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newer hotels' aquatic offerings, they're tops in this price range. Inside are a bevy
of good and, for the most part, reasonably priced restaurants (including the excel-
lent Market City Caffe, p. 75); lounges that attract a winning roster of talent
(Tues features a primo Prince impersonator); a food court; a top quality salon; and
the kid-friendly Lance Burton show (p. 195).
The only disappointments are the rooms themselves, which somehow seem
half-finished. Slightly larger than the norm, they simply don't have enough sticks
of furniture to fill up the space. Awash in earth tones, the rooms, if you can imag-
ine this, have an odd tundra-feel—I fantasized about planting all that open, dirt
brown carpeting with something cheerful, like daisies or sunflowers. Despite their
design flaws the rooms are certainly livable, and I must give high marks to the pil-
low-topped mattresses, the soft linens on the beds, the 27-inch TVs, and the pam-
pering bath products (which almost made up for the poky bathrooms).
$$-$$$$
I'm in a bit of a quandary on how to proceed now because when I last
stayed there, the Aladdin was in the midst of shedding its turban to don the mir-
rored sunglasses and celeb-celebrating ethos of its new owner,
Planet Hollywood
Resort & Casino
(3667 Las Vegas Blvd. S.;
%
877/333-WISH [333-9474] or
702/785-5555; www.planethollywood.com; AE, DC, DISC, MC, V).
Despite its schizo-
phrenic character, I thought there was much to recommend, from the plush beds
to the extra deep and long bathtubs—the best I've seen anywhere in Vegas. I also
liked what new Planet Hollywood touches I did see, from the glamour shots of
movie stars on the walls, to the fun fan rags on the bedside table (in addition to
the usual Las Vegas tourist literature).
There are, however, certain inherent problems to this property that I don't
think Planet Hollywood will be able to overcome, starting with its clumsy basic
design.
The check-in lobby is wedged into a difficult-to-locate second-floor corner
halfway between the mall and the casino. From there, it's a brainteaser to figure
out which of the darn elevator banks leads to your room. Paths through the casino
are similarly amorphous, though it does boast nice high ceilings that help keep the
noise levels tolerable and allow all that cigarette smoke to rise above nostril level.
And no self-respecting denizen of the actual Hollywood would be caught dead in
the rooftop pool area here, which has all the appeal of a high school gym pool (lots
of concrete, not enough shade, very little landscaping). It's going to take a lot of
work to get this drab swimming area up to celebrity standards. As for the pricing:
You got me! When it was still the Aladdin I found decently priced stays here, at
about $89 a night, but those rates seem to have tripled lately based on . . . who
knows what. I include it as an option, because I have to guess the rates will go
down during the time it's working hard to re-establish its identity (and renovat-
ing the huge Desert Passage mall, its restaurants and bars, as well as its spa).
$$-$$$$
An eye-popping icon of kitsch, the 30-story glass pyramid that is the
Luxor Las Vegas
555
(3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S., between Reno and Hacienda
aves.;
%
888/777-0188 or 702/262-4000; www.luxor.com; AE, DC, MC, V)
epito-
mizes what you come to Vegas for, and I'm not alone in that thought. In 1993,
the year it opened, it was featured on the cover of
Time
as the emblem of the
newer, bigger, more spectacular Sin City. And boy, is it a lollapalooza of a sight,
even today! Gleaming gold during the day, at night the onyx glass pyramid almost
