1 of 5
2 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
By Tanya & Bob Waite
Tanya and I are excited about our stay at the MGM Tower in the Borgata Casino Resort at Atlantic City, NJ. We arrive on the tail end of a heavy rain and wind storm. Although we can park the car in a lot designated for the MGM Tower, we decide to park in the main Borgata parking garage because it is still raining and windy. As Tanya and I walk off the parking lot elevator into a dazzling world of upscale shops, a bakery and seasonal displays, Tanya’s beautiful brown eyes sparkle with excitement. As we walk the long corridor to MGM Tower, we hear the sound of slot machines and see lots of people strolling into various eateries and onto the casino floor.
We pass the check-in desk for Borgata because we know we can go right to the MGM Tower check-in and probably avoid the lines. Walking into the lobby of the MGM Tower, Tanya says, “Now this is what I am talking about.” Her aesthetic senses are heightened by the large oval chandelier and a design that aims to reflect the natural geographic surroundings and water views. She gets goose bumps whenever décor pleases her. She shivers by the looking at the bright, airy décor with nautical tones of blue and white. Even the carpet prints are reminiscent of ocean waves.
The MGM Tower at the Borgata, which was once the Water Club, was designed in a partnership between the MGM Resorts International Design Group and the acclaimed interior design firm RVD Associates. The remodel, which was part of a larger $55 million redesign of the former Water Club, was completed in 2024. Knowing this, we both can’t wait to see our room.
We check-in quickly. There is no long line. And unlike the Borgata Tower, the MGM tower seems to have no-waiting elevators. It is quieter and as a reviewer on Reddit put it, “… it’s like going into a boutique hotel that is in the hotel.”
As we walk into the room, well-lit with the natural light coming from the large window beyond the two queen beds, Tanya says, “This is stunning!” Then she takes her iPhone out of her pocket and gives the normal directions. “Don’t put anything on the floor or bed.” Not sure where I am supposed to be, I stay behind her as she takes photos of the two queen-sized beds, both cradled by a single wooden backboard. There is a nightstand table between the two beds. I am impressed with the number of outlets for electric and the charging of electronic devices.
The closet is roomy and there is a round table with two chairs and a large tv screen. The décor is bright but warm and the nautical palette is inspired by the Marina District. We are on the 31st floor, which is the next to highest floor in the hotel. The view of the bay and Marina is soothing.
Most reviewers of the Resort Queen Room love the bathroom. Tanya does too. In her linguistically inventive way, she exclaims, “Diddity doop!” Afterwards she praises Jesus, always a priority wherever we go. There is a large mirror, lit on both sides, shelves on the side of the inset sink area and a rainforest shower behind glass doors. The toilet is in a separate room.
After Tanya’s personal photoshoot, we unpack and go down to the casino, dining and shopping floor. The corridor from the MGM lobby to the casino is called The Shoppes at the MGM Tower. The upscale stores in this area are Capri, Fixation, Hugo Boss, and MGM & Co. Directly across from the elevators is the entrance to indoor pool and the Sunroom that is part of the MGM Tower’s lobby lounge. There you can order tapas options, such as salads, burgers, sandwiches, cheese, and charcuterie spreads.
The casino spans 161,000 square feet and features 176 gaming tables and 2,549 slot machines. There is also a 75+ table Poker Room. Although not gamblers in any sense of the word, we do try some of the slot machines and soon find out that we were not among those whose machines would produce a light show indicating that we are winners of a large jackpot. We break even.
After our tour of the hotel and casino, we head back to our room. Something’s wrong, the keys won’t open the door. We double check the room number and it is correct. Tanya waits upstairs and I go to the check-in desk. I explain and they take our keys and issue up a new pair. When I get back the keys work, but the room is very different. There is unrecognizable luggage on the floor. The dining table has a purse on it and there is clothing on the bed. Our stuff is also there and visible—on the tv shelf, the top of the dresser, the nightstand and in the closet. All our toiletries are out on display in the bathroom.
Tanya says, “Who put this stuff here?” I answer honestly, “Don’t know.” I call the front desk and explain that someone else came to our room and they unpacked a lot of their things. After checking that the room is definitely ours, a bellhop is sent to take their belonging down to the front desk. The bellhop comes and takes away all their things. A few minutes later the couple comes in the room and they have the same strange look on their faces as we had on ours. I explain what I thought would be obvious to the couple, and they, looking downcast, left the room. It was obviously a glitch in the system and poor vision that they didn’t straighten this out when they entered the room and saw that it was occupied.
