las vegas – PostcardsFromTheNet

Delano, Hotels, Las Vegas

Delano: Welcome to the Suite Life

December 27, 2018 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

Delano Signage - Appropriately Looking Down on Mandalay

And here we are once again at the Delano hotel. I don’t know if you remember what happened last time, we wound up at the Mandalay and the largest suite I’ve ever stayed in, 1,705 sq ft in the Horizon Suite. But to be honest, we really wanted to stay away from Mandalay, and hopefully we were going to get a nice room here at the Delano.

We walk up to the desk to check in, and since we drove up during Christmas break, we were able to drive during normal business hours and arrive at the hotel just after 8:00pm. I calmly ask the clerk, Mario, if they had an upgrade available to a junior suite. He tickled the ivories of the keyboard, and came back with a yes! Awesome! But he had to get managerial approval, whatever that means.

When we arrive to the 60th floor, yes 60th floor, we got that feeling once again. Walking towards the room, we see the number is at the end of the hall, and that’s always a good thing. We step inside the room and are greeted with a marble minimalist design marble console. Wow, impressive so far. I turn to my right and I see the door, and now I get happy, a second bathroom! Yay! I don’t know why this thrills me so much, it just does. I love having two bathrooms in a hotel room.

We step through the foyer and we come across, a second foyer? No, more a simple open space with a large mirror leaning against the wall and a chair with the round carpet. It had a very Zen minimalist modern art installation feel to it. I could just sit here for a good long time.

We step into the living room, and Oh My God! The interior windows have a gold tint to them, so in the evening under the room lights, the whole room is just reflective gold. Huge! A large sectional couch, flat screen TV, separate dining table with new age design chandelier and full bar with Kuerig coffee maker.

We check out the bedroom and we have to walk all the way across the room to the bedroom. And by “all the way”, I mean all, all… all the way! Past the Zen chair. Past the business desk. Past the second full size couch in the bedroom, and finally to the final resting place. After all the suite is 1,400 square feet so this place is massive!

The bed has the Delano tufted headboard, same design we had in our previous Delano room. I guess this is a Delano theme, cool. We step in past the bed and the hallway closet, yes hallway closet. As close as you’re going to get to walk in closet in Vegas. Hmmm… wait, I’m sure there are walk-in closets in Vegas. Wynn suite?

Dual Vanity Bathroom with Soaking Tub and Steam Shower!

Anyway, the bathroom is nice: Double sink vanity, large soaking tub, separate water closet (toilet), steam shower! Yes, a steam shower for those mornings when you need to sweat that Tequila out. But then in Vegas, it’s never really morning as its just a rollover from the previous night.

Delano Suite Living Room overlooking Vegas

I just love the clean modern design of this suite and effective immediately this is my new favorite suite. Let me take that back, because that suite at The Cosmopolitan, although not as fancy as this suite, it did have that double balcony! And on a beautiful spring or summer day a balcony trumps all. OK now that I think about it this is my second favorite suite but it’s my favourite Mlife suite, how about that!

Eating, Las Vegas, Travel

Hells’ Kitchen Las Vegas

December 27, 2018 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

Oh here we go! Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas. We finally get to taste some Gordon Ramsay speciality food. Our memories fade back to days of The London and that awesome Beef Wellington. And even more, London held two of my favorite culinary memories: The last time we ate there, we saw and met with Neil deGrasse Tyson, the solar systems most stellar name since Carl Sagan. And then there was the food porn picture incident, where some lady asked the waiter to tell us to stop talking pictures because the flash was bothering her. I mean, yes, its annoying when people do that, using flash in restaurants for Instagram food shots, but we were the only two tables in the place! Whatever!

Anyway, this was Vegas and this was going to be one hell of a party! Wrong! The hostess tries to be as cool and nonchalant as some nightclub hostess. Whatever, you see me you insolent little prick. And then, instead of some cool Vegas waiting area, we’re forced to stand in this lame ass cheesy little roped off line. We could have walked around the lobby…foyer…area in front with a life size video recording of Ramsay saying some weird obnoxious stuff, but it was unclear if our name was being called or if we were waiting in line in the order of arrival. I didn’t want the newcomers to jump us, so we waited in line like the little sheep that we are. Lame.

