So this LIVE REVIEW of Mandalay Bay will be updated as my stay continues. Let me quickly get some things off my chest first and then explain the things that are nice about this property. I got this room Thursday through Sunday at an average price of $150 on hotels.com. That doesn’t include the $34 a night “resort fee”. Not a bad price really for Mandalay.
CONS:
- Checked in and my drivers license was not returned to me. The attendant made no effort to run and track me down to return it either, I luckily had turned around and gone back to ask where my parking pass was that also was not returned and she had my license sitting beside her. What would have happened if I didn’t come back? I would have been up shits creek with no paddle in a town where your ID is your passport to fun.
- I asked for a special room, the highest floor possible with a view and I get the 8th floor overlooking the pool.
- My room was at the very end of the hallway so its about a 5 minute walk from the elevator.
- The wifi they offer is not secured, at least it’s free I suppose.
- The ethernet port in the G-link console doesn’t work so you are forced to use the slow, unsecured wifi.
- If you remove any item from the minibar fridge you are instantly charged, even if you don’t use it. This renders the refrigerator absolutely useless if you want to store any of your items in it.
- The coffee maker is free to use but the cups are sealed with coffee inside and cost $4 each. My woman wanted to make a tea and we had to request they send up a paper cup to our room which was a $1 charge.
- Front desk was extremely rude when we requested they send up champagne glasses and they told us it would be $1 each and a $4.95 charge for delivery, which was bull.
- Helicopters and airplanes can be heard since it’s close proximity to the urrrport.
- The West Valet lot was closed, which was where I needed to plug in the Tesla to charge it. Total clusterfugg considering I emailed the concierge inquiring about the EV charging setup days before. I decided it was a pain in the ass and since it was first come first serve I had no guarantee I would be able to charge up and drove my Dodge Charger so I didn’t need to worry. Had I taken the Tesla I wouldn’t have been able to charge up at all! AND I found out the only way to use the charger is to valet the car which would tack on an $18 a night fee. Bullshit!!!!
- Went to visit the pool at 6pm thinking we had 2 hours to experience it only to find it was closing at 7. The front desk said it was open until 8 every night.
- I think the wave pool, lazy river, and other pools are nice looking but prepare to be surrounded by little children. They should designate an hour or two for just adults.
- If you need a flotation device for the lazy river you will need to pay $20 for a Mandalay Bay tube (or bring your own and they can inflate it there)
- Music from the band at the pool area pounded loudly into my room until 11pm. Not that you should be inside trying to sleep at 10 in Vegas but if you are, good luck!
- I was told by registration that anything moved in the mini bar would automatically be charged but no one mentioned that I also would be charged if something from the little snack box was moved. As I was reviewing my invoice upon checkout I saw two $4 charges which turned out to be me lifting the coffee cup and then placing it back down. I complained and they removed the charges but wtf is this shid? What if I wanted to see an ingredient on a bag of jerky or pringles? Bam.. charged instantly once any item is picked up based on built in motion sensors. I think this whole setup is ridiculous. Am I a child? Am I a thief? NO.. so why the F am I being treated like one?
- We called for late checkout at 12 and were told it was complimentary then when I called about the $4 charges and the fact it still showed I was on the 11am checkout they said I was not signed up for the late check out. Clusterfugg. The problem with this place is none of the staff have a clue what is going on.
- They do have a food court but it only has 5 stores and it’s about a 10 minute walk from the main part of the hotel.
- I was interested in a bar/restaurant called the “Red Square” which had a bronze statue of Lenin out front with the head removed.. I had read in a few places online that the head was stored inside the chilled vodka room and if you asked about it they would let you go back and see it but when I inquired about it I was told I would have to pay for a premium vodka or flight of shots (1 shot of Belvedere is $18). The pricing is ridiculous which is a shame because it looked like a nice spot. 99% of the patrons of this hotel are not millionaire high rollers so why price gouge the common man and keep them away from the fun looking places? Also, they tell you to come in for happy hour but when you sit down they have no happy hour menu for drinks and you have to listen to the bar tender or waitress describe what is on it, even then we weren’t told any prices. Idiotic.
PROS:
- Gorgeous property at the start of the strip next to the Bali Hai golf course.
- Beach area has a wave pool, lazy river and regular pools. More to come later once I visit this area.
- Good Samsung flatscreen tv (46 incher?) with quick remote and good channel selection.
- Comfortable bed and sheets.
- Light beside bed with single outlet for phone charger etc.
- Nice desk and console with drawers for storage.
- Two nice sized closets with room to store clothing.
- Good shower, good temp control, adjustable nozzle/spray.
- Nice bathroom, marble and tile, 2 sinks and large, well lit mirror.
- Good air conditioning, nice and chilly.
- Side table radio has usb and phone audio jack so you can be a DJ.
- Close, indoor walk tot he Luxor.
- Monorial between Mandalay, Luxor and Excalibur.
- Glink unit to connect to TV.
- Many restaurants from upscale and down to food court fast food.
- Two nightclubs and many lounges with live music
- Really enjoyed the Noodle Shop restaurant even though it had absolutely horrible reviews on Yelp.
Protip: I signed up for the Mlife credit card online which gives you an automatic pearl membership so I don’t have to pay $18 a night to park. Mlife gives you privileges at all MGM properties (and there are a bunch). It was a confusing process to park though since they didn’t actually send me my Mlife member card, they just send me the credit card. I had to ask around how the parking worked. Long story short, you just use your room card to get in and out of the parking.
VERDICT: I think Mandalay Bay is a gorgeous and spacious property but the nickel and dime feel and piss poor customer service really brings the overall experience way down. Even the cheapest motel 6 offers free coffee. I highly doubt I would stay here again based solely on the repeated misinformation and rudeness by the staff.
I give Mandalay Bay a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
