Casino Reviews


Casino Hotels Palm Springs California

April 21st, 2012 ernie Posted in Palm Springs 2 Comments »

There are only a couple of casino hotels in the Palm Springs area of California. There Casino Hotels Palm Springs Californiais the Fantasy Springs Casino and the Agua Caliente casino hotel. Neither of these hotels is actually in Palm Springs since they are located in cities nearby in the valley. The only casino hotel in Palm Springs California is the Spa casino hotel. It is located in downtown Palm Springs on Amado Road. This is two blocks from Palm Canyon Drive which is the main road through Palm Springs. It is in the middle of downtown Palm Springs surrounded by many restaurants of all types. All are within walking distance of the casino. There is also lots of parking for patrons available as well.

Spa Casino Hotels Palm Springs California

The Spa Casino Hotel in Palm Springs California has been reviewed on this website and we have visited it several times in the past 10 years. It has evolved from being in a tent attached to the hotel to a full-fledged casino in an elegant building with very pretty gardens and palm trees surrounding it.

The Spa Casino has a deli restaurant, a buffet, and several other restaurants that are higher-end. There are many restaurants within blocks of the casino and it is very safe to walk the streets in the area of the casino as well. With a combination of restaurants and condos surrounding this casino, it is a safe environment to park your car or walk from your condo to the Spa Casino.

In terms of gaming, there are all of the latest and popular slot machines along with a variety of table games as well. They have a small nonsmoking area, which is usually quiet since they did not put the best games in this area. the casino can get pretty smoky so if this bothers you, you may want to stay clear of it on business evenings or on the weekends.

They also have events at the casino. Slot tournaments, draws etc so if you do play a lot make sure you get a slot card and use it. You will be invited to various events that they host for their slot players and table players.

Palm Springs Convention Center

The Palm Springs Convention Center is also within one block of the Spa Casino Hotel in Palm Springs California. this convention center is a state-of-the-art center hosting many events over the year. Patrons and convention goers often go to the Spa Casino Hotel which is within walking distance. It is just one block away. There is ample parking for both the convention center and the casino. Of course, you can also use valet parking at the casino.

Restaurants in the Area

If you walk up to Palm Canyon Drive and turn left in the direction of the traffic (it is a one-way street), you will pass by all of the restaurants. There are quite a few, most with outdoor patios where you can enjoy a meal any time of the day. We are reviewing a number of these restaurants on another website that we operate.  If you are interested, click here, and select the category Palm Springs Restaurants. There are over 1000 restaurants in the area and of course, we will not review all of these, but the ones we have are the restaurants we have visited in the area and also enjoy.

That’s about it for this post on casino hotels in the Palms Springs area of California. If you have been there and would like to leave a comment, please do. We like to hear from other writers who can contribute and help out our readers.

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Spa Casino Buffet Palm Springs

March 30th, 2012 ernie Posted in Palm Springs 1 Comment »

Spa Casino Buffet Palm SpringsDinner at the Spa Casino Palm Springs was not up to par as far as we are concerned. We recently had dinner at the buffet at the  Spa Casino in Palm Springs. We wanted to pass our thoughts on this buffet to our readers. For the original review of the casino in Palm Springs, click here.

The buffet on Saturday night is billed as a seafood buffet, costing $23.99 plus tax. Now if you have a slot card, they will reduce the cost of the buffet by 10%. As a result, two people save you almost $5.00. We were very disappointed with the buffet, especially the seafood part of it. There were several reasons for this disappointment. We will list them a bit later in this post. We had heard good things about the buffet at the Spa Casino. However, what people think of various restaurants is a matter of personal taste. I can tell you that we have tried many buffets at various casinos. Consequently, this one rates as one of the worst for us.

Spa Casino Buffet Palm Springs

Here is our list of reasons; you make your assessment or opinion on these items:

  • No service for drinks; you pick up your own
  • Limited seafood – crab legs, salmon, calamari, and shrimp
  • Crab legs were very small, and the legs were filled with water and smelled very fishy
  • Calamari was breaded and overcooked, so it wasn’t easy to chew
  • Shrimp were very small
  • Salmon was ok
  • There was a large selection of standard items
  • These food items were ok
  • Desserts were very small

The bottom line was that we paid extra for a seafood buffet. Hence we were very disappointed in the items that were provided.