As we’re being shown to our seats, the kitchen is laid out in huge Red Team Blue Team manner. quite impressive, but unfortunately, that’s the most impressive thing about that space. Just a big hall of a space ala Cheesecake Factory with half the seats removed. And pitchforks. Lot’s of pitchforks. Everywhere pitchforks! I get it already, its Hell’s Kitchen! I know, I just spent purgatory waiting for the place. Oh well, at least when I meet my demise, I’ll be able to look up and say, “I know. I remember this place.”

Good thing though, we are seated in the antechamber, the back room so to speak. At least it’s a little darker, more quiet and you don’t feel like you’re on display. The waiter comes over, finally, and…I don’t know why…but just makes me feel so uncomfortable. Just a real shark-snarkiness about him. I think he or someone must have said something to put me on edge, but either way, I was and he was not making it any better.

Oh well, so much for the Ramsay swag, the menu is rather plain, typical restaurant. Fish, steak, The Wellington, chicken. We start with the Scallops, and for some reason, I love Scallops. And I say that like, I don’t know why I like them, really not much to them, but I always want them when I see them on a menu. Weird, yep, and it’s actually been awhile since I had a good order of them to make it worthwhile.

Well this time, I got it right. First, there’s five to a plat, so plenty to have. Most of the time, there’s only 2 or 3, but with 5, Nancy lets me have a whole one, so I get 3 plump, tender and flavorful. They have just the perfect consistency, the celery root puree blandness was corrected with a touch of bacon fat flavor. The little scallions on top were gone on the second and third pieces, no need, and too sour to not annoy that subtle bacon taste.

So once the food starts coming out, first on the table was the Mac and Cheese. Truth be told, I’m on a MnC pilgrimage. Trying to feed the perfect, or at least something that comes close to the Truffle MnC we had for our Christmas dinner with friends at The Belvedere in The Peninsula years ago. OMG! That let me know MnC is in fact a grown dish that has been watered down for kids, and not the other way around. And so Gordon hits a high note here with his Gouda heavy noodle-rific wonder. But what drives it home is the crispy prosciutto on top. Yes, packs as much flavor as bacon, but in a lighter, crispier dissolves on your tongue manner. And this time, the scallions play the correct role in providing just a tippy top touch of acid. Heaven!

Finally, the Beef Wellington arrives and the presentation is just wonderful. Light and fluffy is the view with the whip potatoes, and I do mean whipped. Oozing with cream, the potatoes are light and delicate as can be. And then it happens…the first bite. And bam! Turns out I was in hell after all. The crust, light and flaky…on top. Gooey down below…please hold your jokes until the end. the meat was cooked to perfection, the mushroom sweater was perfectly uniform. And the flavor, was…gone. Both of us just stared at one another. Where was the flavor? the Scallops. Perfect. Mac and Cheese. Delicious. Beef Wellington. Check please. But of course we powered through it. I’m not that crazy. But it was just so flat. If you’re a carnivore, nowhere beats Vegas. The steak houses here are insane! One of the few places in the world were if you order Kobe, you get Kobe. But this was bland. Perfectly bland. On well. And with that we head out. Not even wanting to try desert, the MnC did us just fine. I miss that original London Wellington. I know Satan, I know.

Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay Tops ’em All

November 23, 2018 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

[video_preview post_url=”https://youtu.be/1U03uTyeaIU” title=”yes” date=”yes” author=”yes” lightbox=”yes”]

This last visit to Las Vegas, over Thanksgiving weekend started off on a low note. We received an invitation from the Delano, and I was not too thrilled about the room. Remember last time, that tiny little closet space meant I had to lose live out of the suitcase the whole weekend. But Nancy was excited about it, so we are headed to another weekend in Vegas.

Upon check-in we’re told that the rooms are sold out and they would have to place us and Mandalay Bay…and here we go! Our last experience at Mandalay was marked by screaming kids at 6 AM in the room next door and a weird configuration that didn’t really lend itself to a spacious luxurious feel.

When the desk clerk spun the little iPad display around to show us our room, well, things got very interesting. The Horizon Suite. First, the room seem to be decorated in purple. Not the muted purple like we had at The Cosmopolitan, but a bright rich purple reminiscent of Prince and his Purple Rain days. Paisley Park, where we come! Then I look down at the description; and it catches my eye: 1,705 square feet! That’s bigger than our house! Oh this is going to be interesting.

