Summer used to be a little less flashy and fleshy in Vegas, but with the advent of adult party pools using celeb "hosts" to draw crowds, stars are flocking, and so are vacationers.

Saturday, Holly Madison -- former Hugh Hefner galpal and now the headliner of Vegas' popular Peepshow -- was the lure at the Flamingo resort's GO Pool. She danced, entertaining a crowd partying by a waterfall in lagoons. That girl gets around: Last Fourth of July weekend, she was the draw at MGM Grand's Wet Republic pool.

These events generally are open to the general public, though you usually have to stand in line and hope to be let in and fork over a cover charge.

Fourth of July weekend got off to a bang with singer Nick Lachey's Friday night bachelor party at TAO Nightclub at The Venetian. The revelry included a cake topped with a ball and chain (not so sure fiancee Vanessa Minnillo would find that funny). But she also had a bachelorette party in Vegas recently -- at venues including The Palazzo's Lavo nightspot and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort's Marquee Dayclub pool. Temperatures soared into the 100s during the day, and singer Rihanna heated up Saturday night in concert at Mandalay Bay.

Meanwhile, Vegas also is courting the family crowd with a "3 for $54" promotion. That gains admission to three of the following attractions:

• "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at Luxor
• "BODIES… The Exhibition" at Luxor
• Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
• "Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat" at The Mirage
• The roller coaster at New York-New York
• Adventuredome at Circus Circus
• "CSI: The Experience" at MGM Grand
• "Spongebob 4D Ride" at Excalibur

For more info on the promotion, click here. In conjunction, Excalibur has room rates starting $34 a night, depending on availability; Circus Circus at $43 per night; Luxor, from $45.

Cirque du Soleil wants to recreate Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Sin City.

The Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip plans to open a sprawling entertainment complex that includes a Jackson-themed lounge, an interactive memorabilia museum and a theater designed to replicate the iconic refuge of the deceased musical legend, Cirque du Soleil president Daniel Lamarre said Wednesday.

"This place, Mandalay Bay, is going to become the home of Michael Jackson in many, many ways," he said at an announcement at the casino attended by Jackson's older brother, Jackie.

John Branca, co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate, said the attraction will offer fans a permanent place to celebrate, as well as give them the opportunity to see some of the objects displayed at Neverland Ranch.

"Very few fans would ever get to visit Michael's Neverland Ranch because of its remote location," he said.

Plans for the Las Vegas lodestone, set to open in 2013, are part of the budding business relationship between the acrobatic troupe and the pop star's estate.

Cirque du Soleil's homage to Jackson kicks off in October, with the most expensive show in the French company's history. The $57 million Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour will open in Montreal and hit 30 cities including New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The tour's Las Vegas stop at Mandalay Bay will kick off with a fan convention in December as a preview to the permanent Jackson attraction.

Concept art for the touring show's set prominently features a massive tree symbolic of a favorite oak that was outside Jackson's Neverland bedroom. The singer nicknamed it the Giving Tree and had a perch built atop it where he wrote music and sometimes slept.

For Jackson's Thriller, tombstones overwhelm the set in a nod to the music video's horror-film motif and gyrating zombies.

Excerpts from Jackson's music videos will be part of the 90-minute show, with no specific performer representing Jackson. Immortal will also feature as-yet-unreleased songs that Jackson finished before his death in 2009.

The tour then goes to Europe, Lamarre said, while Cirque producers open a more intimate, theatrical show at the new Las Vegas theater.

Jackson's estate and Cirque will each own 50% of both projects and share equally in the cost of putting on the productions.

Tour director Jamie King said he searched for acrobats, dancers and musicians from across the world who could capture Jackson's spirit and showmanship.

"I feel like I am not doing it alone, I feel like I am doing it with Michael as my co-director all the way," said King, who has directed concert tours for Madonna, Rihanna and Celine Dion and is a former Jackson back-up dancer.

Jackson admired the Canadian troupe's work and attended Cirque shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. His support, Lamarre said, helped build the company.

Cirque du Soleil has since become as ubiquitous on the Las Vegas Strip as all-you-can-eat buffets or buzzing slot machines, with shows in recent years honoring Elvis Presley, Celine Dion and the Beatles.

Mandalay Bay, long home to Disney's The Lion King musical, has never hosted a Cirque show before.

Mandalay Bay President Chuck Bowling said the Jackson attraction will strengthen the casino's financial health in future years.

The theatrical performance will take over The Lion King stage when that show closes in December, and some venues in the casino will have to be relocated to accommodate the mega attraction.

Lamarre said the changes will be permanent.

