How To Make the Flashiest Splash in Vegas

The Las Vegas pool scene is getting splashier all the time.

It wasn't long ago that it was dominated by toddlers wearing inflatable floatation devices and teenagers doing their splashiest cannonballs next to your rickety metal lounger. But over the last five years, Vegas resorts have created an adult oasis of glamorous pools and beach clubs that rival most of America's actual beach resorts.

From the margarita-induced chicken fight of the Hard Rock Hotel to the beach club of Mandalay Bay, here are our picks for summer's best poolside hotspots.

WET Republic
Where: MGM Grand
When to Go: Weekend concert series

New for 2008, MGM Grand's (MGM) Wet Republic is Vegas' most ambitious poolside social scene to date. The pool lounge is an adults-only outdoor sanctuary.

It's equipped with two salt-water pools surrounded by extravagant waterfalls and a sexy ultra-lounge featuring amateur go-go booths and a white marble-topped bar.

It also boasts VIP amenities such as private cabanas, Veuve Clicquot snowcones and Red Bull vodka popsicles.

Guests sprawl out on a deck of teak loungers or in VIP bungalows and cabanas offering oversize daybeds, plasma TVs and sheer drapery for extra privacy. There's also a tanning ledge within the pool that ensures an all-day shimmer for those booking one of the water loungers. A stage area hosts a summer concert series by revolving DJs and pop artists.

Moorea Beach Club and Ultra Lounge
Where: Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino
When to Go: Midweek afternoons

It's Vegas' version of the South of France. On a concrete terrace off Mandalay Bay's wave pool, this beach club offers Tahitian styling for long afternoons in the desert sun.