The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is located on the centre of the Las Vegas Strip with the Aria to the south and The Bellagio to the north. It is proud to represent ‘Modern’ Las Vegas and unlike its premium alternatives such as The Bellagio and The Venetian that have more of a classic aesthetic, The Cosmopolitan is a hotel built with a style that feels unique. It’s has modern art at the core and this could be the perfect hotel on the Las Vegas Strip for the millennial generation as modern tastes and overpriced egg sandwiches mix with traditional gambling and classic martinis. But the question remains - With a Las Vegas hotel, resort and casino so unashamed to be the ‘millennials’ hotel in its design - how does it fare to an over 40s couple, who’s partying days are behind them?

the apartment block that never was

The Cosmopolitan as an area of real estate has an interesting story to tell. I first stayed here in 2018 and at the time my partner and I stayed in a One Bedroom Terrace, Fountain View room. The room had a kitchenette, which for us was fantastic. The reason for these extra amenities was that before The Cosmopolitan was opened in 2010 the original plans was for the building to be an apartment block. However there was a slow uptake on people deciding to put down deposits on the apartments due to the global banking crisis that begun in 2008. In fact, when the decision was made to make The Cosmopolitan a hotel, the developers sought to buy back the deposits and many sold them. However some didn’t, and made a huge profit on their small investment. Based on this article, published in 2017 - there was still 17 units still under private ownership.

I can’t attain as to whether the microwave etc is still in these rooms, as for this trip, which was our honeymoon, we decided to stay in Terrace Suite Fountain View.

the room

The appeal of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is the balcony. And if you have a fountain view there really is nothing like relaxing with a nice drink or a cigar and watching the bustling activities of the Las Vegas strip and the Bellagio fountains from 30 floors up. Its really incredibly impressive to be at total relaxation in the heart of Las Vegas.

The room itself is equally as impressive with a large dining and lounge area with a bar, separate from the bedroom. The first of two full bathrooms has a large rain shower and single vanity with impressive selection of toiletries. The dining area has a large round table with 4 comfortable chairs, and the lounge portion has a sectional couch with an arm chair and a large 55” TV with interactive features including Netflix, YouTube and all the local and national TV channels. So you can kick back after a stint in the casino with some HGTV. The TV has a HDMI extender port in the wall to connect a laptop or games console. However in our room the port wasn’t there, just a hole in the wall where it used to be. I assume it was damaged and had yet to be replaced. Though we could have contacted maintenance regarding this, it would have been impossible for the hotel to fix this without removing half the dry-wall. The lounge also has a large safe, that will easily fit a 14” MacBook Pro. I think you may struggle with a 16” model.

The bedroom sports another large screen TV, a chaise lounge and a king size bed. There is a shallow-depth desk, a large built in wardrobe and enough storage for 2 people. The bedding is of exceptional quality and the mattress is on the softer side. Though there is no pillow menu that I could find, I did see housekeeping carrying pillows to another room, so I am sure you can ask if you need a hypoallergenic pillow option.

The second of the two full bathrooms is another spectacle that the Cosmopolitan should be proud of. It’s huge, with a double vanity, decent size bath with jacuzzi jets and a large shower with fantastic pressure. Though oddly the taps (faucet for my American friends) seem to turn the wrong way!

The overall decor of the room is muted with greys and some purple and silver accents. The low level lighting and plenty of floor laps gives the entire space a cosy feel upon an evening and during the daytime plenty of lights pours in from the two sets of sliding doors that give access to the balcony.

The Cosmopolitan has an outstanding room in the Terrace Suite Fountain View and I would highly recommend it.

the resort

The Cosmopolitan is made up of two towers (the Chelsea and the Boulevard tower). Each sport their own pool and are connected by the large casino, eateries, bars and conference space that take up 3 floors. The walk between the two isn’t too long. But this is Vegas, your step count will be high!

The Cosmopolitan is a popular location for conferences and large scale corporate events, and had the facilities that the clientele has come to expect - there is a decent onsite gym with plenty of cardio and resistance machines and a small area with free weights. The gym does get very busy in the morning and late afternoon. But the on-site trainers and staff are very helpful. Lots of complementary bottled water is also available. The pools are both great and in the first half of the day are very relaxing. The hot tub is a scorching 39c and overloaded with chlorine. There is better shade in the Chelsea pool than the Boulevard pool for those who like to sit out, but need to temper their exposure to the Nevada sunshine, I’m fair skinned and burn very easily. The drinks around the pool are around the $20 mark and they also serve snacks. Though we didn’t eat round the pool due to the cost of food, we did spy some very nice looking mesa that was delivered to an couple sat next to us. The boulevard pool is under the day club, so you can expect a younger crowd. I believe this area is exclusively 21+, but cannot be sure. There were some children in the Chelsea pool during our stay, but they were well behaved. Poolside beds and cabanas are available should you be with a group of friends and feeling extra flush. They are not cheap, and will set you back several thousand dollars for the day or half-day.