"The tradition here is our shows last forever," he said.

by: paul carr

This time last week, I wrote about my backstage tour of Cirque Du Soleil’s KÀ, at the MGM Grand. I also promised to go back and talk to the show’s technical director, Erik Walstad for TechCrunch TV.

In the video below, Erik talks about the technology behind Cirque’s most complex show, and in particular the two gigantic moving stages that form its centerpiece. Then we head to the auditorium to see that technology in action, as Erick’s team reset the show ahead of the night’s performance.

As I wrote last week, a video can’t begin to do the show – or its technology – justice, but Erick’s explanation of how the ‘Tatami Deck’ stage is just like a kitchen drawer is at least better than anything I could possibly write about it.

(And finally, there’s a special feature tucked at the end of the video. Spoiler alert: if you love English narrowboats, you won’t want to miss that.)

by:paul carr

What happens in Vegas no longer stays in Vegas.

Where once it was possible to fly to the middle of the desert, get absolutely wrecked on frozen margaritas and warm hookers and then return to civilization as if nothing had happened, today it’s impossible to so much as open a minibar here without someone taking a photo and broadcasting it on Facebook. Savvy to this new reality, even the most shitty hotel on the strip – which is to say, The Riviera – has aTwitter account.

And yet, despite the millions of tweets and status updates that flow in and out of Sin City every weekend, Vegas remains a town to which technology simply cannot do justice.

For a start, the hotels are temples to physical spectacle, filled with gigantic fountains, exploding pirate ships, gondola rides, showgirls, lions and tigers and reproductions of Michelangelo’s David (oh my). Every bar and casino has a theme – from Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretaville to the preposterous Pussycat Dolls lounge in Caesars Palace. You could spend all day watching clips of this stuff online without even starting to understand what it’s like to be here.

Even at the seediest end of the market – which is to say, the sex end – where, traditionally, analogue pleasures; strip shows, adult theaters, even hookers – have lost market share to Internet porn viewed in the comfort of one’s own home, the Vegas sex industry continues to thrive. “Passers” – commission-paid workers handing out flyers for escort services – line the strip, sometime three deep. Every casino worth its salt has a topless review and, of course, Nevada is the only state to offer legalized brothels.

To paraphrase a travel-writing cliche, Las Vegas is a city of technological contrasts. Nowhere else on planet earth understands more effectively how to harness technology in order to deliver overwhelmingly physical experiences. And in Las Vegas, no experience better demonstrates that tech-reality hybrid  than Cirque du Soleil’s ‘KÀ’.

Go watch this video clip from the show. It’s incredible: two giant movable stages move above a gaping void; the main stage (“the sandcliff deck”) rotating from level to vertical and back again while a cast of characters jump and dance and spin and fly on, below and above it. The Los Angeles Times said the show “may well be the most lavish production in the history of Western theater. It is surely the most technologically advanced.” Jim Hutchison has some amazing photos of the sandcliff deck, and the rest of the set, here.

But nothing on YouTube can possibly do justice to how it feels sitting in the audience during a performance. Each seat has two speakers built into the back to provide the deeply eerie effect of being surrounded by voices and noise throughout the performance. The entire auditorium is ringed by towering metal gantries, columns and walkways on which, before and during the show, characters stand, shrieking, yelling and playing drums. None of that, though, distracts from the sheer balls-out awesomeness of seeing the giant mechanical stages doing their thing.

For a start they move silently – it really is as if they are floating in space. And the physical changes they undergo through the show – flat and covered in sand one moment; a vertical cliff face the next (hence “sandcliff deck”) – is more magical than anything David Copperfield ever managed to pull off. At one point in the show – just because it can – the entire stage turns into a kind of gigantic Microsoft Surface, on which – still vertical – the cast perform a fierce battle scene with horizontal and vertical running, jumping and flying. Each time a character lands, the stage explodes with light and colour. Oh, and then there’s an “arrow” scene, where archers standing on a gantry fire arrows into the vertical stage; arrows which then act as climbing pegs for characters to scale the wall, before jumping 70 feet into the void.

Two years ago, I described seeing ELEW playing piano live on stage in San Francisco, and how it underscored for me the thrill of live experiences — and how those experiences will never, ever be replaced by technology. KÀ gave me the same thrill, but with the added bonus of seeing the amazing potential for technology to augment live performance. The technology in KÀ delivers real-world experiences that would have made our theatre-going grandparents’ heads explode.

And then things got way, way more interesting.

