Stay & Play
M Resort Spa Casino
Las Vegas Retreat Away from the Fray
by Randy Mink
From our room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip confirmed that all the glitz was clearly within our grasp. Though the best of Sin City lay right at our fingertips, it was comforting to know we could keep the Strip’s carnival atmosphere at arm’s length, as our hotel was out by itself in the desert, 10 miles south of the fabled corridor. Even diehard Vegas fans say the city’s heartbeat can become too rich for the blood.
M Resort Spa Casino was our safety valve. A self-contained, upscale retreat on a 90-acre plot in the Nevada community of Henderson, it’s a bit removed from the frenzy yet in the same league as the big-name Strip properties. Whenever my adult son and I returned to our suburban estate after spending time in town, we felt a sense of order, of calm, of being home. Public areas are spacious and sparkling, and almost everything—casino, bars, restaurants—is on the lobby level.
As official headquarters hotel of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and other professional teams, the 390-room resort plays up its sports connections with football- and hockey-themed eateries. When we entered the lobby, we couldn’t help notice the elaborate water wall with statues of a player from football’s Raiders and the Henderson Silver Knights, an American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Soon after arrival, we went to the top (16th) floor for Asian fusion cuisine at Jayde@16. From our table overlooking the city lights, I savored honey walnut prawns and washed it down with Japanese beer. My son went for the sushi and sashimi.
Knight Time Hockey Bar, bordering the casino floor, is the perfect spot for watching hockey. From the bar or adjacent tables, patrons can view the NHL and other sports TV channels. A video column shows hockey play, and walls are adorned with Silver Hawks paraphernalia. The beers-on-tap menu features 96 brews from around the world, including five from Canada. For lunch we enjoyed Montreal Smoked Steak Poutine. (One evening a hotel shuttle took us to T-Mobile Arena, about 20 minutes away, for a Golden Knights-Montreal Canadiens match.)
Entering Raiders Tavern & Grill, guests pass through a shrine-like display of autographed footballs and helmets under glass. The decor mirrors team colors—silver and black—and Raiders memorabilia is everywhere. First Down Butter Cake, a winning dessert item garnished with date jam and toffee sauce, comes in the shape of a football.
The names of two restaurants—Anthony’s Prime Steak & Seafood and Marinelli’s Pasta Bar—are nods to M Resort founder and former owner Anthony Marnell III. Likewise, the resort takes its name from his surname initial.
The expansive M Pool area, equipped with cabanas and daybeds, features two heated, infinity-edge pools and two hot tubs. Doubling as an entertainment piazza, the sprawling, palm-studded space hosts headliner concerts.
The resort, owned by PENN Entertainment, soon will break ground on a second tower that will hold an additional 384 guest rooms.
A shimmering oasis not unlike a mirage in the desert, M Resort is simply Marvelous (with a capital M).
