The best mesquite has to offer

Friday: Check-In, Dinner & Casino Night

We arrived Friday afternoon around 3:15 p.m. Check-in officially started at 4 p.m., but we figured it was worth testing our luck with an early check-in. After a short five-minute wait, we were greeted at the front desk and were able to get our room keys.
Our room was on the sixth floor, and as soon as we walked in, it was clear the room had re-cently been renovated. It was clean and spacious, with two queen beds, a mini fridge, plenty of storage, a large renovated bathroom and a view overlooking the pool.
We dropped off our bags, got settled in and headed out to explore the property.

By then, Angelina and I were both pretty hungry, so dinner was our first priority. CasaBlanca has several dining options conveniently located next to each other, including Jersey Joe’s Diner, Katherine’s Steakhouse, and Ritas & Fajitas. We decided to give Ritas & Fajitas a try since we already had reservations at Katherine’s for Saturday night.
We didn’t have a reservation, so I wasn’t sure what to expect on a holiday weekend. Fortu-nately, the restaurant had plenty of tables, and we were seated after just a few minutes.

For drinks, I ordered the Old Oaxacan, a mezcal and añejo take on an Old Fashioned, while Angelina went with the Prickly Pearfect Margarita. We started with chips and house salsa and added Casa Queso Dip with chorizo, along with fish, chicken and steak tacos. Every-thing came out quickly, hot and tasting great, and the tacos came with rice and beans, too.
After dinner, we headed to the Sky Bar for a few drinks and some casino time.
One thing that immediately stood out was the value. The casino bars were offering $2 house margaritas and $3 beers and shots. Two drinks for $5? Hard to beat that.
Then it was time to test our luck.

We had both signed up for the Mesquite Journey Rewards Program earlier that day, which came with $5 in free play each. My $5 disappeared pretty quickly, but Angelina somehow made hers last about 30 minutes.
From there, I moved on to the table games. While many Las Vegas casinos have blackjack minimums around $25, CasaBlanca was offering $5 minimum blackjack from 4 p.m. to mid-night. I played for a while, and the servers regularly came around to take drink orders. Our drinks were even complimentary while we were playing.
Eventually, we made our way over to Angelina’s favorite casino game: digital roulette. She put in $20 with a $3 minimum bet and managed to stretch it out for nearly two hours.
Not a bad way to spend a Friday night!

Saturday: Breakfast, Golf & Pool Time

We woke up Saturday refreshed and ready for a full day.
First stop: breakfast at Jersey Joe’s Diner.
The restaurant has that classic diner feel, with a massive menu and the convenience of be-ing open around the clock. I ordered the breakfast sandwich piled high with Taylor ham, while Angelina went for the cinnamon roll pancakes.
When the pancakes arrived, we immediately realized we probably could have invited two more people to help eat them. Three massive pancakes came covered in cinnamon roll frosting and topped with pecans.
Needless to say, we needed a to-go box.
After breakfast, it was time for some outdoor action.
I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to play a full nine or 18 holes, but I still wanted to check out the golf courses and hit some balls. Mesquite Entertainment has two courses to choose from: CasaBlanca Golf Course and Palms Golf Course.

I hopped in the car and headed to Palms Golf Course, just a five-minute drive from the re-sort. The course sits right along the Nevada-Arizona border, and with temperatures around 85 degrees, there were plenty of people out enjoying the beautiful weather.
I grabbed a bucket of balls from the pro shop ($6 for a small and $12 for a large) and spent a relaxing hour on the range.
For the first 30 minutes, I had the range almost entirely to myself before a couple of other groups joined. The range sits at a higher elevation than much of the valley, giving you a beau-tiful 360-degree view of the surrounding area.
And I only wish I could share the video of me hitting the ball because, honestly, I was strip-ping them.
After working up a sweat, there was really only one thing left to do: hit the pool.

