SPOTLIGHT

Caesars Palace, 702.650.5965

Mediterranean Munching

I almost cried when I heard that Mesa Grill was closing. Imagine my relief and excitement when the opening of Amalfi by Bobby Flay was announced. And it has more than lived up to expectations since opening.

Not only will you fi nd fresh fi sh, which you can choose yourself , but other inspired dishes like bufala mozzarella with charred lemon leaves, gnocchi al forno, squid ink fettuccine and orecchiette with eggplant Bolognese. If you aren’t up for pasta or fi sh, steak and jidori chicken round out the entrées. And the Lemon, Lemon, Lemon presents lemons three ways—cakes, custard and crisps (all delicious)! –Nina King

Resorts World, 702.676.7000

A Mind, Soul and Body Adventure Resorts World spa o ers an array of wellness experiences

The journey through Awana Spa & Wellness can be both solitary and communal—that’s the beauty of the Strip’s newest spa at Resorts World. “The journey starts with the architecture of the space,” says Jennifer Lynn, director of spa and fi tness. “The spa was designed with sacred geometry in mind; there’s a lot of repeating circular patterns throughout. If you’ve ever been in a beautiful museum or church and it moved you just from the space, that’s probably because there was sacred geometry designing the space—it speaks to us at a deeper level, a soul level.”

Next on the Awana journey is its communal aspect—a part of the spa called The Fountain of Youth. Within this co-ed space, guests relax, recharge and socialize in six vitality pools, the event sauna, tepidarium chairs, cool mist showers, experiential rain walk, heated crystal laconium room and vapor-fi lled steam rooms. “Our spa is designed to be social,” Lynn says. “Social wellness is part of human wellness. … There’s that community connection. It’s appropriate because we’ve been in a social-distancing atmosphere for so long, so let’s drop the walls and let’s get reconnected to our spirit, which is being socially connected and thriving in that atmosphere.”

It’s also in this area that one of the mostunique spa experiences takes place—the Art of Aufguss. Inside the event sauna, Sauna Meisters perform a variety of journeys that use heat, meditation, dance, aromatherapy, music and lighting to guide guests through a transformative experience. This treatment, as well as the entire Fountain of Youth space, can be enjoyed when you purchase a Fountain of Youth passport. (Guests who book a treatment automatically get access to Fountain of Youth.)

When it comes to healing and wellness, there’s a long list of globally inspired treatments, from massages, facials and foot care to stretch and recovery. Some of Lynn’s suggestions include the Bangkok Thai Wellness massage, which stretches, compresses and restores the entire body; the Into the Redwoods, a massage that grounds and connects the spirit and body using essential oils, mud mask, scalp massage and more; and the Radiance Facial With Dermaplane, a favorite that removes impurities and dead skin, leaving a healthy, hydrated glow.

Awana also o ers separate men’s and women’s areas, couples’ suites and a therapy zone perfect for pre- and post-workout, with trainers available to assist. –Kiko Miyasato

Flamingo, ticketmaster.com

Summer Win

You simply cannot separate Las Vegas from Wayne Newton; one is not the same without the other. And that’s why his show, Wayne: Up Close and Personal, at the Flamingo’s intimate Bugsy’s Cabaret theater space, is so significant—every performance is making more history. Never before have his fans had such access and proximity to this legendary entertainer, and he’s going out of his way to connect with every member of the audience.

He’s one of those rare artists who attracts fans of varied generations, too. Consider that an entire new audience fell in love with his signature song, “Danke Schoen,” after Matthew Broderick lip-synced the hit while crashing a parade in 1986 flick Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Newton is definitely revisiting that track in his Flamingo show, as well as favorites like “Red Roses for a Blue Lady,” “Summer Wind,” and “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast.” He shares some archival videos with highlights and personal moments from a life onstage, and allows plenty of time for audience questions and requests. Wayne: Up Close and Personal is aptly named and almost makes you feel like you’ve been friends with this superstar for years. –Brock Radke

Float On

Looking for something different to do today in Las Vegas? Grab your group or your sweetie and book a sail along the waters of The Venetian on a gondola ride. Guests can coast along the waters indoors of The Grand Canal Shoppes as the gondolier serenades or take it outdoors and float along the waters Stripside and enjoy the sunshine. Twice a day, guests can also catch the Gondolier March—gondoliers serenade in unison through the indoor canals at 9:50 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. –Kiko Miyasato

The Venetian, 702.414.4300

Buon Appetito

It’s a sampling of Italian-focused flavors and a show when you dine at Lago by Julian Serrano. The dining room, with an open-air patio, overlooks one of the city’s most-famous attractions—the Fountains of Bellagio. (Ask about snagging a patio table when you make your reservation so you can get a front-row seat to the fountains).

