Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

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.

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/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.