Hi. I just pent 3 days and 2 nights at Pala. Pala does have a hotel and a very large one at that. Pala is not a warehouse. It's an actual Casino complete with hotel, pool, spa, and entertainement. David Lee Roth, Al Gereau, Natalie Cole, Kenny G. and Smokie Robinson are some of the entertainers who will be performing there between July and August 2006. It's a beautiful place and the dining is wonderful. The atmosphere is like that of a Vegas Casino. As for Pechenga, it's nice too. The rooms at the Pechenga hotel are gorgeous and equal to that of some of the finer hotels in California. My family and I frequently visit both places because of the atmosphere. It's fun to go out and be pampered and fun and see the glitz and glamour. I hope that more tribes will build similar hotels and casinos.
— MalJ, July 16, 2006

Sponsorship Coordinator
Pechanga has since built a new casino - where are the pictures of it? It doesn't seem fair to compare Pala with Pechanga when you are using old photos.
— Lori, October 17, 2003

"Deep in the desert" ,You have either never visited a desrt or you've never been to the casinos you mention. Pala is only 20 miles from the ocean and is best described as semi arid grassland. Pechanga is located more or less in a chapparal region. A desert is usually described as an area with 10 inches of rain a year or less. Pala and Pechanga both get more than 10 inches a year on average.
— jeff, June 25, 2003

There is a water park, a motorcycle park, a natural mineral stream with swimming and tubbing. There are campgrounds and hiking trails. There is Pala Rock Shop where you can actually pan for tourmalines from the nearby mines of Pala. The Indian museum at the Pala Mission. Most of the houses of the Pala Indians blends into the land so well that one thinks the land is barren of human life.

We camped by a natural spring so the kids could have water to pan for gold specks of ore. Wild turkeys came by for a drink, deer, and and many other small animals were on the hiking trails. The City wants to put a land fill next to Medicine Rock. This will pollute the natural water and kill out the animals. I can't believe the people continue to try to destroy what little these people hold dear. I found nothing lacking at Pala. This is of course my personal experience just as the writer before saw a different Pala.
— Debbie Glaze, June 19, 2003

housewife
If vegas was able to lure all walks of life, then start building something for kids especially in the desert. We travel as a family, so try to build a kiddie town so it will be a wholesome family entertainment. Establish buses for the senior citizen also and make it a real treat for the oldies. 4 hours to Las Vegas is very tiring for the old folks. Try also building a theme park thanks
— Teresita Pasalo, September 29, 2002

For many decades we were held hostage by the gambling fever of Vegas since it was the only place in America to offer it. Then came Atlantic City and those who owned Vegas went into a panic and started to build bigger and bigger. As time went on more and more states allowed legalized gambling. Many gamblers stopped going to Vegas. Soon the Vegas economy started to sink as recessions and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 caused massive layoffs. Since most people who live in Vegas came from somewhere else to find work in the casinos, they began leaving for home once they were laid off. What were once grand casinos and hotels now started looking shabby. The owners of Vegas are now trying to lure gamblers with the best deals ever including free air fare and rooms. Gamblers are not taking the bait. Why should they when they can play slots in their own states and help their own economies including creating jobs in the casino business. It looks like the free ride is over for Vegas.
— Marianne, July 28, 2002

Bye Bye Vegas. My wife and I used to go to Vegas every month for the past twelve years. We gone so often that we became VIP's and got VIP rooms, unlimited meals, and even free gambling money. All that has changed now. Vegas slots have tightened up the past two years and during trips last year we didn't win anything over $200 for a jackpot. We decided to try our luck at Casino Morongo since it's near Los Angeles where we live and about an hour and a half drive down the 10 and all our friends have gone there after they stopped going to Vegas. After our first visit at Casino Morongo we brought home $1100 after taking $200. Not a bad start. We are excited about going to Pachanga Casino next and all the other casinos in the area. We'd rather give our money to native Americans who have been discriminated for years by the U.S. government than give our money to some rich Vegas casino owner.
— Denny, June 25, 2002

Pala
Pala Casino is located in the North County of San Diego, 26 mile east of Oceanside. The Pala Reservation also have a Pala Mission Church that was built in 1816. Pala Reservation is in the Inland Valley not in the desert,
— Leroy Miranda, June 6, 2002

Where exactly is this place? Is it close to the "Death Valley" or "Joshua Tree" area? Anyway, this is informative as Californians especially those in the south won't have to drive all the way to Vegas once this casino place expands. (By the way, speaking 2 or more languages is really impressive!)
— Gentle Lugtu [Eltneg], April 7, 2002