Pros

  • Huge family-friendly resort on southern end of the Strip in Las Vegas
  • 11-acre pool complex with lazy river, wave pool, and adults-only topless-optional pool
  • Elegant, spacious rooms have a bold design and flat-screen TVs
  • Large bathrooms have separate soaking tubs and showers
  • Tons of restaurants include celebrity chef-helmed fine-dining to 24-hour bistro
  • Bayside Buffet open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch
  • Shark aquarium with 12 types of sharks
  • Great bars, from Red Square to House of Blues to an ice bar
  • LIGHT Nightclub with resident DJs
  • Entertainment such as Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil show
  • 30,000-square-foot spa with extensive facilities and day passes
  • Three wedding chapels, plus wedding packages and planners offered
See More Pros

Cons

  • Long lines and slow service
  • Crowded pools
  • Fee to access fitness center
  • Daily resort fee (typical for Vegas)
  • Almost a mile to most Strip attractions
See More Cons

Bottom Line

The giant Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino offers a ton of features for kids (wave pool, streaming lazy river pool, shark reef aquarium) and adults (lively bars, world-class restaurants, a large spa), but the constant crowds, long lines, and occasional airport noise can make it a slightly less attractive upscale option. Additionally, it’s on the far southern end of the Strip, meaning many sights require a drive. All of the hotel's 3,209 rooms underwent renovations in 2015 and 2016, resulting in some of the most visually appealing accommodations in Vegas (which is saying a lot). The spacious rooms have flat-screen TVs, minibars, and bathrooms with separate tubs and showers. It’s worth comparing rates with the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, which provides similar amenities, including a ton of excellent entertainment and a popular pool party.

See More Bottom Line

Oyster Hotel Review

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

What Are the Design and Scene Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

This massive hotel has an 11-acre pool complex and an on-site aquarium that attracts both families and partiers by the thousands.

Even when you compare it to the other giant hotels in Vegas, the 3,209-room Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is crowded, especially after you factor the 1,117 rooms at the connected Delano Las Vegas and yet another 424 rooms at the Four Seasons (both of which have shared access to the pools and the casino at Mandalay Bay). Given the hotel's Shark Reef Aquarium, wave pool, and broad assortment of nearly 30 restaurants – everything from a fine-dining steakhouse to all-day buffet – it rates with hotels like the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino as one of the best upscale family hotels in Vegas. There's still plenty of beer chugging at the four pools and 10 bars, and the 1,800-seat House of Blues (which has its own tattoo parlor) draws twentysomethings every night.

Conventions are also a big chunk of the hotel's market (the Mandalay Bay's convention center is the fifth largest in the U.S., with more than two-million square feet of event and meeting space). The Mandalay Bay Resort's location on the southern edge of the Strip make it a bit more cut off from the attractions in the center of the Strip, such as the Mirage, The Forum Shops at Caesars, and the Bellagio.

On October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on an outdoor music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, killing 59 people and injuring more than 525. The event is the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

See More What Are the Design and Scene Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Where Is the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Located in Las Vegas?

It’s on the southernmost end of the Strip, so close to the airport that guests can sometimes hear planes taking off, which makes it a bit cut off from the major Vegas attractions.

The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino complex, which also houses Delano Las Vegas and the Four Seasons hotels, is on the southernmost end of a three-and-a-half mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip. Outside the complex, there isn't much in the immediate vicinity -- some vacant lots, rundown motels, and strip malls. To get closer to the central Strip attractions, travelers can take the free, 0.7-mile tram that connects Mandalay to the Luxor and Excalibur, the two closest hotels to the north.

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/ParisFlamingo/Caesars PalaceHarrah's/the LINQ, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Westgate, and the SLS -- but it's a long walk to the MGM Grand stop from Mandalay Bay. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option. Ride-shared services such as Uber and Lyft also operate in Las Vegas.

Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport.

See More Where Is the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Located in Las Vegas?

What Are Rooms Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Swank rooms have tons of visual appeal after a 2015-16 renovation, as well as showers, separate bathtubs, and flat-screen TVs.

