Las Vegas: Best Views on the Ground and in the Air

Visitors to Las Vegas can find some spectacular views. When arriving at the airport, especially at night, you can see the tall buildings, lots of neon signs and flashing lights of the famed Strip. You can also pay $100 for a spectacular night ride over the city by helicopter. However, when down to earth and gambling inside any Vegas casino, you shouldn't expect much of an outside view.

While at the tables and slot machines, you're inundated with never-ending flashing lights and pulsating music, but you'll see little resembling normal day or night. The simple reason is that casinos are designed to do everything possible to keep you gambling. Natural light is rarely let in, and you're not supposed to be distracted by wondering whether it's 3 p.m. or 3 a.m. outside.

However, when tired and you finally decide to quit gambling and need to get some rest, you can seek some relief from seeing what's going on outside. Many Vegas hotels offer great views from the windows of some upper-floor rooms and suites.

As newer and higher-rise hotel/casinos reach for the desert-clear Vegas night sky, the views get more spectacular from their uppermost room windows, penthouses, restaurants, dance clubs and rooftop bars. Daytime views are not as spectacular, but you probably won't notice. You'll be downstairs in the artificially-lit casino or getting some much-needed shut-eye in your hotel room.

The 20-story Stratosphere Hotel, an older resort about halfway between downtown and the newer, more luxurious resorts on the famed Las Vegas Strip, offers great views. You can look down on lights of the venerable Fremont Street district, as well peer up the Strip at many of the brightly-lit resorts, the airport and Nellis Air Force base beyond them.

Two of the newer Strip resorts, are more than twice as high as the Stratosphere The Wynn is 45 floors and the Palazzo soars to 50 floors. Views from their high-up windows give a sweeping panorama of the city, airport, Mount Charleston and miles of desert around. It's not unusual for guests to look out and down to see commercial flights landing and taking off from the airport at lower altitudes than their rooms.

Ther 21-floor Red Rock Resort is a 20-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip, and offers some more natural views from its guest rooms. It is next to the spectacular Red Rock Canyon area at Mount Charleston. Scenery from the windows include the brilliant red rock formations, nature trails in the nearby woods, and at wintertime, snowy ski slopes at the top of the mountains.