Choosing Your Las Vegas Experience

Mention "Las Vegas" to ten people and you'll get ten different reactions, but most will probably bring up the phrase "Sin City." While in the past, it was becoming known as a family-friendly destination, today Vegas is seeking the "Sin City" moniker--if not for the "well-heeled."

Does that mean if you're not into decadence or flush with big wads of cash then you should stay home? Not at all. But it does mean you need to do your research and choose your Las Vegas experience carefully.

For example, for the ultimate alfresco dining experience and dinner show, reserve a table at Mona Ami Gabi in Paris Las Vegas. If an outside table is available, you will be given preference by making a reservation. Once the sun goes down, you'll be treated to the twinkling lights of the Bellagio Fountains dancing to piped-in music.

If the busyness of the Las Vegas "Strip" is getting you frazzled and you'd like something more casual and expensive, try the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio. Considered the best buffet by locals and tourists alike, even the pickiest eater can find something tasty in the buffet selections.

From pizza to sushi to fresh carved meats to Asian dim sum, the Carnival World Buffet offers numerous distinct dining experiences from around the world featuring live-action stations. You can even choose the ingredients for a Japanese teppanyaki meal cooked right in front of you. And there's a special children's section with favorites such as corn dogs and Mac 'n Cheese.

The desserts are sublime with more than 70 varieties of homemade pies, cakes and pastries, and nine gelato flavors, all made from scratch. The night we were there we had a scoop of vanilla gelato with a bananas foster topping-one of our favorite desserts ever.

What wasn't to our taste was the new "Show in the Sky" in the Masquerade Village. But if Chippendale dancers and scantily-clad women gyrating onstage is your idea of entertainment, then this is the place to be and the show is free.

And if European pools or "adult-only" pools with topless sunbathing in a semi-private setting is your thing, then Las Vegas is the place to catch some rays. Not only does the Rio provide this for a fee, so do several other resort properties, such as the Mirage with their Bare Pool, Caesars Palace, the Venetian, Wynn, Stratosphere, and Mandalay Bay to name several.

But if topless sunbathing is not your thing and you believe the pool experience should come with the price of a room, then do not fear. Every resort retains its regular pool with swimsuit attire required policy without an extra fee.

Your experience in Las Vegas today really depends on the one you create. Just do your research beforehand.