Casino Reviews

We visited the AVI Casino again this year and thought it would be appropriate to give an update to our previous post. You can refer to the previous post by, clicking here.

For those of you who have not been to this casino before, the picture on the left gives up some idea about the property.  Located on the banks of the Colorado river it is a sprawling property with a show area for conventions and entertainment, RV parking and a golf course all within walking distance of the hotel and the casino.

We visited the casino on two different days and enjoyed ourselves both days. We even participated in a slot poker tournament. You start with 1350 credits and have 10 minutes to see how well you do. I ended up even, which is not very good as it turns out. Several players were up over 500 credits and this is on jacks or better video poker.

Pool Area

One of the comments we made last time was how much we admired the pool area and the beach along the Colorado river. Since we are not guests at AVI, we cannot enter the pool area, however we did take a picture and also made a short video of the beach and pool area. Since a picture is worth a 1000 words here it is.

 

The Beach on the Colorado River

The following video shows the beach area on the river during off season.

Environment

One of the issues we had with this casino along with many others is the amount of smoke from smokers that you have to deal with. We are not sure if there are less smokers or they have a better ventilation system, but the air in the casino was much better than previous times we have been there.

Visitors should note that there are smoking areas in the restaurants since this casino is in Nevada and it is also on Indian tribal lands were they make their own rules. I wish someone would bring them up to speed about the problems with smoking and the impact it has on cancer rates. Their machines and casino would be a lot cleaner as well.

All you can eat hot juicy crab legs,at the Aquarius buffet on Friday or Saturday nights, or perhaps you like prime rib or both! We just ate at the Aquarius buffet for two for the huge price of  .92 cents. Can you imagine what a deal this is. We also had  4 glasses of wine! There was a choice of red wine, white wine, beer or margaritas and we could have had more to drink, however this was enough for us.

We sat by the windows along the Colorado river, had our meal of crab legs, desert and coffee, and we could have also had all of the other selections such as mashed potatoes, gravy, prime rib, salads, soups, buns and a hundred more items from this fabulous buffet. So how did we have such a fabulous buffet for only .92 cents. Well it is all about using the casino slot card while you play and then taking advantage of your comps! Some of our other posts have talked about the advantages of using slot cards, however this just demonstrates why everyone should have a slot card and use it when they play.

The following is a short video of Laughlin Nevada, taken from the eastern side of the river in Bullhead City, Arizona. Click on the following link.

Colorado River in Laughlin Nevada

We are also taking advantage of a free rooms offer from the hotel while we stay here, also again because of the slot card that we use. We have had breakfast as well on the comps which was also actually a brunch. We had one of the best omelets we have had on our trip.  For more information about slot cards and why you should always carry and use them when you are playing the slots at any of the hotels, click here.

If you would like more information about the Aquarius Hotel and our original review of the hotel and casino, click here.

There has not been a lot of changes at the casino or the hotel. We noticed that the elevators are being updated, some of the rooms have been redone since we here last and there seemed to be more poker and keno machines around the floor. We spend most of our time in the non smoking section of the casino, however there are just as many people smoking as ever, so if the stale cigarette smoke bothers you, then this is the place to be.

We noticed one new penny slot machine which was getting a lot of action. This is the wheel of fortune with 6 seats or slot machines sharing a giant 10 by 8 foot TV screen were you get to watch everyone’s wheel of fortune wheel spin when they get the free spin award. It is fun and exciting to see people win, however as with all of these machines you must be careful about how much money you bet. The maximum is $2.70 per spin, so you can go through a $100 in a hurry. We watched one lady work her credits up to over $300, only to lose it all over a period of 30 minutes.

As the saying goes, know when to fold them. It was fun to watch these players as well as play. Unfortunately for us we did not win anything on this machine.

