By E. C. Gladstone
Labor Day marks the "home stretch" of pool season in Las Vegas, and prime time for our competitively lavish cabanas. While renting a cabana might seem an extreme indulgence to some (prices rival those of rooms, going up on weekends and even up-per on holidays), it makes sense if you’re planning on a whole day at the pool with the family or friends. Typically you must be a hotel guest to reserve one, but you can invite a number of non-hotel guests (limits vary) along. And if an "adult/club pool" is in your plans, it may actually be a good deal since it includes admission fees for your whole party!
The best of them all include ample relaxation seating as well as reserved chaises, complimentary fruit/snacks and soft drinks, plasma TV, iPod-docking stereo, house phone, a safe for valuables and personalized service. Most also offer private massage service from their resort spa.
Here are my favorites:
• As far as cabana comforts, the Wynn resort is hard to beat — theirs are so luxurious you may want to move in!
• Bellagio‘s popular 50+ cabanas are roomy and pleasant, as you’d expect for their famously refined pool area.
• Those at The Venetian & Palazzo are comparable — and they even have A/C units.
• With certainly the most magnificent pool area, The Beach at Mandalay Bay also has over 70 cabanas of several classes from $150/daily upwards.
• Anyone can reserve the Red Rock Resort‘s cabanas at their cool circular pool deck, and they include Nintendo Wii and several treats daily (but start at a steep $400).
• The Hilton, MGM, Mirage and TI–all nice pools—are also good options.
Best deals:
• Mandalay Bay‘s Private Garden Bungalows ($150 & up)
• The Golden Nugget‘s sexy & shady cabanas ($175 & up) are perched on two levels above their shark tank — you can take a tube slide straight down into the pool!
• Excalibur‘s recently remodeled deck includes an adult-only pool with pleasant cabanas, a bargain at only $75-150.
•Both TI and the JW Marriott, Summerlin offer half-day options at $100 or less (does anyone really spend 12 hours at a pool anyway?) and even the Marriott’s not-too-shabby Grand Cabana maxes out at $225 on weekends.
Adult/club pools:
• The nicest party pool, MGM’s Wet Republic, also has the best standard cabanas — roomy and chic, with huge TVs, DVD players and Xbox game systems (their 4 VIP cabanas feature king beds and private Astroturf terraces)
• Moorea at Mandalay Beach’s four open air "pavilions" are also gorgeous — and the Villa Rotui sky cabana, with panoramic views, rotating circular bed, stripper pole, wet bar and private pool is as cool as it gets.
• Sapphire pool at Rio may not have the swankiest cabanas, but its definitely the most "adult" party pool — and the only one which will pick up your party in a limo!
• For Vegas’ biggest pool party, Rehab (Sundays at the Hard Rock Hotel ), renting one of their see-and-be-seen open cabanas is a good way to get you and 12 or so guests in faster — hope it’s worth $1,000 or more!
• And if you’re dead set on the swank spa-quality cabanas at TAO Beach (Venetian), the bleacher-style bed-bungalows at Bare Pool (Mirage), or the exclusive Venus Pool cabanas (Caesars Palace) on a weekend…then you don’t need my help!
I’ve been told to warn you: prices can vary for many reasons, and advance reservations are pretty essential.
Insider tip: There are a lot of amazing concerts and DJ events here Labor Day weekend, but one definitely stands out: Ice Cube at the House of Blues on Saturday, August 30. A true hip hop legend in a room that small? Holla.
Related Orbitz resources:
E.C. Gladstone is a former editor for AOLVegas, and interviews top
Strip entertainers, restaurateurs, moguls and behind-the-scenes
players for VEGAS Magazine. Like many Las Vegans, he sleeps only when
absolutely necessary.
We’re giving away a Las Vegas vacation for two at a swanky, new 5-star hotel on the Strip to one of our Twitter followers.
