While there are some imperfections, this is a magnificent property, I would not hesitate to stay here again. Having been to Vegas many times, I can appreciate the serenity provided by the Four Seasons Vegas. (FSV)

LOCATION: The hotel is located on the Southern tip of the strip, neighboring Luxor. Yes, it is a 20 minute walk to arrive at the 'meat' of the strip such as Caesars, Bellagio, and the cluster of mega-hotels, but this is nothing that a 3 minute cab ride cannot remedy. Yes, the Four Seasons is "off strip" but that is only a technicality. The FSV entrance is literally around the corner from the 'strip'.

FSV is in the top 4 floors of Mandalay Bay, a Vegas luxury mega-hotel. The beauty is that you can access Mandaly from FSV thru a simple door shared by the 2 hotels, or an elevator. Either side of these doors offers you Vegas -'hubbub', casino noise and crowds, OR peaceful serenity on the FSV. The best of both worlds.

LOBBY: Soft beige/pink tones of marble make up all the floors and walls. Subdued paintings, rugs, centerpieces and artworks match with each other perfectly. A quiet lobby, even when people are sitting in the lounge. There is a fireplace, cozy waiting area, fresh flowers daily. The front desk is tucked away nicely and not in the way. Ditto for concierge desk. Everything is in close proximity to each other, be it restaurants, concierge, or spa.

ROOMS: "Four Seasons Rooms"(FSR). Consider this a "junior suite". It is 810 square feet and marvelous. A huge marble foyer greets you upon entering. One side is a walk in closet big enough for 3 adults, on the other side is the marble bathroom. The shower is seperate and glass enclosed, water pressure is heavenly and strong. The soaking tub could be a foot or 2 longer, but is deep nevertheless. Was surprised to see only one sink, but the bath room was large. Seperate enclosed commode area. Towels and robes are thick and fluffy, bath products are higher-end brands. (No jets in tub..fyi)

Again, soothing beige, tan, and light pink schemes decorate the beds, sofas, tables, and curtains. The curtains do close "all the way" and dont leave a crack in the middle. The bed has a nice canopy over it, and was the softest and most comfortable bed I've see n in a hotel. (Mr Barnes if you are reading, I would not dare forget that the ceilings are high, probably over 9 feet...)

FSR views usually share the mountains on one side, the strip on the other side, with airport in the middle. While neither view is 'direct', its nice to have all 3. Jet noise is noticiable at times, but not overbearing at all.

There is high speed internet connection, a Bose Wave Radio, and DVD Player in room. 4 phones.

FOOD: Room service is excellent. The food is not cold when it reaches you. Had a warm Roast Beef Sandwich and homemade potato chips, and it was excellent. Hint: Make the person repeat your order..then can forget things liek 'extra mayo' if you ordered it. La Verandah is their all day cafe. Breakfast items are very good here, as is lunch. The Chicken-Club is not to be missed as it is seasoned with basil and get this...comes with Havarti Cheese. Charlie Palmer is the high end steak house here. Didnt eat there, but Zagat scores it well.

POOL: It was closed for my stay but I walked around in the pool area. Seems to be well done and manicured, but I felt it was rather small and had the potential to get crowded when busy. 2 jacuzzis are nicely hidden away but one caveat: You WILL here airplanes from the Jacuzzi, and you pretty much face the huge Mandalay building from it.

SERVICE: I cannot give this a 5-star 'perfect' rating, as I was spoiled at the Four Seasons Maui, where service was perfect. Employees here are polished and polite, MUCH better than Bellagio or Aladdin, BUT not to Four Seasons level. FOr instance: At other Four Seasons everyone looks up, smiles and says hello. They seem genuinly happy to help while here, that was not the case. Example: Went to the spa to verify my Wife's appointment and they couldnt find it, (made it 1 week in advance). Finally found it and when I asked for a confirmation printout, the lady said "oh we have it in our system" . To me, a flagship Four Seasons would NOT lose the appointment 1st of all, and then would not resist giving a confirmation.

(UPDATE, March 2006) Everything is the same, although rooms are updated. Flatscreen TV's are a nice touch. An improvement over the 'bland' standard rooms of past.

FRONT DESK: Still disorganized. I booked 5 rooms months in advance. 1 week before stay, even printed ALL confirmations, faxed to a 'manager' at hotel. AGAIN, they didn't have a record of a few of the rooms! Something is messed up. Finally I help her figure it out, and make her a "master list" of conf #'s and room types. One request: 3pm check-in instead of 4pm. Of course, only half the rooms were ready and upon arriving, there was again confusion of how many rooms, and room types. A manager named "Michelle" doesn't belong. Very 'cold' when she gets confused. Upon arrival, one of my guest had checked-in and she told me : "Oh, he isn't in yet". Funny part is I called him on cell phone and he was IN HIS ROOM, SHOWERED AND RESTING. I alerted Michelle to this and she again was icey: "So do you need another room for Mr xxx or not?" I nicely said that he is already checked in. She asked me "which room"? I responded: "If I were running the hotel I'd know. Sorry I don't know" Shame a person like this becomes a manager. Unfair to the legions of 1st class employees at the Four Seasons.

Also the front desk. There are a few desk employees who deserve to be beaten with heavy farming equipment. (Of course Im being figurative...:) I arrived there at 10pm, and the room rate was $125 MORE than what I CONFIRMED on THEIR website 5 months ago! I then showed them my printout and they looked at me like I was from Mars. They asked "and what website is this from"? I tried my hardest not to be a wise-guy and I pointed to the top of the page...."fourseasons.com". To their credit, they did honor my printout price. I had 2 more rooms booked the next day, 1/28 for my guests. They had NO record of that either, and again I had the printed confirmations! The lady was very rough in her asking questions of me, it was apparent that she was not enjoying having to deal with their mistake. Finally, we figured out that they had my 2 rooms booked for "11/28"...which obviously was a type-o. The point IS NOT the mistake, but that the desk clerk was visibly frustrated and treated me as an annoyance.

That being said, I still highly recommend this place UNLESS you are a 1st-timer to Vegas. If you are like me, meaning you LOVE gambling and glitz of Vegas but WITHOUT the huge lines and crowds...this is the place.

I cant wait to stay there again! Vegas us yet another wonderful place that we have in this most beautiful nation in the world...the United States of America.

(UPDATE: MARCH 2006) Overall I still love the place but this is the 2nd time the front desk is unhelpful and incompetent. I won't say it will prevent me from staying again, but I WILL research Venezia and "THE HOTEL" at Mandalay.

Thanks for reading, good luck, and safe travels.


Recommended: Yes