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Pala Casino Resort & Spa

Pala is conveniently located off the I-15 between Temecula and Escondido on Highway 76. Pala is a casino with a hotel, convention facilities, a spa, concert venues, and numerous dining facilities. It is a beautiful property that takes advantage of the mountain views.

The Casino features slots, table games, and a unique enclosed non-smoking gambling area. To add to the fun, a live band performs everyday to entertain the gamblers. The Spa is located outside of the hotel area just off the pool area. The Spa is unique because some of its treatment rooms are located in lattice-covered rooms. The Spa has fitness equipment in addition to treatment options.

The Hotel is very nice and features 507 rooms. Consider staying a night here if your plans include wine tasting in Temecula as the drive is not far. We would also suggest staying at the hotel if you want to catch one of the big name concerts that Pala has been attracting more and more.

Dining options vary from sit-down venues to a buffet to quick dining. We really like the quality and the variety of the Terrace Buffet at Pala. The dining area is spacious and offers views of the mountains. The presentation of the food is appealing and the service is consistently good. In our opinion, it is one of the best casino buffet's in town. Directions

Harrah's Rincon Casino

Harrah's family of casinos keeps the good times rolling in San Diego's North County. The same Harrah's style, music, and sense of fun from Las Vegas have been transplanted in Rincon.

The Rincon tribe partnered with Harrah's to develop its casino, hotel and concert venue. Of all the major Indian casinos, Harrah's is located furthest away from the main highways and can be a bit of trek so get an early start. If you attend a concert here, seriously consider booking a room at this hotel - you don't want to be driving in the dark on these roads.

Located in San Diego's beautiful Pauma Valley, the drive to Harrah's can be a lovely (but long) experience. Harrah's recently added another hotel tower (it now has 622 rooms!). The Casino features slots, table games and bingo. Dining options include sit-down dining and a buffet. The buffet room has no windows and is a bit small for the large number of people that seem to frequent this venue. Directions

Casino Pauma

This little casino is nestled in Pauma Valley. It is a sort of permanent tent-like structure that tries to have a tropical feel. If small casinos are your style, then take a ride and drop in. Gaming includes slots and table games. Dining has much to be desired in terms of variety so we would suggest that you have something to eat somewhere else. Directions

Valley View Casino

Perched on top of a hill, Valley View Casino is not too far away from Harrah's Rincon Casino. It is a smaller venue than Harrah's but larger than Casino Pauma. It has a more modern feel than Casino Pauma but it's smaller size makes it less appealing to us. That is not to say that there are gamblers out there who like the smaller feel of this kind of casino because there are. We have gone to this casino about 2 times and each time we have said that we are not sure we would go back. Why are we including this casino in our web site? Because there it is close to Harrah's and provides San Diego visitors with another casino opportunity.

This casino has all the trappings of the other casinos, just on a smaller scale. As for the dining, there is a buffet (we have not been to it) and Valley View promotes the heck out of it in their 2 for 1 offers in the San Diego Reader (one of San Diego's weekly alternative newspapers). So, make sure you clip out the coupon before you head out to Valley View to take advantage of their promotion. The other casinos don't do this kind of 2 for 1 advertising in any of the papers, so this is the place to use it! Directions

If you would like to know more about the American Indian experience in San Diego and the Southwest, please consider viewing Survival in the Weave - Kumeyaay.