In an effort to help casino guests better enjoy their spoils (or forget their troubles), hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have upped the ante with sumptuous suites that are as otherworldly as the town itself.

Recently, my wife, Lisa, and I rolled into town to pay a visit to the swanky new Skylofts at MGM Grand. We were greeted at the airport in style, as all Skylofts guests are, by a chauffeur-driven 2005 Maybach 62 — the $375,000 ride is cozier, better appointed, and nearly as expensive as our home. Our dedicated concierge met us at the front door and whisked us through the VIP lounge, into a private elevator bank, and up to the top floor of the glimmering green behemoth. Opened in 1993, the MGM Grand’s top two floors previously housed suites reserved for invited guests. When it came time to renovate, the resort turned to the celebrated architect/designer Tony Chi to create a sanctuary that delivered unrivaled views, plus all the comforts of home.

Unveiled last January, the 51 two-story lofts range in size from 1,400 square feet to 6,000 square feet and come in one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations, each boasting 24-foot floor-to-ceiling windows. The design might best be described as elegant indulgence, given the rich fabrics and textures in warm neutral tones that provide a welcome respite from the abundance of color and noise downstairs. It’s good fun to go visit the casino funhouse, but it is great to return to such a soothing cocoon.

We sensed something special the moment we stepped off the elevators and into the aromatherapy-infused 29th floor lobby. Tastefully subtle, it set the tone for our entire experience in the Skylofts. While our concierge checked us in amid the comfort of our abode, our butler delivered a carafe of refreshing orange-melon juice. Left to settle in, Lisa and I beamed as we absorbed our surroundings. On the desk sat personalized stationery and business cards. Fresh berries graced the eight-person dining room table. Feeling the effects of a long flight from London, I was thrilled to find the one-touch espresso machine. The larger lofts come complete with a billiard or foosball table, though I had my hands full with a remote control so cool and comprehensive (satellite TV, DVD player, CD jukebox, the temperature, the lights, the drapes) that it seemed to do everything but rock you to sleep.

While I fiddled with gadgetry, Lisa went for a run (not in the 117-degree heat outside, but down the hall in the spa suite, which features one room equipped with a treadmill and an elliptical trainer and another set up for massage). The big-screen Sony plasma HDTV and Bang & Olufsen stereo were to my eyes and ears what the infused aromatherapy was to my nose, but they were nothing compared to the sensory ecstasy awaiting upstairs.

Lisa returned to find me lollygagging on the marshmallow-soft bed swathed in what felt like gazillion-count Egyptian cotton bedsheets. Suddenly, she summoned me to the master bath with the urgency usually reserved for a calamity caused by one of our four children. Her discovery left us both pleasantly agape: an infinity-edge Jacuzzi tub with champagne bubble massage and a Shangri-La shower that doubles as a steam room and is decked with simulated waterfalls, mist, and rain. I have seen a lot of memorable toys in my years writing about luxury travel, but the television inset behind the vanity mirror is easily among the coolest.

As amazing as the amenities were, the service was that much better. I felt compelled to check e-mail after a week abroad and traveling without my laptop, so our butler promptly delivered a slick Sony Vaio notebook, free of charge, which worked wirelessly and brilliantly. Lisa and I are both particular about, and often disappointed with, hotel pillows. However, Skylofts takes sleep seriously, with a dream-come-true menu offering nine different types of pillows, including a phenomenal water pillow that had me back online and surfing the Web for one the following morning.

We made the most of the hotel’s myriad attractions — indulging on sushi while learning loads from the sake sommelier at Shibuya, taking in KÀ, the latest marvel from Cirque du Soleil, dancing into the night at Tabu, and feeling like big winners walking out of the casino up $2. But MGM Grand has created a conundrum for guests livin’ large in the Skylofts: so much to do, so difficult to leave the suite.
www.skyloftsmgmgrand.com, priced from $800 to $10,000 per night.

INSIDE OTHER LAVISH LAS VEGAS SUITES

BELLAGIO Hands down, one of the most breathtaking suites in town is the Chairman’s Suite. Perched on the 33rd floor of the newly opened Spa Tower, the panoramic vista looks out on eternity with a view of the Fountains of Bellagio spectacular below. Fountains grace either side of the suite’s entryway, to the right of which sits a sunken bar with six stools and a glass top. Walls of glass encase a dark wood dining room table that seats 10. Two massive, matching master bedrooms bookend the suite, each with bathrooms most people could not conjure in their dreams, right down to the inlaid mother-of-pearl tile. In a town built on fantasy, this is the cherry on top.
www.bellagio.com, $5,000 per night.

THE HOTEL AT MANDALAY BAY An all-suite property that debuted in 2003, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay exudes a chic hipness — kind of like an Ian Schrager property, but with ample space to relax, unwind, and even entertain. The 26 penthouse suites, including two VIP suites, occupy the top three floors, the hallways of which are painted a deep, bold red. The suites have high ceilings that make the rooms feel more spacious than their 1,583 square feet to 4,500 square feet. Hardwood floors add an air of sophistication, as does the sleek, glass master bath. Hanging on both sides of a column set in the middle of the bedroom are his and hers 42-inch plasma TVs.
www.thehotelatmandalaybay.com, priced from $900 to $7,000 per night.

MONTE CARLO Under the management of MGM Mirage, Monte Carlo’s suites include one- and two-bedroom penthouses on the 32nd floor. Ranging from 1,600 to 4,500 square feet, they look and feel more like a residential apartment at The Pierre hotel overlooking Central Park than a hotel room in a Vegas high-rise towering above the desert. The gigantic bathroom takes up nearly half of the suite’s footprint, including a dual-head shower that could comfortably seat eight. Ornately detailed molding, furniture, and picture frames coupled with the soft colors and floral print armchairs in the Club Monaco lounge bespeak elegance and class.
www.montecarlo.com, priced from $500 to $2,500 per night.

THE VENETIAN Among the sweetest digs at the all-suite Venetian are 122 Concierge Suites in the Venezia tower, a unique boutique hotel within a hotel that opened in June 2003 and looks out upon a pool deck fashioned after an Italian garden. The decor is modern, the linens all cotton, and the exclusive bath menu provided by the in-house Canyon Ranch SpaClub. Guests enjoy separate check-in on the top floor, access to a private garden pool, and a lounge offering continental breakfast in the morning and canapés and cocktails in the afternoon.
www.venetian.com, priced from $299 to $1,439 per night.

WYNN LAS VEGAS Steve Wynn is back on the block, having christened his $2.7 billion brown beauty in April on the site of the dearly departed Desert Inn. The visionary who conceived the Mirage and Treasure Island eschewed a theme hotel in favor of a distinguished residential design. The Parlor Suite, designed by Roger Thomas, epitomizes fine living with replicas from Wynn’s exquisite art collection, a backlit mahogany and granite wet bar, a terrace with a private swimming pool, and commanding views of The Strip on one side and the resort’s hot-topic Tom Fazio golf course on the other.
www.wynnlasvegas.com, priced from $750 per night.

California freelance writer Scott Gummer is definitely on a roll. In the September/October 2005 issue of Private Clubs, he wrote about the growing poker phenomenon.