The sequel and next door neighbor to the highly successful Wynn Las Vegas is more than just a carbon copy or extension of the original, even though physically the two are connected and integrated in ways that few other sibling hotels are. You can access Encore from Wynn by a short walk down a shopping esplanade past the theaters, or you can go directly to Encore – it has its own entrances from The Strip, its own check-in desks, and its own parking garage.

The exterior of the buildings are virtually identical, but get inside and things change dramatically. Where Wynn feels large and traditional, Encore feels more intimate and completely unlike any other Vegas hotel and casino.

The overall design scheme of Encore is not easily summed up in a word or two. Instead what you have is an eclectic mix of springtime cues (butterflies are a recurring theme), Greek mythology in the statuary and other art, and even some Moroccan touches in some of the lamps and furnishings. It’s a tribute to the designers that it all works together so well because it probably shouldn’t.

Enter from The Strip and you are deposited into a soaring atrium with glass ceilings, trees, and flowers. The natural light from this area spills into the main casino from one side while more light from the pool area comes in from the other side, which transforms the gaming space into a bright, livable space.

It’s actually good that they did it this way, because the casino itself is not very large and the layout, with lots of plantation shutter style dividers and draperies creating even smaller “rooms,” could have been claustrophobic. Instead, the bright red and white color scheme enhances the natural light and what you have is a warm, richly luxurious, and wholly original gambling experience.

There are slots of all denomination here, although it’s worth noting that there are fewer traditional reel machines and even fewer still that don’t have multiple pay lines requiring a higher maximum bet. I didn’t take a full survey but I think there were maybe a couple of dozen two- or three-coin, single pay line dollar slots in the entire place. The rest were video slots or multi-line monsters that require $9 or more per spin if you want to get the full bang for your gambling bucks.

This seems to be a trend – I noticed the same thing at Palazzo, the most recent major casino to open on The Strip before this one. Can’t say as I like it very much.

They also have some video poker and all of the major table games including blackjack, roulette, craps, three-card poker, let it ride, pai-gow, baccarat, and more. If you’re a sports bettor you need to take the short walk over to Wynn.

There is a high-limit area, whimsically designed to appear as if located under a Moroccan tent. Big bucks gamers have their own slots, table games, bar, and private gambling salons if they so choose.

Ringing the casino are several restaurants including: Sinatra, a tribute to the singer with some memorabilia inside; Wazuzu, Pan-Asian cuisine; Society, an upscale diner style restaurant; Botero, a steak and seafood restaurant run by Victor Drai; and a French influenced steakhouse/bistro called Switch that could become an attraction on its own – the exterior walls facing the casino and interior walls switch every twenty minutes or so to give the entire place a different feel. Cool.

The giant pool area dominates the resort, seeming to push into the casino and wrapping around to create an outdoor extension to the massive XS nightclub. The second floor spa is one of the biggest on The Strip and is nothing short of gorgeous in its appointments.

The rooms are stunning, both in terms of design and comfort. The black and tan color palette is subtle and rich, with splashes of color here and there that make a bold statement.

King bed rooms feature a sleeping chamber separated by a partial wall from a sitting room, while queen bed rooms have the sitting area integrated into one big room. Both feature very fine furnishings, a mini-bar, flat panel televisions, a desk, high-speed Internet, electronic remote control drapes and lighting, iron and board, safe, and much more.

A big marble lined bathroom features a dual vanity, separate tub and shower, hair dryer, very fine bath amenities, and robes and slippers.

Regarding the latter, part of the turn-down service involves putting the slippers on the floor next to the bed. It’s a nice touch. Oh, and of course there’s chocolate.

There are bigger and more luxuriously appointed suites available if your budget is up for it.

One minor complaint: rooms on the south side of the tower will offer you terrific views of The Strip but even on the 39th floor I was able to hear the thumping bass from the sound system at the XS nightclub down below, which stays open very late. If you are sensitive to noise and don’t mind giving up the view, you may want to consider requesting a room on the north side of the tower.

As long as we’re on the topic, let’s talk about cost. In different times the rooms at this hotel would easily be going for over $400 a night but the realities of the economy in early 2009 have forced prices down everywhere in Las Vegas, even at luxury hotels like this. I have seen rooms as low as $169 during the week and $269 on the weekends, although around $200 and $300 respectively are not uncommon. About a year ago, hotels that weren’t half as nice as this one were charging those kinds of rates so even though it’s not cheap, it feels like it by comparison.

Obviously if the economy goes on the uptick again, the room rates here will as well so be careful what you wish for.

And it’s important to note that room rates are not the only thing to watch for in terms of how expensive things are. Restaurants, the spa, even items in the sundry store are very costly at Encore so hold on to your wallet tightly.

Making the overall experience even more special is a staff of very professional, very friendly, and very efficient people. From the valet to the front desk to housekeeping to the dealers in the casino and beyond, everyone I dealt with greeted me with a smile and was more than eager to go out of their way to help me. An example: I only drink non-caffeinated sodas and had gone through all of them in the mini-bar. I made a call and had a fresh stock in my 39th floor room in under 10 minutes. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t see that kind of reaction in most Las Vegas hotels.

I was going to try to come up with some sort of pithy pun to say how much I like this hotel – you know, something about taking a bow or successful second acts – but instead I’ll just say this: Encore is one of the best hotels in Las Vegas.

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