Attracting a youthful and party-loving crowd, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino pays homage to the past with an extensive collection of rock memorabilia, but the mood is up-to-the-minute hip. A 90-foot neon guitar juts into the sky over the entrance, which sits less than 2 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. A complimentary hourly shuttle can take you to The Strip from late morning until late afternoon (and parking is included in the resort fee), but with the range of entertainment and dining options, you may not want to leave the hotel.
The modern casino includes blackjack tables with go-go dancers as a backdrop, and you’ll receive the rock-star treatment in a private poker lounge with VIP rooms and bottle service. In warmer months, the hottest action is at the 5-acre water complex with sandy lagoon pools, private luxury cabanas (surcharge), and swim-up gaming. On Sundays, the legendary Rehab pool party is the place to be in Sin City. The floating palapa, anchoring the pool, transforms into a dance floor as popular DJs spin and mix the latest hits.
Prepare for a day at the pool with a workout in the health club and an airbrush tan in the Reliquary Spa and Water Sanctuary (the spa is great for detoxing after the party, too). In the evening, you can catch a headlining show at the live-music venue the Joint, then dance the night away at the locally popular Vanity nightclub.
Of course, you’ll need fuel for the fun, and the Hard Rock Hotel delivers. Six restaurants include a Tuscan trattoria, the sizzling Pink Taco cantina, and Nobu, an outpost of the world-famous Japanese restaurant. Mr. Lucky’s 24/7 restaurant, 2 lounges, and room service are all available 24 hours, fitting for Vegas’s late-night lifestyle.
You have to sleep sometime, though, and the hotel’s swanky accommodations fill the bill. Guestrooms and suites are housed in 3 distinctive towers, but all rooms feature large flat-panel TVs and plush beds with down duvets and 400-thread-count Egyptian-cotton linens. Wireless and wired high-speed Internet access is included in the resort fee.
