Las Vegas is great for a lively weekend getaway and Atlantic City is always classic casino entertainment, but where do you go when that familiar gathering of slot machines and gaming tables grows a little too familiar or when that overly recognizable production of animated light shows become less than electrifying? For your next gambling getaway, consider stepping out of your casino comfort zone and visiting a world-class resort you didn't know existed. The one problem you might encounter at these casino resorts is finding time to actually visit the casino.
The Venetian Macao Resort (China) There are more than 30 casinos in Macao's ever-growing Cotai Strip and as many lights and sites as one might find in Vegas. The biggest and the brightest resident here is the Venetian Macao Resort. This grand Italian-themed luxury casino has over 3,000 spacious suites, four outdoor Venetian pools and a host of other amenities, including gondola rides along the San Luca, Marco Polo and Grand Canals and the TAIVEXMALO Day Hospital and Spa, one of the world's largest centers of its kind. Entertainment at the Venetian Macao includes the circus show Circo Veneziano, Vegas-styled specialty acts, and an assortment of not-so-Vegas Chinese cultural entertainment. Resort guests can join the Macao Discovery Tour and venture beyond the strip to explore the shops and restaurants of charming Taipa Village, see the ruins of St. Paul's, walk the beaches of Coloane Island, and stopover at Senado Square, the historic center of Macao, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.
Sun City Resort (South Africa) South Africa's North West province is a rustic expanse of wild grasslands and trees. Here, visitors can go on photo safari at Madikwe and Pilanesberg National Park, two of the country's largest game reserves; follow in the footsteps of our ancestors along the Taung Heritage Route; and visit an uncommon geological phenomenon at Vredefort Dome, a World Heritage Site. But this South African province is also home to the exotic and luxurious Sun City Resort. Sun City is an oasis of gourmet restaurants, glamorous casinos and four world-class hotels, including the Palace at the Lost City, a lodge inspired throughout by African myth and mystery. Surrounded by lush gardens and hiking trails and perched atop the resort's highest point, Lost City is one of the world's best hotels with one of the largest casinos in the southern hemisphere. Visitors to Sun City Resort will also enjoy two golf courses, a variety of shows and nightlife offerings, and Sun City's waterpark, Valley of the Waves, which includes a large lagoon, heart-stopping flumes rides and chutes and a lazy river.
Park Hyatt Mendoza (Argentina) Mendoza, nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountain Range, is one of the most beautiful cities in Argentina. Best known as one of the great wine capitals of the world, Mendoza is a wine lover's paradise, boasting more than 1,500 wineries pairing nicely with a world-class selection of restaurants. There's more to Mendoza than wine though; adventurists will appreciate the exhilarating outdoor exploits the region offers, including whitewater rafting on the Mendoza River, touring the Villavicencio Valley or hiking through the foothills around Mount Aconcagua. But in the middle of it all this vino and venture is a luxurious seven-story restored Spanish colonial structure called Park Hyatt Mendoza. Here visitors can sip wine on Las Terrazas de la Plaza overlooking Plaza Independencia; relax at the Kaua Club and Spa, where most treatments incorporate locally produced wine, olives and grapes; or spend the evening amid the lights and sounds of the three-level Regency Casino Mendoza, which offers guests over 600 slot machines, 22 gaming tables and the exclusive Salón Privé for high rollers and VIPs.
Ibiza Gran Hotel (Spain) Ibiza, that tiny rock in the middle of the Mediterranean, is best known for offering 300 days of sunshine and a nightlife and party scene that is always big, wild and glitzy. But the crystal clear waters and more than 100 miles of coastline make the island of Ibiza a popular vacation destination for other reasons, too. Visitors here can scuba dive through the National Park of Las Salinas, charter a boat and sail the sea, or just spend the day stretched out on the beach. But Ibiza is also a culture steeped in luxury with a spa, it seems, on every corner. Luckily, the authorities on luxury, entertainment and outdoor fun reside at Ibiza Gran Hotel, the only Five Star Grand luxe accommodations on the island. Visitors here can spend the morning soaking in Mediterranean sunlight from their sundeck overlooking the Bay of Ibiza, take lunch at one of the hotel's three restaurants, revitalize and rejuvenate with a long list of spa treatments, and then spend the evening at Casino de Ibiza, located in the Golden Mile, for some fresh sushi, a cocktail and a wide selection of table games and slots.
Foxwoods Resort Casino (Connecticut) If you're not a world traveler but still want a fresh casino experience, try Foxwoods. With six casinos, four luxury hotels and more than 30 restaurants, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., is the largest resort casino in North America. And while you could spend your day at any one of the more than 5,000 slot machines or the hundreds of table games at Foxwoods, there is more here than just gambling. Like the best Vegas or Atlantic City hotels, Foxwoods also offers headline comedy and musical entertainment as well as a tantalizing array of nightlife, whether you want to dance your socks off or kick back and relax. But when you've had your fill of gambling and nightlife, Foxwoods continues to deliver. Take in a round of golf at the Reese Jones-designed Lake of the Isles" North Course, visit the glamorous retro-chic styled bowling alley, hit up Foxwoods" vast selection of specialty shops or slip away for a spa treatment at one of two resort spas. In May of this year, the resort plans to open its new 300,000-square-foot outlet mall, adding yet another entertainment option.
