#2 – Green Valley Ranch
This place just keeps getting better and better, with a recent expansion that has added even more shine to an already sparkling gem of a hotel. Like its sister Red Rock, luxury is the key here and also, similarly, location and cost can be prohibitive for some Las Vegas visitors. But if you’re going to be spending more than $200 a night for a hotel room, don’t you want one that pampers you, surrounding you at every turn with the type of amenities, service, and appointments that qualify as “resort” level? It’s hard to do that in a hotel with 3,000 rooms like the supposed “resorts” on The Strip, but Green Valley Ranch proves the old maxim that bigger is not always better.

#3 – Bally’s
What if they built a hotel with comfortably sized rooms, modern furnishings and conveniences, a large but not overwhelming casino, and plenty of good restaurants and then plunked it down in the heart of all of the Las Vegas action and priced it at about half of what its neighbors are charging? They did, more than 30 years ago, and today Bally’s continues to be the best bargain on The Las Vegas Strip, providing upscale accommodations and service without the upscale prices.

#4 – The Mirage
It’s hard to overstate the importance The Mirage had on the evolution of this city. Before it, the concepts of luxury accommodations, fine dining, premiere entertainment, and simple matters of “scale” were virtually nowhere to be found. But The Mirage changed all that and while many hotels came along afterward and overshadowed it, they were still capitalizing on lessons learned and even created at this hotel. Now, The Mirage has undergone a dramatic multi-million dollar upgrade, turning what had become a B-level hotel (strictly by comparison mind you) back into an A-level player. The Mirage has once again stepped into the limelight.

#5 – The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas
We’re spending a lot of time off The Strip so far on this list, but one visit to this little slice of heaven and you’ll understand why. The rooms are a sensorial feast – the feel, the look, and even the scents are all top of the mark. But really the thing that sets The Ritz apart from other hotels in this city is the level of service you receive – almost as if every employee knows you personally and considers you to be the most important person on the planet. It’s a great feeling and one that makes a stay at The Ritz unlike any other.

#6 – The Golden Nugget
You may be shocked to see this hotel on this list, but if you are you haven’t been there recently. They have just completed the bulk of the work on a major top to bottom overhaul that has turned what had become the epitome of “faded glory” back into the Grande Dame of the Downtown. But putting that Downtown qualifier on there is no longer necessary. With its beautiful new casino, showroom, restaurants, and more, this hotel can now compete with the big boys on The Strip.

#7 – THEhotel
Still hate the name, still love the hotel. Every room is a true, multi-room suite and all of them come with the type of upscale amenities that will make you never want to leave. The fact that you can get in and out without ever stepping foot in a casino is a big bonus for some and the fact that said casino is just a short walk down a hallway is an even bigger bonus for others. Expensive but worth it, THEhotel remains a top choice for luxury accommodations on The Strip.

#8 – Wynn Las Vegas
Wander around the public areas of this place and it’s easy to wonder where the $2.8 billion they spent on this place went. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful hotel, filled with lots of luxury detail but in the end it’s not all that different from Bellagio or many of the other palaces on The Strip – just the paint colors and fabrics are different. Then you go to your room and you say, “Ohhhhh, now I see it.” These monster sized accommodations swaddle you in luxury, from the pillowy beds to the rock-star bathrooms. True, with rates like these (usually the highest in town), they better be good, but here’s the good news: they are.

#9 – Caesars Palace
No, it’s not just because they are bringing in Bette Midler and Cher to replace Celine Dion in 2008. Instead, it’s because it would’ve been easy during the massive, multi-billion-dollar renovations of the last few years, to lose what made Caesars famous in the first place: its sense of bacchanalian excess. It would’ve been even easier to tear it down and start over. But instead, the folks who run this place improved upon it, adding truly luxury accommodations, world-class dining and entertainment, and more. Rome never looked this good.

#10 – Main Street Station
Just because The Golden Nugget has once again asserted its dominance in the Downtown playground doesn’t mean you should overlook this gem of a property. The rooms are simple but very comfortable, the casino is terrific, dining options are fantastic, and rates are bargain basement. If you’re looking for a truly affordable Las Vegas vacation without sacrificing so much that you no longer enjoy yourself, call Main Street Station.

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#2 – Mystere
The show that introduced Cirque du Soleil to Las Vegas is still the best in town, with mind-bending acrobatics and awe-inspiring theatricality that will both thrill and amaze. Haunting, evocative, startling, funny, sexy, and astounding, Mystere proves why the others are mere pretenders to the throne.

