Casino Reviews

The Beau Rivage in Biloxi Mississippi is another hotel and casino that we enjoy visiting. A member of the MGM group of casinos, your MGM Mirage card will work in the slots machines in their casino and you may also arrange for comp’s as well depending on your play level. As with all hotel reservations, always call your casino host to make arrangements for room reservations and get the best deal you can.

This hotel is the most modern of all of the hotels in the Biloxi area that we saw.  Hurricane Katrina did a lot of damage to the Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino and it was closed for almost a year while repairs were underway. The result is a brand new casino, hotel and restaurant complex. If you visited the hotel prior to Katrina, you will see the same basic structure, however everything is brand new and updated.

There is a great selection of restaurants to chose from. We particularly like the Roasted Bean with it’s great coffee , open air patio area and you can also sit outside as well to enjoy your fresh coffee. The Roasted Bean also offers free refills as long as you have your receipt within a 24 hour period. Nice way to start the day away from the hustle and bustle of the casino.

The Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino stands by itself on the gulf coast. There are other casinos in the area and over time we will add them to our review list. The point is that if you want to make the rounds to the other casinos in the area, you will need to take your car to get to them.

Along the coast you can still see the damage caused by hurricane Katrina. Vacant lots, cement slabs without houses, denuded trees ( they are growing back) and the odd building still boarded up and not yet torn down or repaired.  In land half a mile life returns to normal and close to I10 there are many stores and outlets that you would find in most cities.

Their is a fantastic sand beach which goes on for miles. We saw a few people along the beach and hardly anyone in the water . This is not what we expected. We talked to some locals about this. They told us no one really wants to swim here because of the memories and the material that was floating in the water, some of which is still in the sand. If you are planning to go to Biloxi for the beaches, you may want to reconsider. Enjoy the casinos and the restaurants, go deep sea fishing or take an excursion into the gulf.

The Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino is one of our favorite hotels and we intend on returning every year.

The Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino is one of our favorite hotels to stay at. We enjoy the casino, but the 3rd floor pool is special. Protected from the wind, overlooking the gulf, the pool area and spa is an excellent spot to unwind, get some sun and relax. Guests must show a room key to use the spa and the exercise area. There are lots of lounge chairs and towels are located at the entrance to the pool area. There are also tennis courts, however we did not access this area. Don’t miss the pool if you are staying at the Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino.

Restaurants

BR Prime – excellent restaurant and steakhouse

Jia – Looking for Pan Asian food? Enjoy the Jia’s sophisticated exotic cusine

The Buffet  – excellent variety and quality. Sit along the windows and enjoy the view or find a more intimate location

Terrace Cafe – Round the clock for breakfast, lunch, dinner or late night dining

Memphis Q – Celebrate the blusey culture of the Mississippi river delta

Coast Restaurant – Enjoy pizza’s and juicy burgers

Snacks – fast and fresh just a few steps from the casino games

Roasted bean – Gourmet coffee, teas and pastries, free refills with receipts

Sccops – Frozen treats, ice cream and more for all ages

Pool Bar – Enjoy mixed drinks and snacks while lounging around the pool bar

Bars & Lounges – Enjoy Eight75, the Coast Nightclub, or the Breeze Bar

What We Liked

Variety of slot machines

Free drinks while gambling

Free entertainment at the bar located in the casino

Buffet

Pool area and spa free to hotel guests on the 3rd level over looking the gulf

Hotel rates are very reasonable

Covered garage parking

Easy access from all highways

Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas

Great stopover point on your way to Biloxi or points west

Coffee shop offers free refills as long as you have your receipt

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the Beau Rivage hotel & casino

It is a 5 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs

Slot Player Card

They are part of the MGM Mirage slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at many Las Vegas hotels,  as well as sister hotels in Tunica, Biloxi, Laughlin and Reno.

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 Beau Rivage hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is no surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

The Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino is located on the Mississippi gulf coast , one hour drive from New Orleans, Louisiana from the west and one hour drive from Mobile, Alabama to the east.  From route I10, take I15 south to Biloxi and follow the signs for the Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino. It is the last exit at the end of the highway.

The Horseshoe casino & hotel is a 14 story hotel with over 500 rooms and suites to its credit, along with a large casino. Most rooms come with a flat screen TV, fridge and coffee maker. These last two items rank high with us since you can keep soft drinks and water cold for use in your room and also enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning before joining civilization!