After they left Tanya says, “This is crazy! Couldn’t they see our stuff? Then she walks over to where she kept her two bags of Nerds candy. There is only one left. “They took my candy!” she screams. “I feel violated!” And all of a sudden I realize that unless I act quickly the evening may be rough for my sensitive, candy loving wife. I ask, “Want more Nerds?” Realizing that I missed the point, she looks me straight in the eyes and exclaims, “I’ve been robbed!” I want to say that they may have thought the candy comes with the room, like the two bottles of water left for us when we checked in. But instead I say, “Come on Hon, let’s go to dinner.”
We decide to go to American Bar & Grille. At the American Bar & Grille, Chef Aram Mardigian prioritizes food quality with fresh ingredients, that differ seasonally. The menu features cuisine from all over the world but hosts a theme of Northeast American delicacies. And we are ready to eat. It is around 8 p.m. and we haven’t eaten since we stopped at a Dunkin’ around 2 p.m. The room is beautiful. The shiny hardwood floors, cozy seating, wine rack against the wall, windows, and creative lighting that emphasizes hanging lights that are shaded. Then there are the candles on each table. It has both a rustic and metropolitan look at the same time and somehow combines these seemingly opposite approaches to décor in a winsome way.
Tanya’s feeling of being the victim of a major crime fades as we are attended by a young server bringing us water and menus. I ask if she is our waitress and she replies, “I specialize in water.” In no time another server visits us and asks us what we want to drink. Tanya has a Margarita and I order a Bud Light.
The menu is divided into Starters, Wood Fired Pizza, House Specialties, Main Plates, Seasonal sides and Cocktails, Mocktails, Beer & Wine. I order the PEI Mussels Frits with garlic white wine, butter beans, fries, bearnaise from the Starters section of the menu. We ask for two plates. Tanya orders the Apple Cider Glazed Salmon with smoked shallots, shishito peppers. I order the Local NJ Fluke with wild mushrooms and truffle-leek sauce. From the Sides menu Tanya orders crispy garlic potatoes and I order mashed potatoes. We make eyes at each other as the candle washes our faces with its flickering light. Warm homemade bread is brought to our table. The unintentional mishap of an hour ago fades from our memory and we are dreamily waiting for our food.
The meal is perfect. The subtle flavors in our main plates and the appetizer slow down our eating speed so that we savor every bite. I particularly enjoy the mussels and the truffle-leak sauce that makes my Nj Fluke a memorable dining experience. Tanya, speaking of the Apple Cider Glazed Salmon, exclaims, “This is delicious!” Her eyes light up and she says, “This is probably the best Salmon I ever tasted.” Again it is the sauce—the Bearnaise. We have ice cream for dessert.
Going back to our room, we settle down and watch a movie knowing that the lights and excitement are downstairs, but we have another day to experience more of the Borgata.
Waking up, I go to the Food Hall to eat breakfast, while Tanya is still sleeping. As I survey the various eateries in this food court, I see Breakfast Time. I order scrambled eggs and pancakes. It is cooked to perfection (perfection simply means the way I like it) but the pancakes are too large and heavy for me to finish. Still, I am satisfied and would go there again.
When Tanya wakes up we decide to check out the pool in the MGM Tower. It is around noon that we finally get downstairs and walk into the pool area directly across from the elevators. Unlike the main indoor pool at the Borgata, the MGM pool requires that you must be 21 or over to use it. There is no one there when we go, so we have this heated pool, infinity-edge dipping pool, two invigorating jetted hot tubs and comfortable chaise lounges all to ourselves. I take a quick dip while Tanya sits on the side, with only her feet getting wet. We leave there and go back to our room to change and decide to go to off the premises and into Atlantic City.
We drive to a side street and walk on the boardwalk. A lot of the stores are closed, but we find a few open. One that is open is a regular on our visits to Atlantic City. It has clothing, jewelry, decorative items for the home and, of course, souvenirs. I am looking for a hat that says Atlantic City on it and Tanya is doing her “no” shakes with her head for each one that I like. She thinks I choose fashions that make me look older. Maybe I like the sympathy and deference I get by looking older. I buy a necklace for Tanya and a long sleeve tee-shirt for myself.
After that we go to Dunkin’, get a cup of coffee and sit on a bench drinking it in the crispy cool sea infused air. We have a lot of memories from our dating days and our excursions to Atlantic City. We sit there for about 15 minutes before the cool air overcomes us and we decide to go back to the hotel. But once in the car we decide to take a drive down the coast and enjoy looking at the seasonally deserted resort towns of South Jersey. We go as far as Ocean City, drive around there for a few minutes and then head back to the hotel.
