Pala Casino Spa & Resort
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Ultimate Casino Guide takes a spin at the region’s 10 properties.
A sure bet for: Anyone looking for a full-scale destination resort, particularly one with more polish than pizzazz. Beyond casino players, Pala appeals to the sophisticated food and wine set, elite spa goers and fans of headliner musical acts. Pala Casino Spa & Resort has received the AAA Four-Diamond Award 12 years in a row but it’s not resting on its laurels. In addition to a $100 million upgrade that was done a few years back, in 2015, Pala completed a $5.7 million project that added an underground wine cave and a 2,200-seat outdoor theater. In May, it opened a $5.6 million, 10-acre, state-of-the-art 100-spot RV park, complete with its own clubhouse and pool.
Pala Casino Resort and Spa“If you’re here to relax, there are lots of options, if you’re here for excitement, we’ve got it all,” said Bill Bembenek, Pala’s chief executive officer.
“There’s something for everybody.”
Gaming: Of the 2,000-plus machines, over 1,300 of them are penny slots. Pala’s 100,000-square-foot gaming floor has 81 table games — including seven different version of blackjack — and multiple poker-based games that are all linked to a progressive jackpot. The casino also has a separate 15-table poker room.
Dining: Pala has 11 restaurants and it’s not a coincidence that the buffet is called Choices. With 630 seats, it’s one of the biggest in Southern California and features hundreds of selections, including carving, seafood, pasta, dessert and eight international stations. Among the quality meat options are New York steak, prime rib, pork loin and rotisserie chicken. Tuesday and Thursday are Maine lobster night and rack of lamb is served on the weekends. Other dining standouts are the classic, clubby Oak Room steakhouse, the casual indoor/outdoor Mexican cafe Luis Reyes and the glamorous Mediterranean eatery, the Cave. Sushi master Yee Thomas Feng has his fish flown in daily from Fiji, “which has the purest waters in the world,” said Robert Camerota, the resort’s executive chef. “Everything we buy is fresh, from our sushi restaurant to our steaks, to all of our vegetables and our produce,” he said. “You can taste the difference.”
Hotel: The well-appointed, understatedly elegant hotel has 507 spacious hotel rooms, including 82 luxury suites. Perhaps the best rooms in the house face the pool and lawn area, where the 2,000-seat Starlight Theater is located. The outdoor venue hosts big-name artists from all genres. Guests get a front-row seat from their window. (In all, Pala has six concert venues, totaling over 5,000 seats.)
Amenity spotlight: Considered by the Spas of America website to be one of the best in the U.S., Pala’s 10,000-square-foot spa is a one-stop wellness and relaxation getaway. Located off the resort pool, it has 14 treatment rooms — all with outdoor patio massage areas and showers — a dry sauna, herbal steam room, aromatherapy shower, the Pala Power Shower, with 12 shower heads, mani-pedis and a hair salon that uses organic hair color. The spa shop sells everything from bathing suits to skincare products, purses and scarves. For fresh-air serenity, take a hike along the property’s two-mile trail on the Palomar mountain foothills.
Final spin: Oeno-paradise can be found underground at Pala’s 2,400-square-foot subterranean wine cave. The exclusive lounge carries over 480 labels, including some of the most prized on the planet: Del Dotto, Heitz, Joseph Phelps Insignia,Quintessa, Ornellaia and Sassicaia. An extensive by-the-glass selection (Saxon Brown, Numanthia, Frank Family, Trefethan, etc.) allows for heavenly 2-ounce tastings as well.
Pala Casino Spa & Resort
11154 Highway 76, Pala. (877) 946-7252 or palacasino.com
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