Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas

Carefully isolated within the Lake Las Vegas community, roughly 20 miles south-east of the Strip, the Ritz-Carlton is one of the most luxurious resorts in the Vegas metropolitan area, in no small part because it doesn't really feel much like Las Vegas. Key to this, of course, is the lack of an in-house casino: gamblers can wander next door to the Casino Montelago (939 8888, www.casinomontelago.com), but the Ritz-Carlton remains unsullied by the incessant blinking lights and tinkling melodies that characterise most major resorts in the region. The hotel itself offers all the luxury you'd expect to find in a Ritz-Carlton property. The rooms themselves are handsome without being needlessly flashy, kitted out with plush beds and chairs, fabulously generous bathrooms and most conceivable amenities (minibars, high-speed internet access and so on). The lobby bar, Firenze, delivers worthwhile cocktails, decent sandwiches and, on weekend afternoons at 1pm, a Florentine-style high tea. The real culinary action is downstairs in the renowned Medici, which serves a winning range of Mediterranean-influenced American dishes for breakfast, brunch (Sundays only), lunch and dinner. The luxury extends to the hotel's capacious spa, rightly regarded as one of the city's best. Nearby amenities include the Falls and Reflection Bay golf courses, which essentially adjoin the hotel, and Montelago Village, a sort of upscale Italianate theme park dotted with expensive boutique shops, restaurants and bars.