Mandalay Bay

I had a good experience here. The rooms were clean, the beds comfortable and the staff pleasant. Overall, it was a good stay. Lots of restaurants in the hotel to eat at too and a good food court for cheaper options. While you could still smell the smoke a little, it wasn’t nearly as overpowering as the rooms at the MGM were. The only downside is it’s away from the main strip area.

⭐⭐☆☆☆ I recently stayed at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino over the weekend and honestly left pretty underwhelmed. When booking, I specifically paid for a Resort King room. Upon arrival, we were told none were available and were “upgraded” (which definitely did not feel like an upgrade) to a double queen room overlooking the pool. When we questioned it, the front desk attendant repeatedly stated that room types are not guaranteed. Interesting concept considering they absolutely guarantee charging you for the room type you selected. To make up for it, we were offered a $100 food and beverage credit and told they would notify us if a Resort King became available. We were contacted the next day to move rooms, but by that point it honestly didn’t even seem worth the hassle of packing everything back up mid-trip. The hotel itself is nice enough, but the location is pretty far down at the end of the Strip. If you’re looking to be in the middle of the action and easily walk to everything, this probably isn’t the best choice. The pool area was also incredibly overcrowded. Lounge chairs were practically stacked on top of each other, making it feel more chaotic than relaxing. We rented a cabana for the day, which, like pretty much everything else in Vegas, was wildly overpriced for what you actually get. Overall, not a terrible stay, but definitely not the experience I expected for the price point.