The Cosmopolitan…Las Vegas with a youthful flair

This past summer we ventured to Las Vegas for our second time, our first being in 2014. We decided to stay again at the Cosmopolitan after finding out they were now apart of the Marriott brand.  Also considering we had an excellent stay last time, familiarity is always best. Below is a quick list as to the main plus’ to staying here.

• Centrally located on the strip
• 2 swimming pools
• balconies, a rarety in Vegas
• one of the newer hotels
• excellent food choices

We booked our hotel 3 months in advance thru the Marriott app direct. We selected the king room. We figured book what we can and request and upgrade if available once we get there. From our last stay I had kept a list of requests in my memory for our room request.

• request a high floor, less noise
• fountain view is great, however truly not a must. Sound does echo off the water
• request the Chelsea Tower as it is the same building as the quieter of the 2 pools (this trip we brought our 12 year old along.)

We arrived to Vegas at about 10am, well before the checkin time of 4pm. The way the front desk is set up it is difficult to find out where the line begins, thankfully there was an attendant who showed us where the line began. Once it was our turn we were advised that our room was not ready, which we pretty much knew based on our early arrival. They took our number and advised they would text/call once the room was ready. We took our luggage over to the bell stand and they promptly stowed them away.

Since we were unable to change and had our backpacks in tow (I did not care to check those), we selected a restaurant on the property; Holsteins, known for there burgers and milkshakes.

We had eaten here back in 2014 and to be honest it wasn’t anything spectacular then…. Fast forward to now. WOW, the burgers were FANTASTIC. Nice and juicy, not dry and not bloody. I had the “Gold Standard”, my son the Turkey sliders from the kids menu and of course the husband had the “Billionaire Burger!” No shakes for us, since I knew we would more than likely not even finish the burgers… well perhaps I’m speaking for myself.

After lunch we decided to walk around and get re-familiar with the property. First stop was the Boulevard Pool. This pool is the more lively pool. Loud music and a younger crowd can be seen having a wonderful time. Second stop was the Chelsea Pool, this pool was located in a separate building however very easily assessable. This pool was much more laid back. Music was soft and the bar was full. After exploring for a few hours we became anxious to get to our room, after all we had been at the airport since 6am EST….. We decided to hit the front desk again to see if by chance our room was ready, as you can guess it was.

Our room was nestled on the 38th floor in the Chelsea Tower. We did not receive a fountain view this time, we did in 2014 and I have included some shots from our balcony as well. The rooms at the Cosmo are rather large. Which is great especially since there are 3 of us. You have a separate living room and a HUGE bathroom. The shower and the tub share a room. The tub is a Japanese soaking tub, and there is a window where you can gaze at the skyline while you soak and relax. There is a small area where the dual sinks are located that separate the “shower/bath area” and the “toilet room”.  The king size bed was very comfortable. The pull out sofa was just average in comfort. The rooms have been remodeled. Our room had brand new carpet and the couch was free of any defects :). I do think the living room was still missing some art work, one of the walls was bare. The room did have new room smell I must say.

 

For dinner that evening we picked China Pablano by Jose Andres. When we were here last we ate at his Jaleo and it was absolutely delicious, we were anxious to see what his other concept had to offer. We had early reservations for 5. The decor was cute, one side had women making dumplings and the other side women making tacos. They had an extensive collection of tequilas and they were beautifully arranged of course. We ordered the pork rinds (they came with an amazing hot sauce), a sampling of their dim sum dumplings, an order of their steamed bao buns, and a few tacos. I loved how this menu was full of small plates, I’m the type of foodie that likes to try EVERYTHING but not EAT everything. The food was great and I highly recommend this place.

Dim sum!

When pigs fly!

Pork rinds

Lucky 6.. minus 1 lol

One peeve during my stay was that the box that is to contain the sleeper sofa linens contained only a balled up blanket. No sheets. I also suspect that since the blanket was balled up and not folded, I’d question its cleanliness….. So… I phone the front desk and request linens for the pullout…. 45 minutes later…. I ring the front desk again, I’m advised that “Carlos” is in route…… 25 minutes later…. I ring the front desk again, I’m advised that he is just down the hall. Carlos finally arrives 15 minutes later. Needless to say at this point I am exhausted *reminder that we have been going since 6am EST*, I am also annoyed because this could have been avoided with a properly cleaned and stocked room..

The next morning we opted for EggSlut, a breakfast chain with a location snug in the hotel. The breakfast sandwiches were good, however rather pricey IMO for bread, egg and a spicy ketchup. Coffee was ok, however no refills on the drip coffee? What gives?

 

After breakfast we hit the strip, we wanted to take our son thru some of the older, more name worthy hotels. In doing this you truly see why Cosmopolitan is the best. Somehow the Cosmo does not give off this seedy, stale cigarette smoke, dustiness that the other hotels do. Perhaps it is because they do not have their casino as their “center” attraction? In any event we quickly wanted to get back to the Cosmo after walking through a few….

Temperatures this day were reaching 100 so we threw on our swimming gear and headed for the Chelsea Pool. I opted for this pool due to the lower level of rowdiness, I get it we are in Vegas, however I am still with a child….. The pool was packed.. and COLD. I must say my ONE complaint of the pools here is that they are cold. I swear they pump cold water in on purpose. In any event the pool has a rather large sunbather’s ledge so that you do not have to get hypothermia going all the way in LOL. While my husband and I were sunbathing and watching our son swim, we wanted a beverage. There were several servers bustling about, in fact we would glance their way and smile occasionally; however to my surprise not a single one walked up to us ask if we wanted anything? Were they not interested in a tip? Quick walk to the bar by my husband and problem solved. Once we were pooled out we headed back to the room to get ready for our dinner plans.

Upon arriving back to our room around 3pm we found that our room still had not been cleaned. At this point as well we needed to tidy up for our evening so on went the “do not disturb” sign and there went our clean room. We were checking out the next day so I didn’t make a fuss. I just duly noted this. Our last night we had dinner 2 properties down at Hells Kitchen, located in front of Caesar’s Palace. Again I cannot stress how centrally located the Cosmo is, a short walk and you are at any property.**Full review on this restaurant to come in a future blog post.**

All in all compared to the other hotels I have walked thru and read about Cosmopolitan seems to be one of the best options located directly on the strip. It was trendy, modern in decor, and a sight for all senses.  My only suggestion is to pack your patience with the staff, that seems to be their weakness.

What are your favorite hotels in Vegas? What did you like most about your stay? We plan on coming back again to Vegas of course, let me know some of your hotel suggestions.

Can’t wait to hear from you.

xoxo,

Liz