Daily News from New York, New York • 104

1 WAY TO GO By Felissa Benjamin Ui The Vegas casino you've never heard of hr-srTif IK Mgwtag. iiri if 1rn' I'nJ 'j Rande Gerber's Whiskey Bar is more New York cool than Vegas kitsch. There's a dance floor and a backyard pool area, including private cabanas. Then head to Fado's Irish Pub for a Guinness, or drop by the Drop Bar for some music. The hotel might resemble the Old World on the inside, but the pool area is distinctly modem.

White, hollow concrete blocks house divan mattress beds and flat screen TVs, and the long pool is lined with cushy chairs and mattresses. The Ranch also offers the only "beachfront" property in Vegas half of the pool's bottom is lined with sand. The hotel's in-house spa features signature treatments like a papaya and pineapple scrub, and the fitness area is stocked with basic equipment and offers yoga, Pi-lates and spinning classes. For the past three years, the Ranch has catered to Vegas insiders and residents of Southern California and Arizona. But despite its low profile, business is booming, which is why a sister resort and spa is being developed even farther off the strip in Red Rock Canyon, opening in early 2006.

Midway between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, the Red Rock Resort Spa Casino will offer the same amenities, with nearly double the occupancy and casino space as Green Valley Ranch, including a poker room and sportsbook. And expanding Vegas' tourism capacity can't be a bad idea the city is on a pace to break the record of 37.4 million annual visitors, set in 2004. Green Valley Ranch rates range from $149 $299 depending on the season (702-617-7777, www.greenvalleyranch resortcom). The best-kept secret in Las Vegas isn't the best hidden one. The Green Valley Ranch sits right off the freeway, minutes from the Strip.

Yet most people have never heard of this luxury resort, casino and spa. The Ranch as insiders refer to it doesn't have an Eiffel Tower like the Paris, the skyline of New York-New York or the volcano of the Mirage. What it does have is exactly the opposite sophisticated style and an insider's vibe that keeps it packed with those in the know. Visitors' first impressions are of the Ranch's Mediterranean-style architecture, complete with rounded porticos and stucco towers. Huge gilded mirrors hang over high-backed couches throughout the hotel's winding corridors.

High-rollers can party in a modern suite furnished with wTap-around leather couches and huge balconies, controlled entirely by touch-screen TVs. For less-ostentatious guests (think George Clooney), there are The Villas, three identical home-away-from-homes, perfect for the hustler who wants to relax with a game of pool or a dip in the pool (on the private veranda, of course). About 500 regular guest rooms feature muted desert tones and very spacious 13k UP IN THE VALLEY Green Valley Ranch's grounds feature a sand-lined pool. bathrooms. Rooms facing the pool area or the strip on higher floors have the best view in Vegas Las Vegas Blvd.

from the Luxor to the Stratosphere. You can't get that at Caesars Palace or the Wynn. And unlike the labyrinth-like casinos on the strip, the Ranch's gaming area is The newest of the Ranch's eight restaurants, the Steakhouse at the Green Valley Ranch, opened in October following a $10 million renovation. The Grand Cafe, which opened in August 2005, is much nicer than the average casino eatery (think a European-style cafe), and has a huge menu. There are even opaque glass dividers so guests can't see the casino while dining.

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