My dad and I recently snuck away to San Manuel Casino for a night of food and fun.

Our getaway began when we checked into a spacious room at Bear Springs Hotel, the preferred hotel partner of San Manuel Casino. Located in the city of Highland, at the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, the property is a couple miles from the casino and is also a gateway to Big Bear.

As the Inland Empire’s newest full-service boutique hotel, Bear Springs offers 105 guest rooms, including 30 spacious studios, plus amenities such as a restaurant, bar & lounge, outdoor terrace with a heated pool, hot tub, and a cozy fire pit.

Our deluxe king room at Bear Springs featured a large, comfy king bed with a Beautyrest mattress, lots of closet space, an oversized armchair, a 43-inch flat screen TV with an integrated entertainment system controlled by your in-room tablet, as well as a Keurig Coffee machine. The room also featured free high-speed wireless internet and great views of the nearby mountains.

Once acquainted with the room, we walked outside the hotel lobby and took the complimentary shuttle to San Manuel Casino. The 24-hour shuttle picks up hotel guest from the lobby and the casino every 30 minutes.

After a 5 minute ride, we arrived at the casino and headed directly for the Serrano Buffet. I may not be a big gambler, but I do enjoy a great an all-you-can-eat restaurant and the Serrano Buffet is a sure thing. Boasting more than 200 dishes from around the globe, the buffet is highlighted by an incredible array of American, Asian, Italian, and Mexican cuisine as well as special selections and seasonal delights.

The buffet is renowned for its extravagantly delicious specialty nights. Monday is all about steak; Tuesday is Latin; Wednesday and Thursday is for lobster lovers; Friday is seafood night; and Saturday and Sunday is steak and seafood. It is easy to see why people drive-in from all over just to experience the Serrano Buffet!

My four, carefully stacked plates at the buffet included delectable items such as tender pork ribs, shrimp pasta, succulent steak, spicy tuna rolls, roasted cream corn, an authentic tamale, pizza, chilled large shrimp with cocktail sauce, and much more. For dessert I literally sampled the best cheese cake I’ve ever had. The buffet entry price also includes unlimited beverages, with beer and wine available for an extra charge.

After filling our bellies at the buffet we hit the casino to try and fill our pockets. San Manuel has more than 4,900 slot machines, including over 115 video poker machines and the most Konami machines in the world. It also offers more than 130 of the hottest Vegas-style table games, including two exclusive gaming rooms — High Limit Room and Lotus 8 Palace.

Our first stop in the casino was the Club Serrano both where we signed-up to become members and get a players card. Since we were first-timers we received some free slot plays on the card and a chance to win prizes. Once you join Club Serrano you automatically receive promotional offers, special invitations to casino events and tournaments, entries for monthly drawings, and discounts to over a hundred local businesses, along with other special offers.

With my Club Serrano card I sat down at the 25-cent slot machines. I decided to invest $20 in trying to hit it big and after about 30 minutes of ups and downs I won a $50 jackpot. With this windfall I headed across the casino to the Tukut Lounge for live band Karaoke with “The Reel Band.” Here I tried my voice at a classic Beatles song and sipped a cold beer.

The casino is also undergoing a major expansion, as a brand new, luxury hotel and a world-class entertainment venue are currently under construction onsite and set to open in 2021.

San Manuel Casino is located at 777 San Manuel Blvd, Highland, CA 92346. For more information, call 800.359.2464 or visit the San Manuel Casino site.

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I recently visited Morongo for a wonderful day and night and I hit the jackpot for fun and relaxation.

My getaway began when a friend and I rounded a bend on the 10 Freeway just west of Palm Springs and saw the majestic, 27-story hotel / casino tower protruding from the desert floor. The next thing we knew, we were checking into a gorgeous Canyon View Suite overlooking the San Gorgonio and San Jacinto mountain ranges.

Located on 23rd floor, our suite came with a private bedroom with a comfy king bed and 55” TV; and a separate living areas with another 55” TV, fully-stocked mini bar, mini fridge, coffee maker, couch and chair, and office area. Both of these rooms were highlighted by giant windows overlooking the mountains.

Other suite amenities included a beautiful bathroom with a walk-in glass shower and oversized jetted whirlpool tubs; plush bath robes; and complimentary Wi-Fi.

Once acquainted with the room, we headed to the lobby for dinner. The resort is home to some of the best Palm Springs area restaurants. From the upscale, AAA Four Diamond Award-Winning Cielo, located on the 27th floor, to the Las Vegas-style buffet Potrero Canyon, Morongo offers tasty options for everyone.

Since it was Mariachi Monday at Potrero Canyon buffet we went there and dove into a sea of incredible Mexican and international food. My three plates were stacked with delicious chili verde, chile relleno, beans and rice, blackened cod, and Chinese mint chicken. My friend devoured coconut shrimp, roast beef with mashed potatoes, nachos and more. For dessert we had fresh cheese cake, tarts and cookies.

From the buffet we hit the South Pacific Islands-inspired Oasis Pool area, where we grabbed inner tubes and floated down the resort’s meandering lazy river like a couple of stuffed alligators. The outdoor area also features a giant adult pool, a kids pool, a sandy beach and two heated spa tubs, all surrounded by lush gardens, exclusive cabanas and plush chaise lounges.

Back inside the hotel, we tried our luck at the 150,000 sq-ft casino, which features over 2,600 slot machines, 74 table games, including a 13-table poker room and a bingo hall with 440 seats and 19-inch TV monitors. I played blackjack while my friend played quarter slots.

