FlyinHawaiian

Didn't see a thread on this, so I thought I'd start one.

We did a short (three night) stay at the Vdara last week. The mLife discount, lack of casino, and proximity to Aria and Cosmopolitan made this a very attractive property and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Overall Property

The Vdara is in between the Aria and Bellagio on Harmon Blvd. There is a common driveway and loop shared with the Aria; it can be a little confusing at first, but go slow and follow the signs carefully and once you get the hang of it, it's not bad. Luckily, there isn't much traffic on the loop as it's the back entrance to the Aria so not as heavily-used as the front.

Hint - I *hate* driving on The Strip and dealing with all of the traffic. If I have to drive on The Strip, I will do my best to make left turns into the properties as right turns often mean dealing with pedestrians trying to cross in front of you. I find the jaywalkers are less common on the stoplights for the left hand turns. So, take Tropicana off the 15 instead of Flamingo going to Vdara. Also, when leaving Vdara you can take Harmon to the west over the 15 and then get on the freeway with a few turns. Did I mention how much I hate driving on The Strip?

Valet service is included in the resort fee. Unlike places like the MGM, I never saw much of a wait for cars. The only time I flashed my Platinum card, the valet gave us some cold bottled waters for the road, which I thought was nice.

Not having to wind through a casino to get to/from the valet is, IMO, a huge benefit.

To get to the Aria, it is a short 2-3 min walk across the loop. To get to Bellagio, there is a walkway that connects the Vdara's lobby to a wing of Bellagio and the station for the free tram that connects to the Crystal Shops, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay.

Check In and lobby

There's an "Invited Guests" line at the far left of the lobby that we used. Check-in was quick.

Room

We booked a corner suite. We didn't get a room upgrade, but we were very happy with our room on the 38th floor on the west (closest to I-15) side of the property. We had a panoramic view looking down The Strip and out to the west.



The suite was very large and spacious. There is a small washroom adjacent to the entrance and then a small dining room table with seating for four.



The small kitchen has a full size fridge with an ice maker and is stocked with bottled water each night by the turn-down maid. The kitchen also has a two burner halogen cooktop, small dishwasher, a sink with a garbage disposal, and a K-cup machine (also stocked with breakfast blend each night). My only compliant is that there aren't any dishes, cutlery, or glasses/coffee mugs stocked, so if you need any of these, you need to call housekeeping.



One thing we really liked was the stacked washer and dryer in the unit. The front desk was happy to supply us with packets of detergent and dryer sheets and we did several loads of laundry (note - these are Euro-style units and have LONG cycles).



The bathroom is HUGE with a soaking tub and a walk-in shower. We always appreciate bathrooms with double sinks.



The bedroom is adjacent to the living room with a king bed with a pillow-top mattress and soft sheets/bedding.



We slept very well. My only pet peeve is that the lights in the room are all linked to a master on/off switch at the front entrance. It's possible to turn lights on/off via individual switches, but the light fixture in the dining area is only controlled by the master, so to turn it off at night, you are turning off the master and every light in the bedroom. Of course, you can just leave the light on in the dining room all night and just close the bedroom door, but it seems a strange design.

We will certainly try and stay here again.

Biggie Fries

Great review of a great hotel. We usually book the Vdara Suite as Mlife Platinum and hope for an upgrade to a Corner Suite, like the one you describe well. As you say, the no dishware in the kitchen can be annoying, but if you know that it is coming, you can call down ahead of time to Housekeeping to get yourself set up. Finally, if you don't want to do the (free) valet parking, it is easy to self-park for free at Aria.

Like OP, I have taken to checking in on the left, in the Invited Guest line, as an Mlife Platinum; but that hardly makes me an Invited Guest, and this may only be working because the last couple times there really weren't check-in lines. Not sure what sort of reaction I would get if there were lines ....

Just a reminder to Hyatt Diamonds, you do get Hyatt GP points for the stays -- make sure they have your Hyatt GP number on the reservation if you are booking through Mlife (almost always the cheapest) or through the hotel site. But you don't get a Diamond breakfast or a Diamond amenity. Lately Vdara has some good resort credit offers (variously $75, $100, or $150) and while they are well spent in the bar, they are also well spent on some very good and reasonably priced in-room breakfasts. Otherwise, the on-property breakfast options are not great.

Finally, they are very easy-going at the pool about bringing food and drink (as long as there are no glass bottles or glass glasses) in from the bar or even the outside. So, again, if you plan ahead, it can save money and make lounging out there pretty congenial.

britishcanuck

I booked a Vdara Suite as MLife Platinum and got upgraded to the Corner Suite for 5 nights. My room was right by the elevator, but I never heard ANY noise. I was there Sunday thru Thursday in March and was pleasantly surprised at how quiet it was. I had a few issues with the blackout shades getting stuck, but other than that, a very pleasant saty.