When we arrived on the 55th floor, and that didn’t really spark the most exciting feeling in us. Only 55? OK let’s check this out and we start walking down the hall, and walking…and walking…holy crap…it becomes obvious to us that our room is at the end of the hall. Wait…what??? Our room has the double doors at the end of the hall! In Vegas, nothing but good stuff happens behind double doors!

We open up and what opens what unfolds in front of us is nothing but magical: I’ve never experienced anything like this in real life. To the left, first we have a huge bar! Did I mention the bar had its own 50 inch TV? Really! This bar needed it’s own bartender and there was plenty of room for him and the bar back. Behind the bar was a powder room large enough for an extra shower. Beyond that, the parlor seating space, a love seat with two side chairs and table. This alone would make for a fantastic suite, but this is just the beginning. We turn the corner and roll over to the living room with a 60 inch flat screen TV and Harman Kardon sound bar. This setup sounds fantastic and it’s Bluetooth, so we can connect my phone and party music all night long. Another seating area was in front of the bar raising the seating in the living area to three locations!

The bedroom is located behind double doors as well, which lends itself to a good time. You walk in and are greeted by a business desk, and then a lounge chair. This leads over to a six drawer dresser with a 42 inch flat screen TV on it. King size bed with two side tables looks spacious, but unfortunately the room is chopped at an angle and does not feel as luxurious as the square footage would indicate.

The bathroom is a nice comfortable space, but unfortunately, it has the Mandalay Bay setup of only a single face bowl vanity, with the Mandalay water drain gargle, and the loudest toilet in history. Each flush was a gut wrenching high-pitched squeal of incredible proportions. The bath and separate walk-in shower round it out the bathroom, decorated in some purple design and faded geo-flower pattern. Tres chic…for the 70’s!

This was without a doubt the largest suite we’ve ever stayed in, larger than the massive Cosmopolitan Wraparound Balcony Suite. This was larger than the rooms at the Hotel Negresco in Nice, and the Hotel Metropole in Brussels…combined! And throw in our room at the Beverly Hills Hotel for good measure! Well, even our house is only 1,400 square feet This is the kind of space you hear about with celebrities and their extravagant lifestyles or you see in movies. But oddly enough, with all the creature comforts available in this room, we found it to be a bit too large! That walk from the living room back to the bedroom, what a hike. And I had to place my phone on the business desk since placing it on the nightstand, the Bluetooth would not reach to the living room! That’s 33 feet! Damn! That’s a good problem to have.

Las Vegas, Travel

New York New York Las Vegas

August 17, 2018 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

In many ways, the New York, New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas represents the true essence of New York: It stands as a gateway to a new world, it’s crowded, and full of Germans and French tourists. C’est bon!

For many years, New York, New York was the gateway to either Bellagio Hotel if you’re headed north, or Mandalay Bay for those who are southbound. You see, when you’re at either one of those hotels, walking from one to the other, the tram does not cross Tropicana Ave. You can catch a tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, then you have to exit the tram, walk across the bridge to New York, New York and proceed to the Monte Carlo tram stop, or walk directly to Bellagio to enter from the front. And vice versa, once you’ve lost all your money at Bellagio and need to walk back home, because cab fare is out of the question now, to Mandalay Bay, you reverse the trip, and walk through New York, New York to the Excalibur stop. Or you can walk the strip along the outside and take pictures in front of the Statue of Liberty, but one way or another you’ve got to go through New York if you want to get to Europe or Asia.

I walk through the casino of New York, New York, and I am amused by the kitchy-ness of the Time Square decor. On the outside, as I stated before the Statue of Liberty is there, the buildings are designed as the New York skyline. This is no easy feat when you think how do you build a hotel and make it look like a skyline. Hats off to the architects and engineers, and once again, this is my true passion about Vegas. The engineers that take what seems to be unbounded imagination and bring it to life. The Chrysler building, the Empire State building, the big Hershey sign from Times Square, they are all here, including my favorite, The Coney Island roller coaster.

After all the years of visiting Las Vegas this is actually our first stay at New York, New York. All the years of walking through the casino, past the lobby, pass by Nine Fine Irishmen, I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms are well appointed, spacious, and practical. No fancy-schmancy stuff, just a good solid room to hang out in. And like New York where you walk everywhere, you do have an interesting walk to the rooms. Full of twists and turns like an Agatha Christie novel, this is what is needed on the inside to get the effect of the skyline on the outside. Pretty cool actually.