#3 – Prince
Who would’ve thought that “His Royal Badness” would ever settle down at a small-ish club in Vegas and put on a show that puts other headliner entertainment to shame? Well, the last part is no great surprise because he proved a long time ago that he is one of the best showmen in the business but this intimate concert solidifies that title, highlights his prodigy-level musicianship, and makes you want to dance until dawn.

#4 – KA
Putting the Cirque magic into a linear storyline was not an easy feat, but KA tells a heart-tugging story of family love in a staging that will make you accuse your eyes of lying to your brain. Visually stunning and emotionally resonant, KA is unlike any other Cirque show but with all of things that made the brand great in the first place.

#5 – Mac King
In the Rita Rudner blurb I mentioned the reward of simplicity and nowhere is that more evident than in Mac King’s tremendous afternoon show at Harrah’s. Eschewing the kind of mechanically-dependent illusions that most magicians in this town depend upon, King still amazes with simple tricks, laugh-out-loud humor, and a general sense of fun that make the ridiculously low ticket price a no-brainer.

#6 – Lance Burton
On the other end of the magic spectrum in terms of scale is Lance Burton, a man who deserves the title he has given himself: master magician. He performs a heady mix of big illusions and up-close magic that will leave you gasping, but does it all with a genial “good ole boy” attitude that will leave you charmed.

#7 – Second City Improv
Most people only wish they could think as fast as this talented band of sketch and improv comedians who turn comedy into a gonzo, take-no-prisoners wave of laughter. Their skillful dissections of everything from relationships to Las Vegas will leave you rolling in the aisles.

#8 – Elton John
Heavy on the hits that made him famous, Elton John’s show at Caesars Palace is like playing the soundtrack of the last 35 years of your life. All he does is sit behind the piano and play and sing while various special effects and videos play behind him, but this is music at its best and the man is a master at it.

#9 – Penn & Teller
If you aren’t a fan of magic and illusions, this is the show for you, because Penn & Teller are not merely magicians – they are educators and philosophers, teaching you to think about what you are seeing instead of merely seeing it. It’s hard to imagine that you can still be amazed by a magic trick when they basically tell you how they are doing it, but Penn & Teller are amazing guys.

#10 – Simply Ballroom
Take “Dancing with the Stars” and populate it with people who can actually, you know, dance and you have an idea of how electrifying Simply Ballroom is. These world-class and award winning dancers take you through everything from the waltz to the tango and do it with a panache that is both thrilling and intoxicating.

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#2 – Hash House-a-Go-Go
They have pancakes the size of large pizzas. What else do you need? Well, whatever else it is you’ll probably find it here at this deliriously offbeat eatery that takes Midwest farm food and puts a deliciously wild spin on it.

#3 – Austins Steakhouse
Steakhouses are a dime a dozen in this town but year after year, as I go to review more and more of them, I keep heading back to Austins when I’m not on the clock. Their filets and rib eyes are the stuff of legend at prices that won’t make you have to take out a loan to afford them. The best steakhouse in Vegas is still Austins.

#4 – Commander’s Palace
Many consider the Commander’s Palace in New Orleans to be the best restaurant in the world, so it’s no great surprise that the Las Vegas version is not as good. But that’s like saying the 10-bedroom mansion is not as good as the 12-bedroom mansion, when in fact both are an embarrassment of riches. Commander’s Vegas celebrates Cajun and Creole cooking with grace and puts most other high-end restaurants in this town to shame.

#5 – Pampas Brazilian Grille
This traditional Brazilian grill serves up meat on skewers, which sounds simple (and is) but in a memorable kind of way. The flavor, texture, smells, and visuals are mouth-watering delights, turning a meal into an adventure.

#6 – Triple George Grill
Take everything you think about restaurants in Downtown Las Vegas and throw it out the window, then come to eat here. If you can’t set aside your pre-conceived notions, eat here anyway and you’ll become a convert. Their classic American dishes are true treats from beginning to end and will make you wonder why you hadn’t been coming to Downtown to eat long ago.

#7 – Fellini’s
Italian cuisine is one of my personal favorites but I often wind up walking away disappointed at most Italian restaurants in Las Vegas. Not so at Fellini’s. Their old-world menu, atmosphere, and service is a delight and they will renew your faith in what can be created with traditional attention to detail.

#8 – Capriotti’s
If you come to Las Vegas and eat at a Subway or Quizno’s you should be ashamed of yourself, because right up the street is a purveyor of the best sandwiches in the world, period. Italian subs are the specialty and while you might pay a buck or two more, you’ll find it more than worth it. The only problem is you’ll probably never going to want to eat at Subway again.

