Merry

Me and my husband are going to LV for our one year anniversary. We are in our mid to late thirties. We cant seem to decide which hotel to go to. I am wondering when people say that Mandalay Bay is a younger crowd, how young do you mean? To be honest, I am a little turned off by the construction at Bellagio. My hotel in Hawaii for my honeymoon was undergoing construction while we were there and it was a little annoying. ANy feedback would be great.

qzp

I've never stayed at either hotel, but the location of the Bellagio is more center of the strip if you want to be able to walk to more casinos. (Caesars, Bally's Flamingo, Venetian, etc.)

Stachi

I've stayed at the Mandalay Bay (I'm 34) on a "girls weekend" and we had a fantastic time. Loved the spa, loved the pool, loved the RumJungle Restaurant (and loved when it turned into the RumJungle Bar after dinner!), loved the rooms, loved the ambiance. By younger "they" (whoever they are?) might mean people our age because we felt very comfortable there, it was mostly people our age there. They also might have been referring to kids because of the water park type pool they have, but we laid out by the cabanas on the perimeter and not by the wave pool itself and saw no one under 21! I've eaten at the Bellagio (great Mediteranean restaurant!) but have not stayed there. I've heard that the rooms are a lot more expensive at the Bellagio than Mandalay and about the same quality. I'd stay at the Mandalay (yes, it's a bit farther down the road but it's no biggie, taxis are everywhere and it's a reasonable walk anyways), it's a better "resort".

Scarlett

Hi Merry,
Whenever we have been to the Bellagio, there is such a mix of people of all ages, that I don't know if you would be able to say it was a younger/older crowd.
We will be there in November and I asked about the construction. It is in the pool area so I would expect that you would want a Lake View room.
The rooms in the Bellagio are very comfortable and quiet. You do not hear a thing!
I have only been inside the Mandalay Bay casino and the Aquarium, so I cannot compare the two hotels.
Good luck and Happy Anniversary!

jen24

I just stayed at Paris, and was very romantic! There is a nice restraunt elevated in the Eiffel Tower---romance! It is right across the street from the Bellagio. Check them out, it was absolutely great for me.

JeannetteC

The hotels have different stlyes. The Bellagio is ornate Italian whereas the Mandalay is sleek and tropical. I prefer the Mandalay. We have a business group that goes every year and we can choose any hotel and we all vote year after year for the Mandalay. The Mandalay spa is terrific, their gym has everything and the pools are the best in variety and landscaping. I also like that the lobby is separate from the casino.

TedTurner

Bellagio is much more adult oriented, from the pools to the restaurants.
Mandalay welcomes families and has the most elaborate pool(s) complex in LV to attract kids.

As for room quality, it totally depends on your background and needs.
Is Mandalay built to the same specs with the same quality as Bellagio? Not even close if you look at the details.
But I have to believe that no more than maybe 20% of travellers to LV will notice a real difference. The quality of the marbles used, furniture quality etc etc is much better at Bellagio.

Do you realize that Mandalay was built by and is still operated by the Circus Circus group (though they changed the name of the company when they built Mandalay so as not to scare people off).

Mandalay is a very well conceived resort and is a very good value. No question about it. I love the restaurant variety and themes and the casino is clean and pleasant.

But if Mandalay Bay were a car I'd call it a MiniCooper or a BMW 330. I'd call Bellagio a Bentley or Aston Martin.

maggyfe

We stayed at the Bellagio a couple of years ago, and loved it. We are in our early 30's and didn't notice any age differences within. The pools are fantastic to go to, and the overall atmosphere/ambience is absolutely magnificent. If you decide to stay, you should definitely try Picasso or Aqua..excellent dining experiences.

PS--we are not stuffy people either, as a matter of fact, we are a pretty fun couple and we didn't feel that we should have to behave within the resort.

flopmeister

I love people who reply to posts seeking hotel information and they've NOT stayed at either hotel!!!

Merry, I have stayed at both hotels many times, and this is the deal: If you want to spend your 1 year anniversary with the great unwashed, stay at the bellagio, where hordes of huddled masses finishing up the ice cream cones they bought at NY NY stream through 24/7 and stare, agog, at a water fountain display as if it were something divine. Now, if you want a relaxed, almost we-went-to-vegas-and-it-didn't-feel-like-vegas-yet-we-were-on-the-strip kind of a 1year anniversary, then go to Mandalay, request Fiji wing, high floor, strip view, do the $20 trick to see if you can get bumped to a huge suite, and enjoy the wonderful pool, restos and spa of Mandalay. Make a reservation at Aureole, do the his/hers spa thing (same sex massage, fyi), and you will not be sorry. As far as the construction is concerned, the only knocking you should hear should be coming from your room!!!

gc

Just make sure flop's kids haven't been in the room you get!!...8^)

travleis

The reason all those people are streaming thru Bellagio, and virtually none wander all the way down to Mandalay to view it, is because Bellagio is a beautiful place worthy of a tourist's time.
Mandalay is just a nice casino hotel.
Heck, using Flopmeister's argument you should stay at the Residence Inn 5 miles away from the strip. No tourists at all to contend with there.