The casino is classic Vegas. It has all the bells and whistles, slot machines and card tables. There is a more popular center bar, main floor and a back floor off to the right-hand side as you come down the elevator from the rooms. I really like the walk through the back alleys of New York over to Bleecker Street where the pizza shop stands, then over to Broadway and Greenwich representing the village.

We enjoyed dinner in the village Sunday night at Nine Fine Irishmen. Stepping up to the entrance, hopes were high after that awesome Irish breakfast back in March at the Rí Rá Irish Pub in Mandalay Bay. Would the Irish food superiority would continue? As we all know, if you want the finest cuisine, go Irish! All joking aside, my short rib dinner was wonderful, and it gave me one of my favorite dining features: Alfresco. I was actually relieved at the relative comfort we were able to dine on the front patio of Nine Fine Irishmen. We didn’t feel as if we were on display with thousands of people walking by us. OK, maybe hundreds. They weren’t hovering over us and drooling on our food like in the real streets of New York. It was actually quite nice and gave that outside dining feel to an indoors restaurant. Then again, maybe it was the fact that I was keeping an eye on that slot machine that seem to be playing paying off right across the walkway that made everyone else fade to my peripheral vision.

Dining options at New York, New York span the full range of cuisine choices. From Nathan’s hotdogs in the Village Street Eateries to casual at Nine Fine Irishmen, to diner style breakfast at America, to upscale Italian dining at Il Fornaio and fantastic steaks at Gallagher’s. But one of my favorite spots to grab an afternoon bite is just outside of New York, New York, Beerhaus, along the MGM Parkway. The boardwalk of sorts lies between New York, New York and the new Park MGM, which was the old Monte Carlo, and runs from the strip back up to the new T-Mobile arena. And halfway up is Beerhaus, a German inspired brew house that sports great beers and a great indoor/outdoor setting. Sometimes, I just want to get out into the warm sunshine and fresh air of the Las Vegas wilderness.

But to cram all of this into a single hotel, and then add a roller coaster! You had me at “keep our hands inside the car.” Of course, I didn’t, and snuck a little video. Maybe I should’ve just talk to management so I could do a full shoot on the ride, but I think sneaking this adds to the covert excitement of it all. The pool area is quite nice as well, it sits under the roller coaster and looks up at the skyline. Pool side service is good, and it does offer a relatively large amount of shade for those super-hot summer afternoons.

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive when my wife said let’s stay here. I was imagining tiny New York sized rooms. But since this is one of three or four hotels on the strip we have not stayed, and my bucket list is to stay at every hotel on the Las Vegas strip, I knew at some point we were going to have to pull the trigger. And now, next time I’m at Bellagio, I’m going to look forward to walking back through New York, New York, and will reflect with fond memories. I think I’m going to have to visit that Nine Fine Irishmen for yet another Smithwick’s Irish beer and short ribs. And maybe this time I’ll go ahead and grab some extra cotton candy for the roller coaster ride. Aye, fuhgeddaboudit!

Las Vegas, Racing

The Lamborghini Performante: New Lap Record

June 16, 2018 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

Well, this was to be it. I just decided to hang up my Exotics Racing driving boots, once and for all. I did also decided that if I’m going out, I’m going out with a bang. I decided that for my last drive, I would step into the car that has haunted me all these years: The Lamborghini. The problem with the Lamborghini, is that several years back, I drove the Gallardo for the first time, and it was the one car that seemed too untamed and too wild for me to properly enjoy. Every time I would step on the gas, the back end would want to step out, and I would get shivers from the image of me spinning the car on the track. Yes, I’m more worried about the image of me not being the high-performance Formula One racer that I imagine myself to be, and less about the actual car damage itself.

And now, on the dawn of my retirement, I say to myself, “What’s the car that I want to drive as my farewell.? What’s the white for me to conquer as I say ‘So long’? It would have to be that damn Lamborghini! Vengeance would be mine! As I was browsing the Exotics Racing website to select the car, I see that they now have the new Lamborghini Huracán Performante! Wait, the Performante!?! The Nürburgring record smashing Performante!?! The Lamborghini that lives up to the true Italian heritage of Lamborghini not just some over-the-top, undrivable exotic supercar? Yes indeedy! They’ve got the Lamborghini of Lamborghinis. I see this on the website and have to drive it. Then I looked at the price and thought maybe not. Then I thought if not now. when? If not me, who? So I clicked yes to the Performante.

