"2"^^ . . "2009-07-22T00:00:00"^^ . . "3"^^ . "1"^^ . "We got a great deal on a room here, and it was beautiful. Spacious, well decorated, and a great bathroom. The property itself is also gorgeous and it just smells so damn good - nice and tropical. \n\nHowever, I mainly wanted to stay here for the pool/beach and was really disappointed to find that there are absolutely no umbrellas aside from the ones you can rent for $50 - $80 (or more!) per day. Really, Mandalay Bay? You can't even have a few that are free on a first-come, first-serve basis? I mean, I know it's Vegas, but this is ridiculous even for Vegas! Help a pale sister out. There was no way I could hang in the hot Vegas sun without a little shade.\n\nThe other downer about Mandalay Bay is you don't realize how far down the strip it is until you stay there and plunk down $20 per cab ride to get anywhere toward the middle of the strip. On my last trip, I stayed at Paris and - while the rooms sucked by comparison - we could be at almost any other casino in 10 min or so of walking there.\n\nOne final bummer, for me anyway - this is not a card player's casino. I tried on several occasions to get into a limit Texas Hold 'Em game, and they just weren't happening at Mandalay Bay. Overall, gambling here seemed kind of slow compared to other casinos I visited on my trip.\n\n I would definitely take these things into consideration before returning to Mandalay Bay."^^ . "0"^^ . .