To the best of our knowledge, the Rio was the first hotel to add real sand to its aptly named Voodoo Beach pool area. At the time it was a big deal, although as beaches go, it's pretty small (and not depicted in any of the publicity shots of their pool area).
Since the Rio's debut in 1990, a handful of other resorts have jumped on the faux-beach bandwagon, the best known being Mandalay Bay. Located on 11 acres, Mandalay Beach these days comprises multiple pools and 2,700 tons of real sand (1,000 additional tons have been added since its inception), not to mention a wave machine, lazy river, beachfront casino, and adults-only European-style pool area, which combine to make it the most highly acclaimed hotel-pool complex in town.
The other properties that we know of with sandy beaches are the Ritz-Carlton (Lake Las Vegas), Green Valley Ranch, and the Hard Rock -- the latter being the only one among all the aforementioned that accepts non-hotel guests (typically $20 per person).
So, there's the good news. As to the second half of your question, however, all we can say is good luck trying to get a suntan in Las Vegas in February, when temperatures are unlikely to reach anything above the mid-high 60s, with somewhere in the 50s being the norm. It's also typically the rainiest month of the year here; it's not unheard of for it to snow!
Still, even though many pools close for maintenance during the winter months, most of the large resorts keep at least one pool, and often some hot tubs, open and heated year-round, and you might just get lucky with the weather. Get the lowdown right here, in our unique listings of all Las Vegas' hotel pools and, where available, what temperature they are heated to.