All of the guest rooms and suites at the Mandalay were renovated in 2015-16 with a bold and contemporary aesthetic that's full of texture and contrasts. Expect nature-inspired murals, wood-paneled accent walls, bright body pillows, and plush carpets with subtle wood-grain or ikat patterning. Midcentury modern furniture includes sleek consoles and writing desks with Eames-esque chairs. All rooms have well-stocked minibars, 42-inch plasma flat-screen TVs, and pillow-top mattresses. In-room coffee requires a fee, while Wi-Fi is covered by the daily resort fee.

Bathrooms have wide stone countertops with two sinks and separate soaking tubs and marble walk-in showers. Toiletries are provided. Rooms start at a spacious 550 square feet, while suites are larger and add perks such as living spaces, dining tables, and extra bedrooms.

Views of the Strip or the mountains are available from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

See More What Are Rooms Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

What Are Pools Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

The huge Mandalay Bay pool complex has a lazy river, wave pool, and adults-only topless-optional pool.

Mandalay Bay Beach, the enormous pool complex with an open-air bar and a small casino, is pretty incredible. But even with four pools across 11 acres, the place still manages to get crowded. The largest pool, and clearly the kid favorite, is the 1.6-million-gallon wave pool, which produces waist-high (on an adult) waves every few minutes -- and is the Strip's only wave pool. The waves aren't especially dangerous (they're just barely large enough for a kid to body surf), but the hotel keeps lifeguards posted and all children much be at least 48 inches tall to go in the pool. Less intense, but still fun, is the lazy river pool, where kids and adults can float in inner tubes down the winding stream and through waterfalls. A lazy river pool can also be found at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Once kids have had their fill of frolicking in the wave pool or floating down the lazy river, they can try to spot the 100-odd species -- including a dozen different kinds of sharks -- in the 1.6-million-gallon Shark Reef Aquarium.

A rowdy pool party (and topless sunbathing) can be found at the 21-and-up-only Moorea Beach Club pool, which requires a cover charge to enter. But the party here doesn't quite have the same appeal as the infamous Vegas pool parties, such as Wet Republic at the MGM Grand.

See More What Are Pools Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

What Restaurants and Bars Are at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Over two dozen restaurants consist of fine-dining steak and French eateries, an all-day buffet, and fast-food options.

The over-30 Mandalay Bay Restaurants are spread across the hotel complex, which includes the Delano Las Vegas and the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. It has more than most hotels on the Strip – spanning price points, styles, and cuisines. The Mandalay rivals even the best Vegas foodie-hotels with its broad range of fine-dining options from acclaimed chefs, including Charlie Palmer's Aureole, Michael Mina's STRIPSTEAK, Hubert Keller's Fleur, and Wolfgang Puck's Lupo.

Bayside Buffet serves a large international buffet spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus brunch on weekends. Casual options include Starbucks, Slive of Vegas pizza joint, Burger Bar, and Hussong’s Cantina for Mexican fare. A food court provides fast-food fare.

In-room dining is also available.

See More What Restaurants and Bars Are at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

What Features Are Available at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Extensive features include a large spa and fitness center, an average casino, multiple bars, and various nightlife options such as big-name entertainment.

The Mandalay Bay Las Vegas complex is home to some of the best bars on the Strip, including the House of Blues Foundation Room, which is a Vegas favorite thanks to its amazing views and private "tea rooms" that feel far more intimate than the mega-clubs and lounges everywhere else. Minus5° Ice Bar, Skyfall Lounge, and a casino bar provide more options for cocktails. The 38,000-square-foot LIGHT Nightclub has a nightly DJ lineup. The Mandalay Bay Events Center hosts big-name acts, and a current show is the Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil.

The 30,000-square-foot Spa Mandalay has warm and hot whirlpools, a cedar sauna, a eucalyptus-scented steam room, a cold plunge, and 23 treatment rooms. The fitness center includes a good selection of cardio equipment with private TV monitors, free weights, exercise balls, and strength-training machines. The daily resort fee covers access to a cardio room.  Also covered by the resort fee is property-wide Wi-Fi, unlimited local and toll-free calls, and airline boarding pass printing. There’s a daily fee for self- and valet parking.

