Las Vegas has long been considered the fun neighbor of Southern California. A short flight or a drive can leave you a little worn out before vacation begins. While Vegas is a name that resonates and has a long history, if you want all that goes with that famous city, and the ability to get there in less than half the time, meet Pechanga Resort Casino.

Pechanga Resort Casino is in Temecula, which is less than an hour away from San Diego. When it comes to Los Angeles and Orange County, if you plan accordingly you can reach Pechanga in under an hour and a half. If you are going on vacation, why spend longer than needed getting to your destination? If you live in Southern California, Pechanga is the definition of a “staycation.”

Driving to Pechanga is a pleasure all on its own. The rolling hills of Temecula, the beautiful countryside, the wineries along the way and the occasional hot air balloon are all a stark contrast to the desert you face on your way to Las Vegas.

Once you make your way to the glorious entrance of Pechanga you will quickly realize, with the beautiful golf course in the near distance and the glitz and glamour of the casino floor right there, you have reached your vacation. There is no need to tell you Pechanga is special: the fact that it’s an AAA Four Diamond Award-winning property and was also named “Best U.S. Casino” by USA Today in 2015 takes care of that. The stellar service that greets you when you check in to the overwhelming beauty and size of Pechanga will make you wonder why you have not experienced it before.

The Pechanga Resort and Casino is located in Temecula, California at 45000 Pechanga Parkway. The mass gaming floor (188,000 square feet) plus 12,700 sq ft non-smoking casino floor, 14,700 sq ft High Limit gaming area and 54 table non-smoking poker room give it a claim to the largest casino floor in the western USA, nudging out MGM Grand in Las Vegas with 170,000 square feet, the largest casino.

When it comes to a room with a view, they all have it. It really comes down to which breathtaking view you want: mountain, valley or golf course view. If you want the glorious all-encompassing experience, nothing is quite like the corner suite in the resort tower. Floor-to-ceiling windows make up the corner and give views in both directions, and the room itself is 650 square feet of pleasure; and, you get a rubber ducky with the tub just to make sure all bases are covered.

Pechanga Casino Poker Room Reviews 2018

The only reason to mention Las Vegas when talking about Pechanga is to thoroughly convince you that Pechanga does have everything Sin City does, minus the watered-down free cocktail. The 200,000 square-foot casino floor has all your flash slot machines as well as every table you could think of, along with a 24-hour poker room and an off-track betting lounge. Pechanga also recently introduced the MyPechanga app that allows Pechanga guests and members of The Club at Pechanga to take advantage of resort offers and redeem them with the click of a button.

Expansive, 3,000-slot casino. Poker room, good tables (at $25 and up), and decent video poker: VP inventory includes full-pay Jacks or Better at the nickel level, which is rare. Pechanga is closer than many of the other places and has a non-smoking section. There is a good variety of machines. From AU$240 per night on Tripadvisor: Pechanga Resort Casino, Temecula. See 832 traveller reviews, 372 photos, and cheap rates for Pechanga Resort Casino, ranked #6 of 21 hotels in Temecula and rated 4 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

The casino used to be wholly known for gambling, with everything else secondary. That is not the case anymore, as food has almost overtaken gambling. Pechanga fully understands casino goers have high expectations for restaurants, and they have a options for any appetite, none of which will disappoint, whichever direction you go in.

Pechanga has the requisite steakhouse, that would be the highly acclaimed The Great Oak Steakhouse, Journey’s End which is perfect if you are planning a day of golf or you just want a breathtaking view while you are dining. Those are just two of the great options that seem endless, and of course a buffet that has over 250 fresh items and has a flavor every appetite. If you had only one meal to eat at Pechanga, that meal would have to be the experience of UMI Sushi & Oyster Bar. UMI is one of those restaurants where the food is served so beautifully and perfect that it will take your breath away. If you are looking for something to experience the wide-ranging fresh seafood at UMI, the seafood steam pot brings together crab, shrimp, fish-of-the-day, mussels and clams all in a white wine broth that brings all those flavors into the broth. There are some incredible sushi rolls and sashimi, and you never know what else they might have, as they generally have one or two items they get in special each day, and those usually go beyond even what the normal amazing menu entails.

You can’t leave Pechanga without being entertained. You can laugh it up at the comedy club or enjoy that late night club experience at the Eagle’s Nest and Kelsey’s. Pechanga also brings in some of the biggest acts in the world including: Tony Bennett, Chicago, Tiffany Haddish and more. You can plan your trip around one of these big name acts while you enjoy a day getting ready at the spa, golfing or taking a tour of wine country. Pechanga also offers some great events throughout the year including: the Pechanga Chocolate Decadence & Wine Festival on March 6th and 7th, the Pechanga Sushi & Sake Festival on April 8th and on June 27th the Pechanga Microbrew Festival and Chili Cookoff .

Pechanga Resort Casino is one of those vacation spots you have likely heard of, but until you set foot on the property, you are not going to know what you have been missing. If you love the casino experience and that’s the vacation you have in mind when you conjure up the word vacation, Pechanga is everything you could ever want, and you don’t have to leave the state of California to experience it.

Pechanga Casino Poker

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