HunterSFO

I typically hate the mLife program and therefore any properties that participate in it, but that said I have some questions because I may give them another try when my nieces come to visit in a few weeks. And don't get me wrong, I'm sure the hard and soft product were nice - its just the loyalty program that sucks terribly. So my questions:

They charged you a resort fee as a mLife platinum??? Really? How much was it? For that matter, they charged you for a room AT ALL as a platinum?
Why did they not give you a room upgrade? Were they full?
Did you get lounge access? If so, how were the mLife lounges?

I actually live in Vegas and though I've held status with mLife even before the Hyatt partnership (which is how I have it now), I have yet to get ANYTHING of use out of it - PERIOD. By contrast I hold status equivalent to mLife Platinum with Total Rewards (Diamond level II) and I find it to be BY FAR the best loyalty program in ANY INDUSTRY.

antinseattle

Ok, my review..........


Little background, 41/M .....Here were my travels......3 nights at Hard Rock, 2 at Planet Hollywood, 1 at Excalibur, 1 at Mirage, 1 Vdara, 2 at Caesars.........all in span of as many days.


This place is GREAT! Checked in 11 am no issues. Offered a Executive Corner King upgrade, Diamond Hyatt. Late check out, 1 pm, no issues. Front desk checkin was quick and very friendly. 83$/night, taxes 10$, 28$ Resort fee, free wireless, get Hyatt credit and 600 SWA.....


I believe the suite was a tad over 800 square feet, great layout, very "Condo Style", very quiet.


Only down side I could say if you only visit Vegas once every year or so.......pool is just okay. Hotel location not great, IMO.


I've stayed in amazing hotels and suites in Vegas in past 20 years........


I would put Vdara in my top 3s. Could because I'm just getting old. "damn kids and their Rock and Roll music"......


Will be back! Nice find!

antinseattle

Deep breathes. TR much better, but not everyone gambles. If you're TR Diamond, yes the offers are better.

mumof2sydney

thanks for the great review and pics- question : i have mlife membership (but no status) and have booked vdara via hotwire. Is valet parking free because of your status or for all guests with the resort fee??

FlyinHawaiian

The valet parking is included in the resort fee for the property that all guests (except for high rollers, I suppose) pay. No discount for mLife Platinum. There is self-parking at Aria and the Cosmopolitan, but I think one might as well do the valet.

iflyjetz

Just stayed here. Completely unimpressed with the property. Booked a regular room, got a regular room. Smaller room than I expected; stains on the couch, and miscellaneous other 'wear' items that one would expect to be replaced in a hotel of this status. Small pool area.

I won't stay here again. I found the Mirage and MGM Grand to be nicer options.

YMMV.

thomas199023

Any recent stays at this property? Is there a VIP check-in for Mlife Platinum?

Leo123

I was there couple weeks ago. There was "invited guests" check-in line that you can use. Or at least I used it as a diamond

Ok hotel but looks and feels like condo apartment building and pretty small hotel for a Vegas standards. Not bad place to stay by room or location wise. Pool was smallish but i managed to find seats easily.

After stays in Aria, Vdara, Bellagio, Caesars, Luxor and visited almost every hotel in the strip I would say Aria would be the place to be in Vegas.

RTW1

One of the casino free properties so it can have it's appeal.

sam007

Guys - for a no-status guest, what's the chance of a free upgrade? Any ideas?

If not, does the $20/night for a fountain view room worth it? It's $100/night for a panoramic room but that seems quite high

Thanks

Low Roller

The fountain view rooms are a nice touch but I wouldn't pay much extra for them. $20 sounds right. Unlike the Bellagio fountain view rooms, you are viewing from quite a distance and you can't play the soundtrack over the tv.
So, while you may glance out at them from time to time, you aren't likely to spend much time actively watching like you might at Bellagio.

Not sure about free upgrades, but join mlife and sign up for e-mail, I've gotten some great offers this way, even without gambling. It's a very nice hotel. Not a spectacular resort like some of the high-end Vegas properties, but spacious and quiet. The main downside (depending on what time of year you go) is a small pool that was clearly designed for condo residents and not a hotel.

sam007

guys - another side question. How many nights are required or total spend to get to Pearl status? Wondering if I should simply credit the current stay to hyatt or to mlife (only do vegas for 4 nights every year)