The genesis of this Vdara Studio Fountain Room review is fairly typical. Late last year I had a nice long weekend where I went to Las Vegas, the city of sin. En route, for good karma, I saw family in Albuquerque.  My agenda was, in fact, to do (harmless) sinful things.  I’d tell you about them, but you know what they say about Vegas.  Anyhow, I stayed at the Vdara, which pretty much everyone knows about, but we’ll pretend you’re from Mars and have never heard of it. 

The Vdara is located adjacent to the Aria and a short walk from the Bellagio and Cosmopolitan.  It is the casino-free, all-suite, pet-friendly, and “health-oriented” hotel option—or at least, that’s how they brand themselves.  Saying anywhere in Vegas is “healthy” is like putting a bandaid on an arterial wound.  All that said, rates at the Vdara are typically good, and in my experience, it’s a good hotel. 

I booked a Studio Fountain Room, a room type I’d stayed in and been happy with before.  This time I noticed it came with access to Club Vdara, which I was interested to check out.  This ended up being a good deal when I booked, since it was only $20 more a night than a non-fountain view room, and the next room with Club Vdara access was nearly double the rate I paid.  The club was advertised as being open from 7 AM to 7 PM, with meals at mealtime and snacks all day, and beer and wine in the evenings.  I felt that I could easily extract at least $20 in value daily from such offerings, so I booked it.  Did it live up to expectations?  Read on for my Vdara Studio Fountain Room review to find out!

Details

Dates: December 12-15, 2019

Room Type: Studio Fountain Room w/ Club Access

Price: $273/night + taxes and $45 resort fee

Room – 3/3

I’ve stayed in this room type before, and I really like the way it’s set up.  You have a nice kitchenette with seating for your pregaming/rehydration post-drinking, plus whatever else you use a kitchen for… maybe eating or something.  Following that, there’s a segmented sitting area/work area, and then, of course, a sleeping/bed area.  With a view of part of the strip, the fountains and mountains, I was a happy camper.  Watching those sunrises and sunsets is always beautiful. 

Bathroom – 2/3

The bathroom was a good size, in relatively good shape, and had a separate shower and tub.  For a suite, I’d say that it’s above average, but nothing gives it the “wow” factor. 

Breakfast – 2/3

Breakfast was included in the Club Vdara package, and it was good.  A full review is in the Hotel Facilities section below.

Status Benefits – 1/3

I am an a MGM platinum (via a status match with Royal Caribbean).  MGM recently savaged their program, crushing their room discounts, which was one of the best benefits.  The key benefit at the Vdara, and any MGM property, is you get two passes to either the New York, New York roller coaster, the Bellagio art collection, the Mandalay Bay aquarium, or the Secret Garden at the Mirage – your choice.  I’ve done all of those except the art collection, and chose to do the roller coaster again this time, because roller coaster is greater than cultured art.

Hotel Facilities – 2/3

The hotel had a decent gym that was a bit on the small side.  I believe there was a pool, but since it was December, it didn’t have anything to offer.  The lobby also has a bar and some cafes – typical hotel stuff. 

This is where I’ll review the Club Vdara.  Overall, it was pretty solid, and I would call it an above-average but not remarkable hotel lounge.  The seating and ambiance was fine but uninteresting.  While reasonably modern, it was a bit dark with no meaningful window views. So uninteresting I didn’t mange any pictures of anything but the food.

Of note was the food, which had a pretty good selection at both breakfast and dinner.  I did not ever eat lunch there, so can’t speak to that meal.  Breakfast, though, was a bit hit or miss.  The first breakfast was fantastic hangover food – biscuit breakfast sandwiches and corned beef hash.  After that it was more traditional breakfast lounge spread.  The dinner options were more extensive, with both good canape-style foods and a few hot options.  I did not consume a full meal, as I had reservations each night, but I definitely had a snack to tide myself over until later dinners.  That said, if you were so inclined, you could easily have a full and acceptable meal here.    

Drinks were a mixed bag.  Soda, coffee, and water were available all day.  Beer and wine were available from 4-6 PM, but they had to be ordered from a server to keep you from getting hammered too quickly.  The servers were nice, but it definitely was a way to manage the consumption, which in Vegas is understandable, I suppose. 

I’d say two things would make this a better experience.  One—extended hours.  Ending at 7 PM is rather early.  Second—a bit more aggressive or impressive drink program – perhaps rail cocktails, or discounted for purchase, or something.  Allegedly per a sign, there were cocktails for purchase, but no one ever offered, and I never saw a menu, and frankly, I forgot to ask, so I’m not sure if that was really a thing.  That said, I think I extracted the $20 value per day easily between breakfast and a pre-evening drink (or two) each day.

Service – 2/3

Service throughout the hotel was pleasant, but unmemorable. 

Location – 3/3

I like the Vdara’s location, particularly for the price.  It is very easy to get all over the mid and lower strip, but you also don’t have to deal with a casino when you walk in. 

Vdara Studio Fountain Room Review Bottom Line – 2.5/3

A funny story to end on.  When I left on Sunday, my flight was quite early, so I was leaving at 6 AM for the airport.  I walked out of the elevator bay to see a 20-something man in his underwear, extremely under the influence of drug(s), talking to security.  Well, let’s say it wasn’t a conversation—he was being politely detained.  On the one hand, it was funny because it was so cliché Vegas.  On the other hand, I felt really bad for the guy because that’s not a fun situation.  I’m hoping that things resolved themselves and that he got a good story out of it, at least.  For me, it was an early ride to the airport and a stop in the Club at LAS, which I’ll be reviewing next week. 

All images are the author’s.