I’ve been to Vegas a lot, too many times to count in fact. But for as long as I can remember (likely since it’s opening in 2010), I’ve wanted to stay at the Cosmopolitan. It’s always had this classy, sleek, elegant vibe to it and I knew I was just destined to stay there. For whatever reason, things never seemed to line up to make it happen. When I heard a business conference I wanted to attend was taking place in Vegas, the stars aligned – and Southwest Vacations was offering a great flight and hotel combo – so I jumped on the opportunity. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I can also see why it was named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the Top Hotels in the World.
There’s a lot to love about this hotel, but I thought I would offer a different type of review from the norm and give you the top five reasons I recommend staying here. By the way, they are in no particular order.
- The views. Nestled smack dab in the middle of “The Strip” and next door to the infamous Bellagio Hotel, The Cosmopolitan offers literally the best views in Vegas I’ve seen to date. Now all views are not created equal throughout the hotel, but if you are blessed to be given a view of the Bellagio fountain, I’m sure you will fall in love immediately just as I did. Particularly at night, these views are magical.
In addition, I learned that the Cosmopolitan is one of the very few hotels on the Las Vegas strip that offer balcony rooms and suites. My partners had the opportunity to stay in one of the wrap around balcony suites, which offered a glorious front and center view of the Bellagio Fountain that was to die for. If you have the coins and spectacular views are at the top of your must have list when traveling, I highly recommend the balcony suites.
- The pools. Because we were traveling towards the end of pool season in Vegas there was only one pool open while we were there, but that’s all we needed. This was considered to be the “relaxing” pool in the Chelsea Tower right outside the spa, which I’ll get to in a minute. There are two more pools: The Boulevard, which is slightly more “turned up” and lively, and then there’s the Marquee Pool, an extension of the famous Marquee nightclub, that apparently is all the way “lit” and hosts day parties. The Cosmopolitan describes it this way: “a vibrant beach club experience for adults. By day it exudes a lounge-like feel, while at night it transforms into an extension of the nightclub.”
We were quite comfortable with the Chelsea pool and some of us even indulged in the jacuzzi. Note, there is also a pool bar that is quite lovely but be prepared to spend some cash. I paid about $35 for chips and salsa and an adult beverage. I concluded that they were charging me for the scenery as well!
- The restaurants. Well you know they had me at food. I’m sad I didn’t get to try all of the restaurants the hotel offers but you know I could not leave without experiencing a restaurant with the name Eggslut. Just wow. While the egg sandwich I had was quite tasty, it was my least favorite experience out of the three restaurants I experienced. And really to call it a restaurant would be giving it too much credit. You ordered your food at the cash register, picked it up from a counter, and hunted down a seat in the crowded area of small tables and chairs they provided. While I do give them an A for originality and creativity with the variety of options and serving an all-day breakfast menu, I felt it was quite overpriced.
But The Henry and The Wicked Spoon made up for it. I quite possibly had one of the top five cheeseburgers of my life at The Henry. So much so, I couldn’t eat the whole thing due to it’s massive size, so I asked a friend to store it in her refrigerator and made sure I found a way to heat it up so I could enjoy the rest of it before I left. That’s a lot of effort for a cheeseburger but I promise, it was worth it. It was everything a cheeseburger should be and more.
And then there was Wicked Spoon, their buffet dining option. Buffets are tricky. They are hit and miss for me but this one was right on target! This buffet had essentially everything you could want in terms of options from breakfast to dinner, from sushi to flatbread, and a variety of pastas, freshly carved meats and veggies. I quite possibly had some of the best fried chicken (definitely top 5) in my life. On a buffet! I was shocked. And considering how much they offered and how expensive other food options in the hotel were, it was only $35. Just about the same as my chips and salsa and adult beverage (sideye).
4. The shower heads. You may think I’m odd for this one but for me, it’s really the little things that make me happy—like rainforest, high pressure rainforest shower heads. I’ve stayed in many hotels and a lot of them do not invest in shower heads. I can think of another brand that does, and that is Westin. The heavenly showerheads Westin uses, and yes that is the name of their line “heavenly”, impressed my mom so much, she bought a handful of them online so each of my family members could have them in our homes. But, I digress. Other than my shower at home, my shower experiences at The Cosmopolitan were some of my all-time favorites!
5. The spa. Now there’s a caveat I hate to admit. Miss Spa Queen herself missed an opportunity to get spa services on this trip. [Insert tears here.] But I did get to take a mini tour and from the reviews of my partners on the services and the full-service spa facility, it is a must have experience. Therefore, I’m going ahead and calling my missed opportunity a strategic move. This just means that I will have to return to The Cosmopolitan so I can indulge in the Sahra Spa experience for a full site inspection (smile).
Golden Life Musings 