#9 – Dan Marino’s
Okay, so they had to go put it in a Hooters hotel, but don’t let that stop you from checking out one of the most affordable, most enjoyable, and most satisfying restaurants on or near the Las Vegas Strip. From steaks to comfort food (bacon wrapped meatloaf!!), Dan Marino’s does it all just right at prices that will still leave a little left over for the slot machines.

#10 – Memphis Championship Barbecue
This year I took a tour of the American south and ate some authentic, down-home barbecue. A lot of it. So it’s saying a lot to tell you that if it came down to a cage match between those roadside joints in Mississippi and Memphis Championship Barbecue, I’d have a hard time picking a true winner. It’s just that good.

#11 – Desserts
I’m adding one more space to this list for a couple of places that aren’t actually restaurants but are the first places I think about when I get hungry in Las Vegas. The Chocolate Swan sells what I consider to be the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted and I’ve tasted A LOT of chocolate. And The Cupcakery takes cupcakes to a heavenly level with their delightful baked goods that will make you want to skip the meal and head straight for dessert.

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#2 – Wynn Las Vegas Buffet
True, the prices are mind boggling, as high if not higher than what you’ll pay at many sit-down restaurants. But wow is it ever worth it. The quality of the food (and the sheer, enormous quantity of it), the service, and the lovely garden atmosphere will make you forget you’re in a buffet at all.

#3 – Main Street Station Garden Court Buffet
This comparatively simple buffet still winds hearts, minds, and stomachs by providing a big selection of well-prepared food at easy-on-the-wallet prices. And it’s still hard to beat the charming garden-inspired room, flooded with natural light.

#4 – Dishes at Treasure Island
The first time I ate at this place I wasn’t impressed. But a recent re-visit changed my mind. Done more as a restaurant than a buffet, the room provides a terrific dining ambience and the food selections are vast and well-prepared. And to say they have one of the best dessert stations in Las Vegas is an understatement.

#5 – Aladdin Spice Market Buffet
Located in what feels like (and kind of is) the basement of the hotel, this buffet has often flown under the radar for most visitors and that’s kind of a shame. Packed with flavorful dishes that include traditional but also stray outside the bounds of what is usually found at buffets, the Spice Market is unique.

#6 – Bellagio Buffet
Another almost painfully expensive buffet and another example of why, in the end, you’ll totally feel like you got your money’s worth. The beautifully designed room is just a hint at what lies behind those sneeze guards; food worthy of sit-down restaurant status.

#7 – Cravings at The Mirage
The new wave of buffets moved from staid to showmanship, with Cravings leading the way. The modern, curvy, crazy lines of the room are as much of a visual feast as the food is a real one, and although pricey, one stop at the hand-scooped gelato station and you just won’ care.

#8 – Le Village Buffet at Paris Las Vegas
I want to give this buffet a spot on the list for its dining room alone – done as if you are noshing al fresco in the French countryside. But the food here makes settling on decoration unnecessary, with both classic buffet offerings and French inspired twists that will keep you returning to the serving stations over and over again.

#9 – Rio Carnival World Buffet
I like this one better when it was cheaper but even at more than $20 a head for dinner, this is one of the biggest and best spreads in town. You gotta love a place that has a station just for burgers, fries, and milk shakes.

#10 – Red Rock Station Feast
Similar in design and offerings to its younger sister Feast at Santa Fe (see #1 on this list), Red Rock’s offerings are slightly more upscale and slightly more expensive (a couple of additional dollars). I’m bookending this list with the two almost identical twins just to give you the option because they are both fantastic. Which you choose should primarily depend on which area of town you happen to find yourself in.

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#2 – Bellagio Conservatory
Maybe it’s the giant Banyan tree that got added recently, but something about the sunlit gardens at Bellagio has caused it grow in my estimation of late. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always enjoyed the seasonal displays and the obvious hard work that went in to creating them, but I always felt like it was something you should go see if you happen to be in the building. Lately, though, the displays have gotten more majestic and entrancing, artistic and evocative. A true destination of its own.

#3 – Fountains of Bellagio
What’s not to love about dancing water? Really, it’s continually amazing to me how much I am continually amazed by this spectacle of fountains timed to music. No matter how many times I see it I am still entertained and that is the definition of a good attraction.

#4 – The Fremont Street Experience
Turning Glitter Gulch into a pedestrian walkway with a big lit-up canopy above it was considered sacrilege back in the day, but it’s hard to imagine Fremont Street any other way now. The glittering, glorious animation is crisper, cleaner, and more entertaining than it ever has been. Go ahead: I dare you not to look up.

#5 – The Liberace Museum
Whether you go because you think Liberace was a truly gifted pianist and showman or you go to giggle at the audacious, well, everything about the guy, you really should check out this altar to everything bejeweled. And if you are moved to giggles, it’s okay – Liberace would’ve liked that.

