A decade ago, anything resembling sophistication hadn’t yet found a footing in Sin City, so a visit to Las Vegas still mostly meant 99-cent shrimp cocktails, gimmicky hotels, and desperate gamblers in cheap suits. But in 1998, the Bellagio Hotel—with its dancing fountains, Chihuly sculpture–adorned ceiling, and designer boutiques—opened to great fanfare. Investors got the picture, and Vegas started to take its cuisine and couture cues from New York and Paris. Now, nonsmoking, casino-free hotels are sprouting up, and spas and dining rooms provide an escape from the chaos outside. Sure, the city still knows how to get crazy—what happens in Vegas sometimes truly should stay in Vegas—and the gambling and girls will never go away. But for anyone whose idea of fun includes an outrageous meal, bottle service at a flashy club, and a deluxe suite high above the desert, this is one peerless playground.

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The whole city is a party, but to really drink up, sweet-talk your concierge into getting you on the guest list at Tao, the Vegas twin of the hip New York restaurant and nightclub. Despite the scantily clad dancers and nearly nude bather in a tub of rose petals, Tao, at the Venetian, is still the most beautifully styled nightclub in Vegas. There’s a small balcony overlooking the strip, but the best views are inside on the dance floor. You can also take in the atmosphere in the pan-Asian restaurant downstairs or order from the full menu in the lounge—no reservation required. Just make sure you get there before 10 p.m., when the lounge tables start getting bottle service only, with a two-bottle minimum at $350 or more each. Tao, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-388-8588, www.venetian.com/attractions/tao.cfm

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Where are travelers setting down their Tumi bags right now? THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Connected to Mandalay Bay but with its own casino-free entrance, the—er, the—hotel features a sexy, dark palette throughout its richly textured hallways, finely appointed suites, and Bathhouse, the private spa. Though each suite features a wet bar and plasma-screen TV, drinks are best enjoyed in the hopping lobby bar or at Mix in Las Vegas, the restaurant overlooking the strip. Mix’s menu, from world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse, is divine (his kitchen had to be lifted to the top floor by helicopter).

For a simpler stay with impeccable service and a good chance of a balcony (a treat in Vegas), check into the Signature at MGM Grand, whose first tower opened in June, with two more scheduled to open in November 2006 and May 2007. It’s so new, your cabbie may not know where to find it. THE hotel at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 877-632-7800, www.thehotelatmandalaybay.com; the signature at MGM Grand, 145 E. Harmon Ave., 877-727-0007, www.signaturemgmgrand.com.

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The Vegas culinary scene has reached new heights with Joël Robuchon, the famed Michelin three-star chef’s new restaurant inside the MGM Grand. Once you step through the imposing stone facade announcing Robuchon’s name, the bustling casino behind you fades. For $350 each, diners enjoy a sumptuous

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If the casino clanging, martinis, and neon lights have given you a headache, have it soothed away at Spa Bellagio. The 65,000-square-foot salon and spa boasts four hot tubs, two Thai massage and yoga rooms, and a stunning co-ed meditation room. It also prides itself on offering the strip’s only Watsu treatment room (where you are stretched and massaged in water—meant to induce a womblike state). But the can’t-miss treat has got to be the Vichy Shower Body Exfoliation treatment: seven showerheads caress and relax you while a massage therapist works away dead skin cells and impurities with a blend of sea salts and essential oils. Only Bellagio guests are admitted to the spa on weekends, but guests of any MGM Mirage property can use the spa Monday through Thursday. Spa Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-693-7472, www.bellagio.com/pages/spasalon_spa.asp.

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Plunge into postwar, hippie Britain through Cirque du Soleil’s Love, set to and inspired by the music of the Beatles. John, Paul, George, and Ringo come alive in projections on floor-to-ceiling screens and in remixed recordings from Abbey Road Studios. In a 360-degree theater (where Siegfried and Roy used to perform), the dynamic staging, costumes, and choreography of Cirque du Soleil will change the way you listen to songs like “Something” and “Eleanor Rigby.” At times the stage gets a bit chaotic, but so was the era. No matter—as John and Paul wrote, love is all you need. love at the mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 800-963-9634, www.mirage.com/entertainment/entertainment_cirque_du_soleil.aspx, tickets $69−$150.