by Sarah Spigelman
Atlantic City might conjure up ideas of smoky hotel rooms, grandmas sitting at slot machines, and buses filled with bachelorette parties. Though the bachelorette parties still come in droves, nothing else really fits. It used to be old fashioned, gaudy, and somewhat dumpy. All that has changed in the last few years, and the East Coast version of Las Vegas has bloomed from the ugly duckling to the one gorgeous dame. Atlantic City is no longer a redheaded stepchild, it is a glamorous destination in its own right.. What has changed, you might ask? Well…
Old AC: Kitschy, dark hotels with low-quality bedding and smoke filled casinos.
New AC: Glamorous hotels with luxurious appointments, full-service spas, multiple pools, and sections of casinos that are smoke free. The Borgata features The Water Club, a hotel within a hotel that has no casino but is connected via a short passageway to the Borgata’s large casino. The Water Club has its own restaurant, own pool, and own spa, making it a luxurious, quiet retreat within the hustle bustle of the large casino-resort. The Revel provides gorgeous ocean views in rooms that feature full-length windows, modern furnishings, and a rousing nightlife right downstairs. In case you don’t gamble at all, check out The Chelsea, AC’s first boutique hotel. This casino-less hotel features whimsical furnishings and the Annex, a low-cost motel that is associated with the hotel and affords its guests all the amenities of The Chelsea. Caesar’s Palace has the Qua Spa, with new treatments and a rooftop pool that is open to adults only for drinking, sunning, and relaxing in a luxury cabana.
Old AC: All-You-Can-Eat buffets with piles of flaccid shrimp, coffee shops with hamburgers like hockey pucks, and steakhouses that featured the hotel’s grandpa as the chef.
New AC: As much as it is a destination for gamblers, it is a destination for diners. New casinos like the Revel and The Borgata have attracted chefs like Iron Chef Marc Forgione, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, and Bobby Flay to their grounds. Luxury steakhouses like Old Homestead have set up shop in these elegant hotels, and now there is even an annual food festival in Atlantic City. In case you don’t want to go all out, food courts are available in every hotel on and off the boardwalk, for a quick fast bite from national chains and regional favorites. Sample Tony Luke’s famous roast pork sandwiches in the food court at The Borgata, or try Jose
Garces casual tacos at Distrito Cantina. From the luxurious dining experience of SeaBlue to the casual burgers at Bobby’s Burger Palace, Atlantic City provides food that compares with the finest dining cities in the world.
Old AC: Piano lounge with some older woman in a shoulder-padded beaded dress singing showtunes while the patrons order cheap house wine and fall asleep in armchairs.
New AC: The club scene here is part Jersey-Shore, part NYC club kids, and entirely fantastic. Don’t bother coming to the clubs here unless you can handle some fist pumping, tight dresses, incredibly hot go-go dancers, and music so loud that your ears will be ringing for at least 24 hours. Pay for VIP bottle service, and skip past the lines that accumulate at 11 pm, head to a comfortable area with couches, and get treated to bottles of the liquor of your choice with 3 mixers and attractive servers to make sure you don’t have to do a thing. Every hotel on the boardwalk now has a hip and happening club – check out Dusk Nightclub at Caesar’s for 1,000 sq. feet of music, dancing, and enjoyable mayhem.
*disclaimer – I stayed at The Borgata free of charge. I was not required to write about the experience, and my opinions are my own and unbiased.*