So another Vegas trip, another Vegas adventure. This time we headed off to the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
The Cosmopolitan is an ultra urban, ultra sleek, total hipster hang out kind of place. The Cosmopolitan sets between the Bellagio and the Aria/Vdara/City Center complex. And uniquely enough it’s not attached to any of those. This is due mainly to the fact that the Bellagio was not part of the M life organization. As the Vdara, which sits behind the Cosmopolitan, connects to Bellagio via an internal tunnel, you would think they would just build a tunnel from the Cosmopolitan connecting the three.
But either way, once you check in to the Cosmopolitan, you are immediately hit by the glossy, glitzy entryway. Once in the room, that theme continues. The Cosmopolitan is a great space with the rooms larger than most common rooms. It reminds me of the old days of the Hard Rock Hotel being the blinged out boudoir of choice. Now those older rich guys have moved closer to the strip where the action is.
The rooms, equipped with wet sinks, microwaves, two TVs, a sitting area. This makes the rooms incredibly cozy to stay in, more like your little apartment and less a hotel room. All the finishes are top notch and high quality. I love the microwave, I don’t need an oven, but to heat up some of those left overs the next morning, and then relax on the couch, awesome! Especially in the fall when football is on Sunday and you’re nursing a hangover.
I love the step-through-shower concept, and will actually put it to use in some of the homes I’m remodeling. The sit down Jacuzzi tubs are awesome. Sit back and relax after a long day at the pool or after winning a fortunate on the slot machines downstairs. It could happen! Plus whats better than sitting in your tub, and looking over to the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Britney Spears images on the giant screen across the street? Way cool!
I love the idea of a balcony on a room, and Cosmopolitan is fantastic where not only do you have a balcony, but it’s all over looking the Las Vegas strip. Our particular balcony allowed us to look down at the Boulevard Pool. We could also look across to Planet Hollywood, and down the strip to Paris Paris or up to Aria.
The hotel continues Hard Rock Hotel purple theme. Oh Prince, where art thou? The beds are extremely comfortable, good closet space, fantastic bathroom set up with the walk in shower, make that walk through shower, Where you walk through the shower to get to the tub. It’s a cool set up definitely unique definitely 4-star. But if it does have one nuance, it’s that it has no drawers. Which is OK, since 9 times out of 10 you’re clothes are either in your suitcase are hanging on the closet rack anyway.
Mandalay is the former capital of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Myanmar is a small country north of Indonesia east of Vietnam. And that’s whats lost on Mandalay Bay. When you pull up to Mandalay Bay, you do notice that is lush, hidden behind lots of greenery, but no true indication of it Southeast Asian theme. As you enter Mandalay Bay through the lush greenery, you may catch a glimpse of tiger statues and other Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese influences, but they are very low-key and not very prominent, so you really don’t have quite an idea of what you’re really getting into. Upon entering Mandalay Bay, did you notice that palm tree and a slight wicker thing. Strips of marble, and beautifully laid marble it is, are highlighted by brown strips of a textured marble to resemble the wicker themes from Southeast Asia. You’ll also notice that there are an excess of shutters surrounding the crown molding and door moldings of the lobby area. And this theme is carried throughout the rooms. There are large ceiling fans throughout the lobby, but that is the only true semblance of southeast Asia here. The dining area is your typical Vegas style, the buffet and lunch dining areas have about as much sense of tropical fare as south east Florida. I would venture to say Myanmar had their theme long before Key West did.
