myVegas Comps: Best Rewards

myVegas: which are the best rewards to choose from?

As you know myVegas rewards started with buffets and rooms and then expanded significantly.  Now the temptation to redeem all sorts of rewards is high; but our advice remains the same:  think of how much it would cost you to purchase that buffet entry, or that room, or that Monorail pass, or anything else that’s on offer.  This means that, if you are thinking of redeeming a reward for a cheap Vegas buffet, think again:  why waste a rewards when you can purchase a buffet entry for 10 dollars or less?  We use rewards for expensive MGM Dinner buffets, for example, and we pay out of our own pocket for any budget Vegas buffet.   Now let’s talk about hotel rooms:

Bellagio: you can only choose a discounted rate option. Is it worth it? Unless you have specific reasons to stay at Bellagio (and these are highlighted on our Bellagio page), it’s not worth it if you are looking for a ‘freebie’.

Aria: a great resort, undoubtedly. You will enjoy how modern yet elegant it is through and through. Its pool area is beautiful, its buffet is delicious (video of Aria buffet here), its casino is also beautiful, its rooms are beautiful. The location is quite central although the walk to get to the Strip can be a challenge. They provide campus-wide internet, which is a great change from the usual Vegas resorts restrictions. However: through myVegas you can only be assigned the smallest king room they have; namely, the cheaepest room they have. This, coupled with the fact that their resort fee is huge, does not make it the best value for your rewards, in our opinion. Having said this, if you are solo or a couple not minding a smaller room nor the high resort fee, you will love Aria. Note: MGM Resorts have now lifted the resort fee (again) when you stay through myVegas; however, since this has changed over and over, before you book your myVegas rewards with any specific MGM property, I would phone and ask if the resort fee is applied or not.

MGM Grand: it’s a huge resort so be prepared to long walk to get anywhere. The location is so-so, being more towards South Strip than mid Strip. It’s been remodeled and it is certainly a beautiful resort with very nice rooms but… Again, what you will get through myVegas is only a ‘petite king’, a very, very small room with a very small bathroom, although nicely appointed. The buffet is average at best though their large pool area has been remodeled. Good for young crowds as long as they don’t mind a tiny room (European readers may not mind it either, since they may be used to smaller sizes).

Mirage: one of our favorite resorts (great location, facing Venetian, and a relatively short walk to Caesars); a fantastic pool area, a very lively casino, a former-best buffet (read our dedicated page on the Cravings buffet for updates). The rooms you’ll be assigned through myVegas rewards will be their regular king or 2 queen rooms. They are very comfortable, with great large windows, a comfortable desk and a nicely appointed albeit small bathroom. It’s not as luxurious as Encore (for example), but it’s very good all in all. The problem with the rooms is that you can hear the noise from the corridors, if you have noisy people walking by, because you don’t have a foyer area between your bedroom and the entrance. Our video should make this clear (at least we hope!).

Mandalay Bay: a beautiful resort. If it weren’t for its (very) South location (connected to Excalibur via a fast shuttle), it would be much more expensive than it is. Its rooms are beautiful, its beach area is beautiful, its casino is beautiful (though with live bands playing at weekends it can be increadibly noisy), its buffet is in a beautiful area, though average and small. Here you can choose between 1 kind or 2 queen beds; their beds are extremely comfortable and their bathrooms are simply stunning. I love the TV by the bath tub! The only down side is its location, very South of the Strip. If you don’t mind the location, you’ll love this resort.

Luxor: a very interesting themed resort (the Pyramid theme, of course) with an average buffet at best and a not-so-great location (South). With myVegas you will be assigned a pyramid room (and not the more luxurious, and larger, Tower rooms), but at least you have a choice of 1 king or 2 queen beds. The Pyramid rooms can be smoke-filled, though, since they all face the casino (they don’t have a wall on one side, where they face the casino directly, from above). If you don’t mind the noise and the potential smoke, Luxor Pyramid rooms can work. Their resort fee is now very high at most Strip resorts and, at present, you still have to pay for it, though as we said things change all the time so a phone call to front desk just before you decide to book is recommended.

Monte Carlo: finally a resort offering myVegas rewards players either deluxe kings or deluxe 2 queen rooms, and not just the tiniest room they have! It’s not as luxurious as Aria (to say the least), of course, and its casino could use a revamp, but the location is good, facing Planet Hollywood (almost) and being next to Aria. They also have a shuttle taking you directly to Bellagio, which is completely mid Strip. I also like the short distances you will have to walk (compared to other larger resorts) from your room to the Strip. Good if you seek value for your ‘comps’, though their resort fee is not cheap, as with most other Strip resorts.

New York New York: another resort offering either average kings or average 2 queen rooms to myVegas rewards players, and not just the tiniest room they have! It’s not as luxurious as Aria, but it’s a very interesting resort and it appeals to a variety of guests. It’s mid-range through and through; it does not have a buffet, and it faces MGM Grand; it’s pretty much South Strip with the pitfalls that this entails (not many good buffet choices apart from Aria and Planet Hollywood, which are both a relatively long walk away).

Excalibur: another resort offering either average kings or average 2 queen rooms to myVegas rewards players, and not just the tiniest room they have! It’s a budget resort, so don’t expect luxury; you will be assigned the ‘cheaper’ Tower 1 rooms, but they have been remodeled somewhat so they are absolutely fine in terms for value for money. Their resort fee is one of the lowest among the MGM Group, though still expensive. You can read our Excalibur review for details or check the rooms you will be assigned on our youtube channel.

Circus Circus: the most ‘budget’ of the MGM resorts in Vegas, with the lowest resort fee on the Strip, at least for now, which includes 1 premium ride at the super-fun Adventure Dome. You can choose 1 king or 2 queen beds; their rooms are large and clean. Nothing fancy but decent. Ideal for families and teenagers. Their buffet, by the way, has improved significantly.

We have already outlined the ‘catch’ of playing myVegas but also the ‘catch’ on the rewards system.   If you have questions on booking your myVegas rooms, we have a dedicated page on    Good websites for Vegas Hotel Deals   myVegas Mobile Explained & Tips   myVegas Mobile vs. myVegas on Facebook