Luxor Las Vegas Review

Luxor Las Vegas Hotel and Casino Review

The Luxor Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is a remarkable sight flying in to Las Vegas' McCarran Airport. You can not miss it on the left as your plane decends. Arrive during the day, and the 30-story Luxor pyramid shines in the desert sun. Arrive in Las Vegas at night and the Luxor's 7000 watt beacon can be seen for hundreds of miles.

With 4408 rooms the Luxor Las Vegas Hotel is the second largest hotel in the world - and second largest in Las Vegas, after the MGM -- making the Luxor a terrific themed resort.
_____________________________________
Check for discounts at Travelocity:
Check for discounts at TravelWorm:
"Gamble" with Priceline:
_____________________________________

The Luxor Las Vegas Hotel is themed on ancient Egypt - at the times of the Pharaoh. The Luxor Pyramid is a stylized replica of the famous great pyramid of Giza.

Some of the best rooms in the Luxor Las Vegas hotel are located in the pyramid itself. Go past the security guard to the "inclinator" as the elevator is called. Why "inclinator", well the elevator actually moves up at an angle following the outer walls of the pyramid. And the rooms in the Luxor pyramid have angled glass outside walls -- since the walls are angled just like the pyramid. You walk to your room on open walkways that overlook the atrium, also the world's largest. All told, this makes for an unforgettable hotel experience.

After its opening in 1993, the Luxor became an instant sensation. Soon planning began on expansion, and two additional twin "ziggurat" hotel towers were built, filling out the resort to its present size. These "east" and "west" towers are newer, so may have more modern rooms. Located between the Mandalay Bay Hotel and the Excalibur Hotel, the Luxor is in a prime location for restaurants, entertainment and casinos.

Of course the Luxor Hotel has a casino, after all it is in Las Vegas. Opposite the check-in desk the 120,000 square foot casino opens up wide. It is a full casino, with all the usual gambling possibilities, including baccarat, roulette, black jack, craps, slot machines and a sports book. More recently a poker room was opened, featuring poker tournaments and table games. The Luxor casino also has added a high limit area for players playing for big stakes.

The theme rides are an attraction for adults and kids of all ages. There is an IMAX motion simulator ride, which I found particularly engaging. The attractions also include various replicas of ancient Egypt including tombs and statues.

For entertainment, the Luxor Hotel features four shows, some adult themed. Crazy comic "Carrot Top" presently is performing in a theater with rotating shows. Check before buying tickets.

As for dining, the Luxor includes six restaurants, a "Pharaoh's Buffet" and food court. No shortage of selection, including:

• Luxor Steakhouse
• Fusia Luxor with Asian cuisine
• Cafe Girogio Italian cuisine
• Burger Bar
• La Salsa Mexican food
• Pyramid Cafe, open 24 hours in the casino
• Backstage Deli - a New York style deli. Check out the corned beef sandwiches.
• Pharaoh's Pheast Buffet - traditional Las Vegas opulence
• Food Court for fast food.

Amenities include a lot of what you expect at a resort:

• Spa
• Pool - 4 pools on 5 acres
• Luxor Wedding Coordinator
• Golf - No course, but concierge can set up tee times.
• Shopping - 29 stores

For business, there is approximately 21,000 sq. ft. of meeting and ballroom space.

Luxor Las Vegas Hotel and Casino Statistics:

• Rates: $$ - Medium
• Rooms: 4,408 in Pyramid and two ziggurat towers
• Casino: 120,000 square feet (11,000 meters)
• Theme: Ancient Egypt
• Attractions: Themed exhibits and rides

Check for discounts at Travelocity:
Check for discounts at TravelWorm:
"Gamble" with Priceline:

For U.K. Only:

Check for U.K. discounts at Thomson:

Check for U.K. discounts at Thomas Cook Travel:

Hotel photos under GNU Free Documentation License. All text on this site, and photos unless otherwise indicated Copyright (c) 2006, 2007 Las Vegas Hotel Review. All rights reserved.

Mix Restaurant - Mandalay Bay

.

Mix - Glamor in Beige on White

Mix Restaurant and Club
In Mandalay Bay - THE Hotel

We ate at Mix a few weeks ago. Perched 64 stories atop THE Hotel in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino complex, Mix is glamour in beige on white, bringing world-class cuisine to the Las Vegas strip. You would think the most spectacular aspect of the Mix restaurant would be the 100 miles view out the windows. Wrong! By the end your your meal, the stunning ambiance, and the food itself dominate your attention. This is the Las Vegas Hotel Review review of the Mix Restaurant.

Getting to Mix in the Mandalay Bay complex is part of the adventure and a good place to start the review. You enter the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and wind your way to the THE Hotel Tower in back. As you enter the THE Hotel Lobby, you see a roped off entryway for Mix. Don't go in there, keep walking! That is the entry for the MIX nightclub. Although you can get in that entrance you also have to pay the $20-50 cover per person at that entrance. And, with your meal you get free entry to the club anyway.

