GO AHEAD, TAP THAT CLASS
GO AHEAD, TAP THAT CLASS
Here at BEING BOUJEE, we always tell you the truth because that’s how we roll. So, we will start this post by saying that Las Vegas is off our TOP 10 or even TOP 100 travel destination spots. However, we were invited out here for a family wedding (Congrats, Ryan and Lisa!), and who can say no to witnessing a couple making a lifetime commitment to one another….plus we love to travel and check out new places, so we were all in!
Where to Stay in Las Vegas: The wedding was held at Mandalay Bay, so it made choosing a place to stay easy. We had never even stepped foot on this property previously, so that is always an adventure. As you can guess, there are a TON of hotel options in Vegas. There are a few factors to consider when selecting a place to stay in Vegas.
♥ What are you planning to do in Vegas? Will you be spending most of your time downtown or on the strip? Or even off the strip?
♥ If you plan on hanging out on the strip – where do you see yourself spending the most time? Do you want to be in the middle of the strip (if so, we would suggest staying at the Bellagio or Cosmo)? Or at one end of the strip (south end recommendation: Mandalay Bay, north end recommendation: The Wynn)?
♥ How vital is the pool area to you?
♥ Who is traveling with you? Solo? A partner? Traveling with kids? Traveling with a pet?
All these factors (and more) should be considered in your decision-making process.
TIP: When staying in Vegas, the hotel hallways can be long! If you don’t like walking a lot, we suggest requesting a room near the elevator. It sounds odd and usually the opposite of what you want, but you will thank us later.
AIRPORT TRANSFER: We took a Lyft from the airport to the hotel. The Rideshare area at the airport is pretty easy to find (located in the parking garage), but it usually takes a while for your Lyft to arrive, so be prepared for a wait.
Arriving at the hotel was easy; it is just a 10-15 minute drive (depending on traffic). You will be dropped off directly at the hotel’s main entrance, so when you walk through the doors, the vast receptionist desk will be in front of you.
If you plan on using a rideshare app while visiting Vegas, I would like to point out that Mandalay Bay’s pick-up area differs from the drop-off area. To find the pick-up area, you will go past the bell desk and front desk to take the escalator on the right down to the pick-up area. We found this to be slick. I had yet to learn what this area was before rideshare apps became popular, but this area is perfect for it.
RESORT: As we stated previously, Mandalay Bay is where the wedding occurred, so it was an easy choice of where to stay. It was also our first time staying here, which is always an adventure.
Mandalay Bay gives off tropical resort vibes. If that is the look and feel you want on your trip, then we highly suggest Mandalay Bay.
If you are traveling with children, this is a great place to stay because the pool area is out of this world! It is HUGE with a wave pool and a lazy river.
THE ROOM: The room was tastefully decorated. There was a mini fridge stocked with many what could be beverage necessities. However, they were expensive….or we assumed since we needed help finding the price list in the room.
We had a double Queen room with a view that overlooked the pool. It was a decent view, but if you hope to see the strip lit up at night from your room, definitely pay for a strip view. Our view allowed us to see the airplanes take off and land, and it was fun to see how many flights come in/out of Vegas daily. Good gravy – It is a lot!
The room itself was fine. Nothing special. The bathroom had double sinks, a separate toilet room, a shower, and a large soaking tub. Who has time to soak in a tub in Vegas? And if a soaking tub is essential, we highly suggest you stay at the Cosmopolitan in a room overlooking the Bellagio fountains! You can watch the fountains from your Japanese soaking tub. It is such an incredible experience!
TIP: OK, this next tip might question your integrity (slightly), but once you are in Vegas and tired of being nickeled and dime, your integrity might be more accepting of this tip. There were strict rules about the use of the refrigerator in our room. The stuff can’t be removed (it was all sensor-driven), and you couldn’t store it in it…and we like to follow the rules….sometimes. Here is the tip: Please tell the front desk you have medication that requires it to be kept cold – they have to bring you a refrigerator… no. Just to let you know, no questions were asked. We didn’t do this on our trip, but needless to say, we are keeping it in the back of our minds the next time we need it. Special thanks to cousin Marci for mentioning this tip!
POOLS
The pools at Mandalay Bay are a pleasant surprise! We had no idea what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. If you travel with children to Vegas, we encourage you to consider Mandalay Bay.
The Mandalay pool area is located on 11 acres of land! For Vegas, that is huge! It has a wave pool, a lazy river, and a sandy beach! Yep, natural sand! It makes the experience unique. There are A LOT of lounging chairs around the pools, but be prepared to be highly close to strangers while in your bathing suit. It’s awkward, but everyone is in the same boat, so you must get over it.
TIP: If you want to stand around in the pool or sit on the side, we suggest you pick chairs on the opposite side of the Wave pool. When you walk into the beach area (past the grill area), go to your left. If you think you will spend most of the time in the wave pool, sit to your right. You will see a red line on each side of the wave pool; that is the line you must be behind to be in the Wave pool, which means you can’t stand around in the shallow area of the Wave pool.
We found service around the pools to be challenging. While there is a QR code on your chair to order, it wasn’t working when we were there. You can order food at the To-Go Grill area and take it back to your chairs to eat, which is what we did. Be prepared to spend $ money as a burger and fries are $20; the drinks are more than that! You can not bring in your food or drinks, but you can bring in a refillable water bottle, which you can refill by the To-Go Grill area.
RESTAURANTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Unfortunately, we didn’t try restaurants other than The Border, where the reception was held. On Saturday, we ate at the Grill at the pool, but that was just out of convenience because we wanted to spend as much time as possible at the pool before the wedding. The burgers and fries were fine – better than expected.
We wanted something cold after the pool on Friday afternoon, so we walked to the Food Court near the Mandalay Convention Center for some ice cream. Johnny Rockets is there; of course, they have great milkshake options. If you don’t want to walk as far, there is an ice cream place on the hotel’s lower level. I don’t think the food at the Food Court was that much cheaper, so it may not be worth the walk for you,
LeAnn is a mentor and the ultimate BOUJEE glamour gal. When she left daily drudgery behind in favor of following her own personal path to joy, she made a promise to herself that she would help others do the same. All she’s ever wanted is to do is stay healthy, live her best life, and give back to others by introducing them to their inner BOUJEE.
