Mandalay Bay – W Hotel
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Hotel
Name: Mandalay Bay – W Hotel
Recommendation: Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: A little difficult to check in, and very hard to navigate at first. Important to distinguish between staying at Mandalay Bay and the W at Mandalay Bay.
Vdara Hotel & Spa at ARIA
Class of note: Hotel
Name: Vdara Hotel & Spa at ARIA
Recommendation: Do Not Recommend
Date visited: 2026
Note: Beautiful hotel with a spa feel, no casino, and large rooms with small kitchens. However, there are no drapes, just double blinds that leave gaps for light to come in. My room was lit up around 5–6 a.m. every morning. Sleep is important to me when travelling, so that’s a non-starter for me.
Carver’s Steakhouse & Lounge (Aria)
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Restaurant
Name: Carver’s Steakhouse & Lounge
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: I Highly recommend the rib steak and salted baked potato.
Mon Ami Gabi
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Restaurant
Name: Mon Ami Gabi
Recommendation: Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: Very good food, especially rib steak, but it was expensive. For a family of four with one alcoholic drink, the bill was around $500 CAD.
Piff the Magic Dragon
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Show
Name: Piff the Magic Dragon
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: Very good. Good for any age. Deadpan English humour.
Mat Franco
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Show
Name: Mat Franco
Recommendation: Do Not Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: My wife and kids went without me. They said his magic was great, but he wasn’t funny, had no stage presence and they found him arrogant. They loved Piff even more after seeing him.
High Roller
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Attraction
Name: High Roller
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: Amazing. Try to get on right when the sun has started to set. There were no lines and we had a beautiful view of the Vegas Strip in the dark. When we finished 30 minutes later, the line was over 200 people long. Timing is everything.
Circus Circus Theme Park
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Attraction
Name: Circus Circus Theme Park
Recommendation: Do Not Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: Sounds like a good idea with the amusement park and water park, but it’s rundown. The roller coaster made a loud noise that scared people walking beside it, then stopped and stranded people on it. We decided to leave at that point. Scary. An Uber driver mentioned that the owner is being pushed to do something with it, possibly rebuild.
Cirque du Soleil KÀ
City: Las Vegas
Class of note: Show
Name: Cirque du Soleil KÀ
Recommendation: Recommend
Date visited: August 2-5, 2026
Note: Visually spectacular, but the story was a bit confusing to follow, especially for kids.
Resorts World Las Vegas
Class of note: Hotel
Name: Resorts World Las Vegas
Recommendation: Recommend
Date visited: 2026
Note: It’s a little off the Strip, but the rooms are large, modern, and very clean. Lots of restaurant options, although some have strange hours. For example, the pizza place closed at 8 p.m.
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
Class of note: Hotel
Name: The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
Recommendation: Recommend
Date visited: 2025
Note: Large rooms, lots of restaurant options, and very close to shopping.