Like everything else at Mandalay Bay, the casino is big (about 135,000 square feet), but it doesn't feel as exciting or interesting as the casinos at other luxury hotels, like the Wynn, Bellagio, Venetian, or Caesars Palace. The casino includes the standard offering of slots, table games, blackjack, poker, race and sports book, along with the high-limit room, but the design and atmosphere is about on par with any other giant hotel in Vegas.

See More What Features Are Available at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Things You Should Know About Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

Also Known As

  • Mandalay Bay Hotel
  • Mandalay Bay

Room Types

  • 1500 SV
  • 1500 X2
  • 1500 X3
  • 550 DR
  • 550 DR View
  • 600 SS
  • 750 GR
  • Media Suite
  • Vista Suite

Address

3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119-1006, United States

Oyster Hotel Review

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

What Are the Design and Scene Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

This massive hotel has an 11-acre pool complex and an on-site aquarium that attracts both families and partiers by the thousands.

Even when you compare it to the other giant hotels in Vegas, the 3,209-room Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is crowded, especially after you factor the 1,117 rooms at the connected Delano Las Vegas and yet another 424 rooms at the Four Seasons (both of which have shared access to the pools and the casino at Mandalay Bay). Given the hotel's Shark Reef Aquarium, wave pool, and broad assortment of nearly 30 restaurants – everything from a fine-dining steakhouse to all-day buffet – it rates with hotels like the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino as one of the best upscale family hotels in Vegas. There's still plenty of beer chugging at the four pools and 10 bars, and the 1,800-seat House of Blues (which has its own tattoo parlor) draws twentysomethings every night.

Conventions are also a big chunk of the hotel's market (the Mandalay Bay's convention center is the fifth largest in the U.S., with more than two-million square feet of event and meeting space). The Mandalay Bay Resort's location on the southern edge of the Strip make it a bit more cut off from the attractions in the center of the Strip, such as the Mirage, The Forum Shops at Caesars, and the Bellagio.

On October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on an outdoor music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, killing 59 people and injuring more than 525. The event is the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

See More What Are the Design and Scene Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Where Is the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Located in Las Vegas?

It’s on the southernmost end of the Strip, so close to the airport that guests can sometimes hear planes taking off, which makes it a bit cut off from the major Vegas attractions.

The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino complex, which also houses Delano Las Vegas and the Four Seasons hotels, is on the southernmost end of a three-and-a-half mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip. Outside the complex, there isn't much in the immediate vicinity -- some vacant lots, rundown motels, and strip malls. To get closer to the central Strip attractions, travelers can take the free, 0.7-mile tram that connects Mandalay to the Luxor and Excalibur, the two closest hotels to the north.

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/ParisFlamingo/Caesars PalaceHarrah's/the LINQ, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Westgate, and the SLS -- but it's a long walk to the MGM Grand stop from Mandalay Bay. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option. Ride-shared services such as Uber and Lyft also operate in Las Vegas.

Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport.

See More Where Is the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Located in Las Vegas?

What Are Rooms Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Swank rooms have tons of visual appeal after a 2015-16 renovation, as well as showers, separate bathtubs, and flat-screen TVs.

All of the guest rooms and suites at the Mandalay were renovated in 2015-16 with a bold and contemporary aesthetic that's full of texture and contrasts. Expect nature-inspired murals, wood-paneled accent walls, bright body pillows, and plush carpets with subtle wood-grain or ikat patterning. Midcentury modern furniture includes sleek consoles and writing desks with Eames-esque chairs. All rooms have well-stocked minibars, 42-inch plasma flat-screen TVs, and pillow-top mattresses. In-room coffee requires a fee, while Wi-Fi is covered by the daily resort fee.

Bathrooms have wide stone countertops with two sinks and separate soaking tubs and marble walk-in showers. Toiletries are provided. Rooms start at a spacious 550 square feet, while suites are larger and add perks such as living spaces, dining tables, and extra bedrooms.

Views of the Strip or the mountains are available from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

See More What Are Rooms Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

What Are Pools Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

The huge Mandalay Bay pool complex has a lazy river, wave pool, and adults-only topless-optional pool.