Approaching the Performante, this Lamborghini is similar enough to the standard Huracán, (is there such a thing as a STANDARD Lamborghini?) with one impressive 6 foot wingspan exception. Whattawing! Actually, the wing is that it’s not as massive as the racing version. By Lamborghini standards, it’s actually quite sublime. Up close, this is a wing unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s obviously not just some plain fiberglass, but you also don’t see the carbon fiber weaving you’d expect. The wing has a polished mosaic finish to it that looks more fiberglass than Carbon Fiber. This material is newly created and patented by Lamborghini, a Carbon Fiber composite that is as strong, and yet, even lighter than Carbon Fiber. Wow! Somebody else can do the research to find out how it’s actually made.

I look at the interior, and it’s classic Lamborghini. Hi-tech switches start button located under the red safety cover, and a healthy dose of Alcantara lining throughout. Finish this off with Performante wording stitched into the seats and a little design pattern along the doors. At start up, the car sounds classic Lamborghini. The v10 roars to life, spitting out Grappa and Vino. We close the door, which is a normal lateral swing, not a swoop up like the Aventador and we head out to the track. I punch it coming to the first turn, and everything feels nice and solid. I think to myself I must be going slower than I thought. Maybe the car does not have the pickup I anticipated, but no this was more an indication of how smooth the car is. I start dropping the hammer closer and closer to the floor, the car starts picking up speed and I’m expecting the understeer to kick in as I exit turn 1. Nope! I turn the wheel slightly to the right to keep me on track and the car obliges. Well that was nice. Now we shoot down the front straight. I short shift as an anticipated reaction to the instructor telling me to do so, but not JD, he lets me know next time, take it all the way to the 8500 rpm limit. Oh boy, I will remember that next time for sure! We hit the first braking zone cone and the car comes to a stop, and yet again, I’m some 50 feet are so short of the turn-in point, so I have to release and coast through the turn. Good stopping power. The car turns in hits the peak and I’m back on the gas accelerating down the second straight. The car is handling great. The all-wheel drive feels perfectly balanced. We approach the Carousel, off-camber turns five and six, and the Performante just gobbles it up. Oh my! Houston, this is awesome! The car stays planted and I let the car do its thing.

Truth be told, and as JD was told, I just wanted one lap that I can just drive myself with no instruction and nail that 120 mph at the end of the front straight. On lap 7 or 8, at this point they tend to blur into one another, JD obliges and I take the car around the track with minimal input from the instructor, and now I feel comfortable. I brake late break into turn one and get the perfect setup for the front straight, and at last I’ve reached Nirvana. 122mph! The rest of the lap falls into place, and there you have it: 56.34 seconds! My new lap record. Yes!

Now, a sense of calm flows over me. I feel that, yes, this is the retirement I deserve. The Lamborghini has been tamed and I’ve been validated. Thank you Lamborghini for the proper send off. That is it. No more Exotics Racing. No more super car driving. Goodbye. Arrivederci. I walk away. I stop. I look back. Oh who am I kidding! That Ferrari 458 needs me, and I need it. See you in October 🙂

Hotels, Las Vegas

Yo Cosmo: The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

July 22, 2017 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

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.

Eating, Las Vegas

Momofuku! Let me stop there.

July 22, 2017 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

I first came across Momofuku in New York. My wife and I were there for her birthday, and I want to find a top notch foodie restaurant for her. Unfortunately I waited until the last minute and the place was reserved for the next two months. That’s the popularity of such high end restaurants like Momofuku. But then why wouldn’t it be popular, the guy’s got 2 Michelin stars, and the restaurant is awarded “Best of…” in so many categories, including Bon Appetit and Gourmet Traveler.

We started with Crab Deviled Eggs. I love love love ’em! Deviled Eggs, but adding some salmon roe, and topping it off shredded crab meat and crispy Bonito, this sounded awesome! And it was. I know, in a Asian themed Michelin spot and I choose Deviled Eggs. Oh well, I’m not THAT adventurous, I just like good stuff regardless of the theme.

