My Fiancee and I stayed here for 3 nights in January, 2012.  It was our first stay, but definitely not our last.  We were both pleasantly surprised by our total experience here, and we never even got around to seeing the grounds, the wave pool or the shark reef.  Firstly, the staff was uniformly not just helpful but genuinely friendly, beyond the call of duty.  And I mean everyone: from the dealers, the food-servers, the cocktail waitresses, the front-desk people.  Well, a couple of the roulette table staff had the personalities of rocks, but on the other hand, a couple of the blackjack dealers (Ray and Vicki) were absolutely outstanding, to make up for their roulette counterparts.  Our room exceeded our expectations.  It was well-appointed, tastefully decorated, clean, and comfy.  The bed was very nice, and I'm picky about beds.  The bathroom was spacious and classy.  The only downside was the lack of an in-room coffee-maker, which would have been nice.  The casino was one of the nicest we saw anywhere on the Strip.  We actually liked it better than Bellagio -- not as ornate.  We only ate at a couple of the onsite restaurants (Raffles and the Buffet) but both featured good food at reasonable prices (for Vegas) with good service.  We were sorry to have to leave, and will definitely stay at Mandalay Bay again.  Sure, it's at the far southern end of the Strip, but we both remarked that once you've seen the sights of Vegas, there wouldn't be much need to leave the confines of this hotel and casino, other than to see a show.  It has all you really need in Vegas.