Here, it’s small plates loaded with big flavors. Antipasto and a raw bar get the meal started, followed by mains that focus on meat, fish, pasta and risotto. There are even plentiful vegetarian options and larger plates like osso buco, whole lobster and baked whole branzino.

Lago is also a hot spot for brunch, Friday through Sunday. Enjoying a mimosa with lobster Benedict, bananas Foster pancakes, or steak and eggs while watching the beautiful fountains perform is a Las Vegas experience to remember. –Kiko Miyasato

Bellagio, 702.693.8865

Keeping It Clean

We’ve all heard about the power of eating clean, and you don’t have to give up that ideal in Vegas. At True Food Kitchen in The Forum Shops at Caesars, you’ll fi nd a range of healthy, enticing dishes that will satisfy.

While the menu does switch out regularly, bringing in fresh, seasonal ingredients, some things are on the menu year-round like edamame guacamole, mixed with avocado, and cilantro pesto. The pita chips are even made in-house. And no matter your dietary concern, you’ll fi nd something here; for instance, the teriyaki quinoa bowl is gluten-free and vegan, while the popular Ancient Grains bowl, with its savory miso-sesame glazed sweet potato, is vegan.

Pizzas include a vegan spinach-mushroom pie with almond ricotta. For entrées, opt for a vegan double cheeseburger, or a grass-fed beef burger, turkey burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. If you prefer seafood, poke bowls with wild-caught tuna; grilled, sustainable salmon; and pan-seared sea bass are on the menu.

You can indulge in dessert, too, with such items as vegan strawberry cheesecake made with cashews; and vegan chocolate chip cookies with vegan ice cream. –Nina King

Open Up Your Senses

Over its fi rst year, AREA15 o ered a large array of immersive experiences that play with perceptions and stimulate the senses. It’s only gotten larger since then; you could spend an entire day here and not see everything the enormous complex has to o er.

From the time you enter, there’s just so much to look at and experience, like Shogyo Mujo, a 12-foot-tall skull that welcomes you inside. You can zipline Haley’s Comet to the Emporium Arcade Bar Las Vegas, and play some of your favorite arcade games of all time, as well as pinball and foosball.

How about Wink World, which features six infi nity-mirror rooms and really opens up your senses? Or The Beast by Todd English, a restaurant described by the man himself as “If Mad Max and Burning Man had a child”? –Las Vegas Magazine Sta

3215 S. Rancho Drive, area15.com

The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702.340.2600

Très Incredible

Go ahead and let reality slide, you’ve got a date with a handsome magician. Xavier Mortimer, a French illusionist who you may have seen on shows such as America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, or in his series of YouTube videos that garnered huge response over the last year, performs live in The Dream Maker at The STRAT. And Mortimer’s illusions, from close-up magic to full-on appearances, will defi nitely have you doubting what you just saw with your own eyes. –Nina King

The STRAT, 702.380.7777

Lighten the Mood

Illuminarium was too big to fi t inside AREA15’s main building. The latest immersive venue to open at the experiential campus just west of the Strip needed 36,000 square feet for its next-level, cinematographically interactive destination, necessitating a building of its own .

Illuminarium’s colorful exterior contrasts strikingly with its surroundings. Inside, a menu of programs is o ered in the lobby. Once a program is chosen, a warm-up room, divided by two rows of plush white chairs that would not look out of place in a Stanley Kubrick fi lm, provides a preview of what is to come. Floral imagery from its O’KEEFFE: One Hundred Flowers program can be projected onto walls and segue into an Apollo rocket launch lifted from SPACE: A Journey to the Moon & Beyond.

The main course is a larger adjoining sense-in-surround venue with a fl oor that rumbles with thunder during WILD: A Safari Experience. “Awe-inspiring” doesn’t do justice to the 360-degree scenes and sounds of savannas and rainforests, where gorillas emerge from the mists of every sightline. It’s virtual reality without eyewear or vertiginous reactions, and its time has come. –Matt Kelemen

Scenes From an Italian Deli

From Cake Boss Buddy Valastro comes the newest Italian eatery in town, where you can get pizza, house-made “mozz,” paninis and salads, plus sweets as well. The Boss Cafeby Buddy Valastro is tucked down a passageway in The Linq Hotel (conveniently close to the parking entrance for patrons who want to nip in for breakfast or lunch).