A note to readers if you drive to Laughlin, Nevada. While you may be tempted to fill up with gas on the Nevada side, take the time to drive over to Bullhead, Arizona just on the other side of the river. Gas is a lot cheaper on the Arizona side and you can even get better deals if you wash your car at the same time. When we filled up, gas was selling for $3.09 on the Nevada side, while it was $2.91 on the Arizona side . I also got my car washed and while the car wash cost $10.00 for the works, the gas was further discounted to $2.71 a gallon for regular gas. A great deal! They even scrubbed the car  first with a brush to get the worst of the dirt and bugs off the bumper before we went through the car wash. They gave us a cloth to dry the car and an air  freshener, what a great deal.

There are water taxis along the Colorado River which you can take for $6 a ride or $10 a day. check with the local taxis to confirm prices, since they seem to change on a regular basis.

We were very happy with the service and the quality of the food and drinks that we received at the Aquarius casino. Although we did not win anything at the slots, our room and food was comp’d and we had as much as we wanted in terms of drinks. All in all not a bad deal.

We are off to Vegas next, staying at the Mirage Casino and Hotel. If you would like more information about the Mirage, click here.

Your comments are welcome, to assist our readers enjoy their vacation in Laughlin Nevada. Spam comments will be auto deleted.

The AVI resort casino and hotel is a rather nice place to visit as well as stay at. Although it is a bit far from the other Laughlin Casinos, it is definitely worth the 30 minute trip. The casino is lively , the restaurants offer good value at the right prices and there is always some form of entertainment at the AVI.

Patrons who book a room at the hotel will find then very reasonable both on the weekend and during the week. You can also enjoy the pool area, which is fabulous or actually swim or boat in the Colorado river. There is actually a nice sandy beach to take advantage of. Take in a movie at the movie theater or some of the live entertainment that is booked there on a regular basis.

RV owners can find lots of room to park their RV’s while enjoying the Casino , the restaurants or just takeing in a movie in the middle of the desert along the Colorado River. We had dinner at the buffet one night and found the food and the service to be excellent. We also had the 99 cent breakfast which is available to all slot card members and found that to be excellent as well. The restaurant also offers free coffee to any veteran that comes into the restaurant for breakfast, which we thought was a nice patriotic thing to do.

Slot Machines

There are over 1,100 slot machines of all types in the Avi Casino, with more than 530 penny and 2¢ slots, including over 80 penny GameKing multigame machines, plus we have all of your favorites in reel slots such as Double Diamonds, Red White & Blue, Five Time Pay and Blazing 7’s.

Video Poker is one of the most popular forms of machines, with all the most entertaining versions of poker available; Bonus Poker, Double Double, Triple Double, No Aces Pay the Faces, White Hot Aces, and hundred play machines that let you play one hundred hands at once.

Table Games

There are 27 table games at the Avi Casino,  including Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Let it Ride, Three Card Poker, Hold’Em Fold’Em and Pai Gow. Avi has some of the most liberal table odds offered in Laughlin, triple odds on craps and double down on first two original cards in Blackjack.

Restaurants

Feathers cafe, Moonshadow Grille, Restoriante  Avianos, Native harvest buffet, a fast food area and several bars including the poolside bar.

What We Liked

Variety of slot machines

Free drinks while gambling

Buffet

$.99 breakfast with your AVI slot card

Pool area and spa free to hotel guests on the Colorado River

Take your pick, swim in the cool waters of the Colorado or lounge by the adult pool or spend time with the kids at the pool dedicated to the children

Fabulous pool as well as swimming and boating on the Colorado River

Multiple pools with palm trees and lots of lounge chairs to relax on.

Drinks and food can be obtained at the poolside bar

Hotel rates are very reasonable

Covered garage parking and surface parking

Easy access from all highways

Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas

Movie theater showing current movies

Fast food area for a quick meal

Huge RV parking area

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the AVI Resort hotel & casino.

It is a 3 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs

As usual with Nevada casinos, the quality of the air can be pretty bad at times due to the heavy number of smokers that seem to enjoy this casino as well as other Nevada casinos.

Slot Player Card

They are part of the AVI Resort  casino slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits offered by the AVI Resort hotel & casino.

