Fontainebleau Las Vegas Review, Mary J. Blige Residency, and Where to Eat
- Nikki Winston, CPA
- Jul 31
- 7 min read
Okay, so I went to see Mary J. Blige in Las Vegas for her residency, and when I tell you that Mary turned that muthafucka out?! She turned it out, okay?!
Now, let’s back up for a minute because when I first saw that Mary was doing a residency in Las Vegas, I was like, if I don’t do anything else this year, I have to be there.
I flashed back to those days after school, still in elementary school, when the “Real Love” video came on BET. The “Love No Limit” video, when she had the suit with the collar and the big brooch around her neck. You know, the blonde hair with the curls, the soft freeze curls, and the long tail sideburns.
I was like, I’ve been a day one fan of Mary’s. That “You Remind Me” remix video? Don’t get me started. Her "The Tour" live CD is still one of my favorite CDs ever.
I was flashing back throughout my life and thinking about how much I love concerts. Of all the concerts I’ve attended, I had never seen Mary J. Blige live.
I was like, why is that? I don’t really care why that is, but I know I'm gonna change that.
I immediately started planning my trip. There had been talk online and videos saying that Mary was sitting down during the shows and was not really doing anything on stage. That was a little disheartening, but I was like, I don’t believe Mary operates like that.
I didn’t care if she sat down for the whole show. She could have sat in a chair and sang for the whole concert, and I still would've been there singing every single song.
I booked my trip to Las Vegas. Being the introvert that I am, I preferred to book a ticket to see her during the middle of the week when the show would be less croweded.
I booked my flight on Delta. Terminal South only of course.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas - The Best Hotels in Las Vegas
I chose to stay at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and when I tell you that the Fontainebleau Las Vegas and I go together!! They made a girl feel good the entire time I was there. They took really good care of me. I had one small complaint that I've already contacted their management team about, but other than that, it was still a 10/10 experience.
And of course I used my Amex Platinum FHR benefits plus the hotel gave me a daily dining credit so I ate good. Like I said, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas and I go together.
They have ruined other Las Vegas hotels for me because going forward, the only hotel I can stay at when I go to Las Vegas is the Fontainebleau. They can give me a T-shirt and a hat and put me in a commercial and I'll tell people how much I felt seen, taken care of, and waited on hand and foot while I was up and through that Fontainebleau.
That experience included everything from room service to the gym to the restaurants and all the good ass food I had while I was there.
My housekeeper said, “I know you don’t want your room cleaned, but do you need any extra towels?” I said, “Yeah, I'll take some extra towels.”
She started flipping through her towels for the best ones. You know, sometimes the housekeeper will grab the first available towels on the cleaning cart. She went through those towels and said, “Let me get you some of these because these are the newer ones, and they’re fluffy.”
She gave me three folded, extra fluffy ass towels. Then she said, “I know you’re here for a while. I might not be back on this floor, but here’s my information.”
I mean, everything was top tier. I loved everything about that hotel. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas and I go together!!!!
I’m not even tripping about the $62 I paid for a large mojito and a Smartwater at the pool. I don’t even care because Brie was my server at the pool, and she was cool.
My stay at the Fontainbleau was part of the reason I had an amazing time.
The Best Food I Ate in Las Vegas
I remembered from when I went to see Usher during his Las Vegas residency that Dolby Live had some really good restaurants - one of those being Eataly.
I made this slideshow so you can see some of the good food I had at the Fontainbleau Las Vegas and some restaurants close by including:
Ice cream from Capon's Burgers inside the Fontainebleau
Burger, fries, and milkshake from In & Out Burger
Lobster roll and chips from Nona's Lobster Shack
Omelette from La Fontaine inside the Fontainebleau
Breakfast and green juice from Vida inside the Fontainebleau
Caesar salad, bolognese, ciabatta bread, and red wine from La Pasta at Eataly
Click the arrow on the milkshake to scroll through.
Eataly has all these different restaurants, and I was in the mood for pasta, wine, and bread before the show. I went to Las Pasta inside Eataly and had some really good Bolognese, a red wine that went with it, and that ciabatta bread with olive oil.
Mary J. Blige Las Vegas Residency
I did the VIP ticket for Mary J. Blige’s residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, so I had a free open bar. They made really good ass rum punch type drinks, including different drinks named after different class Mary J. Blige songs, individual charcuteries for us, and a nice setup with other snacks and music. I had a couple bites of the charcuterie since I had just had pasta, ciabatta bread, wine, and all of that.
I also met a couple ladies - one from Detroit and one from Florida and we laughed and chopped it in VIP like we had traveled there together. We took full advantage of the open bar and had a good number of drinks and laughs. After that we snapped some pictures while we wondered why the elevator was taking so long - because T from Detroit thought she pushed the damn button but she didn't LOL! Needless to say the drinks were kicking in as we said our byes and went off to our respective sections before the concert started.
The pre-show DJ hyped us up then the lights went out in the theatre. Mary did a 2026 version of the What's the 411 voicemail (IYKYK) that ended with her Momma saying how proud she was of her. Tears! Then the screen went dark and the light shined on Mary: standing on the top in all white, including a floor length white fur and her signature thigh boots, hopefully taking in all of the screaming and crying we were doing in complete awe of her.
A good two hours of Mary singing, dancing, inspiring, laughing, and reminding us all who the FUCK we are. A time. A TIME. A TIME!!!
Staying at the Fontainbleau Las Vegas
I was intentional about experiencing everything that the Fontainbleau offered. Shit, I was paying the resort fee, and the hotel was so damn big that I had to walk around a couple of times to get acclimated to everything.
I packed my gym clothes because I knew I was gonna work out at the gym. Even if I had only walked the Strip, that would have been a workout for me. However, I was like, shit, I need to see what this top tier gym is talking about.
I ended up working out at the gym and having a good ass experience. The workout made my body feel so nimble. My lower back felt so loose. I felt like my back pain was alleviated, even if it was temporary.
I got on the elliptical, my favorite cardio/HIIT machine. The elliptical and I go together too.
I had a really good workout on the elliptical with my workout playlist playing on Spotify. I was about to leave, but I was like, no. I wanna do some work on my core, and I wanna stretch before I leave.
I also did that, and it felt really good. The endorphins were jumpin' and brought back that feeling that makes going to the gym worth it every time.
After I got back to my room, I ordered room service breakfast, showered, and recorded a video.
I also had meetings that day because I was working while traveling. Thanks to remote work, I was able to marry my vacation with my work. I was able to bring my whole self and be present in both.
It was important for me to slow down and pencil in the things I wanted to get done.
I had planned to go to Chanel to buy more shoes. The Chanel inside the Wynn Las Vegas is actually the store where I bought my first pair of Chanel shoes.
I went into the store. I had thought about making an appointment, but I didn't know how my schedule would be with the She's Got Time conference schedule and everything else.
Most of the She’s Got Time Conference was inside the Wynn, so I planned to go over there during a break or after the conference ended one day and check out some things.
When I went inside Chanel, there were probably five people working in there. They said hello when I walked in, but nobody offered to help me.
They were all so busy, caught up in themselves, key-keying, and having sidebar conversations.
I was like, oh, okay. Well, you’re not finna get any commission off me today. Whether you get paid by the hour or by commission, I don’t even want your help today. I turned around and walked out.
Overall, I had an amazingly good time in Las Vegas. I’ll be back in a minute I'm sure - if not for a work conference, for another concert.
~Nikki
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