MGM Grand in Las Vegas
 

Hi Everyone,

We'll be staying at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in February. Is this hotel in a central location or does it require using buses/taxis to get around? If anyone has stayed here please share your experiences with us....shows/attractions to see, etc. We appreciate all your help in the past. Thank you!

Its on the strip to the south. Close to Monte Carlo, Tropicana, Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay. A short walk (3/4 mile) to Bellagio, Flamingo, Caesars, Bally

The MGM is huge!!!!

There is a tram that travels from the MGM down to Bally's. From Bally's you can easily cross over to Ceasar's, Bellagio, etc.

www.cheapovegas will give you great reviews of all things Vegas.

Unless I am mistaken, the tram to Bally's was dismantled when the monorail was constructed. I haven't heard if the monorail is running yet, though. No biggie, though. If you need to go to the Bellagio or closer, it's an easy walk. Otherwise, a short cab ride will do. If you want to go downtown, the bus will be your best bet.

Its an enormous, modern standard type of hotel - the only thing Grand is the size. Rooms are like very Holton/Sheraton by the side of the highway. What is remarkable is the distance you must cover to reach your room.

It has a food court, shops and several "upscale" restaurants - we tried two and found them mediocre. (I thnk one was Nob Hill? - the other escapes me.)

There is a lion exhibit - kind of pitiful. And I believe a "naughty" show???

I second nytraveler. For a better location, check out the Bally's, TI, Mirage, Venetian, Bellagio area on the strip.

The tram is gone, the Monorail is up and running again, and will take you all the way north on the strip to Sahara, with all stops in between. With the new Monorail (running 8am - 2am) you don't need a car. Also, to get downtown, there are several express busses that go along the strip. Otherwise, it is about a $10-15 taxi ride --- but worth it.

Monorail web site: http://lvmonorail.com

Have fun.

Rick in Maryland

I think the MGM Grand is in a pretty good location for activities to walk -- you are on the 4 corners of Tropicana Blvd. Direct access to MGM, Tropicana, NYNY, and Excalibur. If you walk to the Excalibur, you can get a tram that takes you to Luxor and Mandalay Bay. The strip area around MGM has some interesting stuff. Monorail will take you everywhere in-between except downtown.

Inside the MGM is a HUGE entertainment area and lots of restaurants of all types, from food court to high-end. The buffet is pricey but upscale.

The pool area is nice.

The lion exhibit is actually quite interesting, contrary to what others said.

My sister did the day spa at MGM and thought it was incredible. It cost her about $125 for a 4-5 hour session of various stuff.

I am not a luxury hotel type person. We normally stay across the street in a moderate room at the aging Tropicana for about $50/night and just walk over to other stuff. We mainly want a clean, quiet room to crash in.

If it were my first time to Vegas, I would stay at a moderate mid-Strip hotel (Harrah's) to be in the center of the action, and use the monorail and city bus for other transportation. But that's my personal opinion.

We also like Rio for the fun atmosphere. It's a short taxi ride away.

You'll have fun in Vegas.

Rick in Maryland

Thank you all for your answers about the MGM Grand. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and opinions. It really is a help.

Now a question about entertainment (free and not). Is there anything that we should absolutely not miss? Would we be better off buying tickets in advance or are they easy to get once we arrive? Can anyone recommend restaurants? I hear that some of the buffets are really good, but I am not much of a buffet person. Are they your typical buffets? Thanks again.

I chuckled when I read your question, Barb, "Are they your typical buffets?" You'll soon understand that NOTHING in Las Vegas is "typical". The buffet at the MGM is pretty good, with choices running the gamut from sushi to roast beef. There are decent restaurants in the MGM too, including one of Emeril's. What kind of food are you looking for? And, what kind of entertainment are you asking about?

Re: the monorail. According to lvmonorail.com it's running! If you click on "map" you'll see a cute little car actually running from station to station.

BarbK, Please take note of the theme here MGM=Huge! It will take you a long time to walk from your room to the strip-side hotel exit, so plan accordingly.

Also, FYI, the Monorail does not run along the strip, but rather on the backside of the MGM Grand down to the Convention Center. Not a very attractive view, and a bit of a walk back to the strip once you disembark.

There used to be low-priced trolleys that went up and down the strip, allowing you to hop on and off where you wished. I'm not sure if they are still in operation now that the monorail is up and running.