I guess someone at Cirque du Soleil is a fan of TechCrunch because, a few days after I arrived in Vegas, an email arrived from KÀ’s publicist, Jeff Lovari, inviting me to take a “TD tour” of the show. Which is to say, a backstage tour, during an actual performance, lead by KÀ’s technical director,  Erik Walstad.

Hell fucking yes.

And so it was on Wednesday of this week, I found myself standing several stories below seating level, watching a succession of the world’s most talented acrobats jumping 70 feet from the top of a floating stage and landing on giant airbags not two feet in front of me. To explain everything I saw during Erik’s 90 minute tour  would probably take me a dozen posts. Instead I’m going to try to cram it all into two: starting here will a few of the raw facts, and then followed up next week (schedules permitting) with a video interview with Erik in which I’ll ask him to explain exactly how everything works.

Ok? Ok. Here we go…

KÀ took almost a decade from conception to completion. Prior to the show’s opening, the stage from the previous show (EFX) was torn out and then the entire inside of the MGM Grand’s theatre was demolished, leaving just the walls standing. Then diggers excavated a pit deep into the ground to make way for the show’s main “void”, and the years-long task of constructing KÀ’s enormous set could begin. The distance from the lowest depth of the void to the highest point of the “grid” from which acrobats jump, fly and bungee, is 98 feet.

The main sandcliff deck stage weighs 50 tons and can rotate 360 degrees and tilt from flat to 100 degrees. Watching the stage move from backstage, you’re struck by the amount of noise it makes: it’s virtually silent, a feat achieved by housing all of the hydraulic machinery on the roof of the building.

The lengths taken to ensure the safety of performers are so extreme that they’re almost comical. At the start of the show there’s a brief scene where a cast members walks from one end of the stage to the other. To the audience, it appears like the safest feat in the world – the front of the stage is maybe two feet from the ground. If, however, they could see behind the performer, they’d realize that the drop on the other side of the stage is closer to 20 feet. As a result, as the performer walks, a series of hidden airbags, like those used by stuntmen, inflate and deflate to provide a cushion should he fall. It’s kind of amazing to watch, a bit like Penn and Teller’s classic Sleight of Hand Explained routine.

Whenever performers are on any of the gigantic floating stages, an array of airbags – supported by two giant nets – sits up to 70 feet below them, ready to catch them when they land, either deliberately or (rarely) accidentally.  Traditional safety nets can’t be used on their own because the performers are falling so fast, they’d simply bounce right back out again.

Due to the large number of performers jumping and landing in quick succession, each airbag consists of a number of separate cells, each of which can inflate and deflate independently. When a performer lands, air is forced out of their target cell, which is then instantly re-inflated allowing the performer to stand up and walk away. At some points in the show, this happens several times a minute.

In case the power should fail during a show, each of the airback pumps has its own uninterruptible power supply, good for half an hour, ensuring a safe landing even if all else fails. “Half an hour is probably enough time for someone to land” says Erik dryly.

The arrow scene, where the sandcliff stage becomes a vertical climbing wall, is a variation of the old carvinal knife throwing trick. When each archer fires his dummy arrow, a matching “arrow” is propelled out of the walls’s surface, giving the illusion that it has hit its target. A little puff of “dust” completes the illusion. After that, though, things get more complicated as performers climb up and down the arrows while more arrows land and others disappear. To ensure the performers’ safety, each arrow (or “peg” as they’re called) contains a sensor which prevents it from shooting outwards if someone is standing or laying on top of it (“otherwise they’d be impaled, which would be bad”). Likewise, the pegs can only contract with less than 20lbs of pressure, so if a performer is still hanging off one, it stays put. And if all that wasn’t enough, the wall also contains a bank of “emergency pegs” which can be shot out to form an escape ladder/bridge if anything goes wrong.

Meanwhile, high about the stage, the technical team has come up with some other neat safety innovations. In the event that a wire or harness malfunctions, leaving a performer swinging above the audience, a fail-safe device automatically lowers them down over an aisle. “Otherwise we’d have to evacuate the whole auditorium to rescue one performer”.

Each second of the show is perfectly choreographed, with a stage manager calling every cue: every inflated and deflated airbag, every jumper, every movement of the stages. I wore an earpiece during the show and the level of calmness in her voice – as theatrical chaos reigned on stage – was impressive. Even more impressive was hearing cues being given to performers who were in the middle of stunts: many of them wear earpieces too, so they know when it’s safe to perform certain jumps or falls. If you’ve ever watched air traffic controllers at work at a busy airport, you’ll have some idea of the concentration and coordination it takes to call a Cirque show.

