A sure bet
State’s casino resorts offer something for everyone
Even non-gamblers will tag along on a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., given the many other distractions available from theater to fine dining to golf. The same all-in-one prospect attracts New Mexicans to casino hotels for stressfree staycations.
With so many options to choose from, our state offers getaways to suit a range of budgets and interests.
Local luxury
The top luxury weekend in Albuquerque is probably at the Sandia Resort & Casino (505-796-7500, sandiacasino.com), which offers pampering in a resort environment. With its 10 dining options, including the high-end rooftop restaurant Bien Shur, guests don’t ever have to leave the property.
The Green Reed Spa offers a complete menu of massages, treatments, facials, wraps and a full-service salon, with 14 treatment rooms, soaking tubs and cold plunges, steam rooms and saunas.
Catching a national act at the 4,000seat outdoor concert venue often serves as an excuse to stay the night. So does the 18-hole championship golf course, which claims to be the longest course in the state and has a clubhouse and restaurant with outdoor patio. There’s an outdoor pool, whirlpools and fire pits, and a fitness center.
For gamers, the 140,000-square-foot casino is one of New Mexico’s largest, with more than 2,300 slot machines plus blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, poker, live bingo and live Keno.
Sandia’s 228 hotel rooms are most popular during Balloon Fiesta, given the clear views down to Balloon Fiesta Park — not to mention the everyday panorama from the Sandia Mountains to the Rio Grande bosque. All these amenities make Sandia Resort & Casino a top choice for weddings and wedding parties — with a price tag to match.
Native theme
The Santa Fe equivalent would have to be the Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo
Thunder Casino & Resort (505-4555555, hiltonbuffalothunder.com), in the Pueblo of Pojoaque just north of Santa Fe. Here the picturesque environment is even more remote, suitable for holing up on the property for the entirety of your stay.
Buffalo Thunder is known for its Native-themed décor, featuring hundreds of original art pieces throughout the grounds. Clear separation between hotel and casino means non-gamblers can remain blissfully unaware of the machines and tables during their stay. The 61,000-square-foot casino boasts some 1,200 slot machines, 18 game tables and poker room.
Two separate Hilton hotels offer a choice of 393 rooms and suites, some with fireplaces, balconies and views, plus hot tub in the upgraded suites. The complex includes indoor and outdoor pools, golf, tennis courts, shops, the Wo’P’in Spa and five restaurants, the fanciest one being Red Sage.
The Towa golf complex consists of three separate nine-hole courses plus driving range, putting greens and bar, earning the title Best Golf Hotel in New Mexico from the World Golf Awards.
Family friendly
A similar setting, but more suitable for families, is the Santa Claran Hotel Casino in Española (505-367-4500, santaclaran.com), which calls itself “the friendliest family experience in New Mexico.” The 122 rooms and suites are comfortably large, with balconies and views, and affordably priced, making discounted periods popular with local residents.
Besides the 18-hole Black Mesa Golf Club, which includes driving range and practice greens, there is the 24-lane Big Rock Bowling Center. Automated scoring means anyone can get started, and for kids there is bumper bowling and ball ramps, along with a pro shop and food and drinks available.
Dining options include The Grill restaurant, a café and a sports bar, with portions rumored to be generous. Other eating options are close by, since the Santa Claran is located across the river from downtown Española.
The casino here is of modest size, at 27,000 square feet, with 650 machines, blackjack and roulette. Rounding out the range of activities is an indoor pool, fitness center and hotel shop, plus tours to the Puye Cliff Dwellings, 12 miles away.
Lively entertainment
For a fun-and-games getaway that doesn’t necessarily involve children, Isleta Casino & Resort (505-724-3800, isleta.com) just south of Albuquerque offers playtime activities for adults and good room deals off season. This is also a big concert venue, so the hotel attracts music fans who don’t want to make the drive home late at night. More entertainment can be found in the country dance saloon and Center Bar, located in the middle of the casino.
The casino itself features about 1,800 slot machines and 25 gaming tables, plus the option of a small nonsmoking casino known as Palace West with 270 slot and video machines. But it’s the other activities that attract non-gamblers: The Fun Connection, a shuttle ride away, includes a 24-lane bowling alley with lively music, a billiard room with bar, arcade and full snack bar.
The Isleta Golf Club has three nine-hole courses and restaurant, while Isleta Lakes & RV Park offers year-round fishing and a 50-site RV
park along the Rio Grande, equipped with Direct TV, a convenience store, shower and laundry facilities.
The hotel itself has rooms with hot tubs and balcony rooms over the golf course. Seven total dining options include the Embers Steakhouse and TIWA Restaurant (known for its holiday buffets), while the spa offers massages, facials, treatments and salon services. An indoor/outdoor pool, hot tub and fitness center round out the amenities.
Room for RVs
Another favorite with RVers is the Route 66 Casino Hotel (rt66casino. com), west of Albuquerque on I-40. Still shiny-new, the park has 100 paved spaces with hookups, laundry, dog parks, wi-fi, full outdoor kitchen with grills, horseshoe pit, pickleball court, billiards and picnic tables. Campers have access to the swimming pool and can take a shuttle or walk to the casino.
Gaming consists of more than 1,300 slot machines, card tables and bingo, and gets high marks with reviewers. A club card gives you discounts for the buffet, and there are four restaurants as well as the Envy nightclub and a 2,800-seat indoor theater. The Thunder Road Steakhouse also features live bands.
Like Isleta, this complex has a fun room for kids near the lobby, with childcare available while parents visit the casino. The swimming pool has a water slide and there’s an indoor pool and hot tub. The 154room hotel offers room deals and also serves as a strong incentive for local partiers to stay the night.
Racing fans
Finally, for fans of horse racing who miss the tracks at La Mesa and Santa Fe Downs, Sunland Park has a newish hotel right by the racetrack, just west of El Paso and 40 miles south of Las Cruces, near the Mexican border. The Hotel at Sunland Park Casino (575-332-9200) opened less than a year ago under the Choice Hotels brand, with 78 spacious rooms containing updated amenities such as high-definition flat-screen TVs. You can upgrade to a room overlooking the track.
There’s a fitness center, business center and small bar, but otherwise meals have to be taken in the casino, a shuttle ride away, which has four eateries. Room service is also available. Travelers applaud the hotel prices, which include a voucher for breakfast.
The racetrack is the real draw here, though, with a winter season (December to April) culminating in the Sunland Derby, a qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby that has attracted as many as 19,000 fans. Sunland was the first track in the state to add a 700-slot casino (making it one of three “racinos” in the state), which greatly boosted its daily purse.
Here, as at other hotel casinos in the state, when it comes to adding attractive amenities, more is more.