Purists will sneer at the thought of going to Las Vegas and staying 30 minutes away from The Strip. How can you possibly get the Vegas "experience" without actually being smack-dab in the middle of it? I'm a purist and I sneered when I first heard about the Ritz-Carlton, an ultra-luxury resort at Lake Las Vegas just east of the city.

Then I stayed there and quickly discovered a new type of Vegas "experience" - one that could very well change the way you think of the grand palaces on The Strip.

Calling a hotel with nearly 350 rooms a "boutique" resort is laughable anywhere other than in Las Vegas, where it is dwarfed by the 4000 room behemoths a few miles away. But despite its size, Ritz-Carlton has transferred all of the luxurious elegance their name is synonymous with to this beautiful resort and in doing so has raised the bar for the Las Vegas hotel industry so high it would be hard to imagine how anyone could surpass it.

The bulk of the hotel is located on the shore of Lake Las Vegas, a manmade resort and residential playground located about 17 miles east of town. With its Mediterranean-inspired design it looks like a rambling seaside village - jutting balconies and recessed terraces combine with intricate stonework, lush gardens, and a terra cotta paint scheme to send you, at least visually, to the Italian countryside.

Completing the picturesque setting is the Pontevecchio Bridge, a wing of the hotel spanning the lake. It features a covered walkway on the main level with two floors of Ritz-Carlton Club rooms above it. Trust me when I tell you the pictures don't do it justice.

A long lobby greets you as you enter, filled with overstuffed couches and chairs, floral arrangements, a bar, and giant windows overlooking the gardens and lake. It's a great area for meeting friends for cocktails, partaking in their afternoon Italian tea, or just enjoying the ambience and the view.

Upon check-in, a member of the concierge staff escorts each guest to their room. They'll point out various features and services and lead you through the sun-dappled halls that meander through the building. It may seem at first as if you should leave a trail of bread crumbs to find your way but you kind of get used to it after a trip or two. This special treatment is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the personalized and extremely friendly service you'll get during your stay.

Standard rooms are "standard" only in terms of size (about 500 square-feet) and layout (bathroom as you walk in, bedroom past it). Everything else is infused with that Ritz-Carlton luxury: two queen or one king bed, overflowing with pillows, plush linens and duvets, and pillow-soft mattresses; a writing desk with cordless dual-line phones, data ports, and high-speed Internet access; an armoire featuring a giant television with cable, extensive pay-per-view movies and television programming, jukebox and music video programming, and wireless Internet; Bose Wave radios; an honor bar; irons and boards; soft robes; and elegant furnishings. The bathrooms are equally impressive with separate tubs and glass showers; dual vanities; hair dryers; separate water closets; and high-end bath amenities.

Many of the rooms come with balconies or patios that overlook mountains, the lake, or the pool area and lagoon.

Suites come in a variety of layouts and include all of the above and then some.

The executive club level rooms and suites located on the bridge are separated from the rest of the hotel by locked doors accessible only by guests with keys to one of those rooms. For the extra $100 or so per night you get even nicer amenities and touches throughout, the better views afforded by the bridge location, and access to the private club featuring beverages, food service throughout the day and evening, wine tastings, and more all included. These rooms also have their own dedicated concierge staff to get you those hard to find show tickets or restaurant reservations.

I've had the opportunity to stay in one of these rooms more than once and if you have resources to be able to afford it, please forgive the fingernail scratches on the walls I left behind when they had to drag me screaming from the room. I never wanted to leave.

Adjacent to the main hotel building is the 30,000-square-foot Spa Vita di Lago featuring a full-service salon; a very well equipped fitness center with Nautilus and free weights plus treadmills and elliptical equipment each with their very own 51-channel television; an exercise studio hosting aerobics, yoga, spinning, and other fitness classes daily; spas, saunas, and clubrooms for men and women; a meditation garden; a salon store; and 24 private treatment rooms offering everything from massage and facials to body treatments and milk and honey baths.

Of course the treatments and salon services cost extra but there is no facility fee to use the rest of the spa, something that will run you $10-50 a day at hotels on The Strip.

Between the spa and the hotel is the pool deck, a lovely and understated patio area overlooking the lake. Just adjacent is the lagoon with a waterfall and sandy beach area.

The Ritz-Carlton offers an almost mind-boggling list of activities for its guests including canoeing, kayaking, paddle boats, and more on the lake; fly-fishing; star-gazing tours and activities (including one that puts you on a blanket with a glass of Cognac and a cigar); hiking and mountain biking trails that you can do on your own or with a guide; horseback riding; archery; rock climbing; and more.

Once you're done with all of that exertion you can head back inside to their restaurant Medici for a nice meal or go right next door to the Montelago Village and Casino for some shopping, dining, or gaming excitement. Or forget that and just take a stroll on the meandering paths through the gardens and cobblestone streets of the village. I did just that and could actually hear my blood pressure dropping.

Of course none of this comes for free but I was pleasantly surprised by the rates. No one will ever call this a bargain hotel but with prices for a standard room starting around $150 during off-season and hovering just above $200 the rest of the time it's on par with hotels like Bellagio, The Four Seasons, and The Venetian and often cheaper. In my opinion the facilities, amenities, service, and overall experience of the Ritz are leagues ahead of what those hotels have to offer. There are also a bunch of discount and package options available through AAA and other groups plus the hotel is part of the Marriott rewards program so that can help bring down the cost a little.

The location of course is an issue that has to be discussed. It took me about 25 minutes to get from the Strip to the Ritz on a Sunday morning and a similar amount of time to get back on Monday morning shortly after rush hour. That's quite a trek if you're planning on spending a lot of time sightseeing, eating, and gambling on The Strip and if that's the case the Ritz might not be the best option for you. But if you've got a car at your disposal and your tourist activities are going to be limited to a dinner and show here or there this should definitely be on your list of hotels to consider.

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