the luxor's sorta-kinda-cool-from-the-outside pyramid shape wreaks havoc on the hotel rooms within.  low ceilings, angled windows that you have to lean back at a precarious angle to see out of (and that, even with the dark tint, require the curtains to be drawn at all times to keep the room from heating up to uncomfortable degrees), and ... malfunctioning plumbing.  we thought it was just our room that was cursed with a non-flushing toilet.  but friends who have stayed at the luxor in the past were quick to mention experiencing the same issue.  all i can come up with is that this is a HUGE design flaw in the pyramidal structure: none of the rooms are directly above one another, so it would seem that none of the pipes would be directly lined up in a vertical fashion, resulting in poor water flow?  clearly i am not a physicist or engineer, but that's the only thing i can think of to explain the issue, since the bathrooms on the main floor of the casino seemed to function properly.  \n\namenities in the hotel were mixed: no good food options (a mini-food court with some nasty fast food, about six starbucks, and a buffet), an ok spa, and an ok pool.  they have systematically removed anything that might cast a shadow from the pool area to make the non-fee area as uncomfortable as possible and encourage use of the $30 \""private\"" area with umbrellas, cabanas, and shade to spare.  best $30 i spent in vegas.  seriously.  \n\nthe location is ok, as it's connected to mandalay, but you're not extremely close to the rest of the casinos and will end up taking cabs a fair amount.