3121 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-770-7100,
Rates: Resort kings, the standard room at Encore, start at about $180 during the week. But Las Vegas is on sale. Check for deals online, in newspapers and at travel agencies. You can pay a lot more, but you can pay a lot less. Overnight and valet parking is always free. Wi-Fi is $13.99 per 24 hours. Cellphone reception in my room was weak — but never ever give in to making a long-distance call from your room phone. Consider yourself warned — better to lose your money gambling than talking.
Stay here if you: love Las Vegas and the Steve Wynn brand. It’s hard to call a 2,034-room hotel cozy, but that’s the feel of Encore, the little sister to the Wynn next door. And if you want the Wynn, it’s just a short, inside mall-walk away.
It’s close to: the Wynn, the Fashion Show Mall across the street (with a Starbucks, a Cap Grille and a Maggiano’s) and all the pleasures of the Strip.
The rooms are: all suites, but not big at 700 square feet. A partial wall is all that separates the two areas, and the flat-screen TV swivels in a hole in the wall. A desk, phone and fax machine await, the mini-bar is full and, of course, expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows face the Strip, giving you a glorious view at sunset and all night long. A bedside panel opens and shuts two sets of curtains and controls the lighting in the entire suite. One wall to the side of the bed is all mirrored. The bed, pillows and linens are top-notch; the bathroom has two sinks, bath, shower, private toilet and a small TV.
They put all of the money into: the building — a lot of money at $2.3 billion. Encore is brand-new, opening last December, and it still feels and smells like a new car. The Encore is gleaming, and maybe it’ll rub off on you.
The bottom line: The casino is electric red, but quieter than the others in town with fewer bells and whistles going off. And often at night, the betting minimums are lower. On Dec. 11, Garth Brooks starts his extended Vegas run in the Encore Theater, which sits in the promenade between the Encore and the Wynn. Be sure to check out the Lake of Dreams in the Wynn. I like the location at the end of the Strip, and the calmer pool scene looking down at the Strip rather than fighting my way through it. But some say they don’t go to Vegas to relax. If the Encore is too calm, take the five-minute walk to the Wynn. I can and did spend the entire weekend at the complex, from the pools to the restaurants. This is Vegas living at its best. Bill Husted
