This was a wonderful hotel. Expensive but wonderful (and no high-roller rooms to get comped because there is no casino!)
My fiance and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate my 50th birthday. We live in New York City and wanted to relax by a pool and do nothing but we wanted a night life, too. We were staying for 8 nights, and I wanted to be treated like a queen for my birthday.
So when they found out it was my birthday, they were going to send a cake to our room. But I explained to them that I'm diabetic and they offered me a sugar-free cake, but I asked for fruit instead. Well, they sent fruit up to our room every day for our whole stay! And then, on our first day and on my actual birthday, they sent a fruit and cheese platter!
Everyone who works at the Four Seasons addresses you by your name and everyone is extremely helpful and friendly - from the Front Desk staff to the maids.
Speaking of the maids, they do a phenomenal job. They thoroughly clean and change the towels, etc., twice a day (more if you request it for some reason). They pay attention to what you need and you don't have to ask. For example, I use a lot of towels when I shower and she noticed that so she started bringing a lot of towels and putting them on the shelves in the bath area for us. I never had to ask for extras.
Shower was excellent (separate from tub) - great water pressure. Separate toilet area so your roomie can tinkle in private while you're brushing your teeth. Room darkening curtains were great in the morning after a late night out - couldn't tell if it was day or night. Nice big flat screen TV. VERY comfortable bed (king with pillow-top mattress). Lots of great pillows. Wonderful bed linens (very soft cotton, including the duvet cover, so you're never touching anything that someone else's behind touched). Lots of little touches like bottled water by your bed every night, great thick terry cloth robes (one for each of you), a pair of slippers for each of you (they're pretty cheap disposable slippers - nothing to write home about, but they lasted all week very nicely).
We got upgraded to a "strip-view" room. From what I understand, with the exception of the view, the room is identical to the "superior" room, but I didn't see those rooms. The view of the strip is no big deal during the day but at night, when all the neon goes on, it's really cool. We live in a high building at home, so maybe the day view just reminds me of home but if you're from a small town, you'll be amazed by the view.
I think the room could have been bigger but it was very acceptable. I would like to have seen a suite (I tried to upgrade but they were full). My guess is that they are incredible.
Free WiFi if you have a laptop otherwise you can access the internet via the TV but it's $14.99 for 24 hours and it's very flakey. You're better off using the PC's in the business center. You run your credit card through and get the first 10 minutes free (after that, however, it's $1.00 per minute and be careful about printing anything...it's $1.00 per page to print!!!).
There are two phones in the room and one in the bathroom by the toilet. The phone by the bed is a cordless, which is very handy. There is a safe in the room that is easy to program. An iron, a hair dryer, and really nice soaps, shampoo, conditioner. lotion, shower gels in the bathroom.
You have full control of the central A/C in the room, which works very well. Unfortunately, you cannot open the windows at all, though.
If you put your "do not disturb" sign on the door, they are extremely respectful of it...we ordered something from room service and forgot that we had the sign on the door. The delivery person didn't knock on our door and, instead, walkie-talkied to the office who called us to ask if it was OK for the person to knock! Speaking of room service, it's great, but it's really expensive. That said, if they tell you they'll be there in 20 minutes, they are there in 17 minutes!
There is a mini bar in the room and a tray of delicious looking snack foods but they're expensive and we didn't make use of them - except for a bottle of Fiji Water.
Concierges are very helpful but don't expect them to be able to recommend anything inexpensive. They don't seem to have a grasp of how espensive the restaurants are when you ask them to recommend something reasonable. Do your own research to find inexpensive options. But do use the concierge to make reservations at restaurants in other hotels for you.
Speaking of which, the two restaurants in the hotel are excellent. Verandah has very nice food, serves breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner. They also have a really nice outdoor seating area just off from the pool. In addition, they serve as the source of food that you can order when you sit by the pool. All good. The other restaurant is Charlie Palmer's Steakhouse. Amazing food and service. Top notch.
The hotel's private car (a Cadillac SUV) is available to anyone in the hotel who requests it if you are going within 3 miles of the hotel - but it's first come first serve, so when you walk outside the front door, ask the doorman if the car is available. If not, take a taxi, but if it is available, it's free (tip the driver), really comfortable, and a wonderful option. They won't pick you up from wherever you go, though, once you're there, you're on your own to get back (taxis are easily available everywhere you go - but they don't cruise on the strip...you have to get one at a taxi stand at any hotel or store).
The hotel really is an oasis of serenity, as advertised. It was such a pleasure coming "home" to our peaceful lobby after being in the casinos and/or the other hotels. Our stay was for 9 days, which began on Memorial Day weekend. It was a madhouse everywhere that weekend - it was like being on Spring Break in Cancun with a ton of young 20-somethings. Noisy, crowded, overwhelming. But not in OUR hotel. Oh, it was busy - and full. But the only place it was any sort of issue was at the pool. Well, not an "issue" - it's just that there were way more people at the pool on the holiday weekend than there were at any other time. But it was an easygoing relaxed crowd. Unlike right next door at the Mandalay pools with thumping loud music and waaaay too many people.
By the way, when you stay at the Four Seasons, you can use all of the Mandalay pools but not vice versa. We only used the Four Seasons pool...just simply more relaxing and a better class of clientele (not drunken loud kids showing off their boob implants). Order lunch while you're lounging by the pool. They bring you a tray and the food is really good. The poolside service is excellent. On the slower days (non-holiday weekend), they come by and spray you with water to cool you off, offer you free popsicles, frozen melon balls, and even asked if we needed our sunglasses cleaned!
Casino...there is none. But Mandalay Bay is actually part of the same building as the Four Seasons and they do have a Casino. I didn't see every hotel but I can say this - I thought the Bellagio was the nicest casino I've ever seen. I thought the Venetian was a beautiful hotel and the casino was nice. I thought the MGM Grand stunk from cigarette smoke, even in the restaurants. I would not be able to gamble there. I thought Caesars was a horror show and just gave me a bad vibe from start to finish. Mandalay Bay's casino is relatively small if you're a table player. Tons of slot/video machines, though. But I'm a blackjack player. There are no non-smoking areas, but it wasn't too bad. Smoke really bothers me so I wasn't thrilled. At night, you can't find anything lower than a $15 minimum-bet table. But - it's all really easy to get to from Four Seasons. You don't have to leave the building to get there. So that's where we played. It would have been great if the Bellagio casino was that close but we just simply didn't feel like jumping into a cab to go there. And when the gambling is over, you walk through the (virtually unmarked) door and go from a loud, boisterous casino into a very quiet, clean, peaceful hallway at your private Four Seasons elevator and leave the noise and smoke behind. Aaaahhhh....Wonderful!
Ultimately, I was very pleased with our choice of where to stay. I was just about to book the Bellagio when it occurred to me that it was a holiday weekend and it might be crazy there. Boy, was I right and I'm glad we chose the Four Seasons instead. Expensive but worth the money. If we go back, that's where I'm staying.
My only complaints: There was an odd smell in part of the lobby for the entire time we were there and another guest told me it was the same last year. The spa was beautiful but there is no hot tub / jaccuzzi in there. Mandalay has one but you have to pay $30/day to use it and you have to walk through the casino after your massage if you come from Mandalay - that would un-relax you in a hurry. Also, although the bathroom has a "soaking" bathtub (very deep), it also has no jaccuzzi jets and there is no curtain or glass door around it, so the hot bath gets cold very quickly. Oh, and no chocolates on the pillow at night, LOL! (I can't eat them anyway but I can dream, can't I?)
