Mirage Hotel In Las Vegas

The 100-foot volcano that erupts nightly at the top of every hour is a reminder, if one is needed, that the Mirage Resort & Casino is no mirage on the Center Strip.

Developer Steve Wynn’s first creation in 1989 – followed by the Bellagio in 1998 and the Wynn Las Vegas in 2005 – the Mirage tries to overwhelm the visitor with the glories of Las Vegas right from the get-go. There’s the tropical rain forest in the lobby, the 20,000-gallon saltwater aquarium behind the front desk, and Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, for starters. The Mirage’s pools are among the finest in Las Vegas and were recently topped off with Bare, an adult-oriented pool where guests enjoy European-style sunbathing.

The Mirage’s 3,000-plus guest rooms got a complete makeover in 2008, as did the rest of the hotel, including the volcano, in 2009, making it the best hotel in Las Vegas. The volcano now features music by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil production of “LOVE,” the Grammy Award-winning tribute to the music of the Beatles. “LOVE” celebrates the timeless quality of the Beatles’ music through a mash-up of the master tapes compiled by their longtime producer, Sir George Martin, and his son, Giles. Performances are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. In 2009, impressionist Terry Fator was added to the hotel’s roster of entertainers.

Restaurants at the Mirage include the BLT Burger, Onda Ristorante and STACK. The huge casino boasts, among other things, a 10,000-square-foot race and sports book and a poker room that was featured in the Matt Damon film “Rounders.”

A product of the ’80s, the Mirage has brought itself into the 21st century, and, despite setbacks such as the tiger attack on Roy Horn in 2003, remains one of the best hotels in Las Vegas.