For Travel Tuesday, I wanted to start a short series highlighting some Las Vegas hotels and casino resorts and what they have to offer. If you’ve never been to Vegas before, I hope to provide an overview of the personalities of each of the famous names you will see glittering at you on the famous Las Vegas strips.

During the daytime, I like having a decadent breakfast in Vegas and then taking a walk outside in the sunshine down the strip. Even though I’ve been to Las Vegas a few times already, I still like gazing at all the ostentatious architecture outside and admiring the ornate decor inside the casinos. Also, it’s a great way to exercise for all the eating I inevitably partake in here, and it’s fun people watching (I don’t particularly like gambling that much). For this particular trip that I’m writing about, I happened to have been staying at the south end of the strip, where the golden buildings of Mandalay Bay and the Delano are located.

Mandalay Bay is famously known for their beach. That’s right – sand, wave pools, cabanas, even beach concerts. If you come from late spring to mid autumn, and are a guest at Mandalay Bay, you should definitely visit the acres of sand and water here that are reminiscent of being in the Caribbean. Since I came in November, the Mandalay Beach was closed, but I had other options to choose from. Along with the water theme there is the Mandalay Shark Reef Aquarium to visit.

Inside Mandalay Bay is also the home to House of Blues offering a range of live music every day. In the evenings, you should consider checking out The Foundation Room, which used to be a members only club but now is open to the public as a steakhouse and a lounge with quite a view from the deck up at at the top of Mandalay Bay.

Inside the connecting hotel The Delano is the Cirque Du Soleil Michael Jackson One, and you can take a gander at some Michael Jackson memorabilia even if you don’t have a ticket to the show. In the restaurant row between the Mandalay Bay and The Delano you can find restaurants such as Aureole with its 4 story wine tower with “wine angels” that ascend and descend with ropes to retrieve wine bottles for all to see, Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar that has a huge burger menu that satisfies all diets (even vegan and vegetarian), and the Red Square Restaurant and Lounge with its literally cool Ice Bar with lots of vodka and caviar and other Russian bites and sips (check out their happy hour and Siberian nachos with caviar).

You can walk easily outside, take the complimentary monorail, or walk through a covered walkway/mall area between Mandalay Bay and that famous black pyramid of a casino, The Luxor. During the daytime, check out the Pharaoh in front of the pyramid and the Luxor Obelisk – it’s said that the shape of the pyramid and the obelisk are probably inspired by sunrise and sunset phenomenon. And, at night, when the beam of light from the top of the pyramid to the sky is unmistakable, think about it symbolizes zodiacal light or the sun pillar.

A little bit of the inside of the Luxor

If you like dance choreography and modern music, and/or Backstreet Boys and N’Sync/boy bands but without the singing and more dancing, you might enjoy the Jaberwockeez show here. Also here at Luxor is magician Criss Angel. On the more museum front, there are exhibits on Bodies and Titanic.

The last stop on the covered walkway and monorail connections between Mandalay Bay and the Luxor is to Excalibur. Similar to Luxor, Excalibur seems more family and value oriented than many casinos on the strip. In particular, Excalibur has a games section (Fun Dungeon) with arcade games, midway games, etc. and there’s a dinner show with royalty and jousting at Tournament of Kings. The other draw here is the fact that you may see a lot of groups of women here, especially bachelorette parties, because Excalibur is also the host to The Thunder From Down Under male revue show.

A bridge connects Excalibur to visit New York New York Casino. The best way to admire the little New York they’ve captured here is to walk along the outside, and then go inside and take the roller coaster! Their food court area mimics the streets of New York neighborhoods.  Of course they have New York style pizza, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, a Shake Shack, all the ultimate American food.

Similar to Excalibur, New York New York also provides games for those with kids thanks to their arcade in addition to their roller coaster. There is a Hershey’s Chocolate World that includes some interactive experiences as well as of course selling all the Hersheys candy you can think of.
 

Just across the street from New York New York and that Hershey’s Chocolate World is M&Ms World, if you can believe it, inside the Showcase Mall! So much chocolate and candy literally across the street from each other! At the MGM Grand  Hotel and Casino next door to Showcase Mall, competing with the previously mentioned magician show of Criss Angel is a show by David Copperfield. The Cirque do Soleil show here is the show Ka as is the famous Garden Arena for championship boxing and other events. Vaguely educational is their CSI Experience that is interactive to have visitors 12+ solve crimes and earn a CSI Diplomat certificate.

For families visiting Vegas with tweens and teens, New York New York and MGM Grand might be a good fit.

The last big highlight of the South Strip is that about a mile south of the Mandalay Bay is where you can visit the iconic Las Vegas sign. There is a small parking lot in the middle of the street for cars to park in order to get your photo op. There is sometimes a photographer here who might offer to take your photo with your camera – whoever they are is unofficial and looking for a tip. I arrived just moments before a huge tour bus pulled up, where each small group in the bus was taking a few photos so I snuck across the street for my selfie. Don’t forget to check out the back of the sign!

So far, all the hotels I’ve listed so far are all part of the M Life program. So if you are the type who also likes to gamble, and are thinking of visiting these casinos, you should consider joining M Life to earn rewards at all the participating casinos, which include these and 8 more!

Next week for Travel Tuesday, I’ll share the breakfast I had before this walk, and then continue highlighting Las Vegas casinos and some eats as well on the strip as I continued my strolling on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Have you been to any of these casino resorts that I’ve mentioned so far? Do you have a favorite or preferred of this list?

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

• Las Vegas Hotels at the South End of Strip: Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, and MGM Grand and what each offers in terms of feel
• A look at some of the breakfast options at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano, including juice, Doughssant, bacon cheddar biscuits, and Pecan Raisin French Toast
• Take a little trip to Europe with the offerings and recommendations for free stops in the Middle of the Las Vegas Strip like Paris, Caesar’s, and the Bellagio properties. Did I mention they are all free, and include the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain?
• Photos recapping my lunch at Giada Las Vegas inside the Cromwell, including the G signature cocktail, flatbread with pesto, burrata, grilled cheese, gelato
• Art Walking Tour at The Shops at Crystals and Aria, Las Vegas, including Gallery Row with Richard MacDonald and Dale Chihuly to the various art in Crystals and Aria
• The garnishes of the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB in Las Vegas are outrageous, ranging from bacon, onions rings, sliders and corn dogs to chicken wing!
• My tour of The Wynn in Las Vegas, including details on The Lake of Dreams, Parasol Down, the Conservatory, Jeff Koons sculptures, and Le Reve The Dream show
• Lunch at Beijing Noodle No 9, Caesar’s Las Vegas of Shanghai Wave cocktail, Sichuan Dan Dan Mein Spring Noodles, Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and Lamb Pancakes
• Steampunk restaurant of Rx Boiler Room by Mandalay Bay brings an opportunity for a cocktail from a crystal skull