"How did it strike you on arrival?The Westin Lake Las Vegas is a kind of casbah-themed resort, all dusty, sand-colored, and surrounded by palm trees on a 3,600-acre estate. What’s the crowd like?A smart way to visit Hoover Dam is to approach it from the opposite direction of most travelers; namely, the Las Vegas Valley’s other manmade wonder, Lake Las Vegas—a 320-acre artificial lake that’s about 20 miles northwest of the dam. In-the-know travelers (and locals looking for an escape from The Strip) come here to get their nature fill. Anything stand out about other services and features?I loved the new Aveda spa and the sushi was seriously good at the new restaurant Marssa. Bottom line: Why are we staying at the Westin?The reason you book the Westin Lake Las Vegas is that you won’t be battling afternoon traffic to get back to The Strip. If you need a day’s respite from hustle and bustle, this is where the locals go." - Andrea Bennett