Casino Reviews

The Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino & Hotel is located in one of the most beautiful settings that you can find. It is a bit long to get to it, along paved mountain roads, but when you do it is well worth the drive. Located on the shores of  a small lake this hotel and casino is one of New Mexico’s premier mountain resorts. It is an impeccable AAA Four-Diamond resort, offering mouthwatering cuisine for every palate, incredible  gaming action, and breathtaking alpine scenery to nurture your soul.  It is situated high in the picturesque mountains of Mescalero, New Mexico just outside of Ruidoso. Enjoy the clean mountain air, stunning panoramic views, and exciting entertainment options. You will also appreciate the stunning lobby featuring a sweeping view of the snow capped mountains, lake and championship golf course.

There are a variety of activities, entertainment and escapes to make it a getaway you’ll never forget. This hotel is located in a beautiful mountain setting with skiing, hunting and boating nearby. We have not been back to this location for some time, but will try to visit in the next couple of years. Many people enjoy this casino and hotel and the surrounding environment during all of the seasons of the year.

Inn of The Mountain Gods – Summary

• 273 luxury rooms and suites
• Numerous dining options from a signature steak and seafood restaurant to a scrumptious buffet
• 40,000 square feet of meeting space
• 38,000 square foot casino
• Indoor pool
• A fully equipped workout facility
• Skiing and Snowboarding
• 18 hole Championship golf course
• Big Game hunting
• Skeet shooting
• Horseback riding
• Fishing
• Gondola rides

Slot Machines

From penny slots to a complete complement of table games including Blackjack, Craps, Poker, Three and Four Card Poker, Roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘em Poker and Let It Ride…plus great gaming promotions that never end!

Table Games

There are table games including Blackjack, Craps, Poker, Three and Four Card Poker, Roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘em Poker and Let It Ride…plus great gaming promotions that never end!

Restaurants

There are 5 restaurants. We have eaten at Wendell’s and it was excellent, especially the Caesar salad prepared at your table.

• Wendell’s
• Gathering of Nations Buffet
• Big Game Sports Bar
• Apache Tee
• Smokey B’s

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Buffet
• Pool area and spa
• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas
• Rooms have a balcony view of the lake and surrounding mountains

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the Beau Rivage hotel & casino. It is a 4 diamond resort.  The only thing we did not like is that it is a bit off the beaten path in the mountains of New Mexico, however many people would love the location and the mix of nature with a high class resort!

It is a 5 star hotel in our estimation and more than adequate for our needs.

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Inn of the Mountain Gods and Casino Apache Travel Center slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at either of these two locations.

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 Inn of the Mountain Gods  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:

Las Cruces and the West

Hwy 70 East to Alamogordo. Take the 54/70 relief route North to Tularosa. The relief route will rejoin Hwy 54/70 south of Tularosa. Proceed North on Hwy 54/70 through the town of Tularosa. Proceed another 22 miles until you are able to turn left or West at the Inn of the Mountain Gods electronic marguee sign approximately 6 miles before the Village of Ruidoso. Follow the road approximately 4 miles to the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

El Paso and the South

HWY 54 East to HWY 70 which junctions at the South end of Alamogordo. Take the 54/70 relief route North to Tularosa. The relief route will rejoin Hwy 54/70 south of Tularosa. Proceed North on Hwy 54/70 through the town of Tularosa. Proceed another 22 miles until you are able to turn left or West at the Inn of the Mountain Gods electronic marquee sign approximately 6 miles before the Village of Ruidoso. Follow the road approximately 4 miles to the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

Roswell and the East

Hwy 70 West to Hwy 48 or Sudderth Drive. Turn right or West on Sudderth Drive. Proceed approximately 1.5 miles on Sudderth Drive to its intersection with Carrizzo Canyon Road. At this intersection you will view an Inn of the Mountain Gods electronic marquee sign. Turn left and proceed approximately 4 miles to the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

Albuquerque and the North

Take I-25 South to HWY 380. HWY 380 East to HWY 37. Turn South or right on HWY 37 and follow until it intersects with HWY 48. Then turn right or South on HWY 48 and proceed South until Hwy 48, Mechem Drive at this point, comes to a T-type intersection with Sudderth Drive in the Village of Ruidoso. Turn left or East on Sudderth Drive and proceed approximately 1.5 miles until you view an Inn of the Mountain Gods sign at the intersection of Sudderth Drive and Evergreen. Turn right on Evergreen for three blocks until it merges with Carrizzo Canyon Road. Follow Carrizzo Canyon Road approximately 4 miles to the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

For more information anout New Mexico casinos, click here.