The KÀ Theatre seems like a world of its own, but it’s still connected in to the MGM fire detection system. Before every pyrotechnic stunt, the stage manager requests that MGM’s fire officer temporarily override the fire detection equipment in the theatre for the duration of the stunt; then it’s switched back on. This happens three or four times in every show. Because fire detection can only be overridden before a fire is detected, if someone actives a fire alarm anywhere in the shops or restaurants surrounding the theatre then all of KA’s pyrotechnic effects have to stop. Given that the closing of the show is a huge firework display, this can be something of a problem.

For all the years of technical planning that went in to building the KA theatre, the designers only thought to include one stage elevator. As a result, technical staff and performers alike have to share the same elevator during the show. At one point of the tour, Erik and I shared an elevator up to the aerial grid with a gigantic man dressed as a warrior. It was a little weird.

Ok, that’s all for part one. In part two, I’ll sit down with Erik and have him explain the finer technical details of how thew show works, how he became involved with it, and also – possibly – his love of traditional British narrowboats.

CAPTION

Courtesy LIQUID Pool

*Today is the seasonal opening of WET REPUBLIC at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. Pool management promises some sizzle March 26 when former Hugh Hefner galpal Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett hosts a party; Kim Kardashian is due April 16. Also scheduled to host, appear or deejay during the season are Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eva Longoria, Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Simpson, Will.i.am of the Black-Eyed Peas. This is known as a hot party pool where bikini tops must stay on. Want a preview of "daylife" at WET REPUBLIC? Visit youtube.com/wetrepubliclv.

*Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage, where tops are doffed, is set to open Monday.

*Also opening for the season Monday is LIQUID Pool Lounge at the ARIA Resort & Casino in CityCenter. It also is famed for celeb hosts, who have included Carmen Electra and Audrina Patridge. Bikini tops stay on here, too.

*Rehab, the pool party at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino that attracts thousands every Sunday, is one of the latecomers this year. It's due back April 17. Tops stay on, but the mood is uninhibited.

*The new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is opening its Marquee Dayclub pool for the first time April 9. It'll turn into a nightclub at night. You have to be 21 to splash. No "European-style" sunbathing, a spokesman says.

Topless aficionados also should check out Beach Club 25 at Stratosphere, TAO Beach at The Venetian, Wynn and Encore topless swimming areas and the Venus pool at Caesars Palace. Encore also has theEncore Beach Club, a multi-pool party area where women must keep tops on that opens April 16, with multiple Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps due to conduct the opening ceremony.

Finding a hotel in Las Vegas can be overwhelming. There are countless options to choose from, both on and off the Strip; some feature different types of accommodations within one location; some may be local brands you've never heard of. It's enough to cause all-out anxiety before you even hit the craps table!

Stress no more: Here are five hidden hotel values in Las Vegas. More than just sensibly priced, these hotels also offer a little something extra—be it a great location, distinctive room features, or value-added perks included in the room rate. To appeal to a broad spectrum of travelers, I've included hotels both close to the action (e.g., on or just off the Strip) and a little ways removed. Take a look at my five picks, and be sure to suggest your own Vegas hotel favorites in the comments section below.

Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon

Many of the entertainment, gaming, and hotel conglomerates on the Strip are known for their gargantuan size—and prices to match. Not so with Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon, an unassuming spot right at the heart of the Strip. Guest rooms have 42-inch plasma television sets; some also boast a view of the Strip. The property has a casino, a steakhouse, and a 24-hour restaurant, as well as a nightclub and a lounge. Additionally, all guests have access to the four pools, two hot tubs, and poolside amenities at the Flamingo, located next door, for no extra charge. Rates in autumn start at $60 for weeknights and $120 for weekend stays, based on double occupancy.

Desert Rose Resort

The Desert Rose Resort is a non-casino resort hotel, located a block and a half off the Strip. Ideal for travelers who want to be near the action but not stay in a casino itself, the Desert Rose offers suite-style accommodations with fully equipped kitchens, living rooms with sofa beds, cable television, high-speed Internet access, and balconies or patios. Complimentary breakfast is available each day, and a manager's reception with drinks and refreshments is offered on weeknights. Additionally, the hotel has a pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, and a barbecue area. Prices for autumn stays start at $105 for weeknights and $150 for weekends, based on double occupancy. Discounts are available for Arizona, California, and Nevada residents; government employees; UNLV alumni; and members of the military. The resort also offers multiple savings packages, ranging from free nights with minimum-night stays, pre-payment discounts, and more.