From the mozz bar, order up the yummy cheese with a topping like basil pesto or pickled spicy peppers, olive oil and focaccia. Don’t forget one of the tasty drinks, like Lisa’s pistachio rose latte. The “nonna-style” pizza slathers an incredibly tasty pomodoro on bakery-style slices and adds a variety of toppings, like thick-cut pepperoni and chicken Parm. Get a solid chopped salad or indulge in sandwiches, which range from a caprese to chicken Milanese. For dessert, get a slice of cake, cookies or a lobster claw ( selection will change). –Nina King

The Linq Hotel, 702.490.2873

3215 S. Rancho Drive, illuminarium.com

Can’t Beat It

When you see MJ Live at Tropicana you’ll really think you’re seeing the real thing while rocking to classics like “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and “Beat It” (getting up and dancing is highly encouraged!), and for some real nostalgia, there’s a Jackson 5 segment that takes you back to the icon’s younger days. You’ll likely be singing right along when the band launches into “ABC” and “I’ll Be There”; you might fi nd yourself getting a bit emotional, too. –Ken Miller

Tropicana Las Vegas, ticketmaster.com

Beauty and the Feast

At Bottiglia Cucina & Enoteca, a lovely Italian restaurant in Henderson at Green Valley Ranch, it is a matter of pride how fresh everything is. The Tuscan menu includes plenty of seasonal items that will satisfy you, from stu ed zucchini fl owers with lemon ricotta on the appetizer menu to fruit with maple and coconut cream on the brunch menu. A few other great items on the brunch side (available Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 a.m.), are California eggs Benedict with avocado and rotisserie chicken; shellfi sh towers with shrimp, oyster and lobster; cheeseburgers and fi let mignon.

At dinner, get that same seafood tower and fi let, or indulge in a plate of pasta, like fettuccine Alfredo, lobster ravioli or vegan spaghetti Bolognese. There are also classic dishes like chicken Parm, or a twist on eggplant Parm—it’s vegan!

Bottiglia features specials many nights of the week, and one of the best is its reverse happy hour, where you can tipple on drinks and cocktails for half o ! It runs Sunday-Thursday from 9-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 10-11 p.m. –Nina King

Enthusiasts Assemble!

Are you a true Marvel fan? Test your knowledge about that universe at Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N., where you’ll be reminded of the origin stories of everyone from Captain America to Thor. You’ll also fi nd a ton of info about each hero, and may glean details you had no clue about before.

Take a gander at Captain America’s shield and motorcycle and several of the Iron Man costumes featured in the movies, as well as Hawkeye and Black Widow. Throughout the attraction, you’ll fi nd interactive elements that let you discover the true strength of the Hulk in Bruce Banner’s lab, and explore other dimensions with Thor. Not only will you check out the heroes, there might be a few villains featured, too.

And take your time—there are plenty of small details that you might overlook at fi rst glance, like Ant-Man’s ants leading you on. –Nina King

Treasure Island, 702.894.7722

Green Valley Ranch, 702.617.7191

A One-Stop Bop

It’s all-in-one-Vegas-fun at O’Sheas. The famed Irish-themed venue is a longtime favorite of visitors and locals and is part mini casino (roulette and blackjack tables), part college-themed fun (beer pong) and part bar and lounge (multiplebars with a great people-watching one outdoors right along the Linq Promenade). Eight beers on tap and specialty cocktails like the frozen Irish margarita and the frozen Bailey’s cocktail add to the imbibing fun. –Kiko Miyasato

The Linq Hotel, 702.835.5723

AYU DAYCLUB

As the summer heat takes hold, you’ll look to the strip for the indescribable fun refuge you’ve been searching for. Plunge into the ritualistic, bass-pumping trance of AYU Dayclub. You’ll have no better way to party poolside under champagne showers, with high-energy crowds dancing to non-stop DJ sets. The island paradise setting is fit for a desert party escape. But, if your fun loving groove makes it through the day, Resorts World Las Vegas will take you on a trip through thrilling entertainment like you’ve never seen before.

Presented by

RESORTS WORLD A REAL VEGAS

NIGHT OUT

Don’t miss the vibe

FUHU

After working up an appetite at the Dayclub, you’ll need to rest and refuel. If you want to keep the momentum going, you’ll need the ambiance at FUHU to reboot your mood. FUHU brings an unexpected twist on contemporary Asian cuisine and a mixology program that’ll leave you mesmerized. FUHU serves succulent steaks, sushi, specialty cocktails and sake, day and night, with indoor and patio seating, and a music playlist that will entrance you in a party vibe.

REDTAIL

As the evening approaches, social hours lure you into the night. Wander over to RedTail for a fully integrated social gaming lounge experience featuring interactive gaming, invenue sports betting, live entertainment, and expansive TVs. Kick back and enjoy signature cocktails, share plates or try any number of the over 20 types of beer. If sports aren’t your thing, you can belt out your favorite tunes in 3 private karaoke rooms as you prepare to have the time of your life.

ZOUK NIGHTCLUB

When you’re ready to end your night on the highest note, you’ll walk into Zouk Nightclub. Zouk is an unbelievable, innovative space, pushing the boundaries of dance music. On any given night you’ll look to the stage and find international stars like Tiësto and Zedd mixing music that puts attendees in a dance-filled, rhythmic trance. Partygoers can journey through multiple experiences with the Mothership above, floating and transforming with every beat of bass and flash of strobing lights. Bask in the glow of what it really means to have a night out in Las Vegas. You dont want to miss this...