The Pearl, then get tattooed at Huntington Ink. The Palms’ 18-screen cinema is one of the city’s best....