McCarran International Airport (LAS): Approximate driving time is 10 minutes and distance is 4.5 miles.

Driving directions from McCarran International Airport (LAS): Exit the airport via Swenson St. Turn left on E Flamingo Road and follow it about 2 miles to the hotel.

Getting there: The best option from the airport is taxi ($15–$25) or rental car. Shuttles ($5–$15) are also available. (All fees subject to change without notice.)

Getting around: The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to Harrah's on the Las Vegas Strip. Once there, travel up and down the Strip is quite convenient: on foot, by taxi, or via numerous buses and shuttles (less than $5; fees subject to change without notice). For destinations outside the Strip, a rental car is the best option.

Antonio's Italian Ristorante - Classic Italian dishes plus specials such as lobster fra diavolo and sea bass Livornese.

Gaylord India Restaurant - Northern Indian cuisine, including tandoori and mughlai cooking with multi-course, fixed-priced dinner options. Weekday lunch buffet.

Rosemary's - This restaurant, with a pool view from second floor, is acclaimed for fresh, local ingredients prepared with French flair.

Fiore Steakhouse - Steaks, seafood, poultry, and adjoining cigar lounge.

All-American Bar & Grille - Steaks, chops, and seafood at dinner. Twenty-two burgers, including a 20-ouncer for two, featured at lunch.

Bamboleo's - Mexican fare with comfy booth and margarita bar.

Sao Paulo Café - Open 24 hours for snacks and full meals; long menu with American, Mexican, Chinese, and Italian choices.

Carnival World Buffet - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets featuring 11 ethnic and specialty stations.

Village Seafood Buffet - Lunch and dinner buffets prepared from fresh seafood.

JW's Tavern - American tavern food and more than 100 international beers.

Hamada's Asiana Restaurant - Asian food from a popular local chain.

VooDoo Café and Lounge - New Orleans food, including seafood, meats, and Louisiana-style duck, with live music in the lounge that provides rooftop views of The Strip.

Toscano's Deli & Market - New York-style deli and bakery.

Wine Cellar - Tasting room featuring more than 600 wines.

Rio Java Coffee Hut - Coffee drinks and pastries.

Star Deli Express - Sandwiches and salads.

Room service is available 24 hours.

Amenity highlights: Open seasonally, the resort's expansive pool complex features four pools: one for children with waterfalls cascading from a rock formation and a sand beach; a second shaped like a clam with its own waterfall; a third shaped like a fish; and a fourth, lagoon-style pool. Within the complex are five spas (three secluded in a rock garden and two in a grotto behind a waterfall in the lagoon pool), two pool bars, and a snack bar. For-rent cabanas on the sundecks come with television, phone, ceiling fan, refrigerator, and padded lounges.

Insider tip: Styled after Brazil’s Carnaval celebration, elaborate state-of-the-art floats—suspended from ceiling tracks—wind through Masquerade Village, and performers toss bead necklaces from the floats. When this free event happens seven times a day, the best places for close-up views and to catch souvenirs are from balconies in the two-story shopping/dining village that resembles a Rio de Janeiro neighborhood.

Three times in the afternoon and four times at night, gaudy Brazilian-style Carnaval floats suspended from ceiling tracks swing through the two-story Masquerade Village shopping/dining arcade and above the casino. Called Masquerade Show in the Sky, the extravaganza features performers dancing in the floats and tossing bead necklaces to spectators while a band plays Latin beats on a stage below. For a fee, spectators can ride in the float parade.

Renowned for their quirky comedy and cerebral humor, Penn & Teller entertain nightly (except Tuesday) in the 1,500-seat Samba Theatre. Following them in the theater is the late-night adult revue Showgirls.

Chippendales, the men's dance-and-strip show, appears in 750-seat Club Rio nightly (except Tuesdays), followed by live and DJ dance music. Ipanema Bar also offers live entertainment.

The Off-Broadway hit dinner show Tony n' Tina's Wedding, complete with music, dancing, and an Italian feast, is presented nightly in the Calypso Room, with the audience participating in the satire.

Occupying its own showroom, The Scintas is a nightly (except Thursdays) revue of music, comedy, and impressions. The showroom features comic-ventriloquist Ronn Lucas in the afternoons.

The 120,000-square-foot casino supplies slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, pai gow poker, and roulette and includes a high-limit area, a keno lounge, and a race-and-sports book.

Free Total Rewards membership cards earn points for slots and table-games play at all Rio, Harrah's, Showboat, and Harveys casinos nationwide, with rewards including cash and comps.