Suncoast Hotel & Casino

Want easy access to the action, but also be a bit removed from all the hustle and bustle? If so, consider the Suncoast Hotel & Casino, about 20 minutes away from the Strip. The hotel has both standard guest rooms and suite-style accommodations, each with coffee makers and refrigerators, cable television, and high-speed Internet access. There is also a pool, a 24-hour fitness center, several on-site restaurants, a showroom for live entertainment, a salon, and a video arcade. Additionally, Suncoast has a casino with over 2,000 slot machines, a bingo hall, and more than 30 table games. Autumn room rates range from $39 to $119 per night, based on double occupancy. Special offers, including golf stay-and-play packages, seasonal savings, and dining getaways, are available.

The Carriage House

It may not look like the traditional style of building it's named for, but the atmosphere at The Carriage House seeks to provide a non-gaming respite from the rest of the Vegas craziness. Located one block off the Strip, it has 155 suite-style guest rooms, each with a fully equipped kitchenette, high-speed Internet access, MP3 clock radios, and DVD/VHS players. The property has an outdoor heated pool, a whirlpool, tennis and basketball court, a fitness center, a business center, and a convenience store. Complimentary parking is available to all hotel guests. Per-night prices in fall start at $79 for weekdays and $94 for weekends, based on double occupancy; discounts are available for AAA and AARP members.

Element Summerlin

Perhaps you're heading to Vegas not just for gambling, but also for hiking in nearby Red Rock Canyon. If so, the Element Las Vegas Summerlin may be a good home base, as it's located close to the natural attractions of the region, and is also about 15 minutes away from downtown and the Strip. The eco-friendly hotel features guest rooms with kitchenettes, high-speed Internet access, high-definition flat-screen televisions, and DVD players. Complimentary breakfast is available daily; there's also an evening manager's reception three times a week. The hotel also has a pool and a fitness center. Room rates start at $124 per night for weekend stays and $145 per night for weekdays, based on double occupancy. At publication time, a host of seasonal specials were available, including an offer where if you stay one night, you'll get the second for 50% off.

AZURE at The Palazzo Las Vegas

Open: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in pool season.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: The usual charge is $20. As at many adult pools, the fee does not include use of lounge chairs.

Cool pool amenities: Nibbles by Wolfgang Puck, including $35 lobster salad and Sunday brunch; poolside massages by Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

Best for: Those seeking a sophisticated pool with more serenity than most. Its tagline: "Where the high high-profile keep a low profile."

Information: azurelasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: It's small (around 400-500 guests max) and in a garden setting, with a rotunda overlooking the Strip, comfy terrycloth-covered lounge chairs, not known as a party pool. However, hunky actor Gilles Marini ofSex and the City, Brothers & Sisters and Dancing With the Stars fame did host a Memorial Day fete and visited again last weekend. Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl and E! network anchor Giuliana Rancic have been spotted.

Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage

Open: Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Topless: Yes.

Entrance fee: Women, free; men, $20 Monday-Thursday and $40 weekends. Local men free Mondays.

Cool pool amenities: Plunge pool for VIPs in an elevated cabana area overlooking the action; unlike many other adult pools, use of chaises is complimentary Monday through Thursday.

Best for: Oglers and socializers in mid-20s to mid-30s.

Information: barepool.com

The skinny on dipping: At this small pool, feasting eyes on exposed flesh — openly or discreetly — is a draw. It was built so everyone can see most everyone. There's not as much privacy for VIPs as at some other pools, but Britney Spears, Courtney Love, Fergie of the Black-Eyed Peas and Orange County Desperate Housewife Gretchen Rossi have been spotted here.

Beach Club 25 at the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Topless:  Yes.

Entrance fee: Women, free; men, $10.

Cool pool amenities: High up on the 25th floor; you don't have to pay for lounge chairs.

Best for: The value-minded who don't need all the "ultra-lounge" bells and whistles.

Information: stratospherehotel.com

The skinny on dipping: Don't expect to see celebs and Woodstock-style revelry. Enjoy the views over Vegas.

"Ditch Fridays" bashes at Palms Casino Resort

Open: Fridays from noon to 7 p.m. from May through Labor Day. The party is for those 21 and older, but younger hotel guests may enter but not drink. At other times, the pool welcomes kids.

Topless sunbathing: No.

Entrance fee: $25; local women and hotel guests are free.

Cool pool amenities: A VIP area with glass-bottom pool; in-pool loungers to dance on; poolside bungalows that rent by the night.

Best for: Young party animals in their 20s and 30s who don't mind being shoulder-to-shoulder and trying to carry on a coversation while music blasts.