The Horseshoe casino has over 1700 slot machines and video poker terminals. There are over 70 tables including all of the popular table games as well as a live poker room with daily tournaments.

We enjoy the Horseshoe casino & hotel every time we go to Tunica and so far we have found very reasonable rates as well as excellent service. Drinks are free as long as you are gambling, however you cannot carry them outside the casino or hotel property.

The Horseshoe casino & hotel is one of the most colorful and bright casinos in the Tunica area as can be seen by the picture. Customers can enter at the front under the lighted signs directly to the casino or they can enter at both ends of the building.  If you enter on the right as you face the casino, patrons can be dropped off by car and enter directly into the lobby of the hotel without having to go through the Horseshoe casino.

The slots are about the same here at the Horseshoe casino , not tight but not loose either. Playing the slots here at the Horseshoe casino means you have to be careful and play with your head just like everywhere else.

There are three hotels and casinos in this particular are and you can walk safely from one to the other. The Gold Strike and the Sheraton casinos and hotels are on either side of the Horseshoe casino & hotel. This makes for great competition as well as if one casino is not working for you, you can always try another.

In addition there are 4 or 5 additional casinos in the area, however you have to drive to each one of these or you can take a shuttle. There sometimes is a long wait for the shuttle so if you came by car the easiest way is to drive over. Patrons should be mindful of the number of drinks you may have had and getting behind the wheel after several drinks at the casino.

Restaurants

Restaurants at the Horseshoe casino & hotel include Jack Binions Steak house, Magnolia: a Delta Cafe, The Village Square Buffet, and the Ace High Snack Bar as well as a Starbucks. We have eaten at the Village Square several times and have found the food and service fine. Both the quantity  and the variety is more than enough to satisfy just about anyone. We would recommend this buffet. We have also enjoyed Starbucks. This is a pretty standard Starbucks so nothing special to report. We have not tried any of the other restaurants.

What We Liked

We like the following areas:

Nice bright and clean casino area with lots of slots machines and video poker

Great buffet with good variety of food and excellent service

Lots of parking which is monitored and routinely patrolled

Entrance to lobby area from the parking garage

Lobby area and entrance to the elevators is located next to each other

Security guard at the elevators verifying guests

Rooms were clean and well appointed

Nice bar area as long as a band is not playing, then it is far too loud

What We Did Not Like

Some rooms are located on the 2nd floor without good access to the elevators

They were also a long walk to the casino area as well from the room

The bar area has a band behind it that plays music far too loud

Slot Player Card

The slot player card in use is the Harrah’s Total Rewards. This slot card is good at all of the Harrah’s properties across the US as well as at the Casino in Windsor Canada. Slot players as well as table players are encouraged to always use their slot cards to ensure that benefits such as free rooms and free meals, along with cash back are earned. Quite often, depending on your level of play, any of the Harrah’s properties including the Horseshoe casino & hotel will comp you a room just to get you to come to their casino and hotel. In fact one night we were playing the slots and a slot hostess approach us, confirmed that we were the people she was looking for and handed us a free voucher to the buffet! Now that was a nice touch!

Parking

There is ample parking at the Horseshoe casino & hotel both in front of the main entrance as well as in a large parking garage behind the hotel. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather. We have stayed there a few times when there has been heavy rain and threat of tornado’s. You can reach the parking garage by following the signs that lead to a short road that runs between the Horseshoe casino & hotel and the Sheraton hotel & Casino. You will see the entrance to the garage on the left.

Directions: Take route 55 from Memphis, then route 69 west to 61 and south on 61. Follow the signs to the Gold Strike hotel & casino. Mapquest and GPS systems may suggest you take highway 61 all the way from Memphis. This is the shortest route, however you drive through a rather run down and difficult looking area. The safer route is to take 55 south as mentioned before.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is located just north of the village of Tunica in Mississippi and south of Memphis. There are two casinos located beside the Gold Strike hotel & casino and several more within 5 or 6 miles of the Gold Strike hotel & casino.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is a modern casino with lots of glitz and gold. The foyer is marble throughout, very modern and clean. The entrance to the hotel is very nice, not exciting or memorable. Hotel guests can register, then head up to their rooms without having to go through the casino which is a big plus in our books.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is part of the MGM Mirage casino hotel chain. Slot players who use their slot cards will be pleased to know that there slot play will be considered at the Gold Strike hotel for discounted room rates and meals. If you are not an MGM slot player member already, and you play the slots or the tables, you should get one. There are numerous benefits to having one of these memberships and they are absolutely free.

