Mandalay Bay

The tropical-themed ‘M-Bay’ fails to match the grandeur of Vegas’ more famous mega-resorts, although high-stakes gamblers will appreciate a classy casino that seems as limitless as the credit line needed to play here. Everything can be a spectacle here, if you only know where to look.

Big-name bands electrify the House of Blues and M-Bay’s events center, catsuit-clad ‘angels’ scale the wine tower at Aureole, and sable fur coats are loaned to enter the frozen vodka locker inside Red Square. Stylish boutique extras include Mandalay Place, a skybridge shopping promenade, and the minimalist modern THEhotel with its lofty Mix bar and bathhouse spa.

M-Bay’s aquatic theme hinges on the Shark Reef, an awesome glassed-in, walk-through aquarium; and the artificial Mandalay Beach, built with 2700 tons of imported Californian sand, featuring summer ‘dive-in’ movies, surfing competitions in an artificial wave pool, starlight concerts by rock ’n’ roll legends and topless Moorea Beach Club. If the stress of gambling in the air-con beachside casino gets to be too much, retire to a rooftop cabana or float away on a lazy river ride.