Information: palms.com

The skinny on dipping: Started in 2006 to draw locals looking to get a head start on the weekend, it attracts a diverse crowd and has evolved into a tourist attraction, too, maybe because of The Palms' MTVReal World fame and the resort's cameo appearance in rapper Lil Wayne's hit Lollipop. Name entertainers such as rapper Sean Paul add to its allure.

Encore European Pool at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas

Open: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for Encore guests 21 and older from April through September; more limited hours in fall and winter.

Topless sunbathing: Yes during the day; not on the Sunday nights through Labor Day when partiers at XS nightclub can take swims, too.

Entrance fee: Guests only during the day, and it's free to them. Sunday nights, there's a nightclub cover charge of $20 for women and hotel guests, $30 for men, to swim. Locals get in free Sunday nights.

Cool pool amenity: An underwater ledge where poolgoers can sit and keep cool; gaming tables; and how many nightclubs let you take a dip?

Best for: Sophisticated adults during the day; upscale clubbers Sunday nights.

Information: encorelasvegas.com; xslasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: This curved pool is larger than its counterpart at sister property Wynn Las Vegas.

Encore Beach Club at Encore Las Vegas

Open: Friday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday evening pool party starting at 10 p.m.

Topless sunbathing: No.

Entrance fee: Women, $30; men, $40. But prices may vary.

Cool pool amenities: Three linked pools, dancers on pool shower platforms, two-story VIP bungalows and a gaming pavilion.

Best for: Upscale fun-lovers.

Information: encorebeachclub.com

The skinny on dipping: New on Memorial Day Weekend, it is aiming for the hip, hedonistic vibe of Ibiza, Spain. Melded with the new Surrender nightclub and revamped SWITCH restaurant, it has a separate entrance on The Strip. Paris Hilton danced opening weekend; Sam Worthington of Avatar fame stopped by.

Fortuna and Venus at Caesars Palace

Open: The Fortuna gaming pool in Caesars' just-revamped Garden of the Gods (non-guests can come play) is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Venus Pool Club is open daily in season (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; 11 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday). Pool season at Caesars can run from March or April until September or October.

Topless sunbathing: At Venus Pool Club, except during special events such as the Memorial Day Weekend concert with Snoop Dogg.

Entrance fee: None at Fortuna; typically $10 for women and $30 for men at Venus. Free to locals on Monday and Tuesday. The price goes up for special events.

Cool pool amenities: Swim-up blackjack at Fortuna. Caesars has a Garden of the Gods room special from $110, including beach bag and $25 credit toward pool food or drinks.

Best for: Gamblers (Fortuna) and those who like the lush pool lounge life (Venus).

Information: harrahs.com/gog; venuspoolclub.com

The skinny on dipping: Venus, a spacious area separated from the rest of Caesars' redone, bigger Garden of the Gods pool complex, is hidden behind cyprus and olive trees and a wall. It attracts celebrities, including sports stars, Kardashians and Hiltons. Fortuna is not topless and is next to a family pool. It has five shaded swim-up blackjack tables and a semi-circular waterfall.

LIQUID Pool Lounge at ARIA Resort & Casino

Open: Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Topless sunbathing: No.

Entrance fee: Women, $10; men, $20 most days. Women, $20; men, $40 on Saturdays. Locals free Thursdays.

Cool pool amenities: VIP cabanas with banquettes, TVs and plunge pools; Super Soaker squirt guns provided for VIP partiers.

Best for: Party people in their 20s and early 30s.

Information: liquidpoollv.com

The skinny on dipping: Opened in March, this CityCenter splashatorium has a state-of-the-art, nightclub-style sound system that projects sound horizontally to heighten the "ultra lounge" experience and limit annoyance to guests outside its walls. A Grand Cabana where stars hold court is within the sight of poolgoers.

Moorea Beach Club at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Topless sunbathing: Yes.

Entrance fee:  $10 for women hotel guests Mondays through Thursdays; $20 on weekends. Male hotel guests $40 Monday-Thursday; $50 on weekends. Non-hotel guests are $125 daily. Holidays: women hotel guests, $30; men, $60; non-hotel guests, $150.

Cool pool amenities:  Mandalay Bay guests can walk next door to the resort's sandy beach and swim there, too (not topless, of course). Moorea's star villa — musician John Mayer hung out here — has a stripper pole, mirrored ceiling and a round bed overlooking the Mandalay Bay beach. It can rent for $2,000 a day.

Best for: People not looking for a wild party scene. Moorea's friendly staff aims to keep the mood classy. Convention-goers love it, and it attracts a wide range of ages.

