Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas | Vegas serenity

one of the pools at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Here in Las Vegas for Virtuoso Travel Week, Claire and I are spending Saturday and Sunday nights at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. There's a lot to love about this hotel. Located center-strip, right in City Center with its entrance off Las Vegas Boulevard, it's a quiet, serene, and elegant haven of sanity in the midst of the madness that is Las Vegas.

With the best room product in Las Vegas (unless you go for some of the ultra-expensive specialty suites the city is known for), the Mandarin Oriental is a great choice if you appreciate contemporary elegance. The first WOW moment hits you the moment you stop off the elevator at the 23rd floor lobby and see the facing wall with almost sculptural qualities (pictured to the left). Rooms have a lot of space. Our 20th floor bedroom (room 2008) faces south down the strip, with a direct view of New York, New York with its skyline, roller coaster, and the Statue of Liberty. There is a large dressing room area, bathroom with dual vanities, huge soaking tub, a great shower, and separate WC. The spa is fabulous (we both enjoyed treatments last year) and the $100 Virtuoso or FAN Club spa credit will go about half-way to getting you a wonderful experience. Quite worth it at $100 off!

The Cosmopolitan is right next door to the Mandarin Oriental, and we had a site inspection last evening. One room was held out of the inventory for travel consultants to tour during Travel Week, a Terrace Studio. A large room (about 600 sq. ft.) with contemporary furnishings, it is set up as a Junior Suite. The bedroom area is by the outdoor terrace (the room we were shown had a killer view of the Bellagio fountain), separated by a low wall from the larger living room area of the Studio. There is also a kitchenette, but ask the hotel to clear out the minibar if you want to use the small fridge (as the minibar has "touch it and you pay for it" technology). The bathroom was full featured with dual vanities, jacuzzi tub, large step-in shower, and WC. The Cosmo appeals to a young crowd, and offers a loud, pulsing vibe that will appeal to many Vegas visitors. (My 25-year old daughter tells me it's her favorite place in Las Vegas).

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2013 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.