Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

What’s better than nursing a hangover poolside? The Beach is great – the only hassle is that you’ve really got to motivate and get down there early enough to claim lounge chairs. They fill up very quickly and are essential to your pool time enjoyment. While you’re there, make sure to check out the lazy river off in the corner. Even after multiple stays at Mandalay Bay, I had no idea it was there. It’s a nice change of scenery from poolside and makes for a great break from the desert heat. If you can’t spot it, don’t be afraid to ask one of the servers to direct you.

Club Morrea. This is the “private” pool adjacent to the already epic beach/pool available to guests of the Mandalay Bay. The cost for entry is $25, and in my opinion, is worth every penny. It is a “topless optional” pool, and although I rarely mind seeing naked breasts in my line of vision, I would hardly say the topless aspect is its strongest feature. Sometimes it’s just nice to enjoy “Adult Swim” all day long. Your $25 goes toward a stylish and understated pool landscape. There are no children running around screaming for their parents and friends to come play with them. The area is much smaller, so it’s easier to either meet your fellow patrons, or catch a glimpse of whatever US Weekly regular who may have flown in from LA for the weekend.

Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay is a walkthrough aquarium where you get the chance to get up close and personal with a variety of fish and sea creatures including, of course, sharks.
You walk through various themed areas – Jungle, Temple and Shipwreck – guided by both your “passport”, which includes some handy photographs for identifying various species, and an extremely informative audio guide. Along the way you will see some of what must be some of the most beautiful and bizarre creatures on the planet. Spots, stripes, bright reds, vivacious blues and poster paint yellow catch your eye, as does the range of shapes and sizes from dainty Angelfish to huge Tarpons and gracefully sleek Stingrays. Try and look out for the Lookdown, whose flat face makes it seems as if it has just run into a wall, and the magnificent Lionfish, a blend of stripes, fans and tendrils that looks like it should be fantasy rather than reality!
Rays swim in a small pool where you encouraged – under supervision – to touch them. It’s a strange sensation. I though they would be soft and squashy but instead they felt rather hard and leathery. A nearby display of jellyfish again look like creations of an imagination run wild.
The culmination of the tour is the shipwreck where, in a huge tank, sharks and fish swim round, under and above you. The sharks are amazing creatures, inspiring an almost primeval sense of both fear and respect. Wait for one to swim over our head so you can see its rows of teeth and feel that slight tremor go up your spine!
Education and conservation are two of the aims of the aquarium - it has links to various organisations that promote research and conservation – and I liked the last page of the passport guide that gives some small tips about how people can try and help conserving the environment.
The adult admission cost of 15.95 dollars (I think it is less for children) is very reasonable for what is an interesting and informative exhibition. I’d recommend a visit.

The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is at the southern end of the Las Vegas trip. While I was there, this was the casino with the most activity. Prince was doing a big concert that night for charity. There were a lot of big name stars such as Tiger Woods and Jessica Alba. It is also another major boxing venue in Las Vegas. It is connected to the Luxor and the Excalibur by tram. There is a nice little mall that runs between Mandalay Bay and the Luxor. I also accidently ended up in the pool area here too. The pool area was very impressive.

There are so many things to see in Las Vegas. At one point, we just walk around and found out some neat places to take pictures. There is this little garden at the back of Mandalay Bay. There are so many grown palm trees and some little tiny water spouts and fountains. The place is kind of cool to take pictures. The grass is so green and there are so many trees! It is just amazing how the people there maintain the lushness of the area despite the scorching heat in Las Vegas!

This tour costs $15 per person. I would do it once but not twice. this was very pleasant and was suprisingly full of sights and things to do. There is even a touch tank that visitors can touch the sting rays.

Head up to the bar at Mix in Mandalay Bay's THEhotel before 10:00PM for a fantastic free view of the Strip. It is truly amazing and especially splendid as the sun sets.

I have not seen this but my friends did. I will definitely not miss this on my next visit to the city. This tip is posted as I have seen this luxurious hotel and I believe the information I gave will be of help. Moreover, for more detailed information and online reservation, visit the website I provided below.

Being poolside is just as much a Las Vegas experience as anything. I have only seen the Mandalay Bay pool (By accident) and the Luxor. The Luxor had 6 different pools including a pyramid in the middle of one pool complex. The only thing that stunk about the Luxor pool is that the pool never goes deeper than 3 1/2 ft. I personally like a pool where you can jump into it. There were 4 hot tubs there as well.

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The Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino is located near the very southern end of the Strip and for that reason, many people don't bother going all the way out there - they do miss out on a gorgeous hotel, though! If you don't feel like walking, it is always possible to hop on the free skytrain that connects the Mandalay Bay to the Luxor and Excalibur hotels.

One of the main attractions at the Mandalay Bay is the Shark Reef aquarium, but at $16.95 per person we decided to skip it. Instead we spent about an hour walking around the resort - the pool area has been voted the nicest one in Las Vegas and I can understand why: for a while, it feels like you've just discovered a tropical island just off the Strip! There is also some good shopping to be done at Mandalay Place - it's the only place where I was able to find a bookshop on the Strip (The Reading Room, it is rather small but it offers a good book selection). The other purchase I made was at Fat Tuesday, where I got a pretty good mango daiquiri that came in a souvenir mug (you can get refills and yes, drinking on the street is allowed in Las Vegas!). Another interesting feature at the Mandalay Bay is the Las Vegas House of Blues, where you can get a pretty good meal while listening to great live music. Truly worth the detour!

So the waves don't exactly measure up to the wedge in Newport, but for a nice poolside experience, I would recommend the pool at Mandalay. If you don't like to gamble, there's not much else to do on a hot day in Vegas besides lay at the pool, and this is a good one. Two problems: you have to be a hotel guest, and finding a lounge chair can be a challlenge. But other than that, it's a great place to relax with a tropical beverage and friends!

Mandalay Bay is fantastically elegant and exotic. It's truly like another country...or island. It's attached to the Four Seasons and has a lovely pool area - not open to the public. The chapel is gorgeous and not too, too expensive.

The trees, details in decoration, and atmosphere made Mandalay Bay one of my favorite hotel stops!