I know there are so many choices when it comes to trying to find a good fit for your stay in Las Vegas that it gets a little overwhelming. So, I decided to review some of these to help you find the perfect one for you. Not only will I be doing reviews on some of the more well-known casinos/resorts on the strip, but also some of the better known off-strip ones to give you more ideas for your visit. Please see our website to do your own research for what fits your needs.
This post includes some affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, we will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support.
Ok, so the Durango Casino & Resort is one of the newest casinos in the area from Stations Casinos. It is in Las Vegas, but not on the strip. It was built as a new concept casino with a food court that has new to market concept restaurants along with some local favorites and more outdoor space to enjoy our great weather when you’re not gambling. It also has plenty of meeting rooms if you want to have a conference here. Let’s get into some what the Durango has to offer.
Hotel
You have your choice of mountain views or resort views with the standard rooms. All of the standard rooms come with floor to ceiling windows, 65″ TV’s, executive work desk, Nespresso machine, spa-like bathroom amenities, lounge area, luxury steamer, and in room safe. They come in King or 2 Queen beds. If you’re interested in more space, they have a nice selection of suites. The Executive suite has mountain or city views, soaking tub, fully stocked mini bar, separate living room and 75″ TV, king bed along with the amenities available in standard rooms. The next suite is the Parlor King Suite. It includes dual vanity sink with an extra-large walk-in shower, wet bar with curated bar experience, 75″ TV, high-top dining table for 6, separate living room and the standard room amenities. The Salon Suite features Crestron smart room control system along with Carlos Huber personal care products. It also has a 75″ TV, high-top table for 8, separate living room, and all standard room amenities. City King Suite this includes a 85″ TV in a spacious separate living room with an eight-seat dining table, curated bar experience with full wet bar and butler’s pantry, and all other standard amenities. Terrace King Suite is another option for a suite. This suite has a separate living room with a corner balcony with a city view, along with a butler’s pantry with 24-hour butler service, 85″ TV, and full wet bar. This suite also includes personal care product by Carlos Huber and a Dyson supersonic pro dryer. If you’re really looking for luxury your choice of the Veranda King Suite, which is on the top floor of the hotel or the Vista King Suite with it’s panoramic views of both the Las Vegas strip and the Spring Mountain range. It includes a patio and a shuffleboard table in the dining area. Both of these include all the amenities of the other suites. If you’re looking for a place where you can get something a little extra in a hotel room, this might be a good choice for you.
Casino
The casino floor itself is one of the biggest in the area with 83,000 square feet of space. There are over 2200 slot machines with a good assortment of games. They have over 60 tables games along with high limit slots and table games. STN sports is also available in a new state-of-the art sportsbook. The area is brightly lit with many of the dining options right off of the casino floor. I really enjoyed the brightness of the casino floor and the floor-to-ceiling windows with some view of the mountain and the slot selection, but it’s hard to make a casino floor anything special except how it’s laid out and this one is pretty much one big area with lot of slot machines and table games.
Dining
One of the things Durango is trying to be known for is its food selections. When those hunger pang strike, you definitely will find many options here. The food court offers new to market concept restaurants and local favorites. It also has some fine dining restaurants to round out its choices. The food court is definitely larger than most in casinos and with the new to market concept restaurants it does stand out from other casinos. The new to market restaurants are Irv’s Burgers, Prince St. Pizza, Ai Pono Cafe, which is Hawaiian street food, Uncle Paulie’s Deli and Fiorella which has pasta. There is also Vesta Coffee in two spots at Durango which has specialty coffees and snacks. The local favorites that are in the food court are: Yu-or-Mi Sushi which has a restaurant in downtown Las Vegas and serves Japanese cuisine, Shang Artisian Noodle, Oyster Bar which has a few locations in the Las Vegas area and Neilson Frozen Custard to round it out. So as you can see there are many choices in the food court where I’m sure you can feed your cravings for a quick meal. When evening rolls around and you are looking for a nice sit-down dinner, your choices include Nicco’s which serves steak, prime rib and seafood entrees. Or if you are looking for a little spice, try Mijo a modern Mexican restaurant. Rounding out the dinner choices is Summer House which serves seasonal inspired entrees. If you’re looking for a nice lounge, try the Oasis Lounge which specializes in tropical cocktails, The George which is a sportsman lounge or the Backyard Grill which is by the pool area and serves both food and drinks. There is also a bar on the casino floor called the Side Bar if you don’t want to leave the floor to grab a drink. As you can see, they really emphasized culinary choices for this resort and hopefully you will be able to find some favorites on your visit here.
Amenities
Unfortunately, this is where I find Durango to be a little lacking, especially since it is a Stations property which is known for all the amenities geared towards family and locals. The pool is really the only thing to do here besides eat and gamble. Most Stations casinos have so many things to do like bowling, bingo, movie theaters, kids zone, etc. which make them great places to bring your family especially since none of them are on the Las Vegas Strip. So, in that regard, Durango is a letdown, especially since it’s a bit of a hike to the strip and not much else around it as far as entertainment or shopping.
Conclusion
Durango really is a beautiful place with lots of brightness and great outdoor areas, but as an off-strip casino it really is lacking in amenities and entertainment, especially for families. I know a lot of people would rather stay off the Las Vegas strip for a variety of reasons, but in my humble opinion, there are many other great choices even in the Stations casino family. Having said that, if all you want to do is gamble and/or relax by a pool on your vacation, then Durango might be a good choice for you. I try to put as much information in my blogs to help you narrow down your choices for a great place to stay when visiting Las Vegas or some other places we visit, but please do your own research once you narrow down your choices so that you find what is best for you. My opinion may not be your opinion on what meets your needs the best. Our opinions are our own and never influenced by outside opinions. We hope to inspire people to visit new places and have their own adventure even if it’s just a day trip near you. To see some of our casino play and tours of casinos, click here.