Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino

We walked in without a reservation or plan and booked a stay on the spot. It turned into a great first visit for me and my family. The staff who helped us were kind, kept us informed, and gave us wonderful service and hospitality. Thank you, David, Gloria, Michael, Justice, Stevie, and Anna!

The spa was the best part of our stay. It was our first visit, and the staff were first class and kind. The sauna, steam room, and separate men's and women's lockers and showers were great, and our massages were excellent. The Deuces Diner is worth visiting for its unusual sodas on tap and great shakes. I liked the caramel coffee shake. For dinner, my pick is the Noodle Bar: get in line at 5 p.m. to put your name down for a reservation. We've been here a couple times a year, sometimes overnight. It's a sizable casino a few miles south of the Yosemite entrance. The rooms are clean, roomy, reasonably priced, fairly updated, and comfortable, but the bedside tables have automatic floor lights that can come on randomly during the night and wake you up. There's no way to turn them off, and it's really annoying. The front desk staff are pleasant, not rude, but rarely helpful. Asking about an upgrade often gets us an excuse or we're told the place is fully booked. Getting dinner reservation help is much the same: we get sent to the website or the main phone number, and neither has helped. Still, we don't let small stuff ruin the trip, and our stay was pleasant. The casino allows smoking, so keep that in mind if smoke bothers you. When we visited, the Christmas decorations were festive. The bell staff, valets, and person at bag check were attentive and good people.

For the price, this was a really nice stay, and the property was well maintained. My kids had a great time in the indoor-outdoor pool, and we liked the hot tub. The gym was clean and had a nice view. Cigarette smoke was noticeable throughout the casino, though I didn't notice it in the room.

Driving up through the clouds and arriving in sunshine at the top was such a cool start to the visit. The property is beautiful, and I even won a surprising jackpot. It was my first time there. I booked a room and dinner at Vintage Steakhouse. The room was fairly nice, a little dated but comfortable. Service at dinner was good, though my steak was a bit overdone and still tasted good. I had breakfast at Noho, which was covered by the points I'd earned, and the serving was big enough to take leftovers.