Cheapovegas.com is a good tip. My mom printed out bunches of coupons for free and discounted shows, meals, etc. before she went and found it really helpful.

Have Fun!

That trolley was extremely slow. Bus #301 is much better, and it runs on the strip.

We were thinking of one of the Cirque shows and possibly going to see Hoover Dam. I know that Elton John will be there at the same time we are...tickets are pricey, but maybe worth it?? We would like to see a Vegas-type production show. Can't possibly afford to gamble from Friday night through Monday so we are just looking for other things to do too. I will check out cheapovegas.com. Thanks all.

I stayed at the MGM due to a business event a year and a half ago. It is not the hotel I would have chosen for myself, but on the whole I was pleasantly surprised. I was in a standard room in the Grand Tower, and while not fantastic, it was plusher, larger more enjoyable than a poster above described the rooms as being. Do ask for the Grand Tower, and avoid the Emerald Tower, actually the remnants of an older hotel which was incorporated into the new one and in which the rooms are not up to the standard of the rest.

Entertainment-wise, I understand that a new Cirque du Soliel show, "Ka," is now at the MGM and getting enthusiastic reviews, as the Cirque's other shows always have. You will probably want to see it, but you should get tickets NOW if it is not already too late.

There is also a sexually oriented Cirque show, Zumanity, playing across the street at New York New York. It had just opened when I was at the MGM, and I did not see it. I don't know how hard tickets are to get now. Prominent among the MGM's own entertainment offerings is a Parisian topless review, La Femme, presented in a theater just off the casino floor. I (and my female companion, admittedly more receptive to this type of entertainment than many women) liked it, especially since I had gotten half price tickets at the same day discount booth a couple of blocks down the strip. How often they are available there, I don't know. I think we might have found it overpriced at full price, but it is an imaginative show, with very talented and well trained (as well as world-class beautiful) dancers, presented in a classy venue to a well-gender-mixed audience. Both Zumanity and La Femme are shows which, from all I have read, many people like and many others really hate. It depends on whether you are interested in erotically-tinged entertainment, and, if so, in shows which present sexuality in a very different way than the standard American sexy show. (Plenty of those in Vegas too.)

The hotel also frequently has headliners performing, with Tom Jones, George Carlin, or Carrot Top seeming to be regulars. Check their web site to see who might be playing when you are there.

I can definitely second the comment about the length of the hallway walking you will probably need to do, both between your room and the elevator and to various points in the hotel complex. A number of the participants at the business event commented their trip from their rooms to the conference room had taken longer than their usual commute from home to work.

There is about every type of dining option, at every level, available in the Hotel, but the identity of the restaurants seems to change frequently. I've heard two I ate at (and liked) are already gone. The 24-hour restaurant I used once, and found the food good and not expensive. The same at a restaurant run by Wolfgang Puck, with a good view of the casino floor. The Rainforest Cafe is also relatively inexpensive if you are accompanied by kids who like (or you like) a jungle atmosphere with audiaanimatronic animals and thunderstorms. The hall along which the more upscale resaurants is located is very attractive and worth a stroll. The steak house, Craftsteak, and the Chinese restaurant, Pearl (?)are supposed to be outstanding. I thought the Italian restaurant, Fiamma, which is open to the hallway, looked very dramatic and romantic.

The casino room which you enter from the doors to the strip (as opposed to the auto/taxi entrance)is huge, imposing and worth a look. There's often a band playing and projected videos in this area.

Last year, I saw the Cirque du Soleil production "O" at the Bellagio -- and it was worth every single penny of the $90 ticket. It is probably the most unusual and mesmerizing show you'll ever see, given that it takes place entirely in, above, and under water.

Description of "O" http://cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSo...ntro/intro.htm


I can also very very highly recommend the Mystere show at Treasure Island. This is a show that will leave you feeling rejuvenated with a sense of wonder and joy (it did me, at least).

Description of Mystere:
http://cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSo...ntro/intro.htm


As with most big shows in Vegas, order your tickets as soon as your travel plans are firm -- they go fast. I try to do it at the same time that I purchase my air tickets.

Have fun.

Rick in Maryland

We got our tickets to see Mystere and are really looking forward to that. We've also decided to go to the Hoover Dam and do the guided tour and have reservations at Emeril's for dinner one night. A belated thank you to all of you for your excellent advice. We'll be there next weekend! Can't wait.