The Shining Golden Towers of the Mirage loom high over the Las Vegas Strip. Themed as a lush Polynesian escape the Hotel boasts a tempting tropical paradise of a Pool Deck, fantastic rooms, and great attractions, shows, and restaurants. It is a great choice for a Las Vegas Stay, and our The Mirage Las Vegas Review, is designed to guide you through exactly what to expect at the Mirage, whether to choose this as your Vegas Hotel and how to get the best out of staying here if you do.
We look at the Rooms, the Pools, the Location, The Casino, and all the things to see and do, at this Las Vegas Mega Resort. If you are thinking of staying at the Resort, or have already booked to stay here then this is the perfect guide to everything you need to know about the Mirage.
Introduction to the Mirage Las Vegas
- The Mirage, Las Vegas
- Owner – MGM Resorts
- Location – North Las Vegas Strip
- Theme – Polynesian (Tropical)
- Room Rates – Mid-Priced ($80-200 a night)
- Resort Fee – $39
- Self Parking Fee – $15
- Our Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars
- Open
The Mirage is the original Las Vegas Mega-Resort. Its iconic Y-shaped Golden towers sit grandly above its lush Tropical grounds and provide fantastic views down the strip for its guests. From the Striking waterfalls, pools, and Gardens that make up the Eden like Facade of the property to the lush Jungle Foyer and Giant marine Aquarium behind the reception desk, everything about the Property takes its inspiration from the Polynesian Islands and Cultures, There is even an Active Volcano blowing it’s top periodically through the night.
The Theming is actually pretty subtle, this is far from in-your-face Tiki Culture and focuses more on transporting you to a tropical paradise with lush plantings and water features. The nod to the Polynesian culture is all quite subtle. This makes for a really wonderful setting rather than the “cliched” Polynesia of the Movies and TV.
The hotel has over 3000 rooms many with fantastic views either down the strip or overlooking the volcano. There is the option of the “Stay Well” rooms featuring mood lighting and aromatherapy along with some wonderful suites. The Pool deck is one of our favorite in all of Vegas, the dense planting makes the pool area a real tropical escape. A place where you really can relax and escape the madness of Vegas.
The Mirage remains one of our favorite places to stay in Las Vegas. As lovers of all things Polynesian the Tropical Pool deck, lush grounds, and Island feel of the rooms take you away from the hectic strip and transports you to your happy place by the ocean, for a little while at least. Let’s get into the detail of what makes the Mirage tick.
Location of the Mirage Las Vegas
One of the most important considerations when picking a Vegas Hotel is the position. Looking on a map everywhere is so close to each other it is tempting to undervalue this factor, but do so at your peril. The Vegas map is very deceiving and even walking to your neighboring hotel can involve a long trek. You will undoubtedly spend a large amount of time and effort simply walking around Vegas, so make things easy on yourself and chose a Hotel that is fairly central!
As far as position goes the Mirage is good, but not excellent. The fact is it sits just a little too far north to be perfect. But only a little, a short 10min walk gets you right in front of the Bellagio fountains and right in the thick of things. However, this stroll soon becomes a trek after making it for the 19th time! It really highlights the importance of being in the very central cluster of hotels, as on the Map it looks right in the middle, but just that little bit extra soon becomes a chore.
Don’t let this put you off though, as there are very few hotels with perfect locations and even those will mean you have to hike away from the center if you want to visit any of the hotels/attractions away from the central cluster, which almost everyone does. Essentially the Mirage is as good as it gets without being perfectly located. And if the lush tropical escape Vibe is appealing to you the location should not put you off one bit.
On the plus side, the proximity to the Forum shops is great and provides access to awesome shopping and some great dining options.
History of the Mirage Las Vegas
The Mirage was the First of the Mega-Resorts built in Las Vegas. The Glistening Golden towers really changed what it meant to be a Top Strip Resort in Las Vegas. The Brain Child of steve Wynn the Resort transformed the Vegas experience from a Seedy gambling den to a glamourous luxury destination.
At the time the 3044 rooms made the Mirage the Largest hotel in the world and the extensive theming set a new trend for Vegas hotels. The myriad of heavily themed hotel-casinos along the strip all stem from the concept first showcased at the Mirage. Even Caesars palace one of the most distinctive hotels on the strip practically rebuilt itself in order to compete in the New post-Mirage Vegas.
Costing over $630 million to build and incorporating real gold in its iconic window tints the Hotel-Casion was the most expensive ever built. While several of Vegas’s Newer projects have no surpassed it, the Mirage still remains a testament to the New-Era of Las Vegas.
The Hotel was also one of the first to be built using Private/Banking investments, as opposed to the seedier (debatable?) Mob investments of the past, again linking Las Vegas with a more glamourous future.
