A ROOM WITH A RIVER VIEW.

Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor

LAUGHLIN, Nev. - Location is everything. Even here.

In this sweltering gambling town along the Colorado River, Harrah's hotel and casino is situated at a natural cove, which is bracketed by buoys that limit watercraft to speeds that don't produce wakes (and sometimes, the little devils actually abide by it).

As a result, a day on which the mercury bubbles above 120 degrees can be mitigated with a plunge into a roped-off swimming area along the Colorado - with minimal threat of propeller lacerations.

Sand has been trucked in to cover the mud along the river's edge, creating a private beach so popular that room keys are mandatory for gaining access to it.

Harrah's, at the extreme south end of the Laughlin strip, has several other features working in its favor. Prominent among them is William Fisk's Steakhouse, an attempt to enhance the fine-dining options in an area known chiefly for its pig-out buffets.

It doesn't take any chances with the menu items - there are no fewer than nine offerings of beef or lamb among 16 entree choices - but it does them well. (Prices average in the upper $20s.) And the wine list features a nice range.

But probably the restaurant's finest attribute is its wide, arched windows that face east. Time your dinner for sunset and you'll get quite a show, as some of the desert hills are draped in deep, dark shadows, while more distant mountains are fired in brilliant shades of red, orange and purple.

It's an elegant, intimate setting, with white tablecloths and attentive service that isn't impressed with itself. The restaurant even takes a stab at maintaining respectable decorum by having the semblance of a dress code (no beachwear or flip-flops), and most diners seem thrilled to have an excuse to put on resort wear.

A stay at Harrah's in June was marred only by some troubles with the room. Or rooms.

We were first issued keys to a room that was already occupied - difficult to say who was more startled when we barged in. We were then assigned a different room, but late in the evening found that our keys wouldn't open the door - and it took three maintenance men and a door jack that looked like a medieval torture device to finally get it open. On to another room, which deviated from the preferences specified on our reservation, but it had to do for a night. The fourth room was perfect. Through all the moves, we felt lucky to have lost nothing more than a swimsuit.

Beyond the swimming cove and the restaurant, Harrah's Laughlin was found to have several other attributes:

--To conform to a south-of-the-border theme, according to spokeswoman Madeleine Weekley, ``exposed slump blocks'' were used in the hotel's construction. An ancillary benefit is that the thick walls seem to knock down all noise from neighboring rooms. You sleep soundly here.

--Unlike most hotels on this strip, Harrah's takes full advantage of the river's presence, having its pools and spas on a patio that overlooks the water. One pool-spa complex is for families, the other for adults only.

--An entire tower of rooms is designated for adults only, too, and you even have to sign a pledge to that effect when you check in. Enforcement must be difficult, though, because a number of squealing little ones were encountered running in and out of rooms on the various floors we stayed on. At checkout, we heard another guest complaining about this; the front-desk staffer said security needs snitch help when there are abuses.

--The casino has a no-smoking section. ``We're a very Southern California-friendly resort,'' said Weekley. ``We felt it fit very well with our (target) market.''

--Harrah's, a couple hundred yards removed from the strip, is not connected to Laughlin's River Walk, so you don't have to contend with parades of looky-loos traipsing through the pool area, for example. Getting to the other casinos, however, is as simple as hopping a water taxi.

IF YOU GO

For a Sunday-Tuesday stay in June, we paid $46 per night for a room overlooking the river. As in most gambling cities, room rates vary drastically depending on demand and time of year or week. Harrah's Laughlin information or reservations: [phone]; www.harrahslaughlin.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- 2) One of the primary appeals of Harrah's Laughlin is a quiet swimming cove along the banks of the Colorado River. The sandy expanse is the only private beach along Laughlin's casino strip.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

Box: If you go (see text)