When he heard I was headed to the Wynn Hotel, my driver from the Las Vegas airport immediately began regaling me with tales of high-rollers, slot machines with a $5,000 minimum and no-expense-spared digs. "You're staying at the uppest-scale of all the upscale hotels in Vegas," he said.

Nearly a year after it opened, the hype still swirls around the $2.8 billion resort dreamed up by Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, the Strip's latest outpost of excess. Inspired by a Picasso painting he owns, "Le Reve" -- or "The Dream" -- the 50-story, 2,716-room Wynn Hotel has an 18-hole golf course, a 125-meter pool, two wedding chapels, an art gallery with Mr. Wynn's private collection, a spa with 45 treatment rooms and 19 restaurants with a chef lineup that includes Daniel Boulud. It even has its own Ferrari-Maserati dealership. And yes, there really is a $5,000-a-pop slot machine.

On a two-night stay earlier this month with my friend Nancy, we found the hotel more than lives up to its reputation. It's a behemoth, yes, but it's one of the better-run behemoths we've ever stayed in, with a welcome touch of class in a town where most hotels hold the commodity in short supply. While we had some issues with no-show housekeepers, slow room service and an overzealous security guard, we were generally impressed with the decor, the professional staffers, the spa and salon services and the plentiful dining, entertainment and shopping options -- and so busy enjoying them that we made only a cursory cruise through the casino.

Wynn's 50-story South Tower, with 611 rooms, is setting the standard for a new wave of Las Vegas high-rises where casinos seem to be almost beside the point -- with private entrances, VIP services and a luxury residential-apartment feel. The venerable Caesars Palace hotel recently opened a 26-story luxury tower, while the Venetian is set to open its 3,000-room Palazzo tower next year. Donald Trump has put his name on a new condominium-hotel complex (it doesn't even have a casino), which is now going up across the street from the Wynn and will rise a few stories taller.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Wynn -- who previously opened the lavish Bellagio, the volcano-spouting Mirage and the swashbuckling Treasure Island hotels -- is planning to expand the Wynn with another exclusive adjacent tower, dubbed Encore, with a $1.4 billion budget and an additional 2,000 rooms and suites.

Guests like us who don't gamble may not seem like the target market in Las Vegas, but Richard Cotter, Wynn Las Vegas executive vice president, says the company expects revenue from nongaming activities to eventually outstrip the take from the casino. And much of the budget for the hotel went to create what the company describes as an "unparalleled total resort experience" for a clientele just as interested in shopping and chefs as it is in blackjack and baccarat.

Of course, if you aren't one of the "invited guests" who generally get a spectacular suite, drinks and meals free while they drop big bucks in the casino, the Wynn Tower's cost may not leave much for gambling. Rates vary greatly depending on dates and demand: Our Tower "parlor" suite started at $650 on a Wednesday, escalating to $750 on a Thursday. Weekends are usually pricier but can sometimes be as low as $450. (Rooms at the main hotel can be $240 and sometimes less midweek.)

The Tower has a separate grand entrance and posh private lobby far removed from the casino floor. When we checked in and asked if our suite was nice, the young woman at the front desk offered an upgrade to an even grander suite with a giant living room and bar and its own massage room for an additional $200 nightly. While it looked fabulous in the brochure she showed us, I resisted the urge to splurge further.

Fortunately, our parlor suite was just fine, with a spacious living room, understated rugs, two big plasma TVs, furnishings and fabrics in deep red, cream and brown tones, prints of Mr. Wynn's own Picassos, a gigantic marble bathroom twice the size of some hotel rooms (with a high-tech whirlpool tub) and floor-to-ceiling windows with automatic draperies and a view over the golf course that accounts for much of the resort's 217 acres. No detail is overlooked; on the way up in the elevator, when I asked why the floors skipped from 39 to 50, a bellman told me that some Asian guests consider the number four unlucky. (This was confirmed by the Asian guest he was escorting to the penthouse.) Another bellman who brought my luggage gave me some helpful tips: If I removed anything from the minibar, the system would charge me if I didn't put it right back; and the section of the pool complex I wanted to swim laps in was "tops optional," in case that offended me.

We freshened up and went out to explore, admiring silk wallpapers and rich woods, spectacular floral arrangements that coordinated with inlaid mosaic tiles and an airy landscaped passage between the shops and casino. With sleek architecture and plenty of natural light inside, Wynn is a dramatic departure from the ersatz themes and gaudy exteriors of most Vegas hotels -- and less pompous and formal than the last Steve Wynn project, the Italian-themed Bellagio, now owned by MGM Mirage.

Though the resort attracts its share of gawkers, its most spectacular features are visible only from the inside, including a man-made, tree-covered mountain with a light-show waterfall that pours into the glassy Lake of Dreams. (Video scenes appear superimposed on the falls, which change color every few minutes.) We watched the waterfall extravaganza while dining on mussels and duck confit on the outdoor terrace at the Daniel Boulud Brasserie. We then caught the 10:30 show of "Le Reve," an aquatic acrobatic extravaganza directed and designed by Franco Dragone, formerly of Cirque du Soleil. We found it stunning and absorbing, especially after a couple of cosmopolitans.