The Huge Golden monolith has been outbuilt but many of the city’s biggest hotels, but it still stands out in its slightly off-center position. It must have looked incredibly grand when it first took up residence with no other buildings around even close to its size.
The END!
The end of the Mirage Era is over and within the next two years, the Mirage will be NO MORE! The property has been bought by the Hard-Rock Hotel brand and will be gradually converted over to the new branding concept over the next 24-36 months.
How this will actually manifest itself, and what the new resort will look like is still a little vague. All we know is the Volcano is toast, and there will be a new giant tower constructed in its place. What will be of the lush tropical gardens, the best pool in Vegas, and the wonderful Lion and Dolphin Sanctuary is still largely unknown.
Vegas is a city of progress and change, but this particular piece of progress is seriously disappointing for many, and it’s a change we really didn’t want to see. There are several hotels on the strip we would have no issue being erased, but the Mirage is not one of them.
Other we have spoken to only see this as progress and feel the Mirage has been a little neglected over the last few years.
There is naturally nothing we or anyone else can do and we simply need to embrace a new era of Las Vegas. For now, the Mirage remains largely unchanged so consider getting there now before it’s all gone!
What we Love About the Mirage Las Vegas
The truth is, we just adore Polynesian culture. Hawaii is our favorite place on earth and while we adore Vegas, any time spent anywhere other than Hawaii always makes us miss the far away shores. So we see the Mirage as our little piece of Hawaii in the desert!
Vegas really is a manic city and having a wonderful tropical escape really helps you unwind after a crazy day or night. The Pool Deck is our favorite in Vegas and this really is our Happy Place.
Checking is a wonderful experience as you marvel at the 20,000 Gallon Aquarium behind the check-in clerks, then as you head to the elevators you pass through the fantastic Domed Atrium filled with exotic plants and waterfalls.
While the hotel is pretty dated now, it never feels that way, The rooms are nicely updated and feel modern, especially the upgraded Stay-Well Rooms. The views are typically very good even in the lower rooms, but the high floors can give stunning views down the strip. The Towers are set back a little and they provide a great perspective of the strip.
When Built the Mirage was a huge hotel, the Largest in the world actually, but this has been superseded many times now and in fact, we consider the Mirage to be fairly small in Vegas terms. However, this is a good thing. Small is the wrong word, Compact is better. While the Super resorts such as Caesars Palace are sprawling masses requiring significant hikes just to get from one part of the resort to the other (such as room to pool etc) The Mirage has a much smaller footprint and getting around is a doddle. Everything is close to hand and there are no huge treks just to buy a coffee!
On-site attractions are excellent such as the Volcano Show, the Secret Garden, and LOVE. There is always something going on and something to see and do. If it wasn’t for the fact the rest of Vegas is so amazing you really could just spend your whole trip on-site…You shouldn’t…but you could.
Free Upgrades – We have scored a few free upgrades at the Mirage. They tend to offer Stay-Well rooms instead of the basic rooms, or maybe just a single-level upgrade. We have not heard anyone scoring big at the Mirage, but then they have very limited suite availability as it is.
What we don’t Like about the Mirage
Some rooms offer disappointing views. Due to the Y-shaped Building, some rooms simply overlook residential and industrial parts of the City. While the mountain backdrop is pretty spectacular the view is disappointing for those expecting to see the strip.
The building itself looks a little dated compared to some of the more modern and towering creations that now line the strip.
The Restaurant options are less than spectacular, especially now the Carnegie deli has closed. There are some good restaurants, such as heritage steak, and the Buffet is decent, but there is nothing to really get excited about and we often find ourselves dining elsewhere.
Price Gouging is very real and while the Mirage can be great value at times, the prices can just Skyrocket. If a Convention is in the Building expect prices to soar and availability to be minimal. We love the Mirage but it’s not worth upwards of $150 a night so when this happens look elsewhere.
The Location is pretty good, but the endless walking is tiresome after a while. There are certainly worse locations but you do find yourself doing an awful lot of walking.
On the whole, the Mirage doesn’t have quite the WOW-factor some of the more dazzling resorts now offer. It is definitely a more relaxed escape, rather than an in-your-face Vegas spectacle. This really suits repeat visitors who no longer need the Razzle Dazzle of the Ultra resorts. But for those that really want all the bells and whistles of a Vegas Mega-Casino, the Mirage is just a little understated.
Paid Parking – Parking is back to $15 a day after a short Hiatus due to Covid.
Resort Fee – $39 – We always include the Resort fee when we list prices as we tend to ignore it and just lump it in with the cost of the hotel. People get very worked up about resort fees but essentially they are just a way to advertise a lower price. If the Hotels removed them they would just hike prices. On Booking.com our preferred booking Partner Resort fees are included in the headline price!