The modern art vibe that I mentioned permeates the entire resort beginning in the impressive lobby with video screens showing bodies being pressed against glass. It’s hard to describe, you have to see it.

the casino

I absolutely love the casino at the Cosmopolitan. There are tons of real-reels machine along with the video slots, table game, high limit, video poker - you name it, it’s there for your gambling pleasure. The Cosmopolitan, also pumps in a signature scent throughout the common areas. As this was our second trip to the hotel it was instantly recognisable. As with 95% of the casinos in Las Vegas you can smoke on the casino floor but they use an advanced air filtration system and coupled with this scent, if you’re adverse to cigarette or cigar smoke you don’t have anything to worry about it begin excessive.

For the gambling, on this trip, let’s just say I was very unlucky! I didn’t win much on the slots and lost money quite quickly. I set myself a daily limit for gambling and unlike on previous trips it seemed to disappear quite quickly. The good thing though is that there are plenty of waiting staff, so you don’t have to wait long before you’re offered a beverage once you find your game of choice. Don’t forget to use your Identity card (the current rewards program, however I hear that it will soon move to MGM? I hope so!) - I would recommend picking this up as soon as you arrive you can earn points on anything you purchase in the resort, including food and drink.

food and drink

If you’re a foodie, you really can’t go wrong with The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The quality of the food is also quite well known and so you will have to wait for the more popular eateries such as Eggslut in the morning and Secret Pizza in the evening. Eggslut has the most incredible truffle hash browns and Secret Pizza is easily the best pizza in LV (in my opinion) - a full pie will set you back about $35 - we took the pie to our room and ate it on the balcony. Along with more high end restaurants where you can easily spend hundreds of dollars without breaking a sweat on a meal for two. The Cosmopolitan also has Block 16 Urban Food Hall, a sort of food court that feels more like a collection of food trucks. I had the best grilled cheese and beef sandwich I’ve ever tasted at Lardo. It’s was out of this world. (And cost about $16 - dirty fries are extra, but worth it).

There are plenty of bars, and hidden away speakeasies for you to find. Each with their own signature drinks and style. At the core is the astonishing Chandelier bar, which is set over 3 floors and is wrapped in thousands of crystals, perhaps a million? Each floor has a slightly different vibe, with the most activity on the ground floor which is open 24/7.

Due to the location of The Cosmopolitan, being centre strip, if you don’t want to eat on site the Miracle Mile is less than 5 mins walk away - take the overpass from the 2nd floor exit. Everything including Wallgreens is moments away. Top Tip - Use the ATM in Wallgreens, the fee is $3.75 - I believe it’s close to $10 to take out cash in the casino.

Like most hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, The Cosmopolitan has a buffet - The Wicked Spoon. Unfortunately, my husband and I chose not to eat here, as we did on our last visit and found it to be a huge disappointment. With so many choices, I found it to not be good value and the food quality to be under par. However, on this visit the queues were very long, so they may know something that we didn’t. But with the buffet costing a premium (Upwards of $60 per person) I didn’t want to take the risk.

the crowd

The diverse crowd at The Cosmopolitan is reflective of the modern and unique look and feel of the entire resort and hotel. I didn’t encounter any rudeness, and people were very friendly. The staff don’t suffer fools. Don’t take up a table in a busy bar to kill time and not order a drink. People are dressed smartly and during my trip I saw enough white blazers to almost convince myself that they were back in fashion. As there was a conference on during our stay there was an abundance of professional people (so the queue for my morning Starbucks was like waiting for a ride at Disney World)

The crowd is, for the most part, mainly 30s - mid 40s I would say. The cosmopolitan is priced so that those who are looking for a party week and just need the most basic room will probably go elsewhere.

final thoughts

It’s no secret that The Cosmopolitan is easily the best hotel, in my opinion, on the Las Vegas Strip. I visiting here when I was in my 30s and now I’m in my 40s, it still feels like my Las Vegas home. Its location next to the Bellagio, with fountain views and the balcony make for unique views and experiences unlike anything else in the area. Whereas I believe that the Casino at the Bellagio still beats the Cosmopolitan in both size and variety, the eateries cannot be beaten. The rooms are clean, the staff attentive and highly trained. This is a high end establishment with prices to match. But you will still get a crowd who are looking for a good time, but have some decent manners too. Please, Thank you and Excuse Me. You will hear this (or let me say that I did) My experience has been great and I would highly recommend the Cosmopolitan to anyone. It’s not perfect, but it’s very very good.

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This written review is based on a soon to be released video review and guide that will be on YouTube later this summer. If you want to support me, you can for free by subscribing to the weekly newsletter and our YouTube channel. Copies of long form blogs are also shared to Medium.