Vegas, Baby: Of Clubs, See-Thru Showers & Riding High

The Dayclub

Victor Drai seems to have the appetite to take over the world. A man obsessed with creating theatrical spaces, Drai (film producer, Weekend at Bernie’s, The Man with One Red Shoe) has been behind trendy hotspots like Drai’s After Hours Club, and Tryst, both in Las Vegas, and Rare on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, but his latest offering, Drai's Beachclub+Nightclub at The Cromwell, Las Vegas’ newest boutique property, outperforms them all.

Positioned atop The Cromwell on the 11^th floor Drai’s reigns over what is arguably the busiest intersection in Vegas; Caesar’s Palace is across the street as is the Bellagio. During the daytime Drai’s is a beach pool party on steroids, a perpetual spring break soiree; in the evening it morphs into an upscale high voltage nightclub. The dayclub embraces north facing views including the Red Rock Mountains in the distance and the Bellagio fountains across the street. 

The Nightclub

 A central pool is flanked by palm trees and a white exterior with pink curtains covering the 15 second-floor cabanas outfitted with HD TVs but with all the hard bodies dancing to the tunes of a live DJ we doubt you’ll be watching much TV. The nightclub, a two story indoor space facing the dayclub pool, is all shiny black semi circular booths and a horseshoe DJ station surrounded by columns glittered with postage stamp-sized mirrors. The two-story nightclub has seven control table operators behind the DJ for visuals of the 270-degree wraparound video wall and the first ever ceiling video panels, so it’s a constant stream of optical illumination. VIP tables and booths ring the dance floor and match the second floor private balcony areas, all of which are imbued with black imitation crocodile coverings highlighted with pink and orange. The sound system is off the charts and the music will rattle your very bones, literally. This non-stop flood of music, vibration and light is a near primal sensation. And if lighting your very own fireworks show has always been a dream, Drai’s will make it a reality starting at $10,000 - detonator included. It’s an Odd Couple relationship since The Cromwell by contrast is downright sedate.

There are the standard casino gambling offerings at The Cromwell of course, but the property is just 188 rooms, teeny by Vegas standards, and that’s exactly the point; it’s a boutique property in a vast sea of sameness. The 169 standard rooms are not large but do have a seating area and desk and frankly, most everyone isn’t spending time in their rooms. There are 19 suites ranging from 723 square-feet to a 2,550 square-foot, six-bedroom suite. The rooms, with six-foot burgundy padded headboards in case you need that sort of thing, have dark hardwood floors and luggage and trunk-style furnishings which makes them feel nostalgic, a kind of speakeasy charm reminiscent of vintage Paris but without the accents. A full-length smoke tinged mirror in the room actually looks into the shower – a happy fact I discovered accidentally when my wife was showering. 

The interior hallway carpets are printed with phrases in English and French such as, “You cannot desire what you do not know,” and similarly, the bathrooms also have tiled phrases. It is far from the glitzy or cheesy décor of many Vegas properties and feels like it was done on purpose, whereas many hotel rooms seem to have the design integrity of Ikea. The other draw to The Cromwell? Celebrity TV chef Giada De Laurentiis has opened her first restaurant here. When I visited Giada’s wasn’t open yet, therefore I don’t include any information on that here. But by all appearances Drai’s and The Cromwell will leave a lasting mark for foodies, partygoers, and gamblers.

But Vegas is not merely perpetual parties, de jour hotels and lost wages; it does offer something new and interesting all the time, almost out of necessity. Case in point is the High Roller, a Ferris wheel with enclosed pods that take you for a (slow) spin for the best and highest views not only of Vegas itself, but with view to Red Rocks and the vast dessert of Nevada. 28 glass-enclosed cabins reach 550 feet in the dry air, thus they claim it to be the highest observation wheel in the world. I’m guessing that’s probably right, it is Vegas after all. The ride is 30 minutes and prices spin as much as the wheel does with different pricing for daytime (cheaper - $24.95) and nighttime with all the gleaming lights ($34.95). Then there are discount coupons at Caesars hotels (like the Cromwell), special discounts for groups and different pricing depending on the time of year, so check around. Fortunately kids under 12 are free.