Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
instead, it's the same “French country” look you'll find at other less interesting
casinos. Ah, well.
$$-$$$$
Why is the
MGM Grand
55
(3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., at Tropicana
Ave.;
%
800/929-1111 or 702/891-7777; www.mgmgrand.com; AE, DC, DISC, MC, V)
lizard green? Despite rumors to the contrary, it has nothing to do with how much
green stuff you'll fork over to stay here (though that can be problematic; see
below). When it was first erected in 1993, it was supposed to look like the
“Emerald City” of MGM's famous movie musical,
The Wizard of Oz.
No joke,
inside were animatronic representations of the characters, a yellow brick road, a
Wizard of Oz on Ice
show, and when it was time to go to sleep at night, you put
your nose right up to your poppy-field print bedspread and inhaled. Well, that
theme is gone, and the 33-acre amusement park that used to be out back has also
been dismantled, but no one seems to have figured out what to do with what's
left. It's a sometimes bland, sometimes grand hodgepodge of elements that don't
really add up. Does its menagerie of celebrity chefs and pricey eateries put it in
the high-roller category? Or are the low ceilings and chaotic look of its massive
casino (a whopping 170,000 sq. ft.!!) reason enough to say it's slipping into “grind
joint” territory? This is a tough place to get a handle on.
The problem is magnified by the size of the darn thing. Once the largest hotel
in the world, it has 5,044 guest rooms in four 30-story-towers, dozens of eleva-
tors, 50 shops and eateries, four first-class theaters, and one of the largest pool
areas on the Strip. And for some visitors, especially anyone with a mobility
impairment, that makes it an intimidating choice. At most casinos you must hike
from the restaurant to the showroom to your car; here it's a marathon. But other
visitors will find the size and variety of choices exhilarating. Obvious but true, you
could have a swell 4-day vacation here, doing different things each day and eat-
ing in different restaurants for each meal, without ever leaving the property. I per-
sonally enjoy visiting here. The guest rooms have old-fashioned Hollywood
glamour to them, with sleek oblong Deco mirrors, oversized studio shots of '30s
and '40s movie stars, and stunning gold and cream interiors. The pool complex is
snazzy too, with five distinct pools (one with slides and a waterfall) and a lazy
river. For this fab pool area alone I give the MGM a thumbs up for families. (Kids
will also groove on visiting the Lion Habitat [p. 145] and the on-site TV rating
facility [p. 146], and seeing
KÀ
[p. 194]).
So what's the verdict? It will all depend on your tastes . . . and pocketbook.
Though prices occasionally fall to $69 a night, you're more likely to pay between
$80 and $180 on a weekday and anywhere from $210 to $360 on a crowded
weekend here. Prices are all over the map.
CENTER STRIP HOTELS
This is it, the area most visitors would choose if money were no concern. Dancing
fountains, lurid volcanoes, pirates, sirens, gondoliers—it's entertainment 24/7.
Right? Well, sure, but it's also crowds, the highest overall accommodation costs in
the city, and an ever-gridlocked Boulevard where the Venetian waves to TI. If you
want to really be at the heart of the Strip, this is your first choice. But if budget
is a concern, skip this section.
