Work released at 2pm on Wednesday which is a treat in itself before a four day weekend. I raced home to pack my bags before hitting the road to head to L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Left around 5pm and checked into the hotel around 8:30ish.
I'm a Vegas girl and first impressions of this casino was underwhelming. I'm use to sensory overload of lights and sounds. I've heard from multiple people that L'Auberge is "upscale" and had high hopes. Having been raised in Las Vegas I had a lot to compare it to and this hotel reminded me of Fremont Street/Downtown Vegas and not the hustle and bustle of The Strip.
My tolerance level was low after check-in. July was our last vacation so I was exhausted and burnt out on work and the daily routine, had drove almost three hours, starving, and then the casino was a bummer. Not to mention, the hotel smelled weird and was flooded with an "interesting" array of people.
I was hangry!!! We decided on dinner at Asia. We were seated immediately and the service was prompt. The restaurant smelled amazing. Ordered the beef satay appetizer, wonton soup, and Mongolian beef and chicken fried rice to share. The food tasted heavy handed on sesame oil. I've had better Asian food from Pei Wei for much, much, much less. A disappointing dinner added fuel to the fire.
(Tried Video Poker but it's not my favorite.)
Gambled on their casino floor and the slots are TIGHT!! My absolute favorite slot machine is Goddess of Gold which I've had really good payouts on, however, I blew through $20 and didn't win a dime. It was very disappointing. Not to mention the machines are effin' disgusting. They was grime on every machine. Where's the hand sanitizer?!! Ick!!!
I was so ready for bed and hoped that a good nights' sleep would put me in a better mood and more tolerable.
The best part of the hotel was the bedding which is the same as the Omni Hotel in Dallas. Slept so good for the three nights I was there which made the decision to try something new over Thanksgiving break less of a blow. Oh, and the water bottles are free. That's a plus, as well as an A/C unit that works well.
(The view didn't provide for much to look at and the chair by the window was very uncomfortable.)
My favorite float since it reminded me of Little Man.)
Woke up Thanksgiving morning pulled open the drapes. The view was okay. We overlooked the pool which was beautiful and the lazy river does look like an enjoyable time. I attempted to make a cup of coffee with the in-room Keurig to enjoy while getting ready and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade but practically spit it out. It was garbage. Ugh! Needing coffee I agreed to cutting the parade short to grab breakfast.
We decided on Favorites Southern Kitchen for breakfast despite the low ratings on Yelp since all the restaurant reviews seemed to be about the same. I ordered the veggie omelet with a side of hash browns and wheat toast. Breakfast was good and the coffee was amazing. I think I had three cups!
Headed to the Golden Nugget Casino which was less than a mile away and actually a beautiful walk on a boardwalk with boat slips at both casinos and two man made beaches with large Adirondack chairs and music playing. I could see myself sitting out there enjoying the view on a warmer day.
Before exiting L'Auberge we passed by two giant fireplaces. They were lovely but wished that the sitting made more sense so you could actually sit and enjoy the fireplaces and the view. That is one thing I really enjoy doing on vacation... grabbing a coffee and people watching in the lobby. Oh well.
The Golden Nugget restored my happiness for this trip and would be the only reason I come back to Lake Charles with the intent to gamble. This is a "Vegas" hotel feel. Great restaurants, loose slots, and a much cleaner atmosphere. Oh and lots of smiles and pleasant personalities from the staff. Drink service was fantastic and the ladies were beautiful and sweet as can be. I was impressed with how quickly the staff would clean up after patrons removing empty glasses and emptying out ashtrays. Extremely prompt!
The only downside to the Golden Nugget was the cash machines. 2 of the 3 in this particular section went down and were operating as "ATM Only" and then it went down to 1 of the 3 operating as "ATM Only" and only one cash out. The lines were ridiculously long and the patience level of the patrons was extremely low. Coupled with alcohol consumption they were assholes. I didn't really mind since I am a "go-with-the-flow" kinda gal and would wait it out until the line dwindled. FYI... the ATM machines state a $5 fee for withdrawals, however, when I arrived home to check my balance I saw the $5 charges for each of my $100 withdrawals and then three separate $2.50 fees. WTF?!!
... also, penny slots here in Lake Charles are not really one cent plays like I'm use to. Machines were 25 cents minimum. Ugh!! I enjoy taking my time and not blowing through my cash within minutes. I also wish that they had more than one Goddess of Gold machine. It is heavily sought after because of the payouts.
We did not want to miss out on Thanksgiving dinner so we hit up their buffet which was serving some Thanksgiving favorites. The food was awful, every bit of it.
Walked around the shops which of course as expected were overpriced and very upscale boutiques. Still fun to window shop though.
(My bounty... no shame!)
Thursday night we lounged around the room watching TV and stuffing ourselves with snacks before passing out.
(The Dallas Cowboys lost. I got a lot of attention from my tee. Ha!)
We slept in Friday morning and didn't get our day started until almost noon. We were going to take advantage of the free breakfast buffet comp but didn't make it out of the room on time and decided on the Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar at Golden Nugget. This meal was the most memorable of the entire trip and absolutely crave worthy! We started with the beef nachos as an appetizer and I had the carnitas tacos with a giant strawberry mojito. I was feelin' good! I raved about our lunch all day long. The service was amazing and the server was incredibly friendly and attentive.
Friday afternoon we took a break from the casino floor and I left with a raging headache after a woman sitting next to my machine kept blowing smoke in my direction. So we ended up back in the room so I could take a nap. Woke up from the nap with the headache still there. Headed down to Sundries to get pain reliever before heading to dinner.
We've been eyeing the Jack Daniels Bar & Grill since we arrived to the hotel since it is located at the base of the tower elevators and wanted to give it a try. We sat outside since I still had a headache and figured a more quiet setting would be a wise choice. I decided against a cocktail and downed water and a coke. Thankfully my headache was finally gone. I ordered the blackened salmon with asparagus and a loaded baked potato. The salmon was extremely fishy and unenjoyable. I ate half, all of the asparagus, and then went to town on the baked potato. It was so smooth and creamy. Divine!!! The only unpleasant experience about this place was sitting by the pool and getting tore up by mosquitoes. I have about 15-20 bites between both feet. Ouch!
... and our server was a bit of a ditz. We had maybe taken three bites of our dinner and she was asking if we wanted dessert and at one point asked if she could clear the table of the empty glasses and ended up trying to clear our dinner plates which still had lots of food on them. WTF?!!
(Loved the decor in the bar and the servers' uniforms.)
(Cactus made out of horseshoes.)
Saturday morning we packed our bags and checked out of the hotel. I could not wait to get the hell out of there. Headed to the Golden Nugget for a final round of gambling. Believe it or not, on the video Roulette I hit my number 15 two times in a row on my first two attempts. On the way out I grabbed Starbucks for the road.
This was my first and last time at L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana. If staying at the properties there isn't much to do other than gamble unless you like to golf. I'll either head to Vegas or come and stay at the Golden Nugget for two nights max. I could not believe that a trip here was more expensive than a roundtrip ticket and hotel at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for the same number of nights. Although I left disappointed overall there were some highs and I am happy to have had the experience.
