by Marty G., Advertising/Sales Manager
Ask a circle of friends their thoughts about Las Vegas, and you're likely to get a mixed response. My friends either love it or hate it, and it tends to be the same elements that incite both reactions: the high rolling glitz and noise of the casinos. Personally, I've always enjoyed the people-watching and the great array of restaurants and other attractions (or distractions!) Las Vegas can offer. Recent trips to this 24-hour destination have found me staying in mega-properties, with casinos it's hard to find your way out of, and 3,000 other occupants on the same property.

Day One
Since I've been known to be a little tight with my coin, I was intrigued to learn about a new property opening in Las Vegas. Not only was it (gasp!) not going to be on the Strip, but from all descriptions it almost seemed as though the casino side might be an after-thought instead of the sole "raison d'etre."

So after checking out of a convention at one of the strip's mega new properties, we took a short stretch down and off the strip and checked in to The Resort at Summerlin for a preview visit.

The Resort at Summerlin is actually two hotels, the Regent Grand Spa and the Regent Grand Palms, surrounded by a $13.5 million complex of gardens, pools and lagoons covering 11 acres, including an 11,000-square-foot, glass-edged pool with a waterfall. The 54-acre resort is just 25 minutes from McCarran Airport and only 15 minutes from the Strip.

The Grand Palms lobby was stately without being austere, welcoming yet elegant. The young lady at the check-in desk was friendly and efficient and whipped us through the process with the utmost of charm.

Our soon-to-be-favorite bellman then showed us to our room where we anticipated the customary five-minute room tour. But this was no ordinary room, even though it was a Regent standard.

Nope, this "standard room" was over 500 square feet, with a large marble bathroom (my wife said she'd be willing to move in), a deep six-jet whirlpool tub, glass-enclosed shower (with two showerheads one normal one affixed to the wall and one overhead to feel like rain), two sinks and a separate room for the toilet with a phone. But it was the other little extras that made that bathroom even more delightful lights that came on slowly so as not to blind you, a shaving shelf (as my wife referred to it) in the shower, plenty of counter space and high enough showerheads that a 6'2" guy like me didn't have to duck to wash his hair.

Standard rooms also feature a small refrigerator (large enough for a few bottles of wine, a block of cheese and fresh baguettes). But the best for this gadget guy was yet to come . . . every room has cordless high-speed Internet connection through a huge 32" television, and more television channels than I could flip through. If the shaving shelf and luxurious marble bathroom transported my wife, I was one button-happy geek. The view from our window balcony was of a series of golf courses and the elegant front lawn of the property.

Once we checked in, we decided to wander the property a little on our own before joining PR maven Sara Harper for the official tour. Our surroundings included nine golf courses, included the TPC Canyons and Summerlin. We felt as though we must have been looking at the world's largest chia pet: take one large stretch of barren, rock strewn desert, add water (enough to fill a small lake), drop in 800 palm trees, carpet the entire area with a rich green carpet of grass, and . . . you have The Resort at Summerlin.

While most of the resort was not yet ready for guests work crews were furiously readying the pool, spa, major restaurants and shops for the October 99 grand opening, the Ceres and Upstairs Market restaurants in the Regent Grand Spa building, as well as the casino, were ready and welcoming. It was easy to see all the attention to detail that had gone in to the design and construction of the property. Even with tools, equipment and rushed workers scurrying around, the place still looked fabulous.

That afternoon, my wife took advantage of an in-room massage, since the Aquae Sulis Spa (a 40,000-square-foot health spa offering a full range of treatments, including massages, facials and loofah scrubs) was not quite ready for in-spa customers yet. She came back from her massage rested and relaxed, and ready for our first meal on property.

By the time Summerlin opens this fall, it will feature six unique restaurants, including an authentic Irish pub. Even though J.C. Woolaghan's was still under construction, the chef and his team prepared a menu sampler that we enjoyed from an open-air terrace just outside the Upstairs Market. Oyster-shooters, sausages and various cheeses whetted our appetites, as a young Irishman perfectly poured pints of half-and-half. Dinner included rounds of Irish soda bread, baked to perfection, and a spectacular steak and Guinness pie. Coffee and bread pudding, plus a little of John Jameson's finest, made the evening complete. The terrace view offered our first glimpse of the Strip from this new perspective and we loved the backdrop it provided.

And then, finally, we had our first formal chance to take a walk through the casino in night mode. We found it breathable, easy to walk through and an enjoyable setting. Live music emanates from a variety of venues; once the resort is completely open, visitors will find live performances nightly.