Barona Resort & Casino
1932 Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside. (619) 443-2300 or barona.com. Shuttle information: barona.com/about-barona/directions-and-transportation/shuttle-schedule
The deal: A full-scale casino resort with a hotel, golf course, day spa and multiple dining venues. Barona’s casino floor offers no-fee ATMs and the roving “Party People” with instant-cash giveaways. Gaming options include 2,100 slot machines, over 90 tables, a 15-table poker room and a high-limit area. (Alcohol is not permitted on the casino floor.) Highlights among the 11 dining venues are the Barona Oaks Steakhouse, the 850-seat Seasons Fresh Buffet — the largest in the San Diego area — and the Italian Cucina restaurant. The hotel has 400 rooms, all with balconies or terraces. The 18-hole, championship golf course is steps from the hotel. Barona is undergoing a modest expansion, which will add to and improve various amenities. Two private casinos, with VIP butler service, underground entrance and a helipad, caters to an exclusive clientele.
Golden Acorn Casino
1800 Golden Acorn Way, Campo. (866) 794-6244 or goldenacorncasino.com. Shuttle information: goldenacorncasino.com/shuttles.php
The deal: A respite for truckers and the road-weary, Golden Acorn is compact-sized casino with a Travel Center and dining venues. The casino floor features 750 slot machines and eight table games, including $3 blackjack and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em. The Golden Grill’s signature dish is the $7.77 prime rib, which is eight ounces of beef, served with a dinner roll, mashed, baked potato or fries. Also of note is the six-pound “Glory Burger,” a giant round of grilled beef on a specially-made roll. Golden Acorn’s 24/7, 3,000-square-foot Travel Center and rest stop offers clean showers and rest rooms, laundry facilities, a TV lounge and WiFi, and other amenities.
Harrah’s Resort Southern California
777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Funner. (760) 751-3100 or harrahssocal.com. Shuttle information: harrahssocal.com/play/bus
The deal: A full-service casino resort with a hotel, luxury pool complex, a wellness spa and multiple dining venues. Gaming options include 1,750 slots and 65 table games. Harrah’s offers nine dining choices, including the signature Fiore Steak + Seafood restaurant and ‘Ritas Cantina. The hotel has 1,065 rooms, including 141 suites and the ultra-luxe presidential suite, with two large balconies. The Dive features three pools, a swim-up bar and lazy river. SR76, a unique 5,000-square-foot brewery, is adjacent to the resort and casino. The 11,000-square-foot spa is newly renovated and features a full-service salon and barbershop. Harrah’s recently kicked off a marketing campaign in which it changed the name of the land it’s on to Funner and enlisted actor David Hasselhoff to be the first “mayor.”
Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego
14145 Campo Road, Jamul. (619) 315-2250 or hollywoodcasinojamul.com. Shuttle information: hollywoodcasinojamul.com/About/Shuttle
The deal: San Diego’s newest casino features state-of-the-art technology throughout. Gaming options include 1,700 slot machines and 40 tables. The 4-acre site features seven dining venues, including Final Cut Steakhouse, Loft 94 and Tony Gwynn’s Sports Pub. Hollywood has two sizable collections of memorabilia. Tony Gwynn’s has items that represent beloved #19’s amazing 20-year career, including an original uniform, baseball cards and one of his five Gold Glove awards. Final Cut features actual movie costumes, such as 007’s tux worn by Daniel Craig in “Spectre” and a “Superman” costume worn by Christopher Reeve. The upper-level Loft 94 serves a lineup of 48 craft beers and gourmet gastropub fare.
Pala Casino Spa & Resort
11154 Highway 76, Pala. (877) 946-7252 or palacasino.com. Shuttle information: palacasino.com/about-us/need-a-ride
The deal: A full-scale casino resort with a hotel, underground wine cave, top-rated spa and a variety of restaurants. The casino floor has 2,000-plus machines and 81 table games. The casino also has a separate 15-table poker room. Highlights among the 11 eateries are the Oak Room Steakhouse and the 630-seat Choices Buffet. Nearly 500 wines are featured in the Wine Cave. The hotel has 507 rooms, including 82 luxury suites. Pala’s spa has 14 treatment rooms, all with outdoor patio massage areas and showers. An RV park opened in 2016. In October, Pala will break ground on a $170 million expansion, which will add a 349-room hotel tower, 500 slot machines, a new multipool complex and other amenities.