We threw on some sunscreen, grabbed our swimsuits and packed a small bag with our fans, chargers and other essentials before heading down to the pool we had been admiring from our hotel room.
It was Labor Day weekend, so the pool was busy, but we were still able to find two lounge chairs with an umbrella. For larger groups, there were also plenty of cabanas available to re-serve in advance.
The pool area was one of the highlights of the trip. The pool itself was massive, with a huge waterfall feature, a 24-hour hot tub and even a water slide.
I channeled my inner child and hit the water slide a couple of times, stood under the water-fall and spent a couple of hours enjoying the pool.
And when you’re at the pool on vacation, you have to stop at the Splash Bar. Angelina or-dered a Miami Vice, while I went with the Mango Bubble Margarita.
After a couple of hours in the sun, we headed back upstairs to get ready for the evening.

Saturday Night: Steakhouse & Live Music

Saturday night called for something a little more upscale, so we headed to Katherine’s Steakhouse.
I was very glad we had made reservations. The restaurant was busy, with plenty of people waiting for tables.
We were seated in a booth toward the back and started looking over the menu. Angelina or-dered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, while I went with the Legend Fashioned, their take on an Old Fashioned.
A huge loaf of bread and butter arrived at the table while we decided what to order. We set-tled on French onion soup, a wedge salad and a New York strip with chimichurri sauce.

The Legend Fashioned was phenomenal, and the steak was cooked perfectly to our re-quested medium-rare temperature. The chimichurri added a bright, flavorful finish to the steak, while the French onion soup was rich, savory and topped with perfectly melted cheese. The wedge salad was fresh, crisp and a great complement to the meal.
Everything came together for a delicious dinner and a great night at Katherine’s.

After dinner, we headed back upstairs to freshen up before the evening’s big event: Labor Day Live.
Before heading to the concert, we stopped back at Katherine’s for another drink. The bar and lounge area has a great atmosphere, with a massive whiskey selection on display.
I ordered another Legend Fashioned, while Angelina grabbed another glass of Cabernet.
We struck up a few conversations with people at the bar, and one thing quickly became clear: Katherine’s has some serious regulars. Several of the people we talked to were locals who said they come to the restaurant at least once a week.

Now that’s what we call loyalty.

Labor Day Live: The Perfect Way to End the Weekend

Then it was time for the main event: Labor Day Live.
CasaBlanca hosts a summer concert series by the pool, and this was one of the final shows of the season.
When we walked outside, the pool area was packed.

There were vendor activations offering free samples, cabanas were filled, lounge chairs had been arranged facing the stage, and the pool was full of people enjoying the last big week-end of summer.
We grabbed a drink and found a spot in the crowd.
A DJ kicked things off from 6:30 to 8 p.m., followed by White Lion and FireHouse from 8 to 10:30 p.m. I remember my dad having a FireHouse album when I was growing up, so seeing them perform live was a pretty cool full-circle moment.

The sound quality was great, and the crowd was clearly having a good time. People were dancing, laughing, singing along and enjoying a few drinks, but the atmosphere still felt re-laxed and fun.
After the concert, the party continued in the showroom with an afterparty running from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
We decided to call it a night and head back to the room, but plenty of people were ready to keep the weekend going.

Sunday: A Weekend Well Spent

Sunday morning came around quickly.
We packed our bags, checked out by 11 a.m. and headed home.
For our first stay at CasaBlanca, we had a great time. The newly renovated room was com-fortable, the staff were friendly and helpful, the dining options were convenient and tasty, and the Labor Day Live concert was the perfect way to cap off the weekend.

But perhaps the biggest surprise was just how much you can fit into a weekend here.
Golf. Pool time. Great food. Live music. Casino entertainment. Comfortable accommoda-tions.
And compared with what you might spend on a weekend in Las Vegas, your dollar can go a whole lot further.
So if you’re looking for a quick getaway without the crowds, traffic and price tag of the Strip, take the short drive to Mesquite.

CasaBlanca might just be the weekend getaway you didn’t know you were looking for.