brooklyngal

1st time going to Vegas in April. We have a reservation at Mandalay Bay for $109+tax (so nearly $120/night total) because I really wanted a great pool. But I just found a rate of $69 on the MGM website for the same dates - I know the pools won't compare to Mandalay, but I'm wondering if they're still pretty good. Both hotels will have all pools open when we go (I checked with both) so my question is - is Mandalay so much better than MGM (for the pools in particular, but also generally speaking) as to justify nearly $50 more per night?

Jocelyn_P

We're going to Vegas in April too--how did you get those great rates? Are you staying midweek?

brooklyngal

Yes - we're going Monday-Friday - rates are more than 2x that on the weekends! Both rates are from the hotels themselves, which I can confidently say are the best (after doing EXTENSIVE research).

Ranger

YES!!!! the pools at MGM are not anything special. The pools at Mandalay are well worth the extra $$..

gotribe

I always heard that the pools (and they have a lazy river pool) at MGM are VERY nice. Location is better too. I would not spend an extra 50 bucks a night for MB.

loangalsal

I have not stayed at Mandalay Bay, but I stayed at MGM. The lazy river was full of screaming kids every time we went to the pool. There were never enough chairs to sit on either. We had to hunt for 3 of them every time. I would stay somewhere else next time because I do like some pool time.

beachbum

We stayed at the MGM last July, and I agree with Ranger; the pools there are okay, but nothing special (what makes a pool special anyway?). But it's not just the pools that would steer me to the Mandalay; it's a step or two above the MGM in almost every way.

And the $50/night.... just a couple hands at the blackjack tables.

CalDC

Brooklyngal, check the user reviews for the Mandalay in tripadvisor.com. Look at the ones from last April through August, since obviously there has been less discussion of pools in the colder weather months since. You will find a number of complaints from people who stayed there because of the pools. Inability to get a chair or any space in the sun and being overrun by non-guests at the pool area seems to be the most recurring negative about the hotel running through the reviews.

Apparently because there are more people who stay at the Mandalay for the pools than its facilities can accommodate, and due to the hotels lax procedures and employee susceptibility to "tips" from non-guests wanting to get in, some of those individuals found themselves entirely or virtually unable to use the pool areas because they either had to arrive very early in the morning or find all space taken--or that they were unable to do anything else on a day they wanted to use the pool, because once poolside space was relinquished, it was hopeless to get it back for the rest of the day.

Some posters reported that Mandalay employees and supervisors seemed unconcerned that people were unable to enjoy what they chose the hotel for--their attitude was that was just the way it was, because of the great popularity of their facilities.

I don't have any ax to grind against the Mandalay, and have not stayed there. I just noticed the above while I was considering doing so, and doing some research. It made me think that weighing the pool areas heavily in choosing a hotel was probably not wise if there might not be space for everyone who wanted to do so to use them.

There are many favorable comments about the MGM pools in the TripAdvisor reviews. I stayed in a Grand Tower room at the MGM this winter (having read to avoid the Emerald Tower)and found the stay to be excellent in all respects (except the lack of an in-room coffeemaker, which I noticed was also the most common TripAdvisor gripe.) I did not use the MGM pools myself (it was cold then) and can't testify as to whether they are as "spectacular" and "heaven" as some Tripadvisor posters say, or more run of the mill as the posters above think. The Tripadvisor comments do seem to clearly indicate that the MGM does a better job of making sure only guests get into the pool area than the Mandalay does.