The Mirage — Hotel Review Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Oyster Review Summary

Oyster Hotel Photos

Oyster undercover reporters photographed this hotel. See the hotel exactly the way we did when we stayed there. (View All Photos)

Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Mike T.
Updated: August 19, 2009

 Scene

One of the first megaresorts to hit the Strip, the Mirage opened in 1989, the first project for now-famed casino developer Steve Wynn. Somewhat of an elder statesman of the Strip, the 3,044-room Mirage goes relatively light on the glitz and is among the more family-friendly destinations in Las Vegas.

Compared with places like Planet Hollywood and Hooters, where the entertainment tends toward the raunchy, the shows at the Mirage are downright wholesome. Recent performances include puppeteer Terry Fator, standup by comedians Jay Leno and Ray Romano, and Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-inspired "Love." The trademark attraction, meanwhile, is the kid-friendly man-made volcano at the entrance. Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat is also popular with families.

Not that the resort doesn't offer any adult-oriented amusements. Bare, a grownups-only poolside lounge featuring bikini-clad service and "European-style" (i.e. topless) sunbathing, is tucked away from the main pool area. And the 10,000-square-foot Jet Nightclub features rock music, trance, and hip-hop from in-house DJs.

The service exceeds expectations, given how big the place is. And the rooms, outfitted with 42-inch flat-screen TVs and iPod docks, combine '70s Vegas kitsch and modern amenities. The smallish bathrooms with ordinary fixtures are the only shortcoming -- that and the fact that my room smelled strongly of ammonia when I first arrived.

All in all, a great high-end choice for families -- though even they should compare prices at the similarly family-friendly Venetian, which has larger, more luxurious rooms.

 Service

When it comes to service, the Mirage stands a step above your typical Strip megaresort. Room service runs 24 hours. The concierge desk, open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and tasked primarily with arranging reservations for shows and restaurants offered by the Mirage, also makes arrangements for golf tours and floral arrangements. The bell desk, meanwhile, remains open 24 hours a day to accommodate after-hours requests such as transportation arrangements and dry cleaning.

The staff also brings a light, friendly touch to interaction with guests, achieving a level of courtesy that's rare among Strip megaresorts. Bellmen stand at the entrance, proactively approaching guests to help with bags and open doors. Check-in clerks greet guests with a, "Welcome to The Mirage." That said, an overwhelming rush can descend on the lobby on busy days, and long lines can form at the front desk.

A request for towels was fulfilled within five minutes. When I called for room service, the staff said it would arrive within 35 minutes. It turned out to be 40, but the presentation was excellent, on a rolling cart with a white tablecloth and those cute individual bottles of ketchup and mustard.

 Rooms

Underneath some kitschy -- even weird -- decor is a comfortable, well-appointed room that, thanks to clever design, feels even more spacious than it is. After undergoing a $90 million renovation in August 2008, the rooms at the Mirage combine modern amenities like iPod docks and 42" LCD TVs with a fun retro look apparently inspired by the psychedelic 1970s: The carpeting resembles the outer surface of a tennis-ball; paintings on the walls look like Spirograph drawings.

At 400 square feet, the Deluxe rooms are about average for midlevel Vegas hotels -- and maybe even a little small compared to other properties in this price range -- but they pack in plenty of thoughtful touches that enhance comfort and maximize the space. I appreciated the long counter along the wall facing the bed and the vanity bureau by the bathroom, for example. Electrical outlets, USB, and Ethernet ports, as well as A.V. inputs, bolster the utility of the work area.

The bathrooms, meanwhile, are smallish at 45 square feet, but perfectly functional. The standard-issue fixtures are in good condition, and the shower has plenty of pressure. The Aqua Lime products from Gilchrist & Soames were adequate if not top-tier.

For about $20 extra, guests can upgrade to the Tower Deluxe rooms on the 24th or 25th floors, which include Jacuzzi tubs and separate walk-in showers. Suites range from the 812-square-foot Mirage suite with two bathrooms and a Jacuzzi, to the 1,700-square-foot one- or two-bedroom Hospitality suites.

 Location

Located on the densely packed, three-and-a-half-mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Las Vegas Strip, between the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and Treasure Island, and across the street from the Venetian and Harrah's. A free tram takes guests between the Mirage and Treasure Island.

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, and costs $3 to ride. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara. A single-ride ticket is $5; a one-day pass is $13. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option.

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

 Features

The spa, with its modern mood lighting, is on par with Strip resorts, a cut above the dated blue-and-white-tile facilities at Bally's or the Flamingo, but below the elaborate relaxation dens at the Bellagio and the Four Seasons. Outfitted with the standard hot tub, sauna, steam room, and lounge, the spa looks pretty enough but doesn't particularly stand out among those found at Vegas resorts. The facilities are free for guests who book a treatment and cost $25 otherwise. The spa offers a standard array of massages, body treatments, and facials; a 50-minute Swedish massage costs $130 -- about average in Vegas.

With plenty of room to stretch or do crunches in addition to plenty of treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical machines, as well as a very extensive set of free weights and Pilates balls, the fitness center rates slightly above those at other Strip resorts. Cardio machines sport personal flat-screen TVs, and free fruit, newspapers, and bottled water are also available. The space was also spotlessly clean and inviting. Guests who pay the $25 daily admission to use the fitness center also get access to the spa facilities.