Now we should have caught on early before we paid. The time we entered the buffet was around 6 pm. Which was the typical time that many people would go for dinner. First of all, there was no line up to get in and no line up any time to get into the buffet. It was very slow, which for us was nice because there were not many people around. However, it means that people are voting with their feet and going elsewhere.

Not only was the food less than great, but the price was also high. There are many restaurants in Palm Springs, many with happy hour menus. Consequently, for $50, you can enjoy a lovely meal. As a result, we think the combination of high prices and poor food quality drives potential customers away in droves.

We would like to hear comments from readers about your experience at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs and what you think of the Spa Casino buffet.

 

 

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Palm Springs Spa Casino

August 7th, 2010 ernie Posted in Palm Springs 7 Comments »

The Palm Springs Spa Casino and Hotel is located in downtown Palm Springs within walking distance of many hotels and motels, as well as restaurants and the main shopping area in Palm Springs. There is lots of street parking as well as surface parking in casino parking lots.

Whether you want to play the slots, play the tables or play a little poker, the Spa Palm Springs Spa CasinoCasino has it all. It is actually a very nice size as compared to the many gigantic casinos in Las Vegas and other areas. It is a nice way to spend an evening having a drink, gambling a little, having dinner or taking in one of the live shows that are offered from time to time.

For those of you who may have visited the former SPA Casino, which was under a tent attached to the hotel, you will notice a huge improvement when you visit the new casino. It is now a separate modern building with multiple restaurants, several bar areas and many slot machines. It is decorated in desert tones on the outside with lots of shrubs and colorful flowers that are well maintained.

Palm Springs Spa Casino

This casino is now a high quality site for playing the slots. There are 860 slots and 22 table games with 3 lounges, buffet, deli and 1 restaurant at the SPA Casino. There are several areas were you can enjoy a drink and relax or play the slots away from the main casino. In addition there is also a great nightclub as well. Their cafe is reasonably priced as is their buffet dinner and the buffet will feature different foods throughout the week at reasonable prices.

Slot Machines

There are over 860 slot machines of various types from penny machines to dollar machines and above for the high rollers. Their slot machines built into the center bar were you can sit, watch the action, enjoy a drink and play one of your favorite games. The sports bar is one of the quieter places in the casino with approximately 20 machines also built into the bar. YOu can have something to eat here, watch the sports on a variety of televisions and play a little on one of the machines.

While they do not advertise this, you can ask the bar tender for free tortilla chips with salsa sauce. The service is friendly and the place is clean. The only negative is that sometimes you have to sit beside someone who is smoking!

There is also a high roller slot area which we have not been into. It is behind closed doors so we cannot even describe it.

Table Games

There are approximately 22 table games in the center of the casino with all of the popular games to play.

Restaurants

There is a deli beside the poker room were you can get a quick bite, there is a buffet which offers a great venue at reasonable prices with a combination of seafood, Mexican and standard American fare.  There is a steak house restaurant, a noodle bar and a small bar for drinks and munchies available for patrons.

What We Liked

  • Variety of slot machines
  • Very nice casino, very clean and a nice place to spend an evening
  • Free entertainment at the sports bar area on some evenings
  • Great Buffet at reasonable prices
  • Pool area and spa free to hotel guests.
  • Hotel rates are very reasonable
  • Lots of nearby surface parking
  • Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas

Other things to do in the area include:

  • Pool area
  • Surrounding Golf Courses
  • Palm Spring Shops and restaurants
  • Near by outlet shops
  • Desert Museum
  • Desert Zoo
  • Indian Canyons
  • Tramway
  • City Tours and history of Palm Springs

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the Spa hotel & casino, however you should be aware that  drinks are not free while gambling

It is a 3 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs, however the casino is much more recent and is a first class casino, although smaller when compared to Vegas style casinos.

The only thing we do not care for is the smoking which many of the Indian casinos all over the US allow. Sometimes it can get pretty bad, so if this bothers you , it is best to stay away from the casino all together.

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Agua Caliente slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at several Palm Springs area hotels.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Spa hotel & casino in a large  surface parking lot across from the hotel as well as across from the main casino entrance. You can access the hotel from the parking area as well as a street entrance on the south west side. The surface parking is also patrolled on a regular basis with officers on bike patrols on a regular basis.

Directions:

The Spa casino is located at 301 East Amado road in down town Palm Springs. It is easy to get to and in most cases just follow the signs, however if you have trouble finding it, just ask someone along the street. This is a safe town, very friendly and easy to park in. They cater to the tourists which is their main business.

