The Mirage Hotel and Casino, located at the 'sweet spot' on the Las Vegas Strip, is an economical choice. Nestled among the high-rent hotels Bellagio, Caesar's Palace and the Venetian, Mirage offered the lower-cost place to stay.

Why not pay less to stay on the Strip? The impressive Bellagio fountains and music are free and a short walk away! The beautiful Venetian Canals and shopping district is also free and even closer! Paris is just down and across the street. (And the Mirage has its own feature, the volcano!)

Our visit to Las Vegas had one purpose in mind: To see the Cirque du Soleil production, Love, based at the Mirage. And with prices that reasonable, why not stay on-site?

In addition to cool Beatles signs around the hotel and their music playing throughout, it was the pre-Christmas season, so holiday decorations were in abundance.

The Mirage offered a comfortable if not exactly new hotel room. Check-in was friendly and uncomplicated, and the motorized scooter we'd ordered for my husband was waiting for us. Thank goodness, as our room was at the farthest end of the hallway from the elevator! But that was all right, as he used the scooter and I needed the exercise!

We're not big spenders, so we tend to eat at the less expensive places within a hotel. At Mirage, we enjoyed the Carnegie Deli (portions are HUGE), but were disappointed by the California Pizza Kitchen (why can't you get a simple traditional pizza instead of everything "gourmet"). The Cravings buffet offered a superior breakfast with many choices at a very reasonable weekday price.

Walkways within the hotel and casino tended to be tight, but that seemed true no matter which casino we passed through. If someone ahead of you stopped without moving aside, you were blocked momentarily. But I guess Las Vegas real estate is precious, and wider walkways would mean fewer slot machines.

Staying in the same hotel as the show we were seeing made our stay easy and stress-free. I really liked the Beatles gift shop opposite the Love theater, and bought souvenirs for myself and our Beatles-loving grandson.

The Love show was wonderful! We had purchased front-row seats three months beforehand, and we were almost too close! At least it gave my husband extra leg room for his painful knees. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house! The staff was courteous and helped my husband with his scooter. They had advised us to arrive early and had an elevator for our use and for others with mobility issues. We were able to take our time going downstairs to our seats, and again afterwards, going up.

I purposely waited until after attending Love to listen to the soundtrack on CD, thus, the impact of the show was incredible!

I would recommend a visit to the Mirage in Las Vegas to every Beatles fan who wants to go to the Love show.

Recommended: Yes