At dinner our second night at the Asian-themed Okada, we were surprised to find, at the table next to us, Mr. Wynn himself, who leases a villa at the resort. (We didn't impose, of course, and I never identify myself when visiting hotels.) We were so enthralled by his presence and the throng of staffers and well-wishers stopping by to chat with him that we didn't even flinch when we got the $312 bill for dinner and drinks.

We'd already seen the Wynn's other show, the Broadway musical "Avenue Q" (the Vegas version is closing, but "Spamalot" is on its way). So, we took the concierge's suggestion that we check out the hotel's 12,000-square-foot nightclub, Tryst, which has its own waterfall and lagoon. Because we were Tower guests, she put us "on the list" and waived admission ($20 for women and $30 for men). We ordered a couple of cocktails at the bar but noticed all the tables had "reserved" signs; they are set aside for "bottle" customers who don't pay a cover but are expected to order very expensive bottles of booze. I asked one of the waitresses if we could just plop down for a few minutes, and was nicely told we were free to sit anywhere we liked until one of the reservations showed up. It was also "industry night," with complimentary admission for local service workers. After some fun people-watching, we slipped out before it became necessary to eject us from our ringside seats.

Though we had fun looking around the shopping esplanade, the designer boutiques and jewelry stores didn't offer anything we couldn't find elsewhere, and we weren't impressed by the Wynn signature clothing line (though we did well at a 60 percent-off sale at Bags, Belts and Baubles). We spent one afternoon at the spa complex, which includes an impressive fitness center, a big salon and nice locker, steam and sauna facilities. I went for the signature Good Luck Ritual treatment for $250, 80 minutes of massage, foot and hand treatments and a hot scalp-oil treatment. (It was relaxing, but skip the oil: It took two days to get all traces out of my hair.)

Our only off-putting experience was a visit to the small exhibit that houses Mr. Wynn's art collection, including a Vermeer and "Le Reve." Upon entering, we were admonished by an officious female security guard to stay on the carpet and away from the paintings. Listening on a handheld device to a recording of Mr. Wynn narrating a tour, we were so intrigued as he described the genuine diamond dust on his portrait by Andy Warhol that we reflexively leaned forward to take a closer look -- setting off whirring lights and alarm bells.

The guard rushed over to yell at us about showing "respect for million-dollar art" then chased us out. We apologized profusely. Mr. Cotter says she shouldn't have dressed us down, but guests do sometimes set off alarms. Unfortunately, the gallery closes at the end of this month because it hasn't drawn enough visitors; Mr. Cotter says the art will likely be placed elsewhere in the resort or in the new Encore tower.

Though the room rate went up the second night, service went down: When we returned from Tryst, no one had come to make up the room, clear used towels and take away room-service plates. (Sorry, but in my book, failing to provide evening turndown service at these rates is a big no-no.) When I mentioned it at checkout, the front desk apologized and offered to reduce the room rate to the first night's level, the kind of compensation Mr. Cotter says employees are always empowered to offer when there are such service snafus.

On the next visit, I may even try the casino. Just not the $5,000 slot machine.

High Rollers

The Wynn Hotel has some rivals in the competition for big-spending visitors to Las Vegas. Prices are for the basic level of room available at each hotel, not including taxes and gratuities:

HOTEL: Bellagio
PRICE: $159 to $799
COMMENTS: In December 2004, just before the Wynn Hotel opened, the Bellagio added a 928-room "Spa Tower," boosting capacity to 3,933 rooms. (Mr. Wynn built the Bellagio in 1998 and sold it in 2000.) Spa offers a 50-minute body-bronzing treatment with real gold dust.

HOTEL: Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas
PRICE: $275 to $550
COMMENTS: The Four Seasons' 424 rooms occupy five floors, 35 through 39, of the larger Mandalay Bay hotel, with higher prices (standard rooms at the Mandalay run $119- $349). Four Seasons guests have their own elevator and entrance, plus pools, spa and restaurants in an adjacent building. But the hotel's on the south end of the strip, far from the action.

HOTEL: The hotel at Mandalay Bay
PRICE: $170 to $700
COMMENTS: This all-suite, 1,117-room property is aiming for a more cosmopolitan clientele than its parent hotel, Mandalay Bay, a spokeswoman says. Each 725-square-foot suite has three flat-screen televisions (living room, bedroom and bathroom). Large groups come here, too, using the parent hotel's 1.6 million square feet of convention space.

HOTEL: Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas
PRICE: $229 to $369
COMMENTS: Hotel's a half-hour drive from the Strip, and known for golf and outdoor activities. (It hosts triathlons on the nearby manmade Lake Las Vegas.) But some traditional Vegas glitz survives at this three-year-old Tuscan themed resort: Guests can stay on a recreation of Florence's Ponte Vecchio. Nearby, a Loews Hotel is set to break ground this year.

HOTEL: The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
PRICE: $169 to $899
COMMENTS: Near the Wynn, this 4,027-suite hotel will be joined in 2007 by the Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, a 3,000-room, 50-story adjacent tower being built by the Venetian's owner, Las Vegas Sands. Coming this summer: a new theater showing the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "The Phantom of the Opera."
-- Christina S.N. Lewis