Casino Pauma
777 Pauma Reservation Road, Pauma Valley. (760) 742-2177 or casinopauma.com. Shuttle information: casinopauma.com/bus-shuttle
The deal: A 35,000-square-foot casino featuring live entertainment and dining venues. Gaming options include over 1,000 slot machines and 19 table games. The three dining choices are the Grove Buffet, a cafe with an all-day menu and the 24/7 Casino Pauma Deli and Pizzeria. Drinks are served at the Triple Seven Bar, as well as the Red Parrot Lounge. An 815-seat outdoor covered pavilion showcases entertainment from Latin Nights to rock concerts.
Pechanga Resort & Casino
45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula. (888) 732-4264 or pechanga.com. Shuttle information: pechanga.com/bus-schedules
The deal: A mega resort with a hotel, golf course and multiple dining venues. Pechanga’s casino floor has 4,000 slot machines, more than 150 table games, a poker room with over 40 tables and a 700-seat bingo hall. Pechanga has 11 eateries, two of them open 24 hours and three with late-night service. The Great Oak Steakhouse boasts meats, seafood and wine. The hotel has 517 rooms, including the Spa Studio, with its in-room, over-sized spa tub for two. Pechanga’s $285 million expansion, expected to be mostly completed in December, will make the hotel the biggest of any casino in California, with 1,090 rooms and suites. A new, two-story spa building and expanded pool area will open in early 2017. A recently announced expansion of Pechanga’s RV park is also underway. A new Off-Track Betting parlor had its grand opening in August.
Sycuan Casino
5469 Casino Way, El Cajon.(619) 445-6002 or sycuan.com. Shuttle information: www.sycuan.com/free-shuttles
The deal: A casino with state-of-the-art bingo, entertainment theater and expansive non-smoking section. Gaming options include 2,000 slot machines, 40-plus table games and 19 poker tables. Sycuan also features an extensive, enclosed non-smoking section with 850 slots and separate entrance. There are five restaurants, including the 350-seat Paipa’s Surf & Turf Buffet. A $226 million expansion project will add its first hotel, a 12-story tower with 300 rooms, an expansive pool and garden area, with a dedicated children’s pool, adult pool and lazy river, a new spa and fitness area, multiple new dining venues, with indoor and outdoor seating, a conference and event center, and an enlarged casino floor with more slots and tables.
Valley View Casino & Hotel
16300 Nyemii Road, Valley Center. (760) 291-5500 or valleyviewcasino.com. Shuttle information: valleyviewcasino.com/GettingHere/luxuryline.aspx
The deal: An adults-only boutique resort with a hotel, multiple dining venues and sweeping mountain views. Gaming options include 2,000 state-of-the-art slot machines, including 164 in a recently upgraded high-limit VIP section, 25-plus table games and a large, separate 500-machine smoke-free area. Highlights among the six dining options are the Black & Blue Steakhouse, the 560-seat buffet, known for its endless Maine lobster, and BLD’s cafe. The 108-room, 12-suite non-smoking hotel features smartly-furnished deluxe rooms and one-bedroom luxury suites, with two balconies. The infinity pool is just steps from the hotel. A hotel stay includes breakfast at BLD.
Viejas Casino & Resort
5000 Willows Road, Alpine. (619) 445-5400 or viejsandiegouniontribune.noticiases.info. Shuttle information: viejsandiegouniontribune.noticiases.info/free-casino-ride-V-Bus
The deal: A full-scale casino resort with a hotel, entertainment and shopping complex and outdoor skating rink. The newly expanded casino floor includes around 2,300 slot machines, eight different kinds of table games, an off-track betting lounge and a newly built bingo and slot parlor. In addition to the Grove Steakhouse, Viejas has a 24-hour cafe and the 550-seat The Buffet. The AAA 4-Diamond awarded hotel has 237 rooms, including 34 VIP suites and The Penthouse Suite, with a private movie theater. Viejas is undergoing a multimillion dollar expansion that includes a third hotel tower, with an additional 158 accommodations — all suites. The new tower is planned as a luxury resort within a resort. Viejas also runs the Ma-Tar-Awa RV Camper Park in Alpine and provides free transportation to and from the casino.