We thought we had booked rooms at the Mandalay Bay, but were given rooms at The Hotel by Mandalay Bay. These rooms were excellent, clean and spacious.
The casino and various restaurants lacked any atmosphere and the staff were not very courteous. The wave pool was overated as there was only one wave every 82 seconds,but the lazy river was good. Due to the location at the South end of the Strip it made a taxi necessary any time we wanted to go anywhere else in Las Vegas.
$14-99 for internet access was a big surprise after getting free access in San Francisco.
I would recommend a a hotel closer to the middle of the strip who have to work a bit harder to attract and keep customers, as we thought this hotel promised to provide good facilities and services but failed to deliver.

Our stay was for 4 days and 3 nights from 4.12 to 4.15 during the spring break. It was our first visit to Mandalay Bay. We booked the deluxe room 550 for $80.00 through their loyal customer promotion (I guess our stay at NYNY during last year's spring break
qualified us as loyal customer). And then 2 weeks before our trip, the hotel offered a
50% off the suite upgrade rate. So we paid $180.00/night for the 1050 sq ft Sky View
Suite on the 60th floor. There are four express elevators that go exclusively to 60th, 61st
and 62nd floors and for added security can only be operated by a room key. So crowed
elevators or long waits was not an issue for this stay. When we checked in, they also
threw in a rollaway bed for my son for no charge (normally $30.00/night). I think we got
a pretty decent deal. But we were disappointed that the only available rooms were the
mountain view rooms.

The massive hotel lobby is very impressive with a lush tropical look. Right outside
there are more trees, plants, rocks and waterfalls. Check in was fast and pleasant. The
room was very nice. The bed was the cleanest and the air conditioner was the most
quiet of all the hotels that we had been to. My wife was able to sleep comfortably even
on the first night because it usually takes her a little time to get used to a strange bed.
There were four flat screen TVs in the suite so I could check the scores on ESPN and
catch up with the news in HD, while my wife could see if we made any money on the
stock market and my son could watch his Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. And at
the end of a busy day, we could relax in the large spa bathtub and get a soothing water
massage. The hugh bathroom gave us plenty of room to move around without getting
into each other's way. Hotel staff was friendly and helpful. The fact that we didn't have
to call housekeeping even once speaks volume on how efficiently the hotel was run.
But the biggest surprise (a pleasant one) came on the casino floor. My wife and I be-
lieve that the bigger and the fancier the hotel, the less it will pay on the slot machines.
We were delighted to find out first hand their machines were not too tight. We didn't hit
any big jackpots, but a few thousand coins here and a few thousand coins there (we
played mostly penny machines) were more than what we were hoping for.

We used the tram to go to Excalibur quite frequently. From that intersection, NYNY,
MGM Grand, Tropicana, Gameworks, M & M Worlds, Coca Cola Shop, discount ticket
outlet Tix4tonight and Walgreens Pharmacy are all within easy walking distance. On
the second day we bought the $7 all day bus pass to ride on the Deuce to go to Circus
Circus during the day and Planet Hollywood during the night. It was comfortable, con-
venient and economical. The shortest way to get from the hotel to the bus stop across
Las Vegas Blvd is through the beach level, not the hotel casino level. Coming back the
bus stops right outside the hotel.

We didn't want to pay $5 for a bag of peanuts or a can of soda, so we stayed away from the snack basket and we didn't bother to open the refrigerator (however there is another empty one for you own personal use). The restaurants were a bit pricey as previous reviews have stated. So we had breakfast to go from McDonald's at Luxor. For
lunch we had pizza at Circus Circus and Nathan's hot dogs at MGM Grand. For dinner
we had a quick bite at Manchu Wok at Excalibur, ate at PF Chang's (reasonably priced
and delicious Chinese food, so highly recommened), had buffet (comped, the food was
OK) at Excalibur.

For shopping, my wife likes Mandalay Place inside Mandalay Bay and Miracle mile
Shops next to Planet Hollywood. If you have kids, the arcade at Gameworks near MGM
Grand is still the best. The money didn't last too long at the Coney Island Emporium
inside NYNY. The one at MGM Grand is located way way back of the hotel. By the time
my son and I got there I was exhausted. The Midways at Circus Circus and Excalibur
show their age. The one at Monte Carlo is too small.