We have been going to the Gold Strike hotel & casino for several years now and have never had any serious issue with the hotel and services. The slots pay relatively well since there is some competition for slot players between the various casinos in the area. Fridays and Saturdays there is lots of action in the casino and many times the hotel will be fully booked. If you plan on staying over the weekend, we recommend that you book ahead.

Weekdays, you can usually get a room at the Gold Strike hotel & casino at very reasonable rates. With your slot card you may even receive a discount or a free room. Simply call the 1-800 number and ask to speak to your casino slot host. He or she will review your previous play and offer you room rates at a level commensurate with your level of play.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is also a riverboat casino, however you would never realize it, since they have integrated the casino and the hotel so well. Hotel guests staying on higher floors can actually see the Mississippi river from their rooms. There is actually what looks like

Rooms are modern, clean and nicely appointed. This hotel is not at the standard of the some of the Las Vegas properties that are part of the MGM Mirage chain, however you will not be disappointed with the hotel, the rooms, the casino or the restaurants.

We have eaten in the buffet several times. The variety of the food, quantity, service and value are very satisfactory. They also provide a free wine with meals on Sundays which customers can either serve themselves or request one of the servers to provide. The only negative about the buffet is that it is a bit dark and drab. We have also eaten in the coffee shop called the Atrium Cafe. Service is great as is the food. Decor is a little dark, however we really enjoyed it.

The casino has over 1400 slot machines with all of the favorites , such as video poker and reel slot machines. In addition there are 40 table games available, a poker room and high limit gaming for those more discerning players. The poker room is upstairs and there are also a number of poker machines on the 2nd floor as well.

The hotel offers a spa and pool. There is shopping and golf near by. The pool area is free for hotel guests, clean and offers a nice respite from the action of the casino floor.

Restaurants

The Atrium Cafe is an attractive and relaxing spot to eat towards the rear of the casino. As its name implies, the cafe is decorated to look like an atrium outdoors, complete with fake sky, fountains, a greenhouse, and plenty of plants. The small menu includes soup, salad, appetizers, sandwiches , burgers  steak and seafood entrees , breakfast at all hours, and desserts.

Chicago Steakhouse is next to the Atrium Cafe on the first floor of the casino and serves steaks, fish, and chops in an elegant, mahogany-paneled dining room.

Courtyard Buffet> features a carving station, made to order omelets, and quite a selection of other food as well.

A food court, located near the lobby has the following to offer: Burger City has hot breakfast items (pancakes, waffles, etc.) and typical burger joint fare.

Pizzeria Fresh get a whole pie or just a slice.
Gold’s Deli serves sandwiches, Nathan’s hot dogs, baked potatoes, donuts and ice cream.

Java Hut serves Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts (in the lobby).
What We Liked

Variety of slot machines

Free drinks while gambling

Free entertainment at the bar located in the casino

Buffet

Pool area and spa free to hotel guests

Hotel rates are very reasonable

Covered garage parking

Easy access from all highways

Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas

Great stopover point on your way to Biloxi or points west

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the Gold Strike hotel & casino

Internet is provided by Cox and costs $12.99 for 24 hours. The charge is applied to your credit card and you must deal directly with Cox if you have any problems.

It is a 4 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs

Slot Player Card

They are part of the MGM Mirage slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at many Las Vegas hotels,  as well as sister hotels in Tunica, Biloxi, Laughlin and Reno.

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 Gold Strike hotel & casino both in front of the main entrance as well as in a large parking garage beside the hotel. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather. We have stayed there a few times when there has been heavy rain and threat of tornado’s

Directions: Take route 55 from Memphis, then route 69 west to 61 and south on 61. Follow the signs to the Gold Strike hotel & casino. Mapquest and GPS systems may suggest you take highway 61 all the way from Memphis, however re do not recommend this, due to the area immediately south of Memphis appearing to be somewhat run down and dangerous.