Save

Believe it or not there are great deals, Cheap Las Vegas Rooms,  in Las Vegas and other casinos around the country. You just have to know when and were to look. You can find some of the best deals available anywhere and you get to stay in 4 star and 5 star hotels!  I am still amazed when people tell me that it is expensive to go to Vegas , Tunica, Biloxi or Atlantic city. They tell me they are paying significant dollars for a room, the meals and the shows. Yes you will if you just call them up and book a room , dinner or a show.

In fact you will pay top dollar at all of these locations if you act like a tourist and book online or direct with any of the hotels at these locations. Especially in Vegas, the hotels are 5 star, or at least the large well know hotels such as Wynn, Bellagio, Ti , Mirage etc. When there is a major conference taking place, you can be sure that the conference attendees are paying top dollars for their rooms.

An Example of Cheap Las Vegas Rooms During a Large Conference

A few years ago I booked a room at the Bellagio Casino Hotel. We had a slot card and have played at this hotel several times, so I thought we would stay there for a change. I called our slot host and she quoted a rate of $125 per night which was the casino rate at the time. I thought this was high ( we have stayed there for less on other vacations), but we really wanted to stay at the Bellagio this time so we agreed.

Upon checking in I was informed that the rate was $250 per night. Of course I referred to our reservation and it was confirmed at $125 which was our original rate. Once we had all of this straightened out I asked the receptionist why the change in rates?

Apparently the hotel was near capacity due to a large conference taking place in the hotel. The hotel has approximately 4500 rooms! Anyway they had increased rates across the board, for casino patrons as well as conference guests. Anyone without a reservation was being quoted $700 / night and some were actually paying this amount for a very nice room, but not worth $700 any time!

Our slot card and slot host saved the day this time. This example just goes to show you that a room we would normally expect to pay $79/ night or even get free went to $125 , then to $250 and to $700 if you did not have a reservation at the casino.

Call and Book Ahead

Always call ahead and book a reservation. If the rates are over $100, ask for another night if you can be flexible and ask what events are taking place so you can get an idea of how you can negotiate and also perhaps when to change your dates. Sometimes by moving to another hotel that is not quite so busy , you can find very economic rates  and very competitive as well.

Always speak to your slot host. They will do what they can to get you into their hotel at rates that are competitive and acceptable to you. They will help you understand which weeks you might want to consider or when they can give you better rates as well.

Hotel – air packages are also good to consider, especially if it is your first time in Las Vegas. Many people will use these packages to get to Vegas and then book vacation packages separately after that through their slot hosts.

Flexible Schedules

A lot of people cannot change their schedules due to work, business and family issues. This makes it more difficult to obtain the best deals, however if your schedule can be flexible then you can stay away from conference dates, week ends and other high traffic dates to get the best deal.

For example the Consumer Electronics Show is on in Vegas in January. There are over 120,000 people attending this show, so even with all of the rooms that Vegas has available, you can be sure that hotel rates are going to be high during that time period.

If you happen to be attending this show, your company has made the commitment for you to attend. On the other hand if you are paying personally, then you will want to stay away from these dates to avoid paying high rates.

We hoped this short post is helpful to readers. If you have comments and / or suggestions, please feel free to leave comments that will help our readers save money.

Harrahs Casino Las Vegas hotel is one of the older hotels that has been modernized in recent times and like many of the other casino hotels boasts over 3000 rooms and convention facilities available for guests staying in Las Vegas.

Harrahs Hotel & Casino is in the center of the strip across the street from the Mirage hotel and casino. Harrah’s Hotel & Casino is also down the street from The Flamingo, the Imperial palace and the Venetian Hotel in the other direction. Within a 10 minute walk, you can visit at least eight of the primary strip hotels. Harrah’s Hotel & Casino is central and a great place to stay. Harrah’s Hotel & Casino boasts a great special all you can eat dinner of either chicken, beef or pork with all of the extra’s.

They also book top line entertainment as well. This casino is part of the Harrah’s Casino hotel chain, that spans the US and Canada. Participating in the Total Rewards program allows you to stay in any of their hotels around the country, often for free, depending on your play.

Harrahs Casino Las Vegas

Slot Machines

There is more than 87,000 square feet of casino space at Harrahs Casino Las Vegas. From blackjack to slots, you’ll find all the action going on 24 hours a day. Harrah’s Las Vegas has more than 1,200 slots and 80 table games.

Table Games

They have all of the usual games for you to play. Including blackjack, baccarat, mini baccarat, craps, roulette, Caribbean  stud poker, let it ride and pai gow poker. They also have a poker room were you can try your hand at Texas Holdem in either regular games or in tournaments from time to time.

Restaurants

There are eleven restaurants that you can choose from while staying at Harrah’s or just passing through. These include:

• Café at Harrah’s
• Carnaval Court
• Flavors, The Buffet
• IcePan
• KGB: Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers
• Ming’s Table
• Oyster Bar at Harrah’s
• The Range Steakhouse
• Starbucks Coffee
• Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill

What We Liked

Harrah’s Hotel & Casino is very nice with a lot of great slot machines, a pool area, show facilities and conference facilities, however it does not have family style attractions as some of the other hotels do.