After zooming through our first glasses of wine, the entrees started coming out. She ordered the Rotisserie Chicken & Fried Bones. Tender juicy chicken thigh pieces and crispy fried wings that if you were adventurous enough, or hungry enough, you could bite right through to the bone. If only Buffalo Wild Wings were this tasty.

I got the Smoked Pork Chop. What I found interesting was that instead of a huge pork chop, it comes out sliced and tender as can be. A peach on top, and rye cognac broth underneath, it was BBQ heaven. Soft and tender, a delicate balance of flavors across a wide palette of textures. And huge servings!

To accompany the entrees, there was no way I could pass up on the Crispy Potatoes. Tender little fingerings, fried to perfection, light and airy, then topped with a truffle sour cream, shredded Parmesan cheese, chives. I didn’t even notice the truffle Tofu blended in. I may have been overwhelmed by the size. How are we going to eat all of this!?! We were so stuff at this point, we took almost half back to the room for breakfast the following day.

Hotels, Mandalay Bay

Las Vegas: A Mandalay Bay Stay

June 15, 2017 by Christopher Freeman No Comments

So here we go again, another birthday trip to Las Vegas. It’s a tradition started some 25 years ago, and I just love going to Las Vegas with for a weekend during my birthday month celebration. Yes, Birthday Month! Because when you’re my age, one day is just not enough.

So this trip we had to Mandalay Bay Resort and Beach Hotel. The number one luxury feature of Mandalay Bay is time! The fact that Mandalay Bay is pretty much the first hotel you come to as you enter the Vegas Strip means you don’t have to deal with the traffic of the Las Vegas strip. This is a great advantage that Mandalay Bay has over other hotels. Mandalay Bay is connected on three sides with the Four Seasons Hotel, the Delano and the Luxor Hotel. This allows you to walk in air conditioned comfort to at least two other hotels, although the Four Seasons is not a gambling hotel, it is luxurious and nice to walk through and a great dinner location.

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.

What I do love about Mandalay Bay is it spaciousness. The ceilings are high, the casino floor is huge, as are the restaurants, and the room. The rooms in the Mandalay are a very nice size, and the bathrooms were very easy for my wife and I to navigate. A large single mirror straddles a dual sink. Built-in lighting provides a nice soft glow and even lighting that reflects both a separate shower and a relaxing bath tub. Unfortunately the bathtub is not a Jacuzzi tub, something which would put Mandalay Bay above other hotels on the strip. But the rooms are comfortable and very convenient.

My one recommendation upon making a reservation and checking in as to request a non-joining the room. That’s a room that has a joining door between your neighbor room, which is fine when you have kids or family to be able to share open the door and share both spaces. But when the people next to you are someone else’s kids, and not your kids, the spacing under the door allows every yell, laugh and giggle they utter to seep into your room. Not cool. Specially when you come straggling in at four in the morning, and they’re getting up for breakfast at 8 AM.

But the bed is cushy, the table provides a nice little office setting, with outlet for AC, USB, HDMI, and VGA plugs. One thing I truly like enjoy this time was as soon as I plug say HDMI cable in from my computer, I was able to watch my Formula 1 racing on the large 42″ HD TV on the wall. This was perfect

The shops at Mandalay our typical Vegas, although one aspect I truly appreciate is that the sundry shop is right at the base of the elevators. The elevators are located in a central triad broken off into 30 floor increments. Make a left off the elevator and there’s a sundry full of water, spirits, beer and assorted bandages. After all this is Vegas. Another genius move Mandalay the house that I appreciate pretty much more than any other hotel in Vegas, The Beach.

The beach is Mandalay Bay’s swimming pool. But more than a swimming pool, it’s an actual beach! Complete with scorching hot sand and rolling waves. No not the North Beach Hang 10 kind of waves, but low rolling waves, the kind you would find in southeast Asia. The entry to the beach is actually located one level before the main floor of the hotel. This is great because doing so allows elevators to go all the way down to the beach level past the main floor to the beach level. You walk out of the elevator take a left and out of the to the pool area. The genius here is that when you are headed to the beach or coming from the beach, you walk directly to the elevators without having to walk through the casino. I don’t mind walking to the pool from the casino going there but after spending all day getting sloppy drunk and still went in my swim trunks I hate to walk back. But this also lends itself to sandy elevators by late day. Oh well, I guess just like the beaches of Southeast Asia.