Photo by Station Casinos Canyon suite at Red Rock Casino

There are 45 suites in six different styles. They range from the basic to the over-the-top penthouse “One-80,” which features views of the Strip and Red Rock Canyon conservation area nearby, a 103-inch plasma screen, a pool table, outdoor dipping pool and more. The suites cost up to $10,000 per night.

“Vegas is all about one-upmanship,” Red Rock spokeswoman Lori Nelson says during a recent tour of the One-80. “I’d say this is very over-the-top.”

Coming back down to earth, guests will find a 72-lane bowling alley tucked away from the casino. It features a top-notch audio/video system, smoke machines, disco balls and a separate 12-lane VIP bowling suite. Walk through a towering beaded curtain to enjoy bowling in your own cordoned-off lane, complete with 65-inch plasma screens, 120-inch projection screens over the lanes, a wet bar and lounge seating.

Break out of the resort with an “Adventure Spa” activity. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding and kayaking trips are all resort-sponsored. Kayak excursions take you to the Colorado River and Hoover Dam while the hikes explore the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 197,000-acre nature preserve just minutes from the resort. Local outdoorsman and National Public Radio personality David Bert offers guided hikes.

Red Rock has other strengths, too: a health spa with the latest equipment and treatments; 60 varieties of cold sake at its modern Japanese restaurant, Hachi; two swanky nightclubs in CHERRY and Rocks; and if you absolutely have to sample the buffet, it comes with good salad greens, barbecued beef and tiramisu.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things are a little slower and more relaxing. The $500 million Green Valley Ranch, built in 2001, has less of a club vibe and focuses more on stateliness.

Maybe it’s the spa’s Zen-like architecture and the use of more natural lighting in the entryway. Or maybe it’s the tiered pool area reminiscent of an ancient Greek bath, with a secluded miniature pool for private parties called The Pond. Maybe it’s the helicopter valet, butler services and the fleet of Cadillac Escalade SUVs that shuttle guests to and fro, or the crisply dressed doorman from Boston who gives visitors 10 years younger the same respect as any other guest.

Whatever it is, Green Valley Ranch has that extra dash of refinement that Red Rock lacks in its quest to attract nightclub-loving non-gamblers. Here, non-gamblers like to be pampered. That doesn’t make Green Valley Ranch better, just different.

Another standout at “GVR,” as locals call it, is Hank’s restaurant. It boasts 30 signature martinis, fine steak and seafood (try the filet mignon), a piano bar and 2,000 bottles of wine. That’s if you can take your eyes off of the beautiful crystal draped around the restaurant, which also is a striking interior feature at Red Rock. In this way, it’s difficult to think of Green Valley Ranch as a casino.

Still not convinced? Try the spa or walk outside to The District, where 40 retailers have freestanding shops. Artists and sculptors occasionally sell their work from tents on the walkway between the shops while live music plays in the background. (Imagine a scene one-third the size of the Tempe Arts Festival.)

Activities

For those intent on staying close to the Strip, try viewing it from a different perspective. John Yeager of Scoot City Customs leases miniature, three-wheeled cars to a driver and one passenger. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy the ample parking opportunities.

If the one-arm bandits still seem too close for comfort, try renting a car and hitting the road for an hour. Within 60 miles of either resort, you’ll find sanctuaries for Star Trek fans, American history buffs, water skiers, snow skiers and sled riders.

Indulge your inner Trekkie by checking out Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.  Try the “Klingon Encounter,” “Borg Invasion 4D” or beam yourself over to the museum for a self-guided tour. Enjoy the people-watching opportunities.

In central Las Vegas there is the Atomic Testing Museum featuring information on nuclear testing conducted near Las Vegas in the 1950s by U.S. military officials and scientists. The must-see here is Ground Zero Theater, which is built to look like a concrete test bunker and blasts visitors with a wall of sound to simulate the Cold War-era tests. The actual Nevada Test Site is 65 miles northwest of the strip and open to tourists as well.

Non-gamblers can rejoice with these latest offerings. They’re no longer chained to the matinee while others gamble the day away.