So keep walking all the way through THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay. You pass THE coffeehouse, THE front desk, THE fountain, THE chair ... ok you get THE point. Find the main elevator bank and just press the MIX restaurant button and off you go. Get off at the top and there you are.

Mix makes a stunning first impression. The bright white and beige retro 60s color theme is accented by egg-shaped pods - strategically located plastic enclosures providing an intimate dining experience at some tables. Other tables are stretched along the windows with stunning views, and even more comfortable plush leather comfort. We had a window seat with a strip view, but next time, I'm trying one of the plastic pods.

You might spend the whole time trying to figure out the enormous Venetian Murano blown glass chandelier, that extends from the ceiling almost to the floor providing an avante guarde feel.

Alain Ducasse is the resident chef and he cooks up meals as entertainment as you hear the adjoining Mix nightclub pulsing in the background. Try any lamb dish for a unique world-class experience. The shaved truffles accent are a rare specialty of this restaurant rarely found outside New York, LA or Paris.

After your meal, you can head down the hall into the Mix nightclub and enjoy a drink, dancing and company until the morning.

Mix at Mandalay Bay's THE Hotel gets two thumbs up from Las Vegas Hotel Review. Price: $$$$$ High.

Enjoy! From the Las Vegas Hotel Review.

Downtown Hotels

ree

Fremont Street Experience - Downtown Las Vegas Hotels Review

Downtown Las Vegas presents an old-west counterpart to the glitzy world-class style of the Strip. The hotels are smaller, but still large by standards of other cities. The casinos have lower limits too, making them more accessible than the $5-$20 minimums common on the strip. This is a brief review of the downtown Las Vegas Hotels.

At the heart of downtown is the Fremont Street Experience. Starting at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street, the Fremont Street Experience is an open-air mall on five blocks of Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. A 90-foot high canopy provides the cover. At night, a light show emerges, projected on the canopy providing a peaceful and interesting pedestrian experience. Lining both sides of the street are the famed hotels of downtown Las Vegas.

As you walk down Freemont Street, the first hotel (actually before you get to the Freemont Street Experience) is the El Cortez. The last is the Plaza. In order, the hotels from the El Cortez to the Plaza include:

• El Cortez Hotel and Casino - 300 rooms. Price: Low
• Fitzgeralds Casino and Hotel - 638 rooms on 34 floors. Price: Low
• Fremont Hotel and Casino - 447 rooms, Price: Low
  
• Four Queens Hotel and Casino - 690 rooms on 19 floors. Price: Low
• Golden Nugget - 1805 Rooms on 18 floors, the largest in downtown. Price: Low-Middle
• Binion's Horseshoe Gambling Hall and Hotel - 362 rooms on 24 floors. Price: Low
• Las Vegas Club Hotel and Casino
  
• Golden Gate Hotel and Casino - 106 rooms on 6 floors. Price: Low
• Plaza Hotel and Casino - 1037 rooms on 25 floors. Price: Low-mid.
  

Also close by are hotels on Ogden Street, including:

• California Hotel - 800 rooms.
  
• Main Street Station Casino and Brewery.
  

HotelReservations.com Review

This is the Las Vegas Hotel Review blog review of HotelReservations.com. With an emphasis on a big hotel booking engine, HotelReservations.com is a full service travel website provider, including plane flights reservations, car rental, cruises and vacation packages. HotelReservations.com requested that we review their site, making this a "sponsored" review. Despite that, we liked the set up of their site and have no problem doing this review for our readers.

With our expert eye to travel detail, we noticed immediately in researching this review that HotelReservations.com is an implementation of the Hotels.com/TravelNow booking engine. That combined with a pretty site, it seems like an convenient way to go for travelers looking to book online, although we have not personally booked any travel through the site.

This being the Las Vegas Hotel review, we decided to run a test and compare prices for Las Vegas hotel reservations at an even dozen hotels in Las Vegas, comparing HotelReservations.com, with Travelocity for the review.

The dozen hotels were, Four Seasons Las Vegas Hotel (in the Mandalay Bay complex), Wynn Las Vegas Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Paris Las Vegas Hotel - home of the Le Village Buffet, that we previously reviewed - Aladdin Resort and Casino, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, The Palms Casino Resort, Caesars Palace Resort and Casino and the Flamingo Las Vegas. This made for a comparison of Las Vegas hotel reservations at higher priced hotels, like the Wynn and Four Seasons, mid-priced resorts, like the Aladdin and the Hilton, and mid-low priced resorts, like the Flamingo. The dates were arbitrarily selected as June 7-11. Not a scientific test, but we found that across all price ranges, the average prices per day were relatively comparable, maybe plus five dollars here and minus five there. The exception was the Four Seasons Las Vegas where HotelReservations.com seemed to have a special, giving a better price. On the other hand Travelocity had some hotel listings not found on HotelReservations.com. The conclusion is that you should check and compare various hotel reservation sites when booking hotel reservations in Las Vegas.

