We just got back from five days at the Cliffs at Peace Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada. Located just a short twenty-minute drive east of the Strip, the adobe coloured buildings rise out of the desert, both blending and contrasting with the surrounding mountains rising sharply from the flat landscape.

We caught the early bird flight out of Seattle and arrived in Las Vegas around eleven in the morning. After picking up our rental car, we decided to go out and find the resort.

We arrived a couple of minutes later and drove into the gate, around a circular drive lined with palm trees and desert plants, and pulled up in front of a tall elegant entrance of glass and adobe pillars.

Since we were hours early for check-in (which we were told was four o'clock), we decided to see if we could drop our bags somewhere and check in later. To our surprise, they were more than willing to let us check in early -- and check out late, if we gave them sufficient notice.

The stand-alone buildings house four one or two-bedroom suites. We stayed in a two bedroom unit on the upper level, which one must get to via stone stairs, as there are no elevators for these units. They do make accommodations for handicaps in other buildings.

Comfortable and spacious, the suite was done in warm Southwestern colours, with cool, tiled floors. The full kitchen, wide living area with wrap around couch and fireplace, and dining area with room for six, gave us a feeling of home.

The Vegas Eiffel Tower

This space led onto a small balcony with a round glass-topped table; the perfect place for looking out over the tops of the surrounding houses to the hills beyond. The balcony gives a sense of privacy and shelter while enjoying the spectacular landscape.

We enjoyed going into Las Vegas each evening. A straight shot down Flamingo or Tropicana led us right onto Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as "The Strip." We decided to visit New York, New York that first night.

We were given a tip before we left The Cliffs: use valet parking. Drive up to the front, hand over the keys and go where you want. When you are ready to pick up your car, tip the valet $2.00 (or more if you so wish). You can go anywhere on the Strip, know your car is safe, and the price is right.

Excited, we moved into our first casino. The interior is full of locations everyone has heard about -- Wall Street, Tavern on the Green, the Irish pubs, and Central Park, the great restaurants, and Soho -- all jammed together to make an absolutely charming place to wander through. The casino tables and slots are mixed in amongst the scenery with wide aisles, so one doesn't feel hemmed in if they don't wish to gamble.

We wandered through the spaces, oohing and ahhing, went upstairs through the arcade to check out the Manhattan Express, the roller coaster ride, decided we weren't quite brave enough to make it through both loops, and found our way onto the bridge across the Strip to the Excalibur, rising above the street like a medieval castle.

We found that we could go from one resort to another quite easily. Everything is connected by bridges, moving walkways, or hallways. We visited New York, New York, the Excalibur, then moved onto the Luxor, which simply must be seen to be believed. The hotel rooms are all part of the pyramid. Out the room door, one can look straight down on the action of floor below. We wandered through the bazaar, set up to look like a street market in Africa, then eventually found ourselves at the Mandalay Bay.

Exhausted, we trudged back, picked up our car from our friendly valet, and headed back to the peace of our suite. We eventually toured the Belagio, Caesar's Palace and their amazing Forum shops, which go on forever, then made our way to The Paris, where we took a trip up the half-scale model of the Eiffel Tower.

Afterwards we ate at The Village Buffet, the Paris' upscale buffet with an almost unending selection of wonderful food, from grilled vegetables and salads, to Beef Bourguignon and veal stew, to Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb, and Turkey, as well as other delicacies from around France. The dessert kiosk in the centre of all this has to be experienced. We could get everything from cookies, fruit pastries, and chocolate mousse, to cream cakes and eclairs. Our waitress, Billy, took a shine to us and serenaded us during dinner in both English and Chinese.

Back at the Cliffs, we rested our sore feet and aching muscles, rehydrated ourselves after spending time in the 111 degree heat, and went for a swim in the resort's beautiful pool complex. The pool is shaped like two rectangles one, across the other. The longer rectangle has two fountains mounted on the red tile deck, which cascade into the pool, making a sort of waterfall effect. The hot tub is hot. If one manages to get too cold in the pool, a dip in the hot tub will easily reverse the effect. After a day in the scorching desert heat, the tiles of the deck were still hot late into the night. When I got too cold, I just lay down on the tiles for a few moments and warmed back up; then back into the pool I went.

If swimming is not enough, there is also a clubhouse with activities for all ages. Inside the main building we could watch TV while sipping on coffee or tea, or check our e-mail. The people at the two desks are always more than willing to tell you what is available to do not only at the resort, but also in the surrounding area.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at The Cliffs. We were given the space we wanted to be quiet and read, but also if we needed something, the resort staff was always available to help us.

This was our second timeshare experience; our first one was at Aviawest Pacific Shores Resort & Spa. While different in landscape, this second experience cemented our feeling that timeshare is definitely the way to go.

- Deborah Turner