The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

When a hotel boasts a “restaurant collection,” it’s not going to be a quaint little bed-and-breakfast. And when the hotel in question towers above the west side of the Las Vegas strip, adjectives like “oversized” and “expansive” are woefully inadequate. There’s really no less-than-hyperbolic way to describe the lone resort hotel to throw recession-era caution to the wind and open on the Vegas strip in 2010; a fact that speaks volumes about the spirit of this unapologetically gargantuan hotel and casino.

The Cosmopolitan’s 3,027 rooms and 100,000-square-foot casino don’t make for an intimate experience, so if you’re in need of some alone time, you might want to look elsewhere. However, that’s not to say that you can’t relax — whether you’re retreating to your guest room to celebrate a win or nurse the pain of a loss, the condo-style design offers plenty of space for entertaining or simply taking in the panoramic view from the private terrace. While suitably decadent — one flourish takes the form of the world’s largest chandelier — the interior generally forgoes in-your-face Sin City kitsch in favor of crisp modern décor.

The twenty restaurants are a study in global opulence, and a symbol of Vegas’s newfound dedication to culinary excellence. Each one is driven by a distinct personality, from the upscale steakhouse STK to the fine Greek cuisine of Estiatorio Milos to Blue Ribbon's SoHo-tastic gastronomic excess. The range of options is indicative of the Cosmopolitan’s willingness to engage with gamblers and non-gamblers alike. For the latter, there are about a million other ways to drop a few bucks, from boutique shopping to the Sahra Spa & Hammam. The hotel is right on the strip, but since you could wander its halls for a year without experiencing everything, what’s the point of even going outside?