Thursday, November 13, 2008

Mirage Hotel Las Vegas Review


The Mirage was the first mega-resort in Las Vegas. Built by
Steve Wynn, who later built Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and
Wynn Las Vegas. The Mirage is one of our favorite hotels in Las
Vegas.

The Mirage Las Vegas has been working hard to improve the hotel.
They\'ve added a new dining option -- the Carnegie Deli -- which
offers another casual dining option. Kokomo\'s is a great place
to get steak or lobster. The California Pizza Kitchen is a great
option for visitors on a budget. The flagship restaurant at
Mirage Las Vegas is Renoir, which offers fine French cuisine.

The most impressive improvement is the new baccarat and
high-stakes blackjack room. All we can say is, WOW! One of the
big casino companies finally got something right! This is the
most impressive place to play blackjack -- anywhere. When the
Mirage decided to redesign their high-stakes blackjack and
baccarat room, they apparently decided to raise the bar. No
other room in Vegas (or anywhere else in the world but Monte
Carlo) can hold a candle to this one. The room consists of eight
blackjack tables with a bar and lounge. The ultra-hip New York
style lounge reminds us more of the lounge at the Hudson Hotel
in Manhattan than of a place to play blackjack. If you\'re going
to Vegas to play blackjack, and you\'re willing to play a minimum
of $100 per hand, this is your destination. During peak times,
several of the tables are bumped up to $300 per hand minimum,
but you can almost always find a $100 table. Half the tables are
six-deck shoe games, and half are double-deck games dealt by
hand.

Mirage also has one of the best pools in Las Vegas. It\'s not
quite as fancy as Mandalay Bay\'s (which has a wave pool and lazy
river) and doesn\'t have poolside blackjack tables like Wynn Las
Vegas, but for those just looking for a nice pool area to relax
in, Mirage\'s is better than most of the strip hotels in Vegas.

Behind the pool is the dolphin habitat and Siegfried & Roy\'s
secret garden. Both are worth more than the price of admission.
If you like animals, make sure you get to Mirage to check these
exhibits out.

The biggest weakness of the Mirage is the quality of the rooms.
The suites are fabulous, but if you are staying in a regular
hotel deluxe room, they could use a little work. I\'m not sure
why the Mirage Las Vegas hasn\'t spent the money to renovate all
of its basic hotel rooms. The ones that have been renovated are
nice. The others seem dingy, have low-grade hotel beds and
bedding, and have tiny bathrooms. Of course, you probably aren\'t
planning to spend much time in your room when you go to Las
Vegas, so this is a problem that is easily overlooked.

Overall, the Mirage Las Vegas Hotel & Casino is a great option
for your stay. The location is great, being near Bellagio,
Caesar\'s, Harrah\'s, Venetian, Treasure Island, and Wynn Las Vegas. Our recommendation is that if you want
a great room, stay at Wynn or Bellagio, but even if you do that,
make sure to go to Mirage to play blackjack, because you won\'t
find a better place to play!

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