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 AVI Resort hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is also surface parking that we observed for cars and there is also a large RV parking area as well with full hookups. 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:

Kingman :

Take Hwy 68 South 35 miles to Hwy 95 South, BullHead City. Continue South approximately 11 miles to Aztec Rd. and turn right. Continue on Aztec Rd. 2.5 miles to the Avi.

Laughlin & Las Vegas:

Take Needles Hwy South 11 miles to Aha Macav Pkwy. Look for the AVI sign. Turn left and continue 3 miles to the AVI.

Needles :

Take I-40 to River Road Cutoff , which becomes Needles Hwy, North 14 miles to Aha Macav Pkwy. Look for the AVI sign. Turn right and continue 2 miles to the AVI.

The picture below is  of Harrah’s Casino & Hotel in Laughlin, Nevada. This casino is part of the chain that Harrahs has established across the country. In fact there are approximately 35 locations were you can gamble at a Harrahs Casino. Many casinos have hotels as well, so you can stay and gamble at a Harrahs nation wide and one location we are aware of in Windsor , Canada.

Harrah’s is located at the far south end of Casino Drive and you might not even see it if you decide to stop on Casino Drive without going all the way to the end. Many people walk along the street or along the river walk to the hotels. Unfortunately for Harrah’s Casino & Hotel most people will not walk since it is so far and you must walk up a fairly steep hill at the south end, so for many people it is better to take the car.

Rates are quite reasonable. When we stayed in April 2007, we paid as low as $28 a night for a decent room. The property appeared in need of a major over hall, however it provides everything that you need at reasonable rates. There are two pools overlooking the Colorado, one for adults and the other for children.Some customer reviews mentioned that the rooms are gradually being updated.

There are over 900 slot machines of all types, a variety of table games, poker games, keno and Race & Sports book betting. They also offer state wide progressive slot machines. Always bet the maximum if you want to win the progressive jackpots.

The hotel offers 1505 rooms and 170 suites, some rooms on non smoking floors as well. Based on some of the reviews about the rooms it appears that Harrahs Casino and Hotel has been updating many of the rooms. Although we have not seen them ourselves, writers have indicated that new flat screen TV’s have been added and the rooms have been updated as well. When you check in, ask for a remodeled room since all rooms may not yet be updated.

There are also three towers to stay in with some rooms offering river views while many rooms do not. Although you may pay more for the river view of the Colorado river, it may be worth it if you would like to enjoy the views of the river and the town of Bullhead across the river in Arizona.

Harrahs Casino and Hotel offers a number of activities aside from gambling that customers can consider. There are stay and golf packages, you can try the salon & day spa, there is the fitness center, shopping, entertainment night life, the beach or pool, and a variety of other local attractions.

Many people will come to Laughlin, Nevada for other reasons than just gambling. There is ample hiking near by, the river provides lots of boating and fishing and there are Indian ruins as well that folks will view.

Restaurants

Baja Blue restaurant serving Mexican food
The Range Steakhouse,
Cabo Cafe,
Fresh Market Square Buffet
and fast food chains such as Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, Cinnabon and MacDonalds

What We Liked

Variety of slot machines – over 900
Free drinks while gambling
Overlook on the Colorado River from the pool area
Access to the Water Taxi to all hotels, except the Ramada Express
Sandy beach along the Colorado River for hotel guests
Inexpensive hotel rooms
Choices of fast food such as Macdonald’s and Starbucks coffee
Lots of slot machines to play in two large rooms
Ample Parking
Buffet
Pool area and spa free to hotel guests on the 3rd level over looking the river
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 Las Vegas

What We Did Not Like

We have a few complaints about Harrah’s Casino & Hotel

Unable to access the River Walk at all, from the Harrah’s Hotel and Casino
Far end of casino drive and up a rather long high hill to gain access
Pool areas are in the shade in the afternoon sun
Hotel is tired looking and needs an over hall
No Internet access , wireless or other wise
Business office really does not provide good service

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Harrah’s Casino 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, Atlantic City and Reno. There are other locations as well and this particular slot card membership is one of the best if you travel across the country a lot.