Information: mandalaybay.com

The skinny on dipping: Moorea, named after an island in French Polynesia, opened seven years ago. Expect to see convention-goers on break from Mandalay's big convention center discreetly eyeing mammaries. The atmosphere is intimate and upscale, with teak chaises topped with red cushions and servers in nautical-themed red-and-white two-piece suits.

"Rehab" party at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Open: Sundays from 9 a.m. until sunset from April through September.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: Generally, $20 for women, $50 for men. Reduced rate for male locals. Local women and select guests are free. Entrance fees can vary; hotel guests bypass the line via a separate entrance.

Cool pool amenities: An elevated VIP cabana area with great view of the pool that's dubbed "Rodeo Drive;" center island great for show-off dancing; "Rehab" shots of alcohol in a syringe.

Best for: Young, hard-core partiers or anyone who likes an outrageous bash.

Information: rehablv.com

The skinny on dipping: This is Vegas's monster pool party, which has been called "Spring Break on Steroids." Now in its seventh year, it attracts an average of 4,000 locals and tourists a week and is fodder for a reality show on the TruTV channel. Expect a 3-acre tropical pool complex, strippers shimmying on their day off, a whole lotta grinding and making out, outrageous tattoos, rowdy drunks and a rock-festival-happy mood.

Skybar at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Open:  Noon to midnight Friday-Sunday. Noon until sunset Monday. Swimming not allowed after 8.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: Free to hotel guests; $20 for nonguests. Locals who work in the hotel, casino and nightlife industries are free on "Relax Mondays."

Cool pool amenities: An infinity pool by the bar has "windows" on the bottom to reveal bathers to those in an HRH Beach Club below. The bar has Italian furniture and cool views of The Strip at night. Another pool is surrounded by cabanas.

Best for: Those looking for a quieter, more sophisticated atmosphere than that at Hard Rock's Rehab.

Information: hardrockhotel.com

The skinny on dipping: The third in a chain of cool lounges — it's sister to the first in L.A. and second in South Beach, Fla. The look is contemporary and chic.

TAO Beach at The Venetian

Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in spring, summer and early fall. It's a swimming area by day; an extension of TAO nightclub Thursday through Saturday nights, with no swimming allowed at night.

Topless: Yes, Monday through Thursday only.

Entrance fee: $20 for non-local males Saturday and Sunday.

Cool pool amenities: There's a staffer who mists guests with cool water, and food from the TAO kitchen, including sushi, and $8 red mango frozen yogurt. You also can get a "sun recovery" massage for $85, and even get married.

Best for: A clubgoer crowd (no drinks allowed in the small pool). Celebs including Jamie Foxx and Reggie Bush have populated the cabanas. Pamela Anderson is scheduled to host a birthday party for herself July 10. No surprise, Paris Hilton has been there, too.

Information: taolasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: An intimate extension of the popular TAO nightclub, the space is small but sophisicated, with Asian-inspired furnishings and décor and cabanas with Balinese daybeds.

Sunset Pool at Wynn Las Vegas

Open: Daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. April through September; more limited hours in the offseason.

Topless: Yes.

Entrance fee: None. It's for Wynn and Encore hotel guests 21 and over only.

Cool pool amenities: "Lilypad" round loungers surrounded by water that usually rent for $300 and up; gaming tables.

Best for: An upscale visitor who doesn't want rap music or crowds.

Information: wynnlasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: Tucked away and surrounded by topiary, it attracts an upscale crowd who swim (there are lap lanes, rare for an adult Vegas pool), sun, listen to pop hits and gamble at tables by the popular sunset bar. Servers wear one-piece suits and can't have visible tattoos, signaling that this pool is more dignified than others.

WET REPUBLIC at MGM Grand

Open: Daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from March to October.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: Generally during the week, men pay $20, non-local women, $10. Local women free. Rates may rise on weekends and for special events.

Cool pool amenities: In-water loungers; VIP bungalows with daybeds and dipping pools overlooking the action.

Best for: Young and noisy partiers. A deejay is always on duty. Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and reality TV's the Kardashian sisters have been on display here; rapper Diddy has performed; weekly bikini contests on Fridays are currently popular.

Information: wetrepublic.com

The skinny on dipping: A WET REPUBLIC on a Vegas boulevard declares war on nightlife. The music is high, there are two saltwater pools, special events abound and the space gets packed. Spring for a cabana if you can. It can hold about 1,600 people, and food isn't exorbitant (four sliders with bacon and cheese are $16; Thai chicken salad, $17).

