Mandalay Bay is a fine hotel with some wonderful restaurants and some beautiful scenery. However, something about my visits have left me feeling somewhat “cold.” I don’t know if it was the cramped elevator areas or the poor service (sometimes). Basically, it was a good place to stay, but I probably won’t go back.

Let me first start with the casino. I have gambled many times at Mandalay Bay, but always in the poker room. I started off in the poker room and as always the personnel was incredibly nice. They are always eager to inform players of the rules and the jackpots (which, by the way, I won $500 on one). They have the standard poker games – seven-card stud, Texas Hold’em and Omaha. The drink service is adequate and the surroundings are very nice. I think it’s one of the best poker rooms around. Only Bellagio and The Mirage are better. The rest of the casino is pretty similar to any of the other luxury resorts. The minimums mostly range from $10-$25. There were a few $5 tables, but they were hard to find and didn’t exist at night. Both the blackjack dealers and the craps dealers were friendly and helpful. The drink service was just average at the tables. There are plenty of slots for those who prefer them.

The second most important place for me in Las Vegas is the pool. Mandalay Bay advertises a wave pool with 8-foot high waves. Well, I’m not sure if the waves were that tall, but it is a very nice wave pool. The waves come every 5-8 minutes and it can get pretty crowded inside the pool during the day. The surrounding area of the pool was extremely crowded. This is one of the major problems I have with the resort. There were absolutely no chairs available during the day. Now, I realize that it have only visited on holiday weekends, but I’ve never stayed at a casino that didn’t have plenty of chairs for relaxing/sunning. There is a lazy river as well. Tubes are available for a mere $20 for the day. You can still enjoy the lazy river without the tubes though. Be sure to bring your key to the pool. You can’t get in without it.

A special attraction that is offered at the pool is their beach concert series. The pool actually has a stage that jets out into the water. You're able to listen to your favorite band while relaxing on the beach or dance away while hanging out in the water. You don't need to be a guest in the hotel, but you will have to purchase tickets for the concert. I just saw Blues Traveler and the tickets cost $35 (even Mandalay Bay hits you with a service charge). It's a great atmosphere and I would highly recommend checking out one of the gigs if you dig the band that's playing.

The rooms at Mandalay Bay are very nice. I have had the priviledge of staying in a suite everytime and the room was large, but not as large as the suites at The Venetian. The room is actually one large room as opposed to the more traditional “two-separate room” set up. The bathroom is large with both a shower and a large tub with water jets. There are two phone lines available and three phones throughout the entire suite. The room is well decorated and everything was clean and tidy.

I have only visited a few of the restaurants within the hotel and I have basically enjoyed all of them. The coffee shop, Raffles Cafe was very good. However, the service was just adequate. It was not all and out bad. It just wasn’t what I would expect from a nice resort like Mandalay Bay. I also visited Red Square and found it to be pretty fun. Red Square is a Russian vodka bar that has something like 100 types of vodka for your drinking pleasure. Your drinks are served on an ice bar so that your martini can remain ice cold. There is also a special room where your own vodka can be stored and you can take shots off a large ice block. If you like Mexican food with a twist, you'll definitely want to try out Border Grill. It's excellent food and the service is wonderful. Traditional American food is also available at Aureole. While the food is fabulous, you won't want to miss the "wine angels." Watch as the angel is hoisted up four stories to snag your wine selection.

Now, I do have a few complaints about the hotel. For one, there area around the elevators is just to dang small. Once again, I realize that I visited on a busy holiday weekend, but there simply isn’t enough space available in the elevator bay. The hall way is skinny and deep. It makes it virtually impossible to make it to the back elevator area without ramming into tons of people. Also, checking out has always been a major chore. My friends and I always have a discounted rate through the poker room. Ideally, the poker room manager takes care of anything. However, the front desk always seems to misunderstand. Twice we have been charged the full rate. It was only after several attempts that we were finally charged the correct reduced rate. The location of the hotel is also less than ideal. You are at the extreme end of the strip. There is a nice tram provided that takes you to Luxor and Excalibur. Still, it takes quite an effort to make it to another casino in less than 30 minutes.

Overall, I would recommend Mandalay Bay with certain reservations. Busy holiday weekends would not be a good time to visit. Also, keep in mind that the majority of the tables have $10 minimums so you have got to be able to handle that type of gambling action. I don’t want to give the wrong impression though. The casino is beautiful and it’s one of the best on the strip. I just think for the money that you pay it’s a better experience at Bellagio or The Mirage.






Recommended: Yes