M Resort Spa Casino: Las Vegas Luxury Away from the Fray
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This sparkling resort offers upscale amenities in a suburban setting. Guests appreciate the elbow room, but the Vegas Strip is only minutes down the road.
From our room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip confirmed that all the glitz and glamor were clearly within our grasp. Though the best of Sin City lay right at our fingertips, it was comforting to know we could keep the Strip’s carnival atmosphere at arm’s length, as our hotel was out by itself in the desert, 10 miles south of the fabled corridor. Even diehard Vegas fans say the city’s heartbeat can become too rich for the blood.
M Resort Spa Casino was our safety valve. A self-contained, luxury retreat on a 90-acre plot in the Nevada community of Henderson, it’s a bit removed from the frenzy yet in the same league as the big-name properties lining the Strip. Whenever my adult son and I returned to our suburban estate after spending time in town, we felt a sense of order, of calm, of being home. M Resort’s public areas are spacious and sparkling, and almost everything—casino floor, bars, lounges and restaurants—is on the lobby level. Skylights in the casino were another breath of fresh air.
As official team headquarters hotel of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and other professional Vegas teams, M Resort plays up its sports connections with football- and hockey-themed eateries. When we entered the lobby to check in, we couldn’t help notice the elaborate water feature dominated by statues of players from football’s Raiders and the American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights, an affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The AAA Four Diamond resort is also the official hotel of arena football’s Vegas Knight Hawks.
Food and Views at M Resort Spa Casino
Soon after arrival, we went to the top (16th) floor for Asian fusion cuisine at Jayde@16. From our window table overlooking the city lights, I enjoyed colossal honey walnut prawns with fried rice and washed it down with Japanese beer. My son went for the sushi and sashimi. Dim sum and wagyu beef were other tempting choices.
Like most of M Resort’s restaurants, Jayde@16 offers an outdoor dining terrace that commands vistas of the mountain-ringed city. Situated 400 feet higher in elevation than the resort-casinos on the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard comprising the Strip, M Resort provides optimal views of the skyline (and actually sits on the famous road’s southern stretch). The Las Vegas Sphere, a giant globe with swirling colors on the outside and a concert venue inside, is the newest addition to the cityscape and now its most prominent landmark.
Sports Decor Complements the M Resort Spa Casino Dining Experience
Knight Time Hockey Bar, bordering the casino floor and The Sportsbook, is the perfect spot for watching hockey. From the bar (equipped with gaming machines) or adjacent tables, patrons can view the NHL and other sports TV channels. A video column shows hockey play, and walls are adorned with Silver Hawks jerseys, equipment and other team paraphernalia. The beers-on-tap menu features 96 brews from around the world, including five from Canada. For lunch we ordered a plate of Montreal Smoked Steak Poutine and found it as scrumptious as anything north of the U.S. border.
One day we took the hotel-organized shuttle to T-Mobile Arena, about 20 minutes away, as part of a group attending a match between the Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens. Video board programming, just as entertaining as the fierce competition on the ice, had an unmistakable Vegas flair. (During football season, the resort’s shuttle buses make runs to Raiders games at Allegiant Stadium.)
Entering Raiders Tavern & Grill, guests pass through a shrine-like display of autographed footballs and helmets under glass. The decor mirrors team colors—silver and black—and Raiders memorabilia is everywhere. Team logo gear fills the gift shop. Menus are extensive and all-American, and the place stays open until 3 a.m. First Down Butter Cake, a winning dessert item garnished with date jam and toffee sauce, comes in the shape of a football.
This Luxury Las Vegas Resort Offers Plenty of Dining Options
The names of two restaurants—Anthony’s Prime Steak & Seafood and Marinelli’s Pasta Bar—are nods to M Resort’s CEO and founder, Anthony Marnell III. Likewise, the resort takes its name from his surname initial.
Other dining options include:
- Vig Deli. Adjacent to the Sportsbook and Knight Time Hockey Bar, its wide-ranging menu includes pizza, subs, sandwiches, poutine, barbecue ribs, chicken wings, soups and salads.
- Baby Cakes Artisan Bakery. Open 24 hours, this patisserie/coffee shop offers pastries, cakes, cookies, cannolis, sandwiches and homemade gelato.
- Piazza Grille. The seasonal poolside cafe serves burgers, sandwiches, pizza, salads and cocktails.
Luxe Amenities Await M Resort Spa Casino Guests
The full-service Spa Mio features 16 treatment rooms and sauna, steam and hot tub wet areas, along with a state-of-the-art fitness center and salon and barber shop.
Outside, the expansive M Pool area, equipped with cabanas, daybeds and lounge chairs, features two heated, infinity-edge pools and two large whirlpool hot tubs. Doubling as an entertainment piazza, the sprawling, palm-studded space also has a stage for headliner concerts. The resort’s pavilion and lounges host live performances as well.
Just as M Resort’s public areas offer plenty of elbow room, its 390 guest rooms are generously proportioned. Our second-floor quarters in Room 2123 afforded spectacular views not only of the Vegas skyline but the lushly landscaped pool grounds. More than 70 percent of the rooms offer views of the Strip and pool.
I especially liked the bathroom’s red-marble vanity with double sinks and mini TV screen embedded in the massive mirror. The tub was trimmed in red marble, and there was a walk-in shower with built-in marble bench.
A shimmering oasis not unlike a mirage in the desert, M Resort is simply Marvelous (with a capital M).
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