Polo Towers – Las Vegas, Nevada

We stayed in a wheelchair accessible room at the Polo Towers for the first time many years ago and recently stayed again for one week in August of 2016. 

THE GOOD

The Polo Towers is conveniently located right on the strip between the MGM Grand and Planet Hollywood. There were lots of places to eat in front of the Polo Towers in a Hawaiian market of sorts, including a popular Chili’s restaurant. 

Our room was a two bedroom, two bathroom unit with a living room, sofa bed, full kitchen,  kitchenette and two balconies. One bedroom and one bathroom were fully wheelchair accessible. 

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Accessible Bedroom

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Accessible Bathroom

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Wheel-In Shower with Built-In Shower Bench

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Wheel-Under Sink in Accessible Bathroom

There was a handle on the bathroom door to make it easier for people with limited upper body mobility to shut the door. 

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For Closing the Pocket Door on the Accessible Bathroom

There was a door in between the second bedroom and the main living area that could be closed or locked for additional privacy. The bed in the second bedroom was a murphy bed, so it could be folded up to create additional living space. There was a small kitchenette on this side and a second bathroom (the door was wide enough to get in, but the bathroom itself was not accessible).

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Second Bedroom, Murphy Bed

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Second Bathroom – Not Accessible

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Second Bathroom Shower – Not Accessible

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Kitchenette in Second Bedroom

The kitchen in the main living area was modified with lower counter tops and a wheel-under sink.

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Kitchen with Wheel-Under Sink and Lower Countertops

There was a Room Valet panel on the wall in the accessible bedroom, living room and accessible bathroom with several cool features. You could turn it on to receive visual alerts when the phone rang, when the doorbell was pushed, for a wake-up call or when the fire alarm went off. You could also set the bed to vibrate for these same alerts (I know what you’re thinking but this would be really handy if you were sleeping and couldn’t see the visual alerts!).

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Each room had a closet, a dresser, TV, in-room safe and coffee maker. 

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Main Closet

The entire hotel was accessible, including the entrances, exits, main lobby, washrooms on the main floor, fitness area, splash park and the roof-top pool area. There was a large cold pool and a smaller hot tub. Both pools were equipped with a lift. 

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Cold Pool Lift

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Hot Tub Lift

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View of Pool Area – Hot Tub is in the Back Behind the Blue Cabanas

There was an observation deck at the end of the pool area that was up a few stairs, however, there was an ADA lift so that people who could not climb the stairs could still get up to look around. This space provided a beautiful view of the strip at night!

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ADA Lift to Access the Observation Deck

There was an amazing splash park in the back of the hotel, which was great for kids of all ages. Because of the shape of the hotel, the splash park stayed shaded all day long, which was perfect for everyone. Even though it was 40 degrees Celsius outside, the temperature in the splash park was quite comfortable. There was a shallow kiddie pool, sprayers, a play structure with slides and lots of room to run around. For the parents, there were several comfortable loungers along the sides, tables and chairs and a vending machine.

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Play Structure

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Kiddie Pool

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Sprayers

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There was no casino at this hotel. For some, this might be considered a drawback, but for us it meant a much quieter place to retire to and a smoke-free environment to walk through and sleep in each night. 

I cannot forget to mention that his hotel had free laundry machines on every other floor! I walked up one floor and had full access to the machines for as long as I needed them. There was enough laundry soap provided in our room for one load and there was a vending machine in the laundry room from which additional soap could be purchased. 

THE BAD

The view from our room was facing the front of the building, which was not a great view. We could see people coming and going and see the MGM Grand in the distance but otherwise there wasn’t much to look at. 

Our room did not have a bathtub. The accessible bathroom had a huge wheel-in shower and the other bathroom had a shower as well (note that the glass door on the other shower didn’t open or close properly, which was a bit dangerous for the kids). We managed fine but I really prefer hotel rooms that have a bathtub for the kids.

The kitchen was not set up for guests with kids. The knives and all of the sharp implements were located in a cupboard that was very easily accessible for small people. As soon as we discovered this, we had to empty out the cupboards and move all of the sharp things to the top of the counter!

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Yikes! Not a Great Location for Knives When Kids are Around!

The Wi-Fi in this hotel was atrocious! They provided us with a password and log-in information for the free Wi-Fi when we checked in but the signal strength was terrible and every time we lost the connection, we would have to go through the log-in process all over again. It was so unbelievably bad it was practically unusable. 

My husband got stuck in the lift between the pool area and the observation deck one night. He got part-way up and then it stopped working. He was able to access the emergency phone to call the hotel staff and I pulled the emergency release button to get him back down to the ground. The hotel sent a maintenance crew up and they worked on it for about 30 minutes to get the lift up and running again. 

THE UGLY

The furnishings in our unit could have used an update. The couch in the living room, in particular, had a panel on the front that kept falling off exposing a bunch of sharp staples that little people could easily scratch themselves on. I kept trying to re-attach it to the couch but had little success.

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Living Room Furniture was Old and Outdated

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This Panel Kept Falling Off the Couch Exposing a Bunch of Sharp Nails and Staples

One of the toilets in our room was not working properly. It stopped flushing several times and we would have to call the front desk to request that someone in maintenance come and fix it. The first time this happened, we had just gotten back to our room and had a message on our machine saying that housekeeping noticed that one of the toilets wasn’t flushing properly and to call if we wanted maintenance to come and fix it. So what did we do? Naturally, we tried flushing the toilets. The one in the accessible bathroom overflowed everywhere and covered the bathroom floor in water. We called down to request that someone come and fix it and despite the fact that it was leaking everywhere, they said it would take about 30 minutes to get someone to our room (this was about 10pm). They did send someone up with a bunch of towels though!

OVERALL

I would definitely stay at the Polo Towers again. I think most of the bad elements were specific to our room and we probably would not have that same experience again. The proximity to the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood was a bonus and the splash park was unbeatable for the kids. They started every day running around in there and had so much fun.  

The hotel was clean and quiet and our room was huge considering what you would get at a normal hotel in Vegas. The two bedrooms worked out great and having two bathrooms and a kitchen was ideal. I think Polo Towers is a great option, particularly if travelling to Vegas as a family.

 

 

The Mirage – Las Vegas, Nevada

We stayed in a wheelchair accessible room at The Mirage for the first time in 2009. We actually booked a cheap package on-line and then called the resort to request that a wheelchair accessible room be set aside for us. This usually works okay in Vegas because they have a lot of wheelchair accessible rooms (so don’t be afraid to scope out cheap Vegas deals on-line). 

THE GOOD

The Mirage is one of our favourite hotels because of its central location on the strip and its pleasant atmosphere. I really like all of the greenery and the sound of the water inside The Mirage as it feels kind of tropical.

Interior of the Lobby at Mirage

Interior of the Lobby at The Mirage

The Mirage is completely wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair users will have no trouble getting into or accessing any of the shops or restaurants here. We particularly like the layout of The Mirage because you don’t have to walk a mile from the lobby area to get to the hotel rooms.

In our standard room, there was a comfortable, king-sized bed, a desk, a TV, two chairs and a mini-bar.

King-Sized Bed in Wheelchair Accessible Room

King-Sized Bed in Wheelchair Accessible Room

Interior of Room at the Mirage

Interior of Wheelchair Accessible Room at the Mirage

TV, Desk and Mini-Bar

TV, Desk and Mini-Bar

The bathroom was spacious, but not huge. Our room had a wheel-under sink, toilet with grab-bars and a bathtub with a portable shower bench. Most of the accessible rooms at The Mirage have bathtubs, not wheel-in showers. I understand that they do have a few rooms with wheel-in showers, so if you absolutely require one you should probably book with The Mirage directly to ensure you get what you need. 

Wheel-Under Sink and Toilet with Grab Bars

Wheel-Under Sink and Toilet with Grab Bars

Bathtub With Portable Shower Bench

Bathtub With Portable Shower Bench

Wheel-Under Sink and Bathtub

Wheel-Under Sink and Bathtub

The pool area at The Mirage is quite big although it is really busy and it was difficult, at times, to find a free lounge chair. There are lots of waterfalls and palm trees, which help to create a nice outdoor ambiance. We didn’t see any pool lifts at this pool and it was so busy that we didn’t try to get into the water. It was a good place to kick back for a few hours and do some people watching.

Mirage Pool

Mirage Pool and Palm Trees

Mirage Pool

Mirage Pool and Waterfalls

The Mirage has upgraded its volcano show in recent years and it is actually pretty cool to watch now. There is loud drum music that accompanies the flames that shoot out of the water. It goes off every half an hour in the evening and is worth catching at least once when you are in Vegas.

Mirage Volcano Show

Mirage Volcano Show

Mirage Volcano Erupting

Mirage Volcano Erupting

There is lots of good food available at The Mirage. The California Pizza Kitchen (one of our favourites) is located just off to the side of the casino. We also tried a place called BLT Burger that serves all kinds of milkshakes. They will also combine a variety of weird milkshake flavours if you ask, so you can really go wild (Twinkies, Nutella and toasted marshmallows milkshake, anyone?).

THE BAD

The view from our room was bad. Not only did we not get a strip view but we got the concrete jungle view on the opposite side. It’s not as though you spend a lot of time staring out your window in Vegas, but still. This is almost as bad as it gets. 

View From Our Room

View From Our Room

One issue that we have encountered a few times now is that some of the elevators outside on the strip can be out of order. There are several pedestrian walkways that cross over top of the strip or that connect one hotel to the next. To get to the top of the walkways, you either need to head up the escalator (if there is one) in your chair or access the elevators. Nothing in Vegas is that close so when you get to the other side of the walkway and realize you can’t get down in your wheelchair because the elevator is out of order,  it is a big pain. We have even been in a situation once where we took an escalator up to get to a walkway and when we got to the other side, the elevator was out of service. So we walked back to where we had come up and there was no down escalator and no elevator, only stairs. So… we were stuck… We had to convince several guys to carry my husband down a huge flight of stairs. This is something to watch out for as the elevators are out of service from time to time and it is possible to get up without being able to get down.

THE UGLY

The only thing I really do not enjoy about Vegas and the Vegas hotels is that smoking is allowed in the casinos. California Pizza Kitchen is one of our favourite restaurants in Vegas, but it is located on the edge of the casino in The Mirage. When you are dining at CPK, it is impossible to escape the smell of the smoke and, for me, it certainly detracts from the ambiance.

OVERALL

The Mirage is a great, family-friendly resort. It is situated in a convenient central location on the strip, between Caesar’s Palace and Treasure Island. There is lots of good food on-site and it is right next door to The Forum Shops at Caesar’s (some of the best shopping on the strip). The standard wheelchair accessible rooms are nothing fancy, but they are comfortable and they meet basic accessibility requirements. Who spends time in their room in Vegas anyway?

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The Palazzo – Las Vegas, Nevada

We had the good fortune of staying at this hotel in July of 2012. We have stayed at many different places on the Las Vegas strip before but we always kind of dreamed of staying at The Palazzo one day. When we were looking for a hotel for this trip, we found a good deal at The Palazzo and decided to treat ourselves to a room here for a couple of days. And I’m glad we did! It was amazing!

THE GOOD

At The Palazzo, all of the rooms are suites and they are HUGE! When we first walked into the room, we were absolutely blown away by its size. There is a king-sized bed, full-sized living room, table with chairs, desk with every kind of plug-in you could ever need for work (complete with phone, printer and fax machine), dresser and two nice, flat-screen TVs. I don’t think the accessible rooms are any bigger than the standard suites as the standard suites are so huge, a wheelchair would have no trouble getting around in one. 

Comfortable King-Sized Bed

Comfortable King-Sized Bed

Huge Living Room Area With Full-Sized Sectional Sofa

Huge Living Room Area With Full-Sized Sectional Sofa

Flat Screen TV

Flat Screen TV and Dresser

Desk Complete With Workstation

Desk Complete With Workstation

The bathroom was perfectly accessible and beautiful. The sink was wheel-under with lots of counter space. And yes – that is a TV you see in the bathroom!! The area around the toilet is huge and there is lots of room to maneuver. There are two grab bars by the toilet, one beside and one behind. There are some accessible rooms at The Palazzo with a bathtub and some with a wheel-in shower, so make sure you request the wheel-in shower if you need one. 

Wheel-Under Sink

Wheel-Under Sink

Toilet With Two Grab Bars

Toilet With Two Grab Bars

For me, the coolest thing about the entire room was that the blinds were controlled by remote!! There was a sheer layer and a blackout blind layer and it was so fun to watch them open and close! (I know, the small things make me happy!)

Remote Controlled Blinds

Remote Controlled Blinds

Our room was facing the opposite direction from the strip and we had an amazing view. We looked out over a golf course and seeing all of that green in Vegas was pretty amazing. 

Beautiful View From Our Room

Beautiful View From Our Room

The hallways in the hotel are very wide and although they are carpet, they are quite easy to wheel around in.

Nice, Wide Hallways

Nice, Wide Hallways

If you have been to Vegas before, you have probably seen the lobby of The Palazzo. It is really stunning. The pictures absolutely do not do it justice. There is also great shopping at The Palazzo and it is connected to The Venetian so you can shop in both hotels without ever having to brave the Vegas heat!

Stunning Lobby

Stunning Lobby

There are a number of pools at The Palazzo and they are situated in different areas. The great thing about this is that you can choose to sit in the shade or in the sun. As the sun moves, you will find lots of people re-locating. There is no pool lift that we saw but the pools were very easy to bounce down into and there were shallow areas around several of the perimeters that were easy for my husband to sit on. There were also lounge chairs in the shallow part of the water that made it easy to lay back and soak up some sun. 

One of The Palazzo Pools closest to the Azure Lounge

One of The Palazzo Pools Closest to the Entrance for the Azure Luxury Pool

We don’t usually use the gym in Vegas because we end up doing so much walking/wheeling, but we did head to the gym at The Palazzo. We were completely shocked to find a wheelchair-friendly arm ergometer! This is no cheap-o arm crank either. It comes with a TV for you to watch while you cycle. Crazy!

Wheelchair Friendly Arm Cycle

Wheelchair Friendly Arm Cycle

In the canal area of The Palazzo and The Venetian, there is a gondola attraction where you can sail along the canal in a gondola while being serenaded by a singing gondolier. There is wheelchair access to the gondola. We didn’t try it out but we did see the area where the wheelchair would enter and exit the “ride”.

THE BAD

I can’t really say anything bad about The Palazzo itself as it is such a beautiful hotel. In the shopping area where the canal is, however, there are several foot bridges that able-bodied people can cross, but they are not accessible. This is slightly annoying as wheelchair users basically have to pick a side and stick to it all the way along the canal. At the end, you can double back and see the shops on the other side, but it would be nice if you could go back and forth somehow like everyone else. 

About Vegas in general, smoking is still allowed in all of the casinos. I find the smell pretty overwhelming as, where we live, smoking is banned in all inside establishments. Fortunately, the hotel rooms and the shopping areas do not smell like smoke, so it is fairly easy to avoid if you walk quickly through the casinos.

THE UGLY

There is nothing ugly about The Palazzo!

OVERALL

Overall, this is one of the most beautiful properties on the strip. We felt very lucky to have experienced it, if only for a couple of days. The entire hotel has a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere about it and there are almost no crowds here. The food is great, the shopping is great, the location is great and you cannot beat the accessibility in this hotel or in Vegas in general. 

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