1-2-3 Weekend: Atlantic City

Look out Las Vegas – this ain’t your daddy’s Atlantic City. Recent years have seen a wave of development crash ashore at this long-standing Jersey Shore resort town, with a plethora of initiatives soundly underway despite the economic downturn – in fact, more than 15 new restaurants have cropped up in the last year alone, while the much-anticipated $2.4-billion Revel mega-casino resort is due to open its lavish doors in May 2012 (www.revelresorts.com).

Big-money investors are holding steadfast to their wager that ousting the gaming town’s gritty reputation in favor of a classier perception of a little Las Vegas-by-the-sea is a winning bet, thanks to AC’s oceanfront address and driving distance proximity to more than a third of the U.S. population. Their game plan? Reel gamblers in with the gaming at its 11 casinos, then have ’em stick around to be wined, dined, pampered, and entertained at an influx of luxurious new hotel towers, sprawling spas, big-name boutiques, headliner shows, celebrity chef restaurants, and sizzling nightspots.

Luckily, there's no need to roll the roulette wheel on what to do once you get there: We’ve put together the perfect 1-2-3 Weekend – 1 hotel, 2 restaurants, and 3 things to do – that promises a winning hand weekend getaway to AC, complete with a mix of the new and tried-and-true.

1 – Hotel

Three years after its opening, the most buzz-worthy property in town (though the Revel’s long-awaited opening come spring is slated to soon steal some of its thunder) remains the sleek, Asian-inspired The Water Club, offering guests a feeling of exclusivity that its glitzy, action-packed sister property Borgata (situated just next door) lacks. While still within arm’s reach of all of the crowd-drawing amenities of Borgata, the casino-, restaurant-, and nightclub-less Water Club allows guests a comfortable retreat from the drove of guests and visitors who pile in to partake in the town’s sceniest casino and hot-spots just next door, without sacrificing a feeling of elegance and “it”-spot worthiness. Tucked away on the northeastern fringes of town, away from the boardwalk-area masses, the 43-story tower’s 800 guestrooms provide a well-appointed respite, offering floor-to-ceiling windows (most boast views of the bay or ocean), Egyptian-cotton sheets, and marble bathrooms (showers come equipped with both a standard and rain shower head).

Do splurge on