Not Much of a Secret (Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat (USA))

Member Name: katygriff

Product:	Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat (USA)
Date:	21/10/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks Nice

Disadvantages: Space for the Animals

When we were in Vegas on Honeymoon I had heard quite a lot about the Secret Garden at the Mirage Hotel so I was intrigued and persuaded my husband to take me. What I found is that it had its good and bad points so I will attempt to tell you why. It is still worth a visit though if you find yourself in the wonderful Vegas.

Location
The secret garden is located in the Mirage Hotel which is smack bang in the middle of the Vegas strip. It has an exploding volcano outside at night and in the day it is a lovely goldy colour so you can't really miss it. The Mirage is full of Siegfried and Roy stuff and there is a huge gold statue of them just outside by the road so it is well advertised.

I think the location is perfect because everybody in Vegas knows where the Mirage Hotel is and when in the Hotel it is well sign posted so you have no problem finding it. Plus because the Mirage is in the middle of the strip you wont be too far away from it wherever you are staying.

What is it?
This is a secret garden and has a whole host of animals. There are lions and tigers and it is mainly a dolphin habitat. It is known well around Vegas because of Siegfried and Roy who are well known for their love of magic and animals so Vegas is a perfect place for this secret garden.

The Secret Garden
When you walk in you have to walk through some huge gates and then down to where a very friendly host will tell you about the gardens. The first thing you come to is the dolphins but don't think you will see them doing all sorts of tricks or a show. This is a dolphin education facility and when we came they showed us a Mom and a baby and threw a ball in the pool which they loved. The dolphins are used to people though as they do come quite close to you and you can sit on the edge of the pool. There are 2 pools that the dolphins go into.

What you can do if you want to get closer to the dolphins is you can actually buy experiences and become a trainer. I think this cost about $100 though and it takes a lot of your day up so we didn't do it as we were only in Vegas for a few days.

Then if you walk away from the dolphins you get to the tigers and lions. Now this is where I have a little issue with the secret garden. Now the lions were the first thing we got to and there were 2 of them. They are outside and have lovely trees and the habitat looks great but the lions were in a very small cage in my opinion. I had been warned about it but I was quite shocked as I felt sorry for them and they did not look very happy at all. Beautiful animals though.

Then you walk around the corner and there are some beautiful golden tigers and white tigers. Now some of the tigers had big enclosures but again there was a huge white tiger and there just didn't seem enough space for him.

The highlight of the trip though was seeing the baby leopard who was beautiful and you can tell the keepers look after them well. The keeper was in there playing quite happily with him like he was a dog and he had plenty of toys in there.

Then there is a shop which sells some souvenirs and of course a little place that sells some drinks and icecreams as Vegas is so hot. We sat down with some drinks watching the dolphins for about half hour which was really relaxing in the sun. The staff are very friendly though and they will answer any questions you want about any of the animals so although I don't agree with the space they have I think everything else is looked after by the staff.

Other Information
There is not much walking at the secret gardens which is good and it is well adapted for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The cost is $15 each which is not that bad although it does seem a little expensive at first considering you can do the gardens in about an hour or 2 if you go slowly. Considering the cost of other attractions in Vegas though this is a good price.


What really makes the secret garden nice is how it looks. Trees and plants everywhere and it does look exactly like you are in a tropical forest especially with the Vegas heat. We spent a couple of hours here and it was very enjoyable but I do think that they could make the animals a bit more comfortable by giving them a little more space. It made me feel quite uncomfortable looking at those lions and the white tiger who was huge.

I do think they have made a nice place though and I would recommend people go but I would rather have the lions at the MGM grand. Four stars from me.

Thanks for reading.

xxx

Summary: Worth a Look