A friend and I stayed at The Hotel last May for a girly week away. The hotel itself is stunning, check in was a breeze and the staff were very helpful. We had a room with a great view of the Strip - even more fantastic at night! The suite itself had everything - and having two bathrooms was a huge plus.

Make sure to have a drink at Mix and take in the strip view at night. And the Mexican restaurant by the pool area was really good. We had a spa day too - at the Mandalay spa not the Bathhouse and I can highly recomend - great facilities and much quieter and relaxing than the trendy Bathhouse.

The only thing that disappointed me was the Mandalay Pool - it was a long hike from The Hotel as you use a shared pool with normal Manadalay, plus there were way too many kids running around to be relaxing. The 'beach' is lounge chairs stacked nearly on top of each other so you can't even get a toe in the sand! That being said, the lazy river was fantastic fun. Other slight drawback is location - the Luxor and Excalibur weren't really our 'scene' so the tram wasn't really useful. New York New York and MGM were okay, but you really needed a taxi to get to anywhere Mid-strip - which was fine as it only ever took a nanosecond for staff to get you one outside.

Recommend!

I asked for all food to be taken from my room on check-in. I was told the mini-bar would be locked. It wasnt and the snack tray was still on display. I asked for the snack tray to be removed and it was. The next day the snack tray was restocked and it took three hours and three phone calls to have it removed.

I have eaten at the buffet here and it was ordinary and the bread was stale. This hotel would suit someone who likes the wave pool and the beach areas and likes to drink.

There are better hotels on the strip for this kind of money

Went in April with my boyfriend and had a free room (thanks to a friend). I have previously stayed at Mandalay Bay and Hard Rock Hotel - this room was the best of the three. The rooms are VERY spacious, with a separate living room and an extra 1/2 bath. The bathroom was great with a huge tub (large enough for two) and separate shower. The toilet is separated by a door and there is a double vanity and a small flat screen TV in the bathroom (you can watch if you are in the tub). The strip view is great (it was actually better in the room I stayed in Mandalay Bay - I suppose it depends on what room you get).

Mandalay pool area is huge, but we did struggle finding two lounge chairs together. We didn't go down early, but were able to catch a couple leaving and took their chairs. There doesn't seem to be many workers at the pool area to help with chairs. You can't order food from the servers at your loungers, but can order drinks. They have a "take-out" area for food and also a small restaurant for burgers, etc. in the pool area.

There are several restaurants at the Mandalay complex. We ate at the Verandah at the Four Seasons for brunch one day and it was excellent (the Four Seasons is attached to Mandalay). We also tried Red, White and Blue one day and it was good - nothing to rave about, but good. Burger Bar in Mandalay Place is great for burger lovers.

The only con would be that the location is on the South Strip (which might be a pro for some). I have stayed here before and would love to stay mid-strip sometime for the convenience. Cabs at about $12/ trip can start to add up.

If in Vegas, I can highly recommend THEhotel, the suites are very very nice. Don't buy drinks at Mix though, they don't pour alcohol in the drinks...Try Stripstek in the Mandalay building, a tremendous wine list, a little steep but very extensive.

Peter