Best Rooms at the Mirage Las Vegas
The Mirage has a pretty basic Room Structure, especially compared to some Hotels. However what appears a simple structure actually has a few quirks attached and it’s important to know what room you are getting as to not be stuck with a low-level room overlooking a parking lot!
Our Full Guide to the Best Rooms at the Mirage can be found here.
Room Price Guide
All Prices include TAX and Resort Fee and are per night. These are the Base Prices and vary week to week on a live market based on live occupancy and availability along with surge pricing. Check here for the actual price on your dates, they may be considerably higher, or lower!
| Room Type | Weekday Price | Weekend Price |
|---|---|---|
| Resort (King or 2 Queen) | $109 | $140 |
| Strip View (King or 2 Queen) | $140 | $180 |
| Volcano View (King or 2 Queen) | $140 | $180 |
| Tower King | $130 | $170 |
| Stay-Well (King or 2 Queen) | $140 | $180 |
| Stay-Well (Suite) | $249 | $350 |
| Suite | $199 | $250 |
| One-Bedroom Suite | $249 | $350 |
Want a better room for the same price? Always consider trying the $20 trick!
Mirage Las Vegas Pool
The Pool Deck is the highlight of the Hotel line-up. On our first ever visit to Vegas, we stayed in Caesars Palace and had a room overlooking the Mirage pool. For the entire trip, we simply regretted not staying at the mirage and longed for the tropical Oaziz we could see from our room. Sure the Caesars Palace pool is pretty cool, great for selfies and insta shots but it is a far cry from the tropical paradise of the Mirage Pool.
We rate the pool as the absolute best Pool in Vegas, beating some very stiff competition. Read our full article to find out exactly why we love the Mirage Pool SO much, along with what you can expect in terms of Bars, Cabanas, Quiet Pools, and Day Clubs.
Mirage Las Vegas Casino
- Average Table Wager – $10-$25
- Floor Size – 100,000 sqft
- Games Available – Blackjack, Craps, Poker, Roulette,
The Casino at the Mirage does not feel the largest on the strip. However, at 100,000 sq ft, it is right up there with the bigger Casinos. It is slightly oddly shaped as the Casino floor conforms to the shapes of the central Atrium and the Center Bar which makes it feel smaller than it is. There are many little sections and side parts of the floor, often filled with slots. This can make it a little tricky to find some machines.
The Tables games are pretty relaxed at the Mirage and have some low entry tables that are great for beginners to get the hang of things. Hardy gamblers are not fans of the rules at the Mirage (6-5, Shuffling Machines, etc..) but for new players, this is largely irrelevant.
It’s nice to have some really low minimum tables right on your doorstep rather than hunting them out. But the best option for cheap Blackjack is always Downtown (although it’s far from relaxed).
Nowadays we find the Casino is the least important element of most people’s Vegas Stays, it adds a bit of fun to the rest of the trip but is not the reason for visiting. The Mirage is a good beginners casino, with all the regular Slots and some cheap table minimums to get you started on the table games.
We do find free drinks to be a little hard to come by at the Mirage!
What to Eat at the Mirage Las Vegas
Dining Options are not the Mirage’s strong suit. The options are fairly limited for a large resort such as this. The headline is Heritage Steak which stacks up pretty well for a Vegas Steakhouse. The Buffet is acceptable if not groundbreaking (Closed due to Covis). And the rest are all average at best.
We take a look at what to eat at the Mirage here
Things to See and Do at the Mirage Las Vegas
- Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat
- Mirage Volcano
- LOVE (Closed)
- Mirage Pool Deck
- The Mirage Spa
The Mirage is a one-stop resort with a huge range of attractions and things to do (some are unfortunately closed due to the Pandemic). While nearly all of these (apart from the wonderful pool deck) are available to anyone it’s nice to have the right on your doorstep.
We list all of the Mirage’s best attractions here.
Best Time to Visit the Mirage Las Vegas
We definitely think of the Mirage as a Summer Resort. The pool deck is incredible and visiting during the winter you will largely miss out on the benefits of this. Of course, by summer we really mean the summer season, which is basically late March right through to early November. In winter the weather is often too cool to sit out by a pool and while the rest of the Hotel is wonderful, there are better or cheaper options that have more to offer outside of the pool deck. Planet Hollywood is a great winter choice as really. as the pool there is awful so you are not missing anything but can grab fantastic Fountain views rooms for pretty low rates!
Other than that just avoiding the Conference dates and major holidays is enough to Secure the best prices and the quietest times. Naturally like all Vegas hotels, Weekends are both busier and more expensive.
Have Your Say
Have you stayed at The Mirage Las Vegas? What are your thoughts on the property? What did you like the most and What did you not like? What room type did you Stay in? How did you find the pool? Were there any restaurants you particularly liked? Let us know in the comments below and report back on your experiences. And if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments