A-to-Z reasons Park MGM is the best new thing on the Las Vegas Strip

Resorts on the world famous Las Vegas Strip are like mini theme parks—adult playgrounds offering boozing and schmoozing, winning and losing, over-the-top club scenes and (hopefully) loose slot machines, plus the most glamorous restaurants and guestrooms in the desert. That’s why a newcomer is always cause for celebration and that’s why your next Strip stay should be at Park MGM. This Vegas showstopper boasts nearly 3,000 guestrooms in the heart of the Strip with luxury boutique hotel the NoMad Las Vegas occupying its top few floors. Need convincing? Here’s 26 reasons to make Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas your new Vegas hangout.

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A is for avocado toast

We’re pretty convinced that overpaying for avocado toast is not actually the reason millennials can’t afford to buy homes anymore but nonetheless, this $17 version at the NoMad Bar might be worth being a renter for a few more years. It’s a meaty slab of bread topped with a generous slathering of fresh avocado, sunflower seeds, radishes and piment d’esplette (a fancy pepper). For a blast of protein, absolutely get a side of duck sausage to go with it.

 

B is for bath time

Speaking of the NoMad, the hotel’s studio-sized Atelier Suites offer a “just right” Goldilocks option that sits comfortably between standard guestroom and Grand Suite. In addition to hardwood oak floors, steam trunk minibars and 528 square feet of space, its best feature is a deep-soaking pedestal bathtub in every room that—get this—sits provocatively right next to the bed. This is why we love you, Vegas.

C is for check-in

Snaking lines are for nightclubs, not hotel check-ins and at Park MGM there are none. Instead, the lobby boasts a cluster of self-serve kiosks and lobby hosts who float around the lobby offering assistance. In a word, it’s seamless and in fitting with the park vibe of the hotel, it all happen underneath a gargantuan sculpture of tree roots. You’ll see.

 

D is for duckpin bowling

If you’re wondering who came in third place in the Juvenile International Midwest Pageant 25 years ago, wade through the forest of vintage trophies adorning Moneyline Sports Bar & Book, a sports and betting bar. This forest of awards, pennants and vintage jerseys almost overshadows the muted orange banquettes, the large bar whose luscious curves offer an Art Deco hat tip and a back game room with duckpin bowling—like 10-pin bowling but way cuter!

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E is for exit

The labyrinthine layouts of some Vegas hotels can be exhausting. (Getting out of Caesars Palace is near impossible.). We love that Park MGM is a sane alternative to Strip megaresorts. It’s super simple: If you’re standing on the compact casino floor, walk toward Eataly if you want to reach the Strip, turn around and walk the other way for guestroom elevators. Done.

 

F is for fresh-cut flowers

If you rise and shine early enough on the right day, you can hear sound of scissors snapping off stems as the NoMad in-house florists brings stunning arrangements to the hotel’s common areas. Flowers are imported from all over the world, including Holland, Colombia and California, among other places, and they’re reason enough to linger longer in the NoMad’s elegant lobby.

G is for garden vibes

We’re ripping a page straight from the Park MGM website on this one, but the phrase “garden vibes” perfectly describes restaurant Primrose, a casual eatery serving French-American country fare morning, noon and night. Its best feature isn’t the buttermilk pancakes with glazed blueberries or even the short rib ciabatta for lunch; it’s feasting on it all at the poolside courtyard either at the magic hour just before the sun sets!

H is for Hogsalt

In Chicago, when a restaurant from Hogsalt opens, it becomes the talk of that town for literally months. But until the Windy City-based hospitality group opens spinoff eateries in every city, we’ll remain thankful for the Vegas outpost of popular Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar. A classic Chicago-style steakhouse with a speakeasy vibe, Bavette’s does everything great including their chocolate cream pie which is the richest and most awesome desert in Las Vegas. There, we said it.

 

I is for I love rock and roll

Imagine stepping inside an old jukebox. That’s the vibe at On the Record, an intimate Vegas nightclub that trades EDM for straight up rock. Think wall-to-wall vinyl records, cassettes and old 8-track tapes (look ‘em up if you’re under 35), plus a terrace that’s pure British Invasion, three private karaoke rooms, a collapsible bar for performances, live bands and a hidden speakeasy. It’s all courtesy of the Houston brothers, aka twins Mark and Jonnie who made LA nightlife cool again.

 

J is for Jabbawockeez

Mystere, Jabbawockeez, Absinthe, The Naked Magicians (do they show audiences their wands?)… Even if you hate gambling and swimming pools, Vegas is one of the world’s great entertainment capitals. Absolutely go see a show and absolutely do not pay full price. Instead hit up Tickets on Demand located in The Park adjacent to the hotel’s main entrance.

 

K is for kids

We prefer to leave them at home, BUT if you’re Vegas bound with the rugrats in tow, between 9am and 5pm the Park MGM concierge can arrange for childcare and also kid-friendly activities.

 

L is for Library

The Library at the original New York NoMad, a hybrid library and cocktail lounge, is basically why people are so gaga for the NoMad concept. The Vegas edition doesn’t have one, but the NoMad Restaurant does boast two stories of old books from David Rockefeller’s personal collection. (You’re welcome to rifle through ‘em.) Dinner here will set you back a few bucks for sure, but you’re worth it, right?

M is for Moroccan-inspired pool

By day, everybody heads to hotel pools to relax, cool off and mingle in Las Vegas, and come spring, there will be a brand new one grabbing everyone’s attention. The new pool at NoMad Las Vegas at Park MGM is styled after the Majorelle Gardens of Morocco, featuring striking blue accents, daybeds, cabanas and a café, all in a garden-like setting. Also, be sure to check out the new JEMAA – The NoMad Pool Party series launching in April!

 

N is for Nighthawks

A nighthawk is a bird that sleeps all day and comes out at night to play; if that sounds like you in Vegas, book a Nighthawk Suite. These perfectly-sized rooms are a bump up from standard guestrooms without busting the bank and include king-size alcove beds, extra-large bathrooms, walk-in closets and two separate living spaces, you know, for when your whole crew swings by.

 

O is for one arm bandits

Even if you’re a non-gambler, few can resist the siren call of the slot machines littered throughout most Vegas resorts. Although odds are pretty terrible compared to table games (and most no longer have the old-timey pull handles that give them their famous nickname), they’re a cheerful way to pass the time—and you can win big. Machines are switched out all the time, but on our last visit we crushed it hard on Joe Blow Gold, 007 and Cash Climb.

 

P is for Poker Face

If you’re a card player, it’s good to bring one of these to Vegas, but in this case we’re referring to the 2008 hit single Lady Gaga belts out during Lady Gaga Enigma, her Vegas residency which resumes end of May at the gorgeous Park Theater attached to Park MGM. Not looking for a Bad Romance? Aerosmith, Cher, Janet Jackson and Bruno Mars are also in residence at The Park this year.

 

Q is for quesadillas (with truffled mushrooms)

It’s requisite Vegas to end a night of clubbing and booze-fueled tomfoolery with greasy good eats. Enter Side Betty Grill, a tiny nook of an eatery attached to Moneyline Sports Bar & Book (see D is for duckpin bowling). The basic menu includes items like a griddled cheeseburger and a nacho bar, but truffle-dusted funghi smothered in jack cheese and folded into a tortilla also hits the spot.

R is for Redemption

A good Vegas cocktail bar offers an antidote to the city’s relentless ability to exhaust. Gather your crew and sink into a navy blue banquette at Juniper Cocktail Lounge. The Maple Old Fashioned is just perfect. It’s made with Redemption Whiskey (already sweet thanks to its high amount of corn) and heightened with barrel-aged maple syrup. In the evening, the curtains drop to shield visitors from the casino floor and DJs show up to add mellow beats.

 S is for sun and shade

Park MGM boasts three swimming pools—the North Pool, the South Pool and the smaller East Pool—and they’re all surrounded by tall buildings which means both shade and sun seekers should plan accordingly. In the morning, the North Pool gets the most sun while the South Pool gets the afternoon shift. The East Pool’s positioning means it’s more an even mix.

T is for Toro

Vegas has an Eataly! At last, the famed Italian marketplace has found a Strip-facing home attached to Park MGM. A smaller grocery section leaves more elbow room for the counter experiences for which Eataly has become famous (two words: Nutella bar!). After stuffing yourself with handmade pasta, say hello to Toro the dancing bull. He’s actually a mosaic tile imported from Italy, but if you spin counterclockwise on him three times, he’s said to bring good luck. How convenient that he’s located just off the casino floor.

U is for Uni Dynamite Rice

Even at 5pm, there are queues to get into Roy Choi’s riotous new Korean BBQ joint Best Friend. It’s partly to photograph the kitschy and Instagrammable front room, but that’s just a tease for the main dining room where large-scale murals hint at a love affair between Vegas and Choi’s native Los Angeles, and where servers dressed in shamrock green and Christmas red track suits run around serving up Asian street food. Don’t miss the kicking Uni Dynamite Rice—a skillet of fried rice topped with Santa Barbara uni, sriracha, yuzu and sesame. Dynamite indeed!

 

V is for Venti

Yes, there’s an Starbucks at Park MGM. The lines for it can be pretty unbearable, but if it’s an iced caramel macchiato you seek, there’s a location not far from the elevators.

 

W is for weddings

It’s not a proper Vegas resort unless you can drunkenly meet someone on the casino floor and be wedded to them just hours later. We’re joking. There’s no actual chapel at Park MGM (scoot next door to the Wedding Chapel at Aria for that), but there are plenty of gorgeous places to hold a reception, including poolside after 8pm or on the almost 4,500-square-foot Central Park Terrace overlooking the Primrose Garden.

X is for xi an noodles

Housed in a dining room so long and slender it resembles the leg of a Vegas showgirl, La La Noodles slings hand pulled noodles and other pan-Asian goodies in the heart of the Strip. Our favorite dish is the spicy Szechuan pork atop thick, chewy and densely rolled xi an noodles with minced pork, cucumbers and scallions. The menu also boasts shareable dim sum options. Bachelorettes, are you listening?

 

Y is for yoga flow

Every Saturday on the second floor of the resort (near the fitness center and spa), Park MGM hosts an hour of sunlit, vinyasa-style morning yoga. It’s a legit sweat fest to be sure and a 10am start time in a city where no tourist rises before noon practically ensures a crowd of die-hard yogis only. But there’s no better way to work off Friday’s excesses.

 

Z is for zamboni machine

Sure, you could catch a boxing match or the occasional headliner like Paul McCartney or Ariana Grande at T-mobile Arena, which stands adjacent to Park MGM, but ice hockey in the desert laced with frequent hat tips to the Sword and the Stone and other medieval pageantry has to be seen to be believed. All we’re saying is, hometown fanaticism for the Vegas Golden Knights and goalie Marc-André Fleury is real, people.

MGM Resorts compensated Orbitz for this article; such compensation may include travel and other costs.

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