Update: The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas will close permanently on July 17, 2024.  Sad news for so many -the lovely staff of the hotel, the performers of the fabulous Cirque du Soleil “LOVE – Beatles” and for my mom who recently asked “when are we going back to Vegas”.  

Mom’s Las Vegas Birthday Trip

My mom called to tell me that the Mirage Hotel I booked in Las Vegas had been sold from MGM to the Hard Rock Hotel group.  “Don’t worry mom, the hotel will still be there for our stay” and likely still there for another year or two while the new owners sort out the way forward (e.g. – new build, refurbish or both).  That said, our stay at The Mirage for mom’s 80^th birthday trip was all set.

I chose the Mirage because I’d stayed there in the past and it has a small footprint making it easy for mom to navigate on her own if needed (she loves to gamble well past the point of her sleepy daughters).  The larger and newer hotels on the Strip can exhaust most folks by the time they enter the doors, find the elevator and locate their rooms.  I needed to keep that in mind with my mom who is walking a bit slower now (and refuses renting a scooter).

Using my MGM loyalty card at the time, I called The Mirage reservations department to book two rooms connecting – one King for mom and a double room for my sister and me. The agent was lovely to walk me through options as my loyalty card gave me a discount on one room and it was a Saturday (expensive) and Sunday stay. I mentioned Mom’s birthday as the reason for the trip with my sister and why the connecting room was important.  I did say if not available then rooms on the same floor would be preferred.  She made notes and found the best rates for Saturday, Sunday and both room types.  If you are booking one room the online reservation is easy to use.  If you have more involved reservation needs, always call to talk to someone.

A week before arrival, I received the “would you like to upgrade your room or add these services to your reservation” email with many tempting options.  The suite upgrade was considered for a minute to upgrade Mom to a posh room but it would be too far from my sister and me, so I chose to add on early check in for one room at a cost of $40.  Early check in was 11am vs. normal check-in of 3pm.  With an early arrival from Philadelphia, the early check in option was perfect in case naps were needed.

The Mirage Hotel Connecting Rooms

Arriving by taxi, we were welcomed by the bell/valet team.  When you enter the hotel property, you see greenery ahead and a dome above bringing natural light into the building.  Hotel services (check in/out, concierge, rental car, etc.) are to the right upon entry and out of the way of the flow of people into the casino.  We used the front desk only once to check-in and it was quick and easy.  With both rooms ready, we navigated the walk to the elevators past a few restaurants and many slot machines calling mom’s name.  There would be no naps today.

When we entered the double room first, the room was lovely as the hotel had recently renovated the guest rooms. The pillowtop mattresses, black out shades and spacious rooms were great for our stay.

We opened the connecting room door to show Mom her King room and there was a handwritten note from the hotel manager with a Sugarfina candy gift to welcome her to the hotel and wishing her a Happy Birthday.  What a special touch and started Mom’s trip on a happy note.

The only downside for Mom was that the bathrooms had tubs instead of showers as Mom doesn’t like tubs even with grab bars.

The Mirage Hotel Dining

Mom wanted food before slots so we walked to the outdoor pool café to enjoy a bit of sunny warmth given Philadelphia was cold and rainy when we left. With all day breakfast available, mom ordered French toast and I enjoyed pancakes while my sister embraced the west coast lunch option of fish tacos. With the inviting pools in the distance, we started our Las Vegas adventure.

The pools in Las Vegas are themselves entertainment and have reservations for a fee for non-hotel guests.  Some pools are definitely the place to be seen and party, neither of which appealed to my family.  That’s another reason I chose The Mirage for our stay just in case we wanted to use the pool we didn’t feel excluded by our want to swim and sun rather than be “on the scene”

We didn’t need a reservation for our poolside café lunch but recommend them if you are traveling in high season or during a busy convention schedule.  The casino restaurants offered a QR code to join the waitlist or make a reservation.  For those non QR savvy like mom you can talk to the hostess to put your name in and provide your phone number to get a text when the table is ready. Breakfast generally had a 35-50 minute wait so when you wake up put your name on the list. The Mirage has many dinner options in a city full of great options. One night mom was keen on finding the shortest wait so we ended up at California Pizza Kitchen overlooking the sports book lounge which was full of live sports that Mom loves.

Las Vegas Savings Tip

The hotel like others in Las Vegas  sold bottled water in $5-$7+ range so it was best to walk across the street to Walgreens or up the street to CVS, both were full of folks buying bottled water along with juice (to avoid the $7-11 a glass juice option at the hotels) and carrying them back to the hotel.

Mirage Casino play

The Mirage casino had a good flow of people playing during the day and night but it never felt too crowded. Mom gave us $50 to play and an hour later, mom had $250, my sister $150 and I had a voucher for .14 cents.  Clear evidence of how mom’s luck skipped me and landed on my sister.  Mom would play for hours and keep winning along the way so The Mirage was her favorite casino on the trip (we played at three casinos).  Definitely sign up for the casino players card for discounts and to track your gambling play.

Mirage Entertainment

The Beatles LOVE is the house production by Cirque du Soleil.  Las Vegas has a plethora of Cirque shows and I’ve seen many but this seemed in line with what Mom would enjoy given the catalog of music.  I wasn’t sure how she would react to the Cirque acrobatics and frenzied motions to keep track of but she loved it all.  The showroom has views from all seats, it’s not quite theatre in the round but close.  I wasn’t sure where to sit so I booked tickets a few rows back from the VIP (expensive) seats thinking those were preferred views so I’d save money on the regular vs VIP pricing.  It worked out wonderfully.

Final Thoughts – Mirage Hotel Las Vegas

For now The Mirage name remains and is owned by the Hard Rock Hotel Group. Expect some construction for the next year or two as the property expands, builds a guitar shaped building with suites and upgrades the pool, entertainment and shopping areas.  The Mirage Las Vegas is well located on the Strip so we’ll be back soon as Mom keeps mentioning how much she enjoyed her trip and how much she loved the casino.