LAS VEGAS: Cool pools for hot days

Tag : hot strip

I spent many a summer as a boy visiting my aunt in Las Vegas, soit's not just crazy gamblers (OK, mostly crazy gamblers) whoventure to Sin City during its blazing-hottest midsummer madness.Just make sure you have a good dip on the Strip (or beyond).
You'll need less cash and more splash to visit during the hot (asin temperature, not timing) season in Las Vegas. Hotel ratesplummet when the mercury goes up, except on the always busyweekends.
Nearly every big hotel has a nice pool. Most of the pools are keptat 80 degrees, but when the mercury hits 110 degrees, that feelsawfully nice. My favorites, on and off Las Vegas Boulevard, indescending order:
Flamingo: Four pools, including a big, meandering pool with a cove to getout of the sun. This is the party-central pool of all of Las Vegasand sometimes it can seem like there's no room to swim with all thepeople standing around drinking beer. But it's still a blast. Thesmaller Go Pool is ringed by huge pink flamingo statues andfeatures pricey private cabanas. Unfortunately, this area hasbecome an adults-only "European-style" pool (translation: somewomen don't wear their bikini tops), so you won't be able to showthe kids this cool spot.
Mandalay Bay: The closest thing to a water-park-style hotel in Las Vegas, theMandalay Bay has a wave machine in a pool with more than 1.5million gallons of water. There's also the Lazy River, a meanderingpool where guests float along in bright plastic inflatable rings.There's a stage for poolside concerts. Like many hotels, Mandalaynow has a walled-off "European-style" pool with an entry fee; thisone is called the Moorea Beach Club.
Red Rock: The newest splash on my favorite pool list, this top-end resortin the northwest suburb of Summerlin has a fan-shaped main pool,with several smaller pools scattered around the main pool plaza andtucked away up a platform of stairs or behind a low hedge. I lovedthe whirlpools in winter, but in summer I'll stick to standingunder the fountain in the biggest pool.
Hard Rock: The party pool at the party hotel, with music pumped over andsometimes into the chlorine. It's a smaller hotel. Some partyhounds say the Hard Rock has lost its top-of-the-scene cachet tosuch places as the Palms and Wynn. In my book, all the more reasonto go to the Hard Rock these days. The Tahitian-themed pool scenestrikes the rare balance between guests who actually want to swimand those there to get a tan and watch everybody else's back end goby. But you better really like your rock 'n' roll music.
Caesars Palace: A classic high-end resort pool where people more often seem to besitting around than taking a dip. But the decadent Rome-meets-MiamiBeach flesh scene has to be experienced as the high rollers andbeautiful people (not always mutually exclusive) loll amid the fauxclassic colonnades. The Venus pool is the topless venue.
Bellagio: Another amazingly beautiful pool area, with six different waterspots. Unfortunately, they often seem to be more of a set piece fora Mediterranean design magazine cover than pools to actually enjoy.During my visit, I felt that making a splash in the perfect, calmsurface would be akin to ripping a work of art. With the Bellagio'spolicy of catering to the well-heeled and childless (or those wholeft their children home), there's a bit of a chill at the placefor my taste.
Tropicana: The hotel is a little tired, and so is the pool area, but it'sstill a nice getaway and a place that has tried to retain itsfamily-oriented feel. I'll also admit to just a little nostalgiafor the old place as the 1960- era Las Vegas is bulldozed away. Oneof the upsides of the hotel's elderly status is that the shadetrees are more mature here, so you are less likely to scorch yourbare feet.
Palms: A pool that is the current darling of the party scene. The Maloofbrothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings basketball team, havecreated a really classy joint (as the old Vegas moguls would haveput it) and the two acres of pools are part of the seen-and-be-seenscene that propels the Palms to the top ranks of hotels beloved bycelebrity-stalking paparazzi. Lots of DJs and dancing around thethree pool bars (I'd opt for the semisecluded Waterfall Bar behinda man-made cascade.)
Seen but not splashed: I haven't had a chance to check out the pools at Lake Las Vegasand at the new Wynn , all of which receive good marks on pool-enthusiast Web sites.I'll do a cannonball anonymously down the line and let you know.
Mentions: Talk to veteran Vegas swimmers and you'll get a smattering ofsupport for the pools at the Monte Carlo , Venetian , Mirage , Luxor and MGM . Go to the hotel Web sites and take a look. There's not a wet dogin the pack.
R.I.P: The Glass Pool Inn , which used to have a great above-ground pool with portholes wherepeople could look at the swimmers. All that is left is the signnear the south end of the Strip. The great high-dive at the old Desert Inn , which disappeared to make way for the Wynn. The Stardust pool, once the biggest on the Strip, where the dancing girls usedto lounge away the afternoon. It's now a dirt lot.
No "no swimming" : Heat is a seasonal thing. Many pools close over the winter. Checkwith the hotel before booking a pool-oriented trip betweenHalloween and Easter.
Contact the writer: gettingaway@ocregister.com