What to expect: This Tahoe hotel's stone-floored, wood-paneled lobby features glass etchings of Comstock-era scenes, as well as photos of founder Bill Harrah in riding boots or fishing gear, posing with celebrities.

Families and vactioners enjoy the hotel's resort-style amenities, and business travelers appreciate the hotel's event facilities.

Amenity highlights: Guests have access to a glass-domed indoor pool and spa tub as well as a fitness center with sauna and steam room.

The hotel's tranquil spa, Reflections, features a range of skin and body treatments, and there is a hair and nail salon.

Adult entertainment options include a 24-hour casino, live entertainment at the Casino Center Stage, and assorted bars and lounges.

Insider tip: Guests have easy access—through a covered, street-level passageway—to the many amenities of Harvey's Lake Tahoe, the hotel's companion property. Located across the street, Harvey's features a Cabo Wabo Cantina and Improv Comedy Club.

What to expect: More subdued than some of its mega-casino hotel neighbors, the Horizon attracts leisure travelers who appreciate value and a resort on a smaller scale. The low-key lobby with its marble floors, mirrored walls, and large photos of Lake Tahoe is frequented by families headed for the large pool or video arcade, as well as celebrating couples.

Amenity highlights: The Horizon's self-contained eight-screen movie theater complex (fee charged), complete with a refreshment stand, shows current releases daily, with bargain matinees. For those pursuing real-life romance, the hotel's wedding planners can coordinate nuptials at the on-site chapel or elsewhere around the lake. Meeting and reception space measures 13,000 square feet. Recreational amenities include a large freeform pool and three spa tubs.

Insider tip: This Nevada hotel, formerly known as the Sahara, was once Elvis Presley's regular Tahoe hangout. The King's former showroom now houses the hotel's movie theater.