By MICHAEL NASSAR
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS REPORTER
Atlantic City, NJ, MARCH 30, 2008 —Atlantic City is back. Almost.
With its mix of low and lush life, Atlantic City is part Las Vegas, part Coney Island - and seemingly far removed from its 1930s heyday or even the glamour years of the early 1980s, when Resorts Casino Hotel brought the modern gambling boom to the Eastern Seaboard.
However, a small-scale renaissance is taking shape that bodes well for visitors to the resort that made "saltwater taffy" and "Mr. Peanut" household words.
Big names with big hopes are sinking billions into swanky new luxury hotels, world-class spas, four-star restaurants and designer couture - so much so, you could fill a weekend without ever wasting a minute at the slots.
And while Vegas is not exactly quaking in its storied boots, you'd get even money it's definitely looking over its shoulder toward the Jersey Shore.
Here's our insider guide to the new, noteworthy and newly sanitized Atlantic City:
THE SWEETEST SUITES
Let's face it, Borgata is the buzz-generating Big Daddy in this town. Its golden tower of 2,000 rooms and suites, set back from the historic Boardwalk, stands like a beacon in the Marina District. What's inside is nothing less than you'd expect to find at any of the posh hotels dotting the storied Vegas strip: a full menu of celebrity chef-helmed restaurants, a topnotch spa and stylish rooms to make even the most average of Joes feel like a high roller (www.theborgata.com).
Scheduled for a June grand opening, the Water Club rolls out a first for A.C.: a boutique hotel experience that blends high design and modern amenities. Cool touches include marble showers built for two and IP phones in every room - you can follow the market, the weather or even check the status of your room service order in real time on the innovative Web-based system.
Building on the style that already defines the neighboring Borgata, the suites here are sweet indeed. Residences, as the penthouses are called, are spacious, loftlike apartments featuring an en-suite fitness center, baby grand piano and butler (www.thewaterclubatborgata.com).
You'll party like a rock star in one of Showboat's plush, extra-large House of Blues suites. Pimped-out with giant plasma TVs, state-of-the-art surround sound and Sirius satellite radio, all that's missing is a guitar with which to wreck the place.
The big beds are a bonus, and bathrooms can easily accommodate your entire posse. VIP check-in and butler service mean your every whim gets satisfied. Suite-goers get access to the exclusive members-only Foundation Room as well as priority seating and bottle service at house-club Worship (www.harrahs.com).
The centerpiece of Harrah's multimillion-dollar expansion project is now the tallest building in Atlantic City. The 44-story Waterfront Tower has 112 suites that boast freestanding showers, fireplaces and in-room theaters.
But the real wonder is the Pool - a 172,000-square-foot, glass dome-enclosed swimming complex enlivened with $1 million worth of exotic greenery. Creative "water-tainment" is on tap by day with luaus and live music around the Olympic-size pool. In the evenings, it transforms into the hottest pool party/nightclub you'll ever see (www.harrahs.com).
A GOURMET GALAXY
After more than a century in the heart of New York City's Meatpacking District, Old Homestead Steak House has found a second home at Borgata. Famous for the decadent, $100 Kobe burger, this is the house that beef built.
But before you steer your eye toward an impeccably flavored porterhouse or New York strip, be sure to begin with fresh oysters or a classic like clams casino or oysters Rockefeller (www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com).
Dublin-born chef Martin Doyle is the creative force behind Sonsie, the eclectic bistro that changed the dining scene in Boston. "Sonsie" means "the very best of" in Gaelic, and the inventive kitchen lives up to the promise of its menu: Pepper-crusted sea bass is a minor revelation, and osso buco elevates the joy of marrow sucking to an art (www.sonsieac.com).
The upscale Latin-themed Cuba Libre in the Quarter at Tropicana has the best Cuban sandwiches this side of Miami's Little Havana, and the watermelon mojitos are an addictive elixir. Late night, the tables clear and the dancing begins, with live salsa and lines justifiably out the door (www.cubalibrerestaurant.com).
Stephen Starr's funky pan-Asian restaurant Buddakan may be famous for its giant golden Buddha, but it's the menu that will get your Zen going. Edamame ravioli, wasabi-crusted filet mignon and crispy calamari salad are just a few of the stellar signature dishes. For a bit more privacy, ask for one of the opium den-inspired dining nooks (www.buddakanac.com).
At Red Square, Jeffrey (China Grill) Chodorow brings his brand of magic to the Quarter at Tropicana with this cutting-edge restaurant and mod vodka bar. The ultratrendy presentation features a pseudo-Soviet atmosphere highlighted by a 60-foot bar made of real ice, plus more than 100 rare vodkas stored in a custom-designed locker and served at a bracing 30 degrees below zero (www.chinagrillmgt.com).
