A bit of background: my wife and I were on a bit of a budget but we decided to spring for a nicer hotel and cut some costs where we could.
Check in was fast at about 11:30 AM on Friday, absolutely no issue with early check in. Scored a nice 19th floor Tower Deluxe room with volcano view with a bit of a tip (might have gotten it without a tip, who knows, but it pays to be both friendly and gracious with tips in this town). Yes it is a bit of a hike to the very end of the wings but I'm sure you can get a room closer to elevators if requested.
Atrium area between front reception desk and casino / guest rooms is very nice. I must say that we explored some of the other Vegas hotels and the entire Mirage property had the best landscaping and vegetation that we saw. Very tropical feel.
Our room was spotless and well appointed. Left a tip for housekeeping after the first night and we had great cleaning, bed making, and plenty of soap/shampoo/whatever and towels for the rest of our 3 nights. I will add that the housekeeping staff we encountered during the day in the hallways were always very welcoming and vocally greeted us every time we passed. Privacy sign on door was always respected. Didn't seem to have any problems with hallway noise (but we were at the very end). Water pressure was just fine (seen people complain about that).
Room mini-fridge was well stocked if you're into paying $4 for a 10 oz soda. Good for emergencies but we didn't use anything in it. No room for personal items in the refrigerator, though. No in room coffee maker either. Just a tip: we brought a small collapsible cooler and used it to keep some beer/sodas/yogurts/vodka and such for our few days. Works out well and packs easily in the luggage ;)
There is a coffee shop with pastries on the way to the pool. Good stuff there, reasonable prices, but very long lines. The people working there were not slow, it just seems like the place should have been twice as big with twice as may people working.
Right across the street is an Outback Steakhouse, Denny's, McDonald's, a few other cheaper food places. Honestly we really appreciated the Denny's on Sunday morning when all our stomachs could tolerate was oatmeal and a fruit cup and we didn't have to pay for the whole Mirage buffet for just that :)
We found the pool area VERY nice. The pool itself is very large, as is the whole pool area. YES, it gets crowded early on the weekends. Don't count on finding consecutive lounge chairs for you and your 10 friends in the afternoon. But we still snagged 2 chairs semi-shaded at 10am both Saturday and Sunday. You can tell there's jerks who come down at 8, put a towel on chairs and go back to their rooms, but pool attendants seem pretty good at clearing those away for guests actually present. We brought drinks for ourselves but popped for a couple frozen drinks from the roaming servers which were excellent. They asked me to open the backpack I brought to make sure I wasn't bringing glass bottles in which is understandable. There is a good variety of music at the pool which isn't obscenely loud. The private cabanas looked very nice and would be a good deal if you had a bunch of people to split the cost.
Ate at BLT Burger and it was one of the better burgers I've had. Lots of unique burger recipes to try. Very good charbroiled taste. Upon initial inspection I thought the burger might have been a little small but it turned out to be VERY filling. Your mileage may vary depending on how much you like to eat at one sitting. Sort of expensive but you can see the menu online and decide for yourself.
Had the buffet brunch and I felt like I got my money's worth, both in quantity and quality. Lots of variety.
Free admission to both Evolution and Jet seemed easy to come across whether you were a hotel guest or not as there were people handing out passes at resort entrances. Didn't go ourselves. Just not club fans ourselves even though we're young. Just a tip that you shouldn't really have to pay for admission if you want to go.
Overall very satisfied with our stay!
Thanks to everyone else for all the reviews which helped us make our decision to stay at the Mirage in the first place!
Quick reviews not associated with the Mirage:
Cirque du Solei show Ka: Absolutely amazing. The stage itself is the real star of this show. If you go, peek over the edge afterwards and you can see some of the mechanics which bring the show to life. However, its a little more of a theatrical event rather than O or Mystere so there's less traditional circus elements.
Craftsteak at MGM Grand: We got the tasting menu and wine pairings (see the MGM website), and it was fantastic and a fairly good deal for the nicer restaurants in Vegas. People at adjoining tables looked jealously at our food and they probably paid half again as much as we did.
