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This was the first unthemed, nongaming hotel in Vegas, and it’s still the nicest, thanks to its calm atmosphere. With only 424 rooms and suites, it is small by Vegas standards, and the service level is much higher than at most resorts on the Strip. Located on the top five floors of Mandalay Bay, it has its own entrance, its own concierge, its own restaurants, its own pool and an afternoon tea that seems quite civilized in the center of so much chaos. There are six tiers of suites, including five 180 Degree Strip View Suites—one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments arranged in a crescent with full views of the Strip and the mountains ($2,250 to $3,350)—and ten Sunrise Sunset Suites, looking out at the mountains ($1,650 to $2,800).

WHAT’S NEW: A room upgrade with fresh color schemes, art work and state-of-art electronics systems. Two presidential suites, on the 38th and 39th floors, measuring 3,400 and 4,400 square feet, come with baby grand pianos and, in keeping with the Four Seasons philosophy, an understated elegance. (Rates from $3,350 to $4,600.) Next up will be the guest-room hallways. The total renovation will cost upward of $10 million.

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Almost Disneyesque, the Venetian is worth a visit even if you aren’t staying. An amazing attention to detail is displayed in this life-sized replica of the Doge’s Palace in Venice, complete with a Grand Canal waterway and reproductions of the famous frescoes and St. Marks Square. If you do stay, ask for a room in the new, nongaming Venezia tower, where the best suites are located. Five concierge floors offer extra service, a private pool deck and courtyard, as well as the Thomas Keller restaurant Bouchon. Four presidential suites in the main casino are $10,000 a night, each equipped with a private butler, a movie theater and every possible amenity. Rooms from $199.

WHAT’S NEW: Two hot new restaurants have opened here. Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich have joined forces to come up with a fine-dining option called B&B Ristorante. Meanwhile, chef David Burke is opening David Burke Modern American Cuisine.

ON THE HORIZON: The new $1.8 billion Palazzo Casino Resort will be a fifty-floor, 3,025-room luxury hotel with concierge-level suites and villas measuring up to 10,000 square feet. When it is connected to the adjacent Venetian and Sands Expo and Convention Center, all owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., the result will be the largest resort-and-hotel complex in the world, with more than 7,000 suites. Also planned is a 450,000-square-foot enclosed shopping, dining and entertainment area with pools plus an adjacent 52,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch spa. The whole should be completed sometime in fall 2007.

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With its opening in 2003, THEhotel kicked off the “nongaming hotels within hotels” trend. This all-suite (1,117 of them) freestanding structure has a private entrance, a lobby with nine check-in stations for limited wait time and a gathering spot with a bar and billiards tables. The standard suite is a roomy 725 square feet, comprising a living area, a bedroom complete with down comforters and pillows and large bathrooms. There is a flat-screen television in each living room and bathroom. On the top floors of the building are twenty-eight premium suites that range from 1,516 to 4,550 square feet. Business travelers should ask for one of the eighty accommodations on floors three through six, which are adjacent to 5,000 square feet of conference space. Rooms from $160.

HIGHLIGHTS: The fantastic 14,000-square-foot Bathhouse spa, with its minimalist decor. Dark slate stones, running water and glass accents calm and soothe. Try a caviar facial for something truly decadent. Staying here also gives you easier access to the Shadow Creek Golf Club, by some accounts the greatest course ever built.