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" NOTWITHSTANDING SOME VARIATION in table limits and lighting fixtures, Las Vegas casinos are all pretty much the same. Not their pools. Along with their recent focus on fine dining and nightclubs, hotels on the Strip are now trying to distinguish themselves with bigger and better outdoor playgrounds, each with its own constituency.  Mandalay Bay THE LANDSCAPE: Sure, Mandalay&amp;#039;s got an 11-acre beach park complete with an impressive 1.6-million-gallon wave pool. But try finding a swath of available sand after noon.  THE SCENE: Ladies abound, but the Mandalay&amp;#039;s also packed with frat guys. And families. Skip the Moorea Beach Club, an enclosed area that charges guys $50 to stare at the kind of topless women who are comfortable with guys paying $50 to see them topless.  THE PRIME SPOT: An inner tube ($20 rental) on the lazy river--or step up to the private Four Seasons pool next door.  Palms THE LANDSCAPE: A $40 million remodel has finally given the Palms the pool it always pretended it had. An outdoor gaming area and a midpool catwalk for fashion shows make effective use of the small space, as does a two-story ring of modern cabanas featuring 32-inch LCDs and sound systems. The pool temperature is kept as it should be: crisp and cool.  THE SCENE: The crowd is young and heavily tramp-stamped, but a new policy limiting chaises has cut down on overcrowding.  THE PRIME SPOT: The center bar during the weekly &amp;quot;Ditch Fridays&amp;quot; party. Look up: The view through the glass-bottomed deckpool won&amp;#039;t disappoint.  MGM Grand THE LANDSCAPE: The world&amp;#039;s largest hotel&amp;#039;s 27,000-square-foot, five-pool campus is a bit tough to navigate. But find your spot and its size becomes an advantage. Pick among five bars, or relax on the 1,000-foot river.  THE SCENE: A pool for everyone, nicely segregated by constituency so the Jell-O-shot girl roams near the adults-only pool, not the quieter family areas.  THE PRIME SPOT: Of the five Hollywood-themed pool names, we prefer the Talent pool.  Caesars Palace THE LANDSCAPE: Certainly the most theme-heavy pool in Vegas, with faux-Roman columns and sculptures lining four Olympic-style pools, a bar named Neptune, and a food stand called Snackus Maximus. &amp;quot;Grape goddesses&amp;quot; roam around feeding frozen grapes. THE SCENE: Serene at the main pools, but it&amp;#039;s worth checking out Venus, the expansive VIP area run by Caesars&amp;#039; Pure nightclub ($30 for guys on weekends). Amenities include extra-cushy lounge chairs, chilled towels, Evian face spritzers, and available massages.  THE PRIME SPOT: A seat at the air-conditioned bar area at Venus offers middayheat relief.  Wynn Las Vegas THE LANDSCAPE: Points for the details. Perfectly chilled twin lagoons are connected by a long swimming canal and separated from a third adult pool by an elevated bar and gaming salon, all surrounded by an impeccably maintained Mediterranean garden. Towels are fluffier. Cabana attendants remember names. Somehow the cement isn&amp;#039;t hot.  THE SCENE: The hotel&amp;#039;s higher-end crowd seems to enjoy the soft techno music in the garden area, but there&amp;#039;s a more mixed party scene in the European pool (accessible without a fee). The elevated Tower pools (Tower-suites guests only) are an oasis. THE PRIME SPOT: A tricked-out cabana is expensive ($350 per day on weekends) but worth the splurge.  Hard Rock Hotel THE LANDSCAPE: A massive, teeming bath of debauchery (above). Tiered cabanas line a collection of sand-bottomed grottoes, a tunnel water slide, and shelves for lounging and meeting new friends. Cocktail waitresses are omnipresent.  THE SCENE: It&amp;#039;s certainly not for everyone, but for the ultrawaxed party scene, the Hard Rock is still the gold standard. Unsubtle women, the best DJs (with special speakers pumping music underwater), swim-up blackjack--and, more than likely, a great Vegas story.  PRIME SPOT: Sunday&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;Rehab&amp;quot; party is popular with the locals (read: strippers). But guys wait in a line that can stretch for two hours.  Pool Key Poolside gaming  Lazy river European sunbathing area Wave pool Family friendly "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a391/esq1006travel-90/>