Every aspect of the hotel met or exceeded our expectations. But I just wished we
could have enjoyed the pool a litte longer. There were so many people at the pool that
we could hardly get a space to stand, let alone finding an empty chair to sit down and
relax. It was so crowded I thought either the pool was open to the public or the entire
hotel guests decided to go swimming at the same time.

For myself, I like the hustle and bustle of the center strip. But my wife loves the
more quite side at the south end. We would definitely stay here again and recommend
Mandalay Bay to all my friends and relatives. This hotel is not only fun for families with
children. For couples looking for Las Vegas honeymoon hot spots, Mandalay Bay no
question should be on top of their lists.

My wife and I recently travelled here and spent our entire time on the filthy property until we both got food poisoning. This ended up being a horrible trip made only worse by the staff that was unsympathetic and unwilling to do anything to help! We followed their procedures to report the incident, and after days of never getting calls back, I was informed that they didn't feel they were at fault and that they would not do anything to fix the situation. They would not even agree to pay us back for the extra night we were charged for after we stayed in our room a few extra hours throwing up and sick in bed from somthing that we contracted from them. Oh yeah, and 2 orders of toast deliverd to the room on the day we were sick cost $32!

I stayed here for my nephew's wedding in a Sky View Suite on the 60th floor (restricted access) using the VIP Gold Pass program ($ 200 extra) which included a stretch limo pick up and return at the beginning and end of my trip. I stayed for 6 nights as a single passenger in a 1050 square foot room with a Strip View of Downtown Las Vegas. I have to say while the room was a bit pricey (different price each night) for the 6 nights this was one of the most fantastic rooms I have ever had in any of the hotels I have ever stayed! In had a large living room, a separate wet bar with sink, a separate guest bathroom and closet area, a huge bedroom and a very, very large bathroom! There were 4 plasma t.v.s in the room and each day I got complete bed linen changes and towel services. There was large jacuzzi tub and a shower. The bathroom was fantastic. The view was fabulous. I saw the entire strip from both my bedroom and my living room. Since it was my nephew's wedding, I was able to host before and after parties in my room each night in the living room area, and was able to host up to 20 to 30 people (there wasn't enough furniture for more than 20 but people sat on the floor!) and the housekeeping service gladly bought us more ice and cups free of charge. The room was fantastic for a single traveler. As a Gold Key Traveler I signed up for the $ 200 program, and got a stretch limo to and from the airport and VIP lounge access at the beginning and end of my stay and it was well worth the $ 200 extra. The only caution I would warn you about is NOT to order room service. I thought that one morning I would order a $ 5 bagel and cream cheese and a $ 12 pot of coffee and tip the delivery guy myself but when the bill posted to my room it turned out to be a $ 50 CHARGE for service (which I had already paid to the delivery guy!), plus room service charge, tax, fees, and etc. etc. So it was the most expensive bagel I had ever eaten in my life. Ride the elevator down stairs and go across the street to McDonalds. It will take you ten minutes and you can save $ 50! You'll be back in the room in 10 minutes. The maid service was excellent and I tipped them each day and they even told me I didn't need to do that but they gave me tons of bath soaps and products because i mentioned how much I liked them. There were some problems with the woman next door but I called security and they came IMMEDIATELY and fixed the problem. All in all this is a five star hotel and well worth the money. You'll love it!
The SPA is to die for -- separate men and women's get a five day pass-- you'll love the different temp pools and the sauna and steam room. The outdoor wave pools are the best -- the lifeguards are strict. You must be THIS TALL (48") to enter the wave area -- and the waves and undertow are REAL AND STRONG (I am 5'4" tall and an adult) and it was STRONG--I got pulled under----so they are SERIOUS about it---its not for little kids---they'll check and measure them and its for a good reason!! But its a unique experience. There are four or five other pools including a lazy river and they have a SAND BEACH -- ask for one of the deck hands to find you chairs and they'll help -- a TIP HELPS.