Luxor, Las Vegas

Rates: $$

Amenities: casino, spa, 24-hour room service, Jacuzzi suites

Family-Friendly Features: IMAX theater, replica of King Tut's Tomb, Games of the Gods arcade, IMAX Ridefilm, four large pools, food court with McDonald's, Little Caesar's Pizza and Nathan's Hot Dogs

Luxor is the kind of hotel that symbolizes Las Vegas: theme, theme, theme combined with fun and glamour. Luxor is housed in a truly royal pyramid that soars 350 feet in the air. The 36-story building contains the world's largest atrium: all in a hotel that maintains the title of the country's second largest.

The Egyptian theme fills the hotel. Just inside, a replica of the Great Temple of Ramses II, soars 35 feet into the atrium. In the registration area, mosaics depict scenes from ancient Egypt.

At night, it's easy to find the Luxor - just look up. From the pinnacle of the pyramid shines the brightest beam of light in the world. It is produced by 45 Xenon lights and projects a beam that you could read a newspaper by even 10 miles in space. This 4408-room hotel offers well-appointed rooms, all with a view of the Strip, the mountains, or the large pool. Roll-away beds are available.

For kids, though, the rooms are secondary to the fun found inside this pyramid. Most of the action takes place at the Las Vegas Pyramid Atrium; outside the casino, this is the center of the action. Here kids can board a motion simulator called “In Search of the Obelisk” that whisks them to a subterranean civilization. There's also plenty of action at the “Games of the Gods” arcade.

A true educational experience that's also plenty of fun is the King Tut's Tomb and Museum. This is the only full-scale replica of the tomb that exists so, short of hopping a flight to Egypt, this is a wonderful introduction to the boy king. To learn more about the land King Tut called home, families can buy tickets to "Mystery of the Nile," an IMAX experience shown on a 7-story screen along with "Fighter Pilot," "Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari," "Dinosaurs 3D: Giants of Padagonia" and "Deep Sea 3D," a documentary narrated by Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp, and "Titanic" star Kate Winslet.

When your mini-me's get the munchies, head for the food court for a McDonald's happy meal or a custom-ordered hamburger at the Burger Bar. For the littlest Las Vegas tourists, The Buffet at The Luxor lets children under the age of three eat for free.

Location: 3900 Las Vegas Boulevard South; see hotel map for location
www.luxor.com.