The business center has private mini-offices and 24-hour Internet kiosks. Nice touches, but, as is usual for Vegas, use of the extensive services costs extra, and sometimes a lot extra -- $2 to print a boarding pass, $7 to send a one-page fax, and 25 cents for a photocopy. The hotel also has more than 170,000 square feet of meeting space.

 Pools

The pool at the Mirage befits the hotel's stature as an upper-tier Vegas mega-resort, which is to say that it's gigantic, with beautiful greenery, luxury cabanas, a nearby bar, and a cafe. The pool itself is so large that just one of the five sections has three lane markers denoting a fully functional lap-swim area. And there's also a separate circular pool tucked away farther from the pool's main entrance. Drink service is available to guests lounging in the many deck chairs.

Like many other Strip resorts, the Mirage also offers an adults-only pool called Bare where women are allowed to go topless. These two "party" pools offer drink service from buxom, bikini-clad servers. Live DJs play the latest in pop and hip-hop. It's a fun place to sit down and take in the beautiful sights, but there isn't much room to walk around, and a seat can cost a pretty penny: $20 admission for men, $10 for women, and as much as a $50 drink minimum to sit in a daybed. Cabana rentals require between $500 and $1,500 food-and-beverage minimums, depending on the day of the week.

 Casino

A colossal gaming space surrounded by the casino's restaurants, bars, and the Cirque du Soleil "Love" theater, the Mirage's casino brings a touch of class with modern light fixtures, a 90-foot-tall garden atrium, and blown glass sculptures. Beyond the typical slots and table games, the Mirage's casino provides a high-limit lounge for big spenders, a 25-table poker room with four different games and "sit-and-go" tournaments, and a 10,000-square-foot sports book with 150 individual viewing screens.

 Entertainment

"Love," an extravagant circus performance that draws inspiration from the catalog of the Beatles, has been highly successful since its 2006 debut; the soundtrack won two Grammy awards in 2008.

Ventriloquist and impressionist Terry Fator, who won the second season of TV's amateur-hour show America's Got Talent, occupies the Terry Fator Theatre, where standup comedians Jay Leno, Ray Romano, and Lewis Black also make appearances.

 Family

Note that "unusually family-friendly for Las Vegas" mostly means "there aren't video monitors advertising nudie shows in the lobby." Still, although it lacks the medieval shows and SpongeBob SquarePants appeal of the Disney-fied Excalibur, the Mirage does a good job of providing a fair serving of kid-friendly attractions.

The hotel's signature volcano erupts nightly, starting at 8 p.m. and continuing every hour until midnight. People of all ages stop on the sidewalk to photograph and videotape the spectacle. Meanwhile, the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat contains lions and other big cats, as well as dolphins. Admission costs $15 for adults and $10 for kids 4 to 12. Kids 3 and under get in free. The pool is fairly kid-friendly and hosts a great number of families with young children, although there are no ultra shallow ledges for toddlers.

With a California Pizza Kitchen (which has a kids' menu) and additional simple fare at Carnegie Delicatessen, Paradise Cafe, children have plenty to choose from. Plus, at the Cravings buffet, kids 5 to 10 eat at a discount: $9.95 for breakfast, $12.95 for lunch, and $16.95 for dinner.

Meanwhile, most of the adult-themed entertainment -- at the Bare pool lounge and Jet nightclub -- is hidden away from the main action.

There's a $30 charge for each additional person beyond the first two in a room. Once that's paid, cribs and rollaway beds are free.

 Cleanliness

Overall, the Mirage is a very clean hotel. The rooms, hallways, and casino level were well-maintained, as were the spa, fitness center, and pool.

 Food

With a dozen full restaurants -- six casual and six fine-dining -- the Mirage provides a variety of culinary experiences.

Among casual options, Cravings, a buffet, offers a decent value -- low prices for mediocre food, but good variety. Stations serve noodles, seafood, Chinese, sushi, deli sandwiches, a host of desserts, and more. Overall the vibe is inviting and comfortable, although like many Vegas buffets, Cravings is buried in the casino, far from any natural light. The service was extra attentive. After I downed nearly all my orange juice in one gulp, the server came by immediately to refill the glass. Breakfast costs $13.95, lunch $17.95, and dinner $24.95.

Along with national chain California Pizza Kitchen, other casual places include celebrity chef Laurent Tourondel's BLT Burger, where sandwiches run $10 to $17. Caribe Cafe serves standard American breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Entrees range from $18 shrimp pasta to $26 New York sirloin. Carnegie Delicatessen, meanwhile, serves an extensive array of sandwich combos costing between $14 and $21. The poolside Paradise Cafe serves simple American breakfast and lunch, with entrees ranging from about $10 to $15.

For fine-dining opportunities, the Mirage offers contemporary Japanese from aptly named Japonais, American food at Stack, Chinese at Fin, steak and seafood at Kokomo's, Brazilian barbecue at Samba, and Italian at Onda. At Onda, I greatly enjoyed my $26 lasagna, and the bruschetta and bread that accompanied the meal were fabulous.

 Bottom Line

An elder statesman among the Strip's megaresorts, the 3,044-room Mirage relies less on thematics and a booze-fueled party scene for its appeal -- opting instead to emphasize comfortable, well-designed rooms, an enormous pool, diverse dining options, and attentive service. Attractions, from a giant volcano to Cirque du Soleil's "Love" to a wildlife sanctuary, are aimed at a multigenerational clientele.