Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Las Vegas H-M

Despite its far-flung location, the Ritz Lake Las Vegas was one of my favorite hotels in the Las Vegas area. Its scenic location and level of service made it a tranquil oasis in the often harsh Sin City desert.

The Ritz closed in 2010 but then reopened as Ravella, part of the Dolce Group portfolio of properties that mainly catered to the business and meeting crowd.

Now the property flies under the Hilton brand. What that means to the property is still TBD, but for now very little has changed at the hotel itself from its days as The Ritz. Yes, there are some more modern pieces of art on the walls in the public areas and some of the furnishings in the lobby have been rearranged with maybe a new throw pillow or two. But other than it is the same gorgeous resort it was when it was the Ritz.

And yet, something is missing. More on that in a moment, but first let's talk about what the place has going for it.

Calling a hotel with nearly 350 rooms a "boutique" resort is laughable anywhere other than in Las Vegas, where it is dwarfed by the 4000 room behemoths a few miles away. The bulk of the hotel is located on the shore of Lake Las Vegas, a manmade resort and residential playground located about 17 miles east of town. With its Mediterranean-inspired design it looks like a rambling seaside village - jutting balconies and recessed terraces combine with intricate stonework, lush gardens, and a terra cotta paint scheme to send you, at least visually, to the Italian countryside.

See Hilton Lake Las Vegas full review courtesy of Rick Garman's Vegas4Visitors.com