Some 20, maybe 25 years ago, I did an all-inclusive vacation in Cozumel, Mexico, and the food was just horrible. Every morning we would wake up, walk past the line at the breakfast buffet and out to the front door to the taco stand outside our hotel. Then we would drink beer all day, get dressed for the evening and walk off the grounds again and go to one of the restaurants in town. Ever since then I’ve never really figured myself as a resortist.

A resortist is someone who spends all their time at the resort. They don’t venture outside the walls, don’t waste time running all over town exploring offerings beyond the confines of their compound. And I’ve heard of people doing this, especially at all-inclusives in Mexico, Jamaica, or other Caribbean destinations. In this sense, I didn’t become a resortist until just this last get-away at Mandalay Bay.   Whereas normally we check into our hotel, enjoy the room, and then the next day, we’re out and about, seeing the sight at other hotels, this time we did things a little different. This may have been aided by the fact that we did not drive and instead flew into Vegas. So without a car, we were less prompted to leave the Mandalay Bay resort. And for good reason. Mandalay Bay is huge, a true resort. All sorts of dining options, casino options, drinking options. You name it, and they have an option for it.

So for one of the first times ever, we stayed, for the most part, entirely within the confines of Mandalay Bay. Friday night we land at McCarran Airport and head over to The ‘Bay. We check in and are feeling a little snacky, so we stopped at the convenience store at the base of the hotel elevators. We pick up a bag of chips and some cookies to enjoy with our bottle of champagne that we picked up at the airport. Comparing prices here, there about the same as what we paid for the airport so we could’ve paid for the whole thing right here. Oh well, we have a quick snack and since it’s still relatively early, 11:00pm, it’s down to the casino tables.

The next morning  we wake up and head down to The Beach. This is one thing I truly love about Mandalay Bay, The Beach is one of three pools and the Mandalay Bay resort for folio. It’s an actual beach, a couple of million cubic feet of sand imported from Southern California to give a true beach feeling around a man-made lake with a wave generator. We hang out, cabana girl comes over, we order some beers, some Hamburger sliders and fries. That should hold us until evening.

For dinner we get dressed up head down once again to try our luck. We spend a few hours trying to find a hot slot machine, but it eludes us. Nancy is in the mood for Chinese food so we had upstairs with wander over to the Luxor Casino, which is connected to Mandalay Bay, and head to Chopstix, Asian fair on the second level. The restaurant is quiet, but I do like the fact that it is open to the walkway in the Luxor. This gives both a little alfresco feeling and a chance to watch people milling about. The food is just average is good for Chinese, but it gets the job done.

For breakfast Saturday morning, we head downstairs and Nancy wants to take a look at the offerings in the Mandalay Shops between Mandalay and Luxor. They have everything along the walkway: Burger Bar for fantastic burgers by Hubert Keller; Hussong’s Cantina for Mexican memories best forgotten (remember that time in Mexico and we were do shots and…); Boiler Room by Rick Moonen for classic comfort food; but we’re in the mood for breakfast, so I’m thinking the luck of the Irish be with us, and we stop at Ri Ra for breakfast. What could be better prior to heading out to Exotics Racing for one in the McLaren, then a good Irish breakfast with a nice cold Smithwick‘s? I order the Benedict, and it is perfect. Nancy has a Salmon Bagel, and she’s in heaven with it as well. The guys next to us order the Irish Bangers, and they can’t stop high-fiving each other as to how good their food is. That’s a good sign, looks like it’s a thumbs up.

After a hard day of racing, we make a stop back at the Cosmopolitan, and spend a couple of hours trying to find a hot slot machine. And we do! But of course as soon as it pays off, we feed the hungry little monster a good chunk of our winnings, so we decide it’s best to leave and head back to Mandalay Bay for dinner tonight before we lose it all.

For dinner Saturday night it’s Red Square, the Russian vodka ice bar that has a pretty tasty restaurant behind it. Where we sit down and are immediately greeted by the servers. I order nice the big tasty Gorba Chop, (a pork chop named after Gorbachov, get it?) and Nancy has the sirloin. Unfortunately, when the Gorba comes out and it seems to have spent a little too much time in the brine. The salt was too much for me and I had to send it back. The waiter graciously takes the plate and I order the SVO Chicken. The chicken comes up and it is quite tasty and a good replacement for the Gorba Chop. Nancy’s sirloin is just perfect, very tasty, and I’m kicking myself as to why I just didn’t order that. But when we go out dining, we always like to try different things, and this was Nancy’s turn to have steak since Lent was over!

It’s Sunday already, time to head home, but we figure one last meal before heading out for flight later in the afternoon. We decide to walk over to the Four Seasons and try the breakfast buffet at Veranda. The Veranda is advertised as the Italian restaurant offering, but since several people recommended it, we decide to see what it’s like for breakfast. After we walk in, we grab our plates, and are met with a disappointing array of heat lamps and chafing dishes. This is not the buffet I was expecting for $39 a person. There aren’t many times when I am truly disappointed by food offerings, but this actually was one of them. The food was very disappointing, although the restaurant itself is beautiful and the service is awesome. Very attentive in serving our Mimosa‘s. They just kind a left off the fact that they actually charge for the Mimosa‘s, not included in the $39 price tag. I tried the cute little skillets of Corned Beef Hash, and a little Chilaquiles, but  they look much better than they taste. This was unfortunately heat lamp food that comes across dry and flavorless. The one saving grace was the fact that they do have a omelette bar, but limited on the options. I do nothing more than order a Denver omelette: diced ham, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and cheese. No crab, lobster, caviar, or any of the kitschy stuff that make Las Vegas buffets so spectacular. Oh well we had a great time every where else.

Before leaving we step outside to the Four Seasons pool, and bask in the sunshine. I look to Nancy and I realize this is our first trip being resortist. We spent pretty much 90% of our time in one resort location. And to be honest I rather enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to returning your June and being the resort is at the Aria Resort and Casino. They have such great offerings as Julian Serrano tapas, Javier’s for Mexican, Lemongrass for Asian, Carbone for italian, Bardot for French…oh my! And that’s not even including next-door at Crystal’s, where there’s Mastro’s Ocean Club, Wolfgang Puck has 2 locations, The Pub and much more. But that’s the point, as a resortist, I’m staying put in the Aria and enjoying everything within the confines of my castle.