Stayed at Mirage - in Petite Suite

Hey Everyone --

I am back from our first trip to Vegas - had a great time and a lot of fun. We won several
times on the slots - but I ended up putting most of it back into the
machine - I did win 640 quarters one afternoon and walked away with $140 but
the way I see it, it eventually got gambled again. We won on slot machines in the Mirage,
Mandalay Bay and Caesars.

We got to Vegas last Friday at 11:30am. We checked right into the Mirage without
a problem. As most of you know originally I paid for a Tower Suite for my boyfriend
and I and then at the last minute changed my mind and got a GREAT rate on a
tower deluxe room for less than what their standard rooms go for per night due to a promotion.
I had been in touch with two people at the Mirage since April chatting with them about the
rates and other ideas to make our stay very special since it was a celebration and they
were both extremely helpful. We plan to write a very nice letter and make sure it gets
to their superiors because their customer service was outstanding. In addition
the service at the Mirage was outstanding. That includes the women who sat us both mornings
for our buffet breakfast, the gentlemen that checked our key each evening at the elevators,
the pool service, bartenders, waiters and waitresses in restaurants, maids, etc! We would not hesitate for ONE minute to stay there again - even after walking thru all the other hotels such as Bellagio, Venetian, Mandalay Bay -- we still felt the Mirage was the prettiest, in the best location and the friendliest.

When we checked in I asked if there was a chance for an
upgrade to a suite at a decent rate - and the young man said there was a
suite available at $100 more per night - so I politely declined. He gave us our keys and when
we got into our room I realized we were put on a smoking
floor and in a smoking room that REAKED terribly!!! It was so bad it literally turned my stomach -
and it was clear the odor was not going to subside any time soon. So my boyfriend
called the front desk and they said they had no more smoke free rooms! Now this was something
I definitely requested upon reservation of my room so I decided to call down and asked to speak with the woman I had done all the emailing with lately regarding room rates etc. It turned out she was not available so I spoke
with her assistant and explained the situation. I explained that we were told there were no more smoke free
rooms and if there was anything else we could switch to such as a suite. She was VERY nice, put me on
hold and came back on to tell me we would be moved to a suite at no additional charge per night.

She explained that since it was so early in the day (around 1:00-1:30) and the rooms didn't technically have to be ready until 3:00 for check in - we would need to wait for our suite which was NO problem at all! We could use the room we were already in and she would call us when it was ready.

We walked around the pool and got a drink and waited back in our room. Around 3:30 the woman I had been emailing with personally called me to apologize. She said she felt terribly that the room we got put in was a smoking room and that she was very pleased to be able to give us the suite. She also asked if she could send us whatever we wanted to our room - I said that was not necessary but she insisted on sending us up a nice bottle of champagne - and that night when we returned to our suite after dinner, there was the bottle of champagne on ice with 2 glasses waiting for us.

The suite sure was worth the wait!!!!!!!!!! It was truly amazing - we had his and her bathrooms, his had a big walk in shower mine had a HUGE whirlpool bathtub, a vanity, every ammenity imaginable in each bathroom - huge closets, entertainment
center - two huge TV's one of which was at the base of our king size bed and it was remotely operated to come up from a big dresser when you hit the button - etc. It was decorated beautifully, I even took pics of it.

Friday night we at dinner at Kahunaville in Treasure Island. Great place for a nice reasonable meal - very good food. Saturday we hung out at the pool and did some shopping and Saturday night we ate at Shanghai Lilly in Mandalay Bay. Very pretty, romantic Chinese restaurant with great Chinese food. We ate in a booth that had closing curtains for privacy. That night we saw Barry Manilow in concert and he was just fantastic - we had a blast. He puts on some show and he has some fan club - that is for sure!

Sunday night we saw Danny Gans - who is one of the most popular acts (impersonator) in Vegas - he was awesome too. After the show we ate at Onda, an Italian restaurant in the Mirage. Beautiful spot, great service, delicious food at reasonable prices.

Monday night my boyfriend surprised me and booked a reservation at the restaurant on top of The Stratosphere - most of you probably know the room rotates while you eat giving a beautiful view. Prices are high but well worth it - and also delicious food. Then Tuesday night he surprised me again with tickets to the Lord of the Dance - which also was GREAT. We ate afterwards in an Italian restaurant at New York New York.

We payed to go on the Secret Garden tour at the Mirage and saw the dolphins and tigers and lions - VERY VERY worth the $10.00 and it was a relief for me to see these beautiful animals clearly being taken care of so very well. Unfortunately the world we live in is not a safe place for endangered species. Sure they would be happier in the wild - but they would also probably end up being shot and killed by poachers. They all seemes happy, healthy and in great condition.

It was hot in Vegas but not too hot - the pool was gorgeous - we hung out there for a few hours every day. So many shops and things to do -- we didn't make it to all of the hotels to check them out though, just not enough time. The city truly NEVER sleeps and it was mobbed everywhere we went - we think this is in part due to the Tyson fight and the basketball playoffs - 2 very popular gambling events. Our flights each way were very turbulent - lots of wind going on up there -- so that was kinda nerve racking but not much you can do about that.

We had a GREAT time and it was quite an experience. It it always nice to see another part of the world. As for returning we both agreed that it would not be someplace we would rush right back to - just seemed to us to be the kind of place we experienced and now would choose to go someplace different. Not that we didn't like it or anything, but given the distance and the fact that we rarely gamble and the immense crowds, we would not rush back there.

Thanks to everyone who helped me so very much with great suggestions and advice, you truly helped make this trip a very memorable week!

Take care - Stella

 

Stella,
Your trip almost sounds like the perfect vacation, especially you rebounded off the smoking room into the lap of luxury.
I am convinced that if a person has such an incredible time, as it seems you did, what is wrong with losing some of your cash gambling to subsidize the whole experience.
We take a lot of other vacations, and Vegas (hotels, rental cars, meals, etc.) is a much better deal.

 

As I have told you in previous post I'm so happy you got your suite! Although it may have been disgusting to be in a smonking floor. I'm happy you got to stay in a suite! It was meant to be. I myself smoke (which I wish I did not}. I'm just not ready.

 

What a great trip!

In my experience, the so-called "air-fresheners" that hotels use to cover up the smell of cigarette smoke are FAR worse than the actual smell of the smoke....I about died at a Motel 6 along the highway earlier in the year, the smell was so bad!!!! We turned the fan on high & opened the door for a couple hours until we went to sleep, and it was barely bearable to sleep through the night (no other rooms, and hey, when you spend $25 a night on the road....)

 

Hi ya -

Actually I did not smell any air freshener at all. Since they have designated floors that are smoking - it appears as tho they allow the smokey smell to remain, there was no disguising it.

STella

 

Stella,

Glad you had such a good time! You're right - the Mirage is a beautiful hotel. We stayed there once, and the service was great.