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Palm Springs California

July 21st, 2010 ernie Posted in Palm Springs 2 Comments »

Palm Springs CaliforniaThere are so many casinos across America and also in Canada, that we know we will not finish our reviews for some time. However we like to break it up a bit and inject a post about places we really like and also have Casinos nearby or even in these areas. One of our favorite places to stay is Palm Springs, California. If you have not spent  some time there you really should. Palm Springs has a little bit of everything for almost everyone.

From many fine restaurants, to over 115 golf courses, some of the best shopping ever, to many farmers markets throughout the area to some of the best hiking available in California. All of this with scenery that encompasses snow covered mountains, desert vistas and a hot temperate climate. They get over 340 days of sun! With so much to offer we could not resist on doing a post about Palm Springs California and also talk a little bit about the 5 or 6 casinos in the area as well.

Palm Springs California – Farmers Market

Every thursday night, they close the main street in Palm Springs for about 6 or 7 blocks and folks from all over the valley come to sell their products. You purchase of course just about every kind of vegetable and fruit, all fresh and often just picked that day. There are also preserved foods available and many of the vendors will offer samples to try before you buy.

Purchase corn on the cob, hamburgs from the barbecue, and many more varieties of foods virtually from all over the world. Forget supper at home, come and try some of the fresh foods at the Palm Springs Thursday night farmers market. There are also many artisans selling their products.  You can purchase paintings of the desert, sunsets and the native flours and plants of the desert. Others will carve carvings from the trunks of trees. You can purchase colored stones in singles or part of a necklace. There are so many different products at this market, many people make this a part of their weekly schedule because there is always something new!

Shopping in Palm Springs

If you stay downtown or a few blocks away in one of the many motels or condo properties you can walk easily to the downtown area and take advantage of the many small shops. We particularly like going to either Starbucks or across the street at the Coffee Bean for a coffee, sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and watch people as they stroll along. The shops in the downtown area of Palm Springs have suffered from high taxes over the past few years and many of the old shops that have been there for many years have closed.

Many people now go out to the outlets to shop with over 200 stores to chose from and excellent prices and quality. You can also go the high end stores at El Paseo further south in one of the other desert cities.

There are so many restaurants to chose from, you will never be bored or run out of places to try. Many will offer happy hour deals from 4pm to 6pm or some as late as 7pm. These usually include half price on drinks and appetizers.  During the summer months, happy hour is really a good deal , while during peak season, some locations will not offer happy hour at all. If you like champagne, try all you can drink brunch deals on Sundays. Some places will charge an additional $2 over your breakfast and you can drink all you want. One couple we know has a record of 5 bottles during brunch on Sunday!

Hiking and Biking around Palm Springs

There are bike routes around Palm Springs with well marked signs for you to follow which will take you around some of the main areas of the city and sites that you may want to stop to look at.

Hiking is also a great pass time in the mountains around Palm Springs. There are many well marked trails for beginners and also for hikers who like more of a challenge. You can even link up with the Pacific Coast Trail which runs from the Mexican Border all of the way to the Canadian Border. Go out to the White Water conservation area and speak to the ranger on duty. You can obtain a map which shows the trails you need to take t hike in the general area as well as join up with the pacific coast trail.

You can also take the gondola up to one of the local mountains and hike around the mountains at the 8000 foot level. With the elevation, the temperature drops so make sure you go prepared for snow even in June and tougher trails. Take a compass with you since you are now really out in the wild and far from easily accessible rescue sites.

Gambling around Palm Springs

The Spa Casino is right down town in Palm Springs. If you live or rent a motel or condo in the area, it is an easy walk to the casino. They offer all of the standard slots and table games, a great buffet and also entertainment every weekend. This is a very attractive casino to visit, however like many Indian run casinos it can be very smoky at times so if this bothers you, at least you know what you are getting into.

There are at least 5 other casinos in the area that we are aware of all within easy driving distance of Palm Springs. The Agua Caliente casino at the intersection Ramon road and Interstate 10 is a really nice spot to spend some time. Lots of parking, large casino, nice rooms in the hotel and an excellent pool area with a tropical environment. If you are looking for a nice spot to spend the weekend this one should definitely be on the list.

Feel free to leave comments about your experiences in Palm Springs.

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