Once inside, we think about where we will go this evening. It is about 5 p.m. and we go to our room, change and decide to eat light at Bread & Butter. I order a tuna sandwich with French Fries and Tanya has a chicken salad sandwich, sharing the French Fries with me.
We want to see some live entertainment but nothing that night catches our fancy. Walking by the casino, we drop into the Lobby Bar. Since we are not very big drinkers, we decide to have a cocktail each and nurse them as we sit across a table from each other and talk about our trip. The Lobby Bar is cozy and the furnishings are high end. And it is a piano bar. The pianist is playing soft jazz and we are loving it. We have continual eye contact as our discussion moves gently from one topic to another, centering on this trip and the many others we have taken.
After that we walk onto the casino floor deciding to find a really inexpensive way to take a few chances. We find a Quick Hit slot machine that we play together betting 50 cents at a turn. We go back and forth for about a half hour and our total loss is 10 dollars. Now feeling like long time gamblers we walk by the tables, realizing that we do not know how to play those games and we do not know how to get chips. So we watch others, some looking quite happy and others with obvious disappointment on their faces. I say, “This is not for us honey.” And Tanya replies, “That’s right darling.” We both agree that it is fun watching the action, but our lack of knowledge and a serious aversion to losing money keeps us from playing.
There are so many things to do at the Borgata. We are there off-season and early during the week, so many things we would do, we can’t. On a return trip we may want to go see a performance at the Event Center. The Event Center features 30,000 square feet of event space and is the home to many of our bigger stars and more exciting acts. The event center is a personal venue with high level acoustics and visual elements for attendees to enjoy. A more intimate performance venue is the Music Box. This is an area for more famous performers and in a compact setting so that all seats provide for an amazing show.
At about 10 p.m. we go back to our room. We turn on the tv and within a short period of time both of us fall asleep. We wake up around 8 a.m. and are refreshed for our drive home. As we drive back to beautiful Bucks County we reminisce about the beautiful room in the MGM Tower, the wonderful meal at the American Bar & Grille, the pool, the Lobby Bar and even the mix up and candy theft we experienced on our first night there. The cool late fall and mostly fallen leaves of Bucks County greet us and although we enjoyed the trip, we are happy to be home.
(bio)
Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine and Tanya is his wife, travel companion and the co-writer of this department.
By Bob & Tanya Waite
Tanya and I are excited about our stay at the MGM Tower in the Borgata Casino Resort at Atlantic City, NJ. We arrive on the tail end of a heavy rain and wind storm. Although we can park the car in a lot designated for the MGM Tower, we decide to park in the main Borgata parking garage because it is still raining and windy. As Tanya and I walk off the parking lot elevator into a dazzling world of upscale shops, a bakery and seasonal displays, Tanya’s beautiful brown eyes sparkle with excitement. As we walk the long corridor to MGM Tower, we hear the sound of slot machines and see lots of people strolling into various eateries and onto the casino floor.
We pass the check-in desk for Borgata because we know we can go right to the MGM Tower check-in and probably avoid the lines. Walking into the lobby of the MGM Tower, Tanya says, “Now this is what I am talking about.” Her aesthetic senses are heightened by the large oval chandelier and a design that aims to reflect the natural geographic surroundings and water views. She gets goose bumps whenever décor pleases her. She shivers by the looking at the bright, airy décor with nautical tones of blue and white. Even the carpet prints are reminiscent of ocean waves.
The MGM Tower at the Borgata, which was once the Water Club, was designed in a partnership between the MGM Resorts International Design Group and the acclaimed interior design firm RVD Associates. The remodel, which was part of a larger $55 million redesign of the former Water Club, was completed in 2024. Knowing this, we both can’t wait to see our room.
We check-in quickly. There is no long line. And unlike the Borgata Tower, the MGM tower seems to have no-waiting elevators. It is quieter and as a reviewer on Reddit put it, “… it’s like going into a boutique hotel that is in the hotel.”
As we walk into the room, well-lit with the natural light coming from the large window beyond the two queen beds, Tanya says, “This is stunning!” Then she takes her iPhone out of her pocket and gives the normal directions. “Don’t put anything on the floor or bed.” Not sure where I am supposed to be, I stay behind her as she takes photos of the two queen-sized beds, both cradled by a single wooden backboard. There is a nightstand table between the two beds. I am impressed with the number of outlets for electric and the charging of electronic devices.
The closet is roomy and there is a round table with two chairs and a large tv screen. The décor is bright but warm and the nautical palette is inspired by the Marina District. We are on the 31st floor, which is the next to highest floor in the hotel. The view of the bay and Marina is soothing.
