Trip Report 9/4 to 9/8/08--THEHotel at Mandalay Bay

Another excellent trip to Vegas! I%26#39;m still smiling. Booked trip thru Expedia.com and got 4 nights at THEHotel at Mandalay Bay AND airfare from Pennsylvania round trip for $676 per person. Couldn%26#39;t find a better deal for a 4.5 star hotel. Flights went perfectly, arrived at THEHotel as a first time guest at this hotel. What a beautiful hotel it is. THEHotel are all suites and hotel is connected to Mandalay Bay so you use their casino, pools, restaurants, etc. Three of us in our suite, so we booked 2 queen beds. There was a separate living room (with a door) that had a large couch, chairs, flat screen TV, desk, wet bar, mini-bar AND half bathroom. Bedroom was nice sized w/large closets and many drawers, large bathroom with soaking tub, separate shower, double marble vanity and toilet area w/separate door for privacy. This will probably be the only hotel we will ever stay in again in LV. The only thing you have to adjust to at THEHotel is the lobby and hotel are very dimly lit. DIdn%26#39;t bother me but it took some getting used to. It smells great though -- they pipe in a great scent. The pools at MB are superb! Lazy river pool was the best -- bought an inner tube (for $16 -- or you had to pay $20 per day to rent) and floated around without a care in the world. Weather was hot (105 degrees) and sunny every day. It was hot but not humid (like in PA) so I totally loved it! Here is a list of what we did:

Day 1 (Thurs): Ate a late lunch after check in at THECafe in THEHotel -- awesome food! Then walked around Mandalay Bay to get accustomed and also checked out the pool area. Had a great frozen drink at the pool bar ($12 but very good). Then changed for the evening and headed over to Harrah%26#39;s (via taxi) to Carnaval Court. For those of you who have never been there, I highly recommend it if you want to just go have a drink and be entertained by the ';flairtender'; bartenders. The drinks are awesome -- you definitely get your money%26#39;s worth! I love the ';Harrahcane';, which is a VERY strong rum runner. If you tip the flairtenders well they will take very good care of you. Mig is the best flairtender and does a great balancing act (on his head) of empty alcohol bottles and cups that are filled. Truly amazing! After getting quite tipsy there, walked next door to Dueling Pianos at Harrah%26#39;s. Very entertaining. Not sure what time we made it to bed that night/morning, but were exhausted after being up almost 24 hours.

Day 2 (Fri.): Slept in and then headed to the pool around 10:30. Was getting crowded already but we got chairs right by the lazy river pool. Lounged for awhile and then ate lunch at the Pool Restaurant. Excellent food there also. Worked on our tans for the rest of the day, then showered and went to the Buffet at Bellagio. First time there, and I HIGHLY recommend it -- my old favorite was The Rio%26#39;s buffet, but Bellagio is now my new favorite. Excellent choices and everything I chose was superb! Great desserts too! Then we had tickets for Le Reve (Cirque de Soleil show) at The Wynn. We were in the 3rd row $137.50 per ticket) and what a great show it was. I love all of the Cirque shows and it was truly impressive. Then headed back to THEHotel and went to Mix (the nightclub). Paid $10 admission since were hotel guests ($25 for non quests). It was very crowded and small, but what a great view from the top of THEHotel. Hung out for a few drinks and then off to bed.

Day 3 (Sat.): Same as Day 2 where we lounged by the pool all day. Since none of us gamble at all (I%26#39;m way too unlucky so I refrain from losing my hard earned money) it was the perfect set up for us women. Sat. night we ate at The Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay which I ready on this forum that many people recommended it. I too will recommend it. They have more than burgers there but their burgers are awesome. Pick your own beef (or chicken), bun, toppings and sides. Great food and a cool bar too. Then went over to Ceasar%26#39;s Palace to see Cher (front orchestra tix for $227 a ticket). What a great show that was too! She looked great, sang great, her 17 costumes were great, and her acts in between her singing were great! Totally worth every penny! After the show we headed back over to Carnaval Court for more entertainment and great drinks. Paid $7 cover charge (after 9:00 I think), but they had a great band and it was a lot of fun once again.

Day 4 (Sun): Our last day we went to the pool again (surprise!) for our last bit of warmth and sunshine. Ate dinner at The House of Blues in MB which was probably the best dinner I%26#39;ve ever eaten (Teriyaki glazed salmon, fresh green beans and mashed potatoes). Key lime pie for dessert! Definitely recommend that dish. We were going to go to see ';Purple Reign'; at 10:00, but we were all so tired and we had to fly out the next morning so we skipped it. Will have to see it next time (I hear it%26#39;s great).

I can%26#39;t wait to go back again next year -- I love Las Vegas and recommend THEHotel to anyone looking to stay somewhere very nice.

Trip Report 9/4 to 9/8/08--THEHotel at Mandalay Bay

sounds fab I am getting so excited but have so long to go!

Trip Report 9/4 to 9/8/08--THEHotel at Mandalay Bay

Ugh! I want to go back so bad! I have to wait until April!

Great trip report!

Thanks for sharing. We loved MB when we stayed there in Dec, and went to the Mix for a meal on Christmas Day, loved the views from up there.

Le Reve was a great show.

Have now been converted to staying DT but would deffo go back to MB for that bit of luxury. The location of it doesnt bother me in the slightest either.

I%26#39;m going to share this trip report with my non-gambling friends who don%26#39;t believe me when I tell them you can have a good time in Las Vegas without betting your money.

Well done.

I loved staying at THE Hotel! The flat screen in the bathroom showing the fish was my favorite part about the room. I know, I%26#39;m easily impressed.

Do they still have the bowl of fake cherries on the table? They looked so real when I walked in, I tried to take one to eat it and I ended up knocking the whole thing onto the floor, lol!

Cupcakes:

No, they don%26#39;t have the fake cherries in the bowl anymore. Maybe too many people choked from trying to eat them so they considered it a health hazard and removed them :)

And yes, the flat screen TV in the bathroom was also excellent.

I have already started to look at prices for my trip next year!

Isn%26#39;t it amazing the little things you remember? The last time we stayed at THEhotel the bowl of cherries were gone and my wife missed it.

THEhotel is VERY NICE and often can be an outstanding value. And there%26#39;s absolutely nothing wrong with resting and spending your days by the pool. Everyone doesn%26#39;t have to spend their time in the casinos. Las Vegas certainly offers different types of vacations, and it just deciding what works for you.

Thnaks for sharing your trip.