The Mirage
Las Vegas

Rates: $$$

Family-friendly Hotel Features: white tiger habitat, saltwater aquarium, Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, tropical rainforest, volcano, Cirque du Soleil LOVE show, moving sidewalk to Caesars, free monorail to Treasure Island

Family-friendly Features for Guests: Iarge swimming pool complex

Other Features: casino, spa, numerous specialty restaurants, salon

The MIrage was the first of Las Vegas’s theme hotels, The Mirage is still one of our favorites, tastefully done and magically enchanting. The hotel includes 3044 guest rooms but it’s best known for its amenities and stylish attractions. Out front stands the volcano, a pyrotechnic attraction that blows throughout the evening. Inside, the enchanting feel of the South Seas starts with a larger than life aquarium and continues with tropical rainforest, streams, birds, waterfalls, over 500 palm trees, orchids, a misting system, and more. You can’t miss the 20,000-gallon aquarium at the front desk; it’s home to leopard shark, blacktip shark, puffer fish, and surgeonfish.

The hotel was the home of Siegfried and Roy, the city’s best-known magic act. The two featured white tigers in their act, and, today, the tigers can be seen at the Tiger Habitat. The hotel is also home to the Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, a true oasis that's tucked just steps away from the Strip but seems a continent away.

Guest rooms, which were recently redone, are tastefully done in shades of yellow, with in-room minibars, private safes, and hairdryers. On our last stay, we had a room with a view of the volcano (the noise of which might be a little too much for light-sleeping children).

Location: 3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South

photo courtesy Las Vegas News Bureau