#6 – The Mirage Dolphin Habitat
Dolphins in the middle of the desert? Why not! It’s Las Vegas. Why dolphins continue to fascinate us mere mortals is a bit of a mystery, but fascinated you will be as you step into what has become one of the premiere dolphin habitats in the world. Educational and entertaining at the same time.

#7 – The Mirage Volcano
Belching fire and water, the “volcano” in front of The Mirage has become a bit of background noise recently, overshadowed by some of the bigger and splashier free attractions in front of other hotels that came after it. That’s too bad, because it really is still a giggle-inducing bit of silliness (and I mean that in a good way) that really shouldn’t be missed.

#8 – Lake Las Vegas/MonteLago Village
Nestled in a valley around the manmade Lake Las Vegas, lies MonteLago Village, a beautiful replica of an Italian seaside town full of shops, restaurants, world-class hotels, and more and surrounded by some of the best recreation (hiking, boating, swimming, golf, etc.) in the entire city. Take a break from the intensity of Las Vegas and come here to kick back for a little while. And don’t worry, they even have a casino.

#9 – Stratosphere Tower/Thrill Rides
You have to be nuts to want to get on one of the extreme thrill rides high atop the Stratosphere Tower but that doesn’t mean those of us who prefer more earth-bound pleasures can’t appreciate the sheer mad genius of them. Whether you ride the rides or just take in the views, the Stratosphere Tower still stands tall above Las Vegas in more ways than one.

#10 – The Neon Museum/Boneyard
In a city that seems to delight in imploding its past, it’s a delight in and of itself to find an organization committed to preserving it. That they do so with the very symbol of Las Vegas, the neon sign, is a jackpot. Check out the saved and restored signs along The Fremont Street Experience or sign up for one of the private tours of the boneyard, where old Las Vegas signs await their resurrection. A classic experience.

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#2 – Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce
Barely big enough to hold a bar and a few seats, Forty Deuce has something that many other lounge/bars don’t. And I’m not talking about the burlesque dancers, as entertaining as they may be. I’m taking about a vibe, an energy, that hard-to-define thing that gets into your head and makes you want to have a great time no matter how much you’re determined not to.

#3 – Moon
Okay, it’s stupid expensive to get in here ($40 including admission to the Playboy Club downstairs) but take a gander at this place with its décor (like a disco ball exploded) to its high energy dance floor to its multi-level layout to its retractable roof. The vibe here is aggressive and party-hearty, but somehow still manages to be less in your face about the whole thing.

#4 – Krave
When you see the ads proclaiming Krave to be the only “alternative” club on The Strip, they aren’t talking about the type of music played here. Instead, they cater to the gay and lesbian crowd but even if you don’t fall into that particular demographic, this is one terrific nightclub. Nobody throws a party like gay men do, and at Krave it’s a party every single night.

#5 – Sand Dollar Blues Lounge
Live blues music from true journeymen is the main draw at this tiny little joint located just east of The Strip. But stick around for the friendly atmosphere and the cheap drinks and you’ll wonder why you ever stepped foot in one of those crazy Strip nightclubs in the first place.

#6 – Body English
Dark, moody, and dizzying in its sheer hedonistic aesthetic, Body English manages to turn club going into an almost cinematic experience. From the grand staircase to the pounding dance floor to the goth décor touches, this club is ready for its close up and you will be too.

#7 – JET
Choice is the buzzword at JET, with three separate rooms offering up three moods, three styles of music, and three different experiences. Whether you’re into the down and dirty hip-pop, the non-stop club beats, or the Jack-radio style party tunes you’ll find something to enjoy at JET.

#8 – Pure
The biggest nightclub in Vegas can be a little intimidating for the faint of nightclub heart, but get past the sheer enormity of the thing and you’ll find a place that offers a little something for everyone. The big main nightclub is party central, the cool ultra-lounge allows for a more groovy attitude, the massive outdoor balcony will have you doing some star gazing, and the Pussycat Dolls Lounge will make you want to break out the pasties.

#9 – Light
If you want a nightclub experience but don’t want to deal with the voracious packs of 22-year-olds who seem to think that they have to drink all of the alcohol right now because otherwise it might run out, come to the Light. A more grown-up attitude is the main key here but it doesn’t mean that the place still doesn’t know how to have fun.

#10 – Tao
I’m only including this on the list because I somehow feel threatened by the place; like it’ll come get me if I don’t. Big, loud, noisy (which is different than loud, trust me), packed always, and filled with the kind of crowd that can intimidate you from across state lines if you don’t have a perfect body and ensemble, Tao is the kind of nightclub I usually despise but still find myself intoxicated by.

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