Best SoCal Casino

1. Pechanga Resort Casino

45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula; 877-711-2946; pechanga.com

This Temecula resort has two hotel towers with 1,100 rooms, an RV campground and a gaming floor measuring close to 200,000 square feet, making it one of the largest in California. The gaming floor has more than 5,000 slot machines and over 150 table games. The casino’s hotel rooms come in various sizes, measuring from 400 to over 800 square feet. Each room offers flat screen LCD televisions, floor to ceiling windows, an alarm clock radio with MP3 connectivity, a safe and 24-hour room service.

Pechanga also has two entertainment venues. The outdoor Pechanga Summit can accommodate up to 3,000 guests, and the indoor Pechanga Theater can seat 1,200. Pechanga offers a resort experience with amenities such as a spa and a 4.5-acre pool complex called The Cove. This area has four pools, two whirlpools, two twisty waterslides, a family pool, 27 cabanas, a walk-up restaurant, and a swim-up bar. Some of Pechanga’s eateries include the fine-dining restaurant, The Great Oak Steakhouse and other spots such as Italian restaurant Paisano’s and Asian seafood spot Umi Sushi & Oyster Bar.

Andrew Masiel Sr., president of the Pechanga Development Corp., said he and everyone at Pechanga were honored and thankful for Orange Country residents who once again voted for Pechanga as the top casino in Southern California.

“At Pechanga, we work hard to consistently provide the best customer service possible,” Masiel said. “We’re always asking ourselves, ‘how do we make the experience better?’ The guest experience has always been a top priority for us.”

WATCHARA PHOMICINDA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Patrons check-in with a receptionist at 1882 Cantina Mexican restaurant at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula.

— Charlie Vargas

2. Harrah’s Resort Southern California

777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Valley Center; 760-751-3100; harrahssocal.com

Harrah’s in Valley Center has a 1,087-room hotel, more than 1,000 slots and 50 table games and an entertainment venue. Harrah’s has embraced the resort experience, offering its guests a variety of spa treatments and swimming options, including a lazy river, a pool exclusively for guests 21 and over and a swim-up bar. The area for the swim-up bar houses hot tubs, a waterfall hot tub, eight cabanas, seven loungers and a fire pit. Restaurants at Harrah’s include the fine dining spot Fiore and full-service restaurants such as ’ritas Cantina, The Café and Gordan Ramsay’s new Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, which opened this past summer.

Jill Barrett, senior vice president/ general manager of Harrah’s Resort Southern California, said that the resort’s Caesars Rewards program has been a favorite of guests who can use their rewards at other Caesars locations across the country. Barrett also said their unique promotional campaigns also stand out from those of other casinos. The casino resort “elects” celebrity mayors such as Rob Riggle, David Hasselhoff and, most recently, Jane Lynch to carry out the casino’s promotional campaigns.

“We feel that we create an experience that is unique and memorable to guests who visit,” Barret said.

The Cabazon property has a 272-room hotelw with nearly 4,000 slots, over 80 table games and an entertainment venue.

The property has also moved in the direction of offering a resort experience to its guests. The property includes a spa, a lazy river and a pool with a makeshift sandy shoreline surrounded by cabanas.

Dining at Morongo includes various fast food options, fine dining restaurants such as Cielo and full-service restaurants such as Mozen Asian Kitchen and Good Times Café. The most recent dining addition at the property was “Top Chef” contestant Fabio Viviani’s The Marketplace. The food hall concept replaced the property’s buffet.

3. Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa

49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 951-849-3080, morongocasinoresort.com

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