SPA-TACULARS
The sprawling 54,000-square-foot, European-style Spa Toccare is one of only a handful of spas in the country to offer the new Soft Pack system - a high-tech flotation table that simulates weightlessness while warming your body to increase the effectiveness of ultramoisturizing body wraps like Moor Mud Therapy. Arrive early to luxuriate in the powerful steam room and Jacuzzi. Guys will appreciate a straight-edge shave in the old-time barbershop, not to mention the pool table (www.theborgata.com).
Located adjacent to Harrah's Pool complex, the new outpost of Fifth Ave.'s famous Red Door Spa spans 23,000 square feet with 23 treatment rooms, including a deluxe couples suite with an in-room Jacuzzi, fireplace and shower. It offers a comprehensive menu of Elizabeth Arden's renowned signature treatments, as well as several packages exclusive to Harrah's that include a Bet on Red Spa Ritual bundling a massage, organic wrap and manicure into a half-day's indulgence. If you can't bear to leave Harrah's Pool, spa services can be served poolside in private cabanas (www.reddoorspas.com).
Set to open in just a few weeks, Immersion is a two-story spa in the sky atop the Water Club. Its crowning feature is the 80-foot-long, infinity-edge pool with floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.
Signature services include the Immersion Rainforest, which starts with an exfoliation and mud wrap of black silt clay, then a rinse in a Japanese-style, Hinoki soaking tub filled with rare essences of massola bark and linden blossom.
In addition to the pool, the spa includes a Techno Gym-equipped fitness center and gourmet spa nibbles by Town and Country chef Geoffrey Zakarian (www.thewaterclubatborgata.com).
Bluemercury is one of the country's fastest-growing luxury chain spas, and the new full-service facility in the Quarter at Tropicana shows why. Featuring an apothecary stuffed with high-end beauty brands from around the world, the focus is on results-oriented skincare, such as oxygen facials and signature body treatments.
The Eucalyptus Trek is a body-toning wrap that strengthens the immune system and stimulates the senses. The Healing Yuan Zhi Ritual exfoliates the skin and harmonizes chi energies. Whether or not that brings you luck remains to be seen (www.bluemercury.com).
SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP
For anyone who's experienced the Forum Shops at Caesars Las Vegas, the Pier Shops at Caesars will feel very familiar. Located on the 50-yard line of the Boardwalk, this is a multistory shopping, dining and entertainment destination unto itself with over 90 high-end stores and restaurants: Tiffany & Co., Juicy Couture, Michael Kors, Gucci and Phillips Seafood, to name a few.
Plus, there's the entertaining Water Show, an interactive fountain light-and-sound spectacular that would fit right in outside the Bellagio (www.thepiershopsatcaesars.com).
If you enjoy saving beaucoup bucks to later drop into a one-armed bandit, one block off the Boardwalk is the Atlantic City Outlets, the Walk. On a par with outlet destinations in Westchester and Long Island, it has more than 100 upscale retailers with downsized prices, including BCBG Max Azria, J.Crew Factory Outlet, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store and a Coach Factory Store (www.acoutlets.com).
ON THE HORIZON
Qua, the Caesars spa that introduced the concept of the "social spa" to Las Vegas, is set to debut its water-focused therapies in A.C. mid-June. Similar but smaller than the Qua in Vegas, the spa nevertheless promises its Roman baths will remain a focus while also providing an intimate, personalized experience unique to the Boardwalk.
Pinnacle Entertainment purchased - then imploded - the old Sands casino two years ago. In its place, expect a $2 billion megacasino and hotel in 2011.
Late last year, MGM Mirage announced plans to build a smaller-scale version of their Las Vegas CityCenter in the Marina District alongside Borgata, the Water Club and Harrah's. The $5 billion project breaks ground later this year.
IF YOU GO ...
Greyhound buses travel to Atlantic City's main bus terminal day and night, stopping at many of the Boardwalk casinos afterward (www.greyhound.com or 1-800-231-2222). New Jersey Transit offers a more limited service schedule (www.njtransit.com).
Dubbed ACES, the Atlantic City Express Service rail link is a cooperative effort among NJ Transit, Borgata and Harrah's that plans on offering an upper-class train from Penn Station to Atlantic City (via Newark) in just 2-1/2 hours. Expect service to start late this year.
Go to www.atlanticcitynj.com or call 1-888-ACVISIT for more information.
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