Mandalay Bay Beach, the enormous pool complex with an open-air bar and a small casino, is pretty incredible. But even with four pools across 11 acres, the place still manages to get crowded. The largest pool, and clearly the kid favorite, is the 1.6-million-gallon wave pool, which produces waist-high (on an adult) waves every few minutes -- and is the Strip's only wave pool. The waves aren't especially dangerous (they're just barely large enough for a kid to body surf), but the hotel keeps lifeguards posted and all children much be at least 48 inches tall to go in the pool. Less intense, but still fun, is the lazy river pool, where kids and adults can float in inner tubes down the winding stream and through waterfalls. A lazy river pool can also be found at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Once kids have had their fill of frolicking in the wave pool or floating down the lazy river, they can try to spot the 100-odd species -- including a dozen different kinds of sharks -- in the 1.6-million-gallon Shark Reef Aquarium.

A rowdy pool party (and topless sunbathing) can be found at the 21-and-up-only Moorea Beach Club pool, which requires a cover charge to enter. But the party here doesn't quite have the same appeal as the infamous Vegas pool parties, such as Wet Republic at the MGM Grand.

See More What Are Pools Like at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

What Restaurants and Bars Are at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Over two dozen restaurants consist of fine-dining steak and French eateries, an all-day buffet, and fast-food options.

The over-30 Mandalay Bay Restaurants are spread across the hotel complex, which includes the Delano Las Vegas and the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. It has more than most hotels on the Strip – spanning price points, styles, and cuisines. The Mandalay rivals even the best Vegas foodie-hotels with its broad range of fine-dining options from acclaimed chefs, including Charlie Palmer's Aureole, Michael Mina's STRIPSTEAK, Hubert Keller's Fleur, and Wolfgang Puck's Lupo.

Bayside Buffet serves a large international buffet spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus brunch on weekends. Casual options include Starbucks, Slive of Vegas pizza joint, Burger Bar, and Hussong’s Cantina for Mexican fare. A food court provides fast-food fare.

In-room dining is also available.

See More What Restaurants and Bars Are at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

What Features Are Available at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Extensive features include a large spa and fitness center, an average casino, multiple bars, and various nightlife options such as big-name entertainment.

The Mandalay Bay Las Vegas complex is home to some of the best bars on the Strip, including the House of Blues Foundation Room, which is a Vegas favorite thanks to its amazing views and private "tea rooms" that feel far more intimate than the mega-clubs and lounges everywhere else. Minus5° Ice Bar, Skyfall Lounge, and a casino bar provide more options for cocktails. The 38,000-square-foot LIGHT Nightclub has a nightly DJ lineup. The Mandalay Bay Events Center hosts big-name acts, and a current show is the Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil.

The 30,000-square-foot Spa Mandalay has warm and hot whirlpools, a cedar sauna, a eucalyptus-scented steam room, a cold plunge, and 23 treatment rooms. The fitness center includes a good selection of cardio equipment with private TV monitors, free weights, exercise balls, and strength-training machines. The daily resort fee covers access to a cardio room.  Also covered by the resort fee is property-wide Wi-Fi, unlimited local and toll-free calls, and airline boarding pass printing. There’s a daily fee for self- and valet parking.

Like everything else at Mandalay Bay, the casino is big (about 135,000 square feet), but it doesn't feel as exciting or interesting as the casinos at other luxury hotels, like the Wynn, Bellagio, Venetian, or Caesars Palace. The casino includes the standard offering of slots, table games, blackjack, poker, race and sports book, along with the high-limit room, but the design and atmosphere is about on par with any other giant hotel in Vegas.

See More What Features Are Available at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino?

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Airport Transportation

  • Babysitting Services

  • Basic Television

  • Beauty / Hair Salon

  • Business Center

  • Cabanas

  • Cable

  • Casino

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Gameroom / Arcade

  • Internet

  • Jacuzzi

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Mini Bar (with liquor)

  • Pool

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

  • Room Service

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Smoking Rooms Available

  • Spa

  • Supervised Kids Activities

  • Swim-Up Bar

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.