In the morning I found bliss at Sage – The Spa at Morongo, which takes its name from the fragrant white sage that has grown abundantly in the surrounding hills and canyons. Here I had a rejuvenating 50-minute Swedish massage with eucalyptus oils. Sage offers 14 treatment rooms, a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and cold plunge. The spa is also home to Radiance Salon, offering professional hair, manicure and pedicure treatments, as well as waxing services.

After my rubdown it was back to Oasis Pool for some more relaxing before my next culinary journey at Morongo. That night my friend and I experienced International Tuesdays at Potrero Canyon buffet, where we sampled a host of delightful dishes from around the globe. We had seafood cioppino soup, Mongolian beef, pizza, shrimp, nachos and a lot more.

Other food options at Morongo include a food court with a host of eateries; a poolside bar & grill; and two new venues: Good Times Cafe and Pink Coffee. The 24-hour Good Times Café is infused with a rustic brewhouse atmosphere and offers handcrafted burgers, salads, brick-oven pizza, fresh seafood, steaks and a myriad of pilsners, IPAs, stouts and fine whiskeys. Pink Coffee offers signature roast coffee, velvety sweet house-made gelatos and fine baked goods made by hand in Morongo’s own bakery.

Morongo is also home to world-class entertainment as it welcomes performers such as Michael Buble, Enrique Iglesias and Natalie Cole to name a few. For upcoming shows, visit their website.

The resort is currently undergoing a 65,000-sq-ft expansion that when complete in 2020 will increase its existing gaming floor by more than 30 percent, add new restaurants, and a free valet parking structure with 750 spaces.

Morongo Casino Resort & Spa is located at 49500 Seminole Dr. Cabazon, 92230. For more info and reservations, visit the Morongo Casino Resort website or call (800) 252-4499.

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The getaway began when a friend and I checked into a gorgeous 4th floor suite in Pala’s AAA Four-Diamond hotel, overlooking the nearby Palomar Mountains. Elegant and welcoming, the room boasted a comfy king bed, big flat screen TV, office area with free Internet, a large bathroom with walk-in shower and tub, a mini-fridge and coffee maker and a large, relaxing chair.

Once acquainted with the room, we took the elevator down to the lobby and walked outside to paradise at the resort’s sparkling adults-only pool plaza. Set beneath the Palomar Mountains, the area boasts five heated pools and 14 luxury cabanas, along with waterfalls, fire pits, deck chairs, Jacuzzis, and floating daybeds, all scattered about a beautiful outdoor courtyard. There is also a full-service poolside café & bar.

The poolside cabanas — available for rent — are very inviting. They come with personalized pool attendant service, refrigerator stocked with waters and assorted sodas, 49″ HDTV, Wi-Fi, personal safe, sofa, arm chair and chaise lounge. They must be coveted during the summer.

After swimming, sipping a couple Bloody Mary’s and relaxing beside the pool, we headed for lunch at Choices, The Buffet. As Pala’s signature buffet, the expansive, buffet-style restaurant features a dining area capable of accommodating 625 guests.

Highlighted by a complete exhibition kitchen, Choices offers over 200 different hot and cold food options including dishes from Asia, Italy, Mexico as well as traditional American favorites, salads, an omelet station and a wide variety of mouth watering desserts made fresh here at Pala. Every Monday Tuesday & Wednesday, Choices offers a snow crab buffet, and on Thursday they put on a lobster buffet.

With my belly full on crab legs, pork nachos, salad and cheese cake, I left Choices and hit the slot machines. Pala Casino Spa & Resort is known as one of San Diego County’s premier casino destinations. The place boasts a Las Vegas-style casino with more than 2,250 state-of-the-art slot and video machines, 84 table games, and an 8-table poker room that hosts live play and championship tournaments.

I played the 25-cent slots for about an hour and walked away pretty much even, but if you count the great, free entertainment from the live cover band playing above the bar, I think I came out ahead.

From the casino I visited the fitness center to work off some calories before dinner. Located next to the resort’s 11,000-sq-ft full-service Spa, the gym offers state-of-the-art treadmills, stair-climbers, recumbent bikes, weight machines and free weights. It is open 24 hours a day for hotel guests.

After working out I met my friend for a delicious dinner at Bar Meets Grill restaurant. The California casual cuisine eatery serves a wide variety of appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and salads, as well as a selection of pasta and entrée options created by Chef Anila. Our dinner began with a jumbo shrimp cocktail and a glass of merlot. For the main course I had succulent bourbon short ribs with garlic chips with sweet red cabbage and horseradish potato. My friend devoured seared rib eye steak with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.

The next morning we drove less a mile to the historic San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, also known as “Pala Mission.” Founded in 1816 as an outpost to the larger Mission San Luis Rey in nearby Oceanside, Pala Mission was part of the Spanish mission system. Today it is located on the Pala Indian Reservation and is the It is the only historic mission facility still serving a Mission Indian tribe.

The little mission features a museum, gift shop, gardens, cemetery, and a chapel. It’s bell tower is said to be the only freestanding one of its kind among all the California missions. Across the street from the asistencia, is Pala Store, a charming little market opened in 1897.

Back at Pala Resort, we spent the morning at the pool. Next to the pool is the 2,400- sq-ft Starlight Theatre stage, which hosts top-name outdoor concerts on the resort lawn. Upcoming shows on the stage include Latin Legends featuring El Chicano, Tierra, Malo And Thee Midniters on Saturday, June 29; Styx on Friday, July 26; and Brian Wilson and The Zombies: Something Great From ’68 Tour on Saturday, Sept 7.

Pala Casino Spa & Resort is located at 11154 HWY 76, Pala, 92059. For more info and current specials, call 1-877-WIN-PALA or visit the Pala Casino Spa & Resort website

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