A short guide · 2026 edition
In casino talk, the house is the casino. These are our calls on ten houses where the stay itself is the reason to go: a beach in southern Vietnam, a private island off Aruba, the desert around Alice Springs, a palace hotel on the Portuguese Riviera. Short notes, official links, nothing to sign up for.
The ten
Grouped by region: Asia and Australia first, then the Americas and Europe. The numbers are places on the list, not scores.
Facts last checked: October 2026
Macao · Cotai
Once the Sheraton Grand Macao, it’s now Londoner Grand, the first Luxury Collection hotel in Macao, with 2,405 rooms and suites. It’s part of The Londoner resort on Cotai, and the casino belongs to the same resort.
Good to knowThe resort stages a Changing of the Guard in its Crystal Palace lobby and an hourly light show on its 400-meter façade.
Vietnam · Ho Tram
A 164-hectare beachfront resort with four hotels, from an InterContinental to a Holiday Inn, plus a pool, a spa and The Grand Club casino, open around the clock. Its golf course, The Bluffs, is a links-style layout in the dunes designed by Greg Norman.
Good to knowSince 2025 the address says Ho Chi Minh City, but the city center is about 120 km away, roughly two hours by car. The resort runs a free shuttle bus.
Australia · Launceston, Tasmania
On the edge of Launceston, minutes from the city center, with Launceston’s only casino, a pool and spa, and self-catering villas with their own barbecues. The Range has 28 covered driving bays with ball tracking, plus mini golf.
Good to knowA new 18-hole championship course is due to open in December 2026, according to the resort.
Australia · Alice Springs
The casino hotel of Alice Springs, at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges and backing onto the town’s golf course. A heated pool, a day spa and a 24-hour gym make it a comfortable base for the Red Centre.
Good to knowUluru is 465 km away by road, about five and a half hours’ drive. Plan it as a trip of its own.
Caribbean · Oranjestad, Aruba
Two hotels in downtown Oranjestad: the adults-only Marina Hotel and the family-friendly Ocean Suites, 555 rooms in all. Guests share a 40-acre private island, reached by free water taxis every 15 minutes.
Good to knowFlamingos roam the island’s Flamingo Beach, which is for adults only. Families have Iguana Beach.
USA · Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania
An adults-only resort in the Pocono Mountains: every guest must be 21 or older. Its golf course, open since 1980, has holes modeled on famous ones at Pebble Beach, Merion and Augusta National.
Good to knowIn summer, an underwater passage lets you swim from the heated indoor pool to the outdoor one.
USA · Thackerville, Oklahoma
In southern Oklahoma, about an hour and a half north of Dallas. Owned by the Chickasaw Nation, with four hotel towers, a five-acre pool complex and Lucas Oil Live, a 6,500-seat concert venue.
Good to knowIt bills itself as the world’s largest casino, with more than 10,000 electronic games.
USA · Temecula, California
Owned and run by the Pechanga Band of Indians, off Interstate 15 in Temecula. The casino is smoke-free. Outside there’s The Cove, a 4.5-acre pool complex with waterslides, and the Journey at Pechanga golf course.
Good to knowTemecula’s wine country and Old Town are minutes away.
USA · Reno, Nevada
About eight minutes by car from Reno–Tahoe International Airport, with a shuttle every 30 minutes. Indoors there’s a 50-lane bowling center and the Grand Theatre. Outside, a driving range lets you hit over water to island greens.
Good to knowIt opened in 1978 as the MGM Grand Reno.
Portugal · Estoril
A palace hotel on the coast west of Lisbon, a short walk from Tamariz Beach, with Casino Estoril steps away. During the Second World War it sheltered exiled royal families and drew British and German spies.
Good to knowThe hotel says those wartime stories inspired the Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
How we picked
We looked for hotels where the room, the setting or the town around it is reason enough to book. The casino is on site or close by, but it isn’t the point.
Ten hotels across Asia, Australia, the Americas and Europe, so the list works whether you’re planning a beach week or a road trip.
Names, locations and amenities are checked against each hotel’s official website, plus tourism boards and other public sources where the hotel says less. We don’t list prices: they change daily.
Hotels renovate, rebrand and change their rules. The date at the top of the list shows when the facts were last checked.
Small print
Five things worth knowing about this page and the trips it points to.