Most reviewers of the Resort Queen Room love the bathroom. Tanya does too. In her linguistically inventive way, she exclaims, “Diddity doop!” Afterwards she praises Jesus, always a priority wherever we go. There is a large mirror, lit on both sides, shelves on the side of the inset sink area and a rainforest shower behind glass doors. The toilet is in a separate room.
After Tanya’s personal photoshoot, we unpack and go down to the casino, dining and shopping floor. The corridor from the MGM lobby to the casino is called The Shoppes at the MGM Tower. The upscale stores in this area are Capri, Fixation, Hugo Boss, and MGM & Co. Directly across from the elevators is the entrance to indoor pool and the Sunroom that is part of the MGM Tower’s lobby lounge. There you can order tapas options, such as salads, burgers, sandwiches, cheese, and charcuterie spreads.
The casino spans 161,000 square feet and features 176 gaming tables and 2,549 slot machines. There is also a 75+ table Poker Room. Although not gamblers in any sense of the word, we do try some of the slot machines and soon find out that we were not among those whose machines would produce a light show indicating that we are winners of a large jackpot. We break even.
After our tour of the hotel and casino, we head back to our room. Something’s wrong, the keys won’t open the door. We double check the room number and it is correct. Tanya waits upstairs and I go to the check-in desk. I explain and they take our keys and issue up a new pair. When I get back the keys work, but the room is very different. There is unrecognizable luggage on the floor. The dining table has a purse on it and there is clothing on the bed. Our stuff is also there and visible—on the tv shelf, the top of the dresser, the nightstand and in the closet. All our toiletries are out on display in the bathroom.
Tanya says, “Who put this stuff here?” I answer honestly, “Don’t know.” I call the front desk and explain that someone else came to our room and they unpacked a lot of their things. After checking that the room is definitely ours, a bellhop is sent to take their belonging down to the front desk. The bellhop comes and takes away all their things. A few minutes later the couple comes in the room and they have the same strange look on their faces as we had on ours. I explain what I thought would be obvious to the couple, and they, looking downcast, left the room. It was obviously a glitch in the system and poor vision that they didn’t straighten this out when they entered the room and saw that it was occupied.
After they left Tanya says, “This is crazy! Couldn’t they see our stuff? Then she walks over to where she kept her two bags of Nerds candy. There is only one left. “They took my candy!” she screams. “I feel violated!” And all of a sudden I realize that unless I act quickly the evening may be rough for my sensitive, candy loving wife. I ask, “Want more Nerds?” Realizing that I missed the point, she looks me straight in the eyes and exclaims, “I’ve been robbed!” I want to say that they may have thought the candy comes with the room, like the two bottles of water left for us when we checked in. But instead I say, “Come on Hon, let’s go to dinner.”
We decide to go to American Bar & Grille. At the American Bar & Grille, Chef Aram Mardigian prioritizes food quality with fresh ingredients, that differ seasonally. The menu features cuisine from all over the world but hosts a theme of Northeast American delicacies. And we are ready to eat. It is around 8 p.m. and we haven’t eaten since we stopped at a Dunkin’ around 2 p.m. The room is beautiful. The shiny hardwood floors, cozy seating, wine rack against the wall, windows, and creative lighting that emphasizes hanging lights that are shaded. Then there are the candles on each table. It has both a rustic and metropolitan look at the same time and somehow combines these seemingly opposite approaches to décor in a winsome way.
Tanya’s feeling of being the victim of a major crime fades as we are attended by a young server bringing us water and menus. I ask if she is our waitress and she replies, “I specialize in water.” In no time another server visits us and asks us what we want to drink. Tanya has a Margarita and I order a Bud Light.
The menu is divided into Starters, Wood Fired Pizza, House Specialties, Main Plates, Seasonal sides and Cocktails, Mocktails, Beer & Wine. I order the PEI Mussels Frits with garlic white wine, butter beans, fries, bearnaise from the Starters section of the menu. We ask for two plates. Tanya orders the Apple Cider Glazed Salmon with smoked shallots, shishito peppers. I order the Local NJ Fluke with wild mushrooms and truffle-leek sauce. From the Sides menu Tanya orders crispy garlic potatoes and I order mashed potatoes. We make eyes at each other as the candle washes our faces with its flickering light. Warm homemade bread is brought to our table. The unintentional mishap of an hour ago fades from our memory and we are dreamily waiting for our food.
