We decided to come to the Mandalay Bay because we heard they had this wonderful wave pool and beach. We were traveling with our kids, so we thought it would be a nice change from the average Las Vegas pool. First of all for a mere $430 a night we got a roomy 3 bedroom suite. Which was 360 paces from the elevator. The chairs were ripped, the refrigerator was stocked full of computerized and overpriced goodies. No coffee pot, no dishes, just big rooms with dirty windows, stained throw pillows and 5 TV's. So I thought maybe I was being too critical. So we go down to the pool, which they say is a 2 minute walk, it took us 15 minutes. We get in after standing in line for a baggage check. Get to the beach, the sand starts instantly burning my feet. So we find some chairs, no shade or umbrellas in sight. Get in the pool and they start yelling at me. Your child is too short for the wave pool. So fine, we walk to the other shallow area. It is very HOT this day. So I order a drink. 30 minutes to get an ice tea from the bar. I am in the pool with my daughter holding my drink in the shade, I get yelled at by a lifeguard and he says "you can't have drinks on this side of the pool." I get out and I decide I want another drink, I walk into the bikini bar to get a drink myself, they yell "no kids allowed in the bar". So needless to say, I was miserable. It was overpriced, understaffed and their pools were no big deal, too many rules.

First time at Mandalay Bay. Loved the open feel. Room was standard and was adequate, bathroom was very nice. Elevators were crowded some but not always. If you experience a crowd at casino level, walk down the stairs to pool level and catch the elevator there. No waiting.

Room wasn't made up one day and we had to call for towels when we got in that night.

Overall a solid hotel and I would stay again. It has a completely different feel from other strip hotels.

I stayed at Mandalay Bay for 4 nights at the end of June 2009. The hotel was beautiful, kept clean, had great dining options, big casino area that didn't smell of smoke and a fabulous pool area. I'll break this up into a few areas.

The rooms: nice decor, flat screen TV, TV in bathroom, seperate shower/tub, phone in toilet area (not sure why), in-room safe. Shower clogged up after 2nd night. We never got around to calling anyone about it since we were so busy. There were also times when we would come back from being out during the day to a dirty room even though you always saw the carts in the hallway. One time the cart was at the room next to ours and we left for like 3 hours. When we came back our room was still not clean, so not sure what the maids are really doing. They may be having their own party in the rooms ha ha.

Amenities: fabulous. You need your room key to get into the pool area. There's a wave pool, lazy river, 2 pools off to the side and 2 private pools seperate from all the hustle. Drinks are about $10-$12. The spa was great. Actually the hotel is attached to TheHotel so you can use either spa. I chose the spa at The Hotel and it was worth the extra walk through the casino. It was the best spa I've been to. The prices were expensive but the experience was worth it. FYI...if you get the mud bath, you are in a regular bath but w/ brown water. I thought I would be in actual mud.

One last thing...the line for elevators for the top floors is awful. There are 2 different elevator areas for floors 2-16 & 17 & up. Apparently the staff said that everyone wants a top floor so there are more people that ride those elevators. The line got so bad that the management had to take us to a service elevator at the other end. I was surprised they let us do that but was happy they were doing something about the long lines. Sometimes you would have to hop on an elevator going up to get back down. For some reason it would get full at the top and not open at some floors. It's hard to explain but my advice would be to get a room on 2-16. We were on floor 26 and there was nothing to get excited about. We had a view of a pile of dirt and parking lot.

I have stayed here as well as The Hotel at MB many times. The staff is helpful and friendly, the rooms are spacious, well appointed and clean, and the casino is immaculate. I recommend it to both singles and families. You could stay at MB your entire trip and never leave the grounds. Try the MB Beach with the wave pool and lazy river and beach concerts in the summer.

This past stay was over July 4th, and our only complaints were the overpriced drinks - which is expected in Vegas at such a resort.