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 Harrah’s Casino & Hotel  in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is also some  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:

Located at 2900 S Casino Drive, in Laughlin , Nevada, access from kingman is from Route 68 in Arizona, and also from route 95 and 163 from Las Vegas.

We appreciate your comments and we will also be updating this post next time we are in Laughlin in the spring of 2010.

The Aquarius Casino & Hotel is located in the middle of the casino drive resort area along the Colorado river. With over 1300 slot machines, a variety of table games, live poker and state of the art race and sports book, this hotel and casino is a great place to enjoy your self in the old Las Vegas style.

This hotel used to be part of the Flamingo hotel chain with it’s sister hotel in Las Vegas. Several years ago it was purchased by another group and renamed the Aquarius Casino and Hotel. Next time we visit the Laughlin area we will update the pictures with the new name of the hotel prominently displayed. The hotel is gradually being upgraded  and improved. Without the volume of Las Vegas, the process is a bit slower, however we really enjoy the ambiance of the river and the ability to walk along the tranquil boardwalk along the river.

These pictures were taken from one of the many water taxi’s that ply the Colorado River between the hotels and also across the river to Arizona.

We arrived here in the middle of January on a beautiful sunny day with a day time temperature of 80 degrees! Fantastic. We walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed the sun and the warmth. Only approximately 5 hours from Flagstaff at 7000 feet elevation and 50 degrees cooler, this was pure heaven.

There are two 18 story hotel towers and this is the best hotel in Laughlin in our opinion. We will provide additional posts in the future covering the other hotels in the area. Wireless internet is available for $11.99 in the room while it is free in Starbucks as of April 2010.  There is surface parking as well ample parking in the parking garage located beside the hotel.

There is a tour that patrons can take along the Colorado river for 90 minutes with drink service provided. The captain will regal you with tales of various stories about the area. There are also themed cruises and wedding cruises as well.

Soak up the sun, and swim a few laps, while spending a sunny Southwestern afternoon around the Aquarius Casino Resort’s refreshing pool. Located atop the roof, the pool area is surrounded by the rustic Arizona desert and, being perched above the Colorado River, offers some breathtaking views. Cocktail service is available providing refreshing drinks and snacks to pool guests. There are also tennis courts to play on.

Staying in Laughlin is much less expensive than Las Vegas with hotel rates under $100 per night and usually much less for customers who qualify for casino rates with the Aquarius Casino slot card known as ACE. Always play with your slot card in place to qualify for comp’s, free meals and free rooms.

Restaurants

Vineyard – a fine dining restaurant with authentic Italian cuisine

Windows – buffet on the river overlooking the Colorado river includes free beer and wine during dinner buffet meals, excellent food and nice open dining area

Cafe Aquarius – dining around the clock for a quick bite to eat

H2OH – indoor / outdoor open air restaurant located int he heart of the river walk

Fast Food – Burger King, Subway, Panda Express, Dreyers Ice Cream

Outback Steakhouse – great steaks, prime rib, chicken and seafood

Starbucks Cafe shop – with free internet last time we were there

What We Liked

Variety of slot machines

Free drinks while gambling

Buffet

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

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 Las Vegas only 70 miles away

Coffee shop offers free internet

They provide a fridge and coffee maker in the room

Located along the Colorado River

Access to the boardwalk along the Colorado river

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the Aquarius Casino & Hotel

It is a 3 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs

We do not like the amount of smoke that seems to permeate just about everywhere. The hotel responds by using deodorizer which can be a problem for anyone with a breathing issue. The smoke odor is pretty strong.

Slot Player Card

They are part of the ACE slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at the Stratosphere hotel in Las Vegas and at Arizona Charlies in Decatur and Bolder.

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 at casino rate, 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 Aquarius Casino & Hotel in a large parking garage beside the hotel. There is also ample  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:

Located at 1900 S Casino Drive, in Laughlin , Nevada, access kingman is from Route 68 in Arizona, and also from route 95 and 163 from Las Vegas.

We appreciate your comments and we will also be updating this post next time we are in Laughlin in the spring of 2010.