The day before, mohawked Jamaican music star Sean Paul headlined a more raucous pool party — the season's grand opening of "Ditch Fridays" at Palms Casino Resort. Started four years ago to coax locals to leave work early to blow off steam and money on Fridays, the bash now is a Vegas institution. Before going onstage, Paul, 37, watched two go-go dancers in bikinis and thigh-high stiletto boots warm up the crowd, packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

"A lot of drunk people," he observed with a smile, adding that "I'm holding my drunk awhile" until after performing. While he belted out lyrics, partiers belted down beer or had sunscreen sprayed on by roving Hawaiian Tropic models. Their bikinis seemed modest next to the plunging lamé suits, spike heels and surgically-enhanced décolleté displayed by more than a few Ditch Fridays attendees. "Yo, sexy ladies!" Sean Paul yelled.

Where tops are doffed

Deejays spin at most Vegas adult pools, including TAO Beach at The Venetian and WET REPUBLIC at the MGM Grand resort. The two are happening spots in the spring, summer and early-fall pool season.

But there are more tranquil waters with eye candy you can't get at most U.S. swimming holes.

At the AZURE pool at The Palazzo, guests and outsiders can get massages or nibble on Wolfgang Puck's $35 lobster salad served by young ladies in white bikinis. At the Fortuna pool in the just-expanded Garden of the Gods at Caesars Palace, gamers play at swim-up blackjack tables.

Those expecting rowdy orgies at topless pools are in for a surprise. The one at Wynn Las Vegas is for guests only, and owner Steve Wynn bans rap there, staffers say. An older, upscale crowd — all but one fully clothed on a recent day — lounges on in-pool "lily pads" or gambles at tables by the bar.

Topless venues are far less titillating than most imagine. Women aren't required to doff tops, and many choose not to. Behavior often is more refined than at big party pools (but what goes on behind closed curtains of pricey cabanas with daybeds at Vegas adult pools is a different story).

The most licentious behavior seen on a recent tour: a man caressing his companion's upper region at the Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage. Pool managers say X-rated acts aren't tolerated: A topless pool at the Rio resort run by the Sapphire Gentlemen's Club voluntarily closed last summer after undercover police reported being solicited.

'Spring break on steroids'

The monster party is Rehab, which has been described as "spring break on steroids," even though bare breasts are taboo. Now in its seventh season, it started for locals who worked in casinos and elsewhere to let loose on their day off, says Vegas Hard Rock chief marketing officer Phil Shalala, 37, sipping a Red Bull energy drink. Word spread, and now "we might get 4,000 on an average day. Last year, in one of the worst years for this economy, Rehab (revenue) was up 20%."

This season, it's up 19.6% over last year, he says. Admission typically runs $50 for non-local men; $20 for women who don't live in Vegas. Locals get discounts or get in free.

Shalala credits Rehab with turning on the spigot for Vegas adult pool parties. The trend is "a positive one for this town," he says, "helping everyone out" with revenue to supplement gaming, dining, clubbing and shopping. Indeed, pools keep popping up, from the just-opened Encore Beach Club (a party pool at the Encore resort) to the Nikki Beach pool complex, due at the Tropicana resort next season.

Over at Rehab, the bathing-suited are cavorting in the Hard Rock's 3-acre pool complex. They include bachelor partiers and swingers' convention attendees. Murphy, 29, who says she was not brought in to entertain (as is said to occur at some Vegas pools), engages in sexy dance moves with just-made male and female friends. Up on cabana row, a brunette in yet another bikini — tips stuffed into her cleavage — pours free Grey Goose vodka samples.

It's not even 3 p.m., but Rehab rages on.

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SkyJump Las Vegas, promoted as the world's highest controlled free fall, plunges the fearless 830 feet from the 108th floor of the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino at speeds of 40 mph. It officially opens Tuesday.

The thrill ride, which costs $99.99 (800-998-6937, skyjumplasvegas.com), is aiming for the Guinness World Record for "highest commercial decelerator descent" facility, currently held by Sky Jump at Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center. The Macau drop is 764.4 feet, Guinness says. SkyJump Las Vegas will be evaluated by Guinness to see if it deserves the crown.

Meanwhile, those who prefer more grounded pleasures — poolside with drink in hand — can drop into the giant REHAB party at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. The Sunday institution opens for a seventh season this weekend with a bash scheduled to include a performance by Wyclef Jean.

Thousands of partygoers are expected to swarm a 3-acre pool complex that includes stretches of sandy beach, palm trees, cabanas and swim-up blackjack. REHAB cover charges vary, but start at $50 this Sunday for men, $20 for women. Information: hardrockhotel.com or 702-693-5555.