These are some of the items or areas that we liked about Harrah’s Hotel & Casino.

• Great slot machines
• Coffee shop
• The Comps are very good at Harrah’s using their Total Rewards slot card
• Central location
• Variety of slot machines
• Free drinks while gambling
• 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

What We Did Not Like

• Salesmen selling timeshare units, just ignore them
• Pool is not spectacular
• Nice hotel, but does not have the glamor and glitz of some of the other strip hotels

Slot Player Card

They are part of the Harrah’s Total Rewards slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at many Las Vegas hotels,  as well as sister hotels in Atlantic city, Tunica, Biloxi, Laughlin and Reno. This particular card has lots of benefits with express comps, casino room rates, and many locations to use your comps.

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 Harrah’s hotel & casino in a large parking garage behind 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: 3475 Las Vegas Blvd South

From I-15 North/South

Take the Flamingo Road east exit. Turn left on Las Vegas Blvd. Harrah’s is located on the right, just past the Imperial Palace.

From I-95

From the 95 south, merge on to the I-15 south. Take the Flamingo Road east exit. Turn left on Las Vegas Blvd. Harrah’s is on the right, just past the Imperial Palace.

One of the best buffets in Las Vegas is at the Wynn Casino buffet. It ranks as one of the best because of the food, the service and the decor and of course it is part of the Wynn hotel which we happen to think is the number one hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

We had the fortunate circumstance to be treated to a free buffet the last time we were in Vegas by a friend of ours who had just won a large jackpot at the casino and we all love the buffet so that was our first choice.

Are Wynn Casino Buffets Really that Great?

Before we go on, when most people think of buffets, they think of long lines, of people crowding around the food which makes you wonder about the sanitary nature of everything.

The buffet managers at the Wynn have dealt with this issue very nicely simply by spreading everything out with island of food from various countries. If you would like Indian food, you go to one area, Italian another, Mexican to another and so on. It is very nicely presented and the variety of food available is simply outstanding.

Hours:

• Mon-Fri 8 am – 10:30 am
• Mon-Fri 11 am – 3:30 pm
• Mon-Thu, Sun 3:30 pm – 10 pm
• Fri-Sat 3:30 pm – 10:30 pm
• Sat-Sun 8 am – 3:30 pm

Attire:Casual

Accepts Credit Cards:Yes

Parking:Garage, Valet

Price Range:$$$ approximately $35 per person but well worth it

Good for Groups:Yes

Good for Kids:Yes

Takes Reservations:No

Waiter Service:Yes

Wi-Fi:No

Good For:Lunch, Dinner

Alcohol:Full Bar

Ambiance:Classy, Casual

Wheelchair Accessible:Yes

This is an outstanding restaurant and the waiters were excellent at clearing the tables, bringing drinks and ensuring that we had everything we needed. All we had to do is to decide what exotic food we wanted to try or desert. This is a warning for all visitors to this buffet – Save some room for desert, they are excellent.

We just received news that some casinos are reopening. The Gold Strike has reopened as of May 18th,2011 . Obviously they still have a lot of work to do, and the residents have many repairs to make, but at least some of them have jobs, even if it is part of cleaning up after the flood. this was truly a devastating blow to the region, not only to the casinos and the people who worked at them, but also to the farms and towns in the area.

Many people have lost homes and businesses, equipment has been ruined and land will take months to dry out. With a flood like this it is pretty obvious that the dikes, levies or what ever they are called are simply not high enough. They are also not strong enough. Many broke allowing millions of gallons of water to pass through and flood the surrounding land.

Rebuilding

The Casinos in Tunica have been rebuilt and are in full operation again. Hopefully there will never be another flood like this one in 2011 which disrupted many persons lives. We are looking forward to going to the Tunica area once again. Also we like to support the local economy and to try our hand in the casinos once again.

We love to stay at the Gold Strike operated by the MGM Resorts group. Also the Horseshoe which is operated by the Harrahs group of companies. Both hotels are side by side and compete with each other. They seem to offer the best deals for us and we will return to this area again in 2013. Our slot cards continue to keep us receiving comp’s in terms of food, rooms and beverages. So why not take advantage of these offerings and have a little vacation.

If you need more information about why slot cards are so great, check out the several posts that we have on this subject. Slot cards provide slot players with many benefits. You are really losing out if you do not take advantage of these benefits. I like to think of it as a small jackpot each time I receive a free meal or a free room! These comp’s can add up to several hundred dollars on each trip. Which you might spend anyway on paying for your room and meals if you did not take advantage of these advantages.

Check out our posts as well on the casino reviews for all of the casinos we have visited over the years. With the exception of Texas and Utah there seems to be a casino in every state in the nation.