flopmeister

travel, they're on their one year anniversary, not there to mingle with the rest of the fudgies. your analogy to a residence inn is facile, and improper. mandalay bay is a luxury resort hotel with a pool and beach that is, IMHO unsurpassed on the strip in vegas. Perfect for a couple that want to share a special event. Bellagio? IMHO not so. Mandalay also has great restaurants, spa and workout facility and is, when someone wants it to be, much more romantic than seeing how many "tourists" can stream through the lobby. the bellagio's location makes it ideal to traipse through from and to other casinos. if that's not your gig, then a place like mandalay fits the bill.

and gc i'm not sure what the swipe at my kids is all about. perhaps you're trying to make a joke -- a very inside joke.

Little_Man

Bellagio is beautiful but so darn crowded, I was glad we didn't stay there when we were there last weekend.
If you want to be more centrally located than Mandalay Bay (here I go again), check out the Brand New Venezia Towers at the Venetian. Check in is swift (you bypass the crowds through a special elevator), and the rooms are decadent. The concierge level is nice for an afternoon cocktail and morning coffee (although not a lot of food.) Check out the venetian website.

Carib_Ruby

My Parents just returned from Vegas. I was surprised that they didnt stay at Bellagio, and instead chose Mandalay Bay.

When they returned my mom said she would never stay anywhere but Mandalay again. Not that Bellagio isnt beatutiful but she felt Mandalay was just the best and was much more comfortable there.

SuzieQ

Bellagio is a beautiful hotel. The attention to detail and service does not come even close to Mandalay Bay and yes I have stayed st both. Mandalay Bay is nice in its own right but not nearly as elegant as Bellagio. Mandalay Bay seems to be more for the general masses and seems sometimes just as crowded, if not more so, than Bellagio.

gc

Flopmeister,

My apologies if offense was taken, as none was intended. Yes, an inside joke referring to your hilarious posts in:
"What's the most embarrassing thing your kid has done to you on vacation?"

And, We love Mandalay Bay.

flopmeister

ah, gc, luckily i am the "slow to anger" type! and my son was only in vegas once, at a convention my wife had and i was along for the ride. he did not throw up! we were at bally's -- great resto there Al Dente.

Anyway, i respectfully disagree that the bellagio delivers on its promises (either express or implied) of unsurpassed service. it's just a hotel in vegas, as they all are. IMHO the difference b/t mandy and bellagio is so small as to be insignificant in the grand scheme. the rooms are the same size (many's bathroom being slightly larger, bellagio's being a little nicer) and are equally well appointed. you'll save $$ at mandalay which you can spend on better things, like a romantic dinner (do check out aureole, then go to HOB to party, eh!) or a spa treatment. Again, i stay in vegas all the time. the huddled masses can have the mid-strip area. me, i like not having to square my shoulders walking through the hotel lobby and casino.

travleis

Hint: if you stay in a suite at Bellagio you get your own elevator which essentially bypasses the lobby and the masses. I'm not saying where it is, since that would increase traffic, but it's a nice perk.
I never fight crowds at Bellagio unless coming in from the parking garage.

andy

Merry=

We stayed at the Bellagio- It was FABULOUS!! The lobby alone is worth the stay..awesome ceiling by Seattle glass blower-Dale Chihuly...

The rooms are subtle,taupe- and full of gorgeous furniture and marble bath rooms...

Request a VIEW of the Dancing Waters in front of the hotel....

I have stayed at Ritz Carltons all over the US and this place had even BETTER service than the Ritz...

Would I go back?? Yes =In a heartbeat!

Also have the hotel concierge make a reservation for you at Le Cirque in the Bellagio..Some of the best food I have ever had and the atmosphere is to die for!!

gplimpton

All right andy, I was with you all the way until you made the statement about the service, and compared it to Ritz Carltons as a chain.
One thing you will never find in Las Vegas is a 3000-5000 room casino hotel with service which matches that of a standard Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons.

Now perhaps you've had poor service on occasion at a FS or RC, but on average, their level of service is unsurpassed among chain hotels.
And Bellagio will never match that level of service.

Don't get me wrong, I am a Bellagio supporter, but too many people expect Bellagio's service to match that of a 200 room Ritz. Can't happen. Won't happen.
You may have a great stay or 2 or 3 at Bellagio. But I can attest to many times in my own experience (I've stayed at Bellagio 8 or 9 times) when service just plain faltered. In fact I was once given a penthouse suite and free meals at all restaurants for a weekend because of one particularly bad comedy of errors on the part of several staff members.
I'm sure I've spent more than 300 nights at various RC's, FS's, Peninsulas etc and have never had anything adverse happen which was just plain unacceptable. I've received just plain bad service at Bellagio on 3 different occasions.
But I forgive them because I understand what Bellagio is up against and I know a bit about resort management.
But too many people have expectations about Bellagio service which will not, and cannot, be met. And MGM's purchase of Bellagio has only made this problem worse.