Continuing with our review, we also checked out Las Vegas car rentals at the Las Vegas McCarran Airport. McCarran of course has car rental counters for the major car rental companies, like Hertz, Avis, National, Thrifty, Dollar, Enterprise, Budget, Alamo etc. For our arbitrarily selected dates, we found that HotelReservations.com gave price quotes for each of these eight rental car companies. The search results page provided a listing of prices available for economy and compact cars, making price comparisons among rental car companies possible.

An 800 number also was provided for phone bookings.

This is a sponsored paid review, conducted independently the by Las Vegas Hotel Review editor staff. We do not endorse or otherwise sponsor the reservation sites mentioned in this review, HotelReservations.com or Travelocity, and this review is provided for informational purposes only, without endorsement. We cannot predict or guarantee your enjoyment of any internet site, even our own! This site (Las Vegas Hotel Review) is owned and operated by 1033 Inc. This article may not be copied or reproduced. Copyright 2006-2007 to 1033 Inc. All rights reserved.

Largest Hotels - Continued

As we posted before in the Las Vegas Hotel Review, 20 of the top 25 largest hotels in the world are in Las Vegas. With such huge resorts, it is no surprise that the next largest still are large by the standards of any other city. Some are among the leading resorts in the world in terms of renown. So, here is are some other Las Vegas hotel notables:

• Stratosphere Tower - 2444 Rooms
• Riviera - 2075 Rooms
• New York, New York - 2034 Rooms
• Sahara - 1720 Rooms
• Tropicana - 1877 Rooms
• Golden Nugget - 1902 Rooms
• The Orleans - 1886 Rooms
• Harrah's Las Vegas - 1711 Rooms
• Trump International - 1286 Rooms
• Plaza Hotel and Casino - 1037 rooms
• Palace Station - 1029 Rooms
• The New Fronteir - 986 Rooms
• Westin Casuarina - 816 Rooms
• California - 781 Rooms
• Gold Coast - 750 Rooms
• Tuscany Suites and Casino - 716 Rooms
• Hooters Casino Hotel - 696 Rooms
• South Point Hotel and Casino - 662 Rooms (695 Room Addition announced)
• Sam's Town - 650 Rooms
• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - 647 Rooms
• Green Valley Ranch - 497 Rooms
• Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas - 493 Rooms
• Fremont - 447 Rooms
• The Palms - 430 Rooms (347 Room expansion announced)
• Four Seasons - 424 Rooms (in Mandalay Bay tower)
• Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas - 349 Rooms
• Binion's - 360 Rooms
• Conrad - Majestic - 272 Rooms
• Monte Lago Village - 150 Rooms

Largest Las Vegas Hotels

It may be hard to believe, but 20 of the 25 largest hotels in the world can be found in Las Vegas. Here is a list of the 20 Las Vegas giants:

1. MGMGrand Hotel & Casino - 5690 Rooms
2. Luxor Hotel Casino - 4408 Rooms
3. Mandalay Bay - Including THEhotel - 4,341 Rooms, including the 1,118 rooms in THEhotel
4. The Venetian - 4027 Suites (3000 Room expansion announced)
5. The Excalibur - 4008 Rooms
6. Bellagio - 3993 Rooms, including the Spa Tower with 928 Rooms
7. Circus Circus - 3773
8. Flamingo Las Vegas - 3565 Rooms
9. Caesar's Palace Hotel Casino - 3349 Rooms (1017 Room addition announced)
10. Mirage Hotel and Casino - 3044 Rooms
11. Monte Carlo Hotel Casino - 3002 Rooms
12. Las Vegas Hilton - 2956 Rooms
13. Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino - 2916 Rooms
14. Treasure Island - 2885 Rooms
15. Bally's Resort - 2814 Rooms
16. Wynn Las Vegas - 2716 Rooms (2030 expansion announced)
17. Imperial Palace - 2635 Rooms
18. Harrah's - 2579 Rooms
19. Aladdin - Planet Hollywood Resort - 2567 Rooms
20. Rio Suites Hotel - 2563 Rooms

Las Vegas Hotel Review Introduction

Welcome to the Las Vegas Hotel Review. I started travelling to Las Vegas a long time ago, and have seen the rise of the mega-hotels on the strip, and more recently off the strip. What is the lure of Las Vegas? The huge luxury hotels, the conventions, night-life, casinos, and excellent cuisine? A combination of all of them for different people.

In this blog, we will provide reviews and travel tips for Las Vegas and the numerous hotels in the town. This will be fun for us since we love to travel there, and definitely have opinions, reviews and information to share, that a lot of visitors will enjoy.

Among the hotels we will be reviewing are: The Mirage, Rio Suites Hotel, The Venetian, New York, New York, The Monte Carlo and many many more. We'll be updating the reviews too, so come back and check before you take your trip for any new review.