This was my first trip to Vegas, so at the outset you should realize I have nothing to compare to in terms of other hotels on the strip. I gave the hotel 5 blobs, as TripAdvisor describes 4 blobs as "Above Average". It's certainly far better than that, but I guess a 4.5 would be my ideal vote!
Being on top of the Mandalay Bay hotel, you really do get to see the 2 extremes of Vegas hotels. At MB they have, I guess, up to 20 check-in desks and a queuing system. You go through a turnstile to get to the MB pool area. At the FS, we were greeted from the taxi, whisked through to reception, and checked-in in no time. We arrived around 12.30, so the room wasn't ready, but they called our cell about 30 mins later, and by the time we got back all our bags were in the room waiting for us.
The decor in the public areas of the FS is classy without being over the top. The rooms are also great, though not amazing. The bed was comfy, but I wouldn't buy one, like other reviewers have suggested. The toiletries by L'occitaine are nice, though in the end a note had to be left for the maid since she always forgot to leave any shower gel. The room had a strip view, and true enough, it was a great view. You could also see the airport, but never really heard anything. The shower was great, the TV was huge and actually had a TV program guide that worked, and nothing was ever heard from the neighbors.
The pool area was slightly disappointing for a hotel of this standard. On the upside, the service was great, although the much-vaunted spraying of Evian, sunglass cleaning etc was a little regimented. Each service happened once a day, at fairly specific times, so it felt less spontaneous then it could of. I know that sounds snobby on my part, but plenty of hotels in the Far East pull off this type of service with much more subtlety. Anyway, the pool itself is very average. At a place like this, I'd expect something a little more fancy, like an infinity pool, or at least have something that's edgeless. Instead this is a very average pool, with a depth of 3.5-4.0ft all round. The MB “beach” is never far away, so some of the noise creeps up from there sometime, especially later in the day when the music starts. It’s never too intrusive though. The pool food was a bit pricy, as were the drinks, but this is a Four Seasons, so it's to be expected, and the food and service was always perfect.
The only food tried out was breakfast, which was great. A la carte on one day, and the buffet the next. Never did make it to the gym, but did try out the eucalyptus steam rooms, and they were great. On reflection, I wish I'd started every day in there, followed by a shower in the fully-equipped locker rooms.
So, all in all, the Four Seasons is a great hotel, and for all I know, infinitely better than the rest of them on the strip – I’d be wary if staying anywhere else in Vegas now, but also intrigued to see how good (or bad) some of the other hotels are. Certainly if you’re looking for a more personal service, and are not planning on spending $1000’s in the casinos, then the Four Seasons is a great option.