The meal is perfect. The subtle flavors in our main plates and the appetizer slow down our eating speed so that we savor every bite. I particularly enjoy the mussels and the truffle-leak sauce that makes my Nj Fluke a memorable dining experience. Tanya, speaking of the Apple Cider Glazed Salmon, exclaims, “This is delicious!” Her eyes light up and she says, “This is probably the best Salmon I ever tasted.” Again it is the sauce—the Bearnaise. We have ice cream for dessert.
Going back to our room, we settle down and watch a movie knowing that the lights and excitement are downstairs, but we have another day to experience more of the Borgata.
Waking up, I go to the Food Hall to eat breakfast, while Tanya is still sleeping. As I survey the various eateries in this food court, I see Breakfast Time. I order scrambled eggs and pancakes. It is cooked to perfection (perfection simply means the way I like it) but the pancakes are too large and heavy for me to finish. Still, I am satisfied and would go there again.
When Tanya wakes up we decide to check out the pool in the MGM Tower. It is around noon that we finally get downstairs and walk into the pool area directly across from the elevators. Unlike the main indoor pool at the Borgata, the MGM pool requires that you must be 21 or over to use it. There is no one there when we go, so we have this heated pool, infinity-edge dipping pool, two invigorating jetted hot tubs and comfortable chaise lounges all to ourselves. I take a quick dip while Tanya sits on the side, with only her feet getting wet. We leave there and go back to our room to change and decide to go to off the premises and into Atlantic City.
We drive to a side street and walk on the boardwalk. A lot of the stores are closed, but we find a few open. One that is open is a regular on our visits to Atlantic City. It has clothing, jewelry, decorative items for the home and, of course, souvenirs. I am looking for a hat that says Atlantic City on it and Tanya is doing her “no” shakes with her head for each one that I like. She thinks I choose fashions that make me look older. Maybe I like the sympathy and deference I get by looking older. I buy a necklace for Tanya and a long sleeve tee-shirt for myself.
After that we go to Dunkin’, get a cup of coffee and sit on a bench drinking it in the crispy cool sea infused air. We have a lot of memories from our dating days and our excursions to Atlantic City. We sit there for about 15 minutes before the cool air overcomes us and we decide to go back to the hotel. But once in the car we decide to take a drive down the coast and enjoy looking at the seasonally deserted resort towns of South Jersey. We go as far as Ocean City, drive around there for a few minutes and then head back to the hotel.
Once inside, we think about where we will go this evening. It is about 5 p.m. and we go to our room, change and decide to eat light at Bread & Butter. I order a tuna sandwich with French Fries and Tanya has a chicken salad sandwich, sharing the French Fries with me.
We want to see some live entertainment but nothing that night catches our fancy. Walking by the casino, we drop into the Lobby Bar. Since we are not very big drinkers, we decide to have a cocktail each and nurse them as we sit across a table from each other and talk about our trip. The Lobby Bar is cozy and the furnishings are high end. And it is a piano bar. The pianist is playing soft jazz and we are loving it. We have continual eye contact as our discussion moves gently from one topic to another, centering on this trip and the many others we have taken.
After that we walk onto the casino floor deciding to find a really inexpensive way to take a few chances. We find a Quick Hit slot machine that we play together betting 50 cents at a turn. We go back and forth for about a half hour and our total loss is 10 dollars. Now feeling like long time gamblers we walk by the tables, realizing that we do not know how to play those games and we do not know how to get chips. So we watch others, some looking quite happy and others with obvious disappointment on their faces. I say, “This is not for us honey.” And Tanya replies, “That’s right darling.” We both agree that it is fun watching the action, but our lack of knowledge and a serious aversion to losing money keeps us from playing.
There are so many things to do at the Borgata. We are there off-season and early during the week, so many things we would do, we can’t. On a return trip we may want to go see a performance at the Event Center. The Event Center features 30,000 square feet of event space and is the home to many of our bigger stars and more exciting acts. The event center is a personal venue with high level acoustics and visual elements for attendees to enjoy. A more intimate performance venue is the Music Box. This is an area for more famous performers and in a compact setting so that all seats provide for an amazing show.
At about 10 p.m. we go back to our room. We turn on the tv and within a short period of time both of us fall asleep. We wake up around 8 a.m. and are refreshed for our drive home. As we drive back to beautiful Bucks County we reminisce about the beautiful room in the MGM Tower, the wonderful meal at the American Bar & Grille, the pool, the Lobby Bar and even the mix up and candy theft we experienced on our first night there. The cool late fall and mostly fallen leaves of Bucks County greet us and although we enjoyed the trip, we are happy to be home.
Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine and Tanya is his wife, travel companion and the co-writer of this department.