Review of Laughlin, Nevada: A popular destination full of casinos, the Colorado River, and outdoor activities (and our pros & cons)

 

Laughlin, NV

During my wife and myself’s planning phase of our epic 2 1/2 month long cross country road trip going from North Carolina to Southern California, we had penciled in a stop in Laughlin, Nevada.  Laughlin, was always a fascinating destination for us to explore, as it sits right on the mighty Colorado River, offering several casinos and plenty of outdoor activities.  

It is a place I had admired from afar, as the marketing photos and brochures always made the place look absolutely beautiful, especially with blue/turquoise waters of the Colorado River standing out like a prima donna.  Combined that with the always happening casino resorts hugging the river and providing a neat walkway along the river, it certainly had a massive appeal for someone who grew up in New York City.  

Just about 2 weeks prior to our what would be our second trip to Laughlin, Nevada, my wife and I had already stayed at the Avi Resort in the same city.  Even though Avi Resort was technically a part of the city, it is in no way anywhere near the famed downtown, where the Colorado River and the Casino Drive are.  

Avi Resort is definitely on its own, located about 15 miles outside the main area of Laughlin.  If you want some peace and quiet on your vacation, then that would be the place.  If you’re, however, looking to be near the main part of the city, then you’d want to stay near the Casino Drive.

Casino Drive is the main thoroughfare that connects all the major casino hotels/resorts, with plenty of dining and shopping options.  For our second trip in as little as 10 days, we chose Aquarius Casino Resort right along the main thoroughfare.  

On the morning of January 23, 2023, we left our favorite hotel, the Delano in Las Vegas, for Laughlin.  We took the same route we had taken on our first trip down, and it was kind of nice to drive on the same road for a change.

By that time, we had traveled on new roads (along with new places, cities, destinations, etc.) for a good part of 2 months since we left our home in North Carolina on November 28, 2022.  The feeling of knowing a place or a road felt kind of nice.  

There was no more concentrating on Google Maps constantly, making sure we didn’t miss our exit, or a turn.  There was no more longing to arrive at our hotel to relax asap, after a very long drive (12 hours +) on the road.

The drive from Las Vegas to Aquarius Casino Resort would take only about hour and a half, which for us by that time, was really a piece of cake, and we liked that!  We enjoyed the leisurely drive along the same route, again admiring the same desert landscape we had seen 10 days prior.

We arrived at Laughlin at around 1:30 or so, and we had plenty of time left before the hotel check-in, so we decided to grab some lunch.  We wanted Italian food, so we headed across the Colorado River into Bullhead City, in the state of Arizona.

We pulled into the parking lot at a very assuming, unpretentious little restaurant in the outskirts of town, at a place called D’Angelo’s Italian Restaurant.  The place looked rather small from the outside, but we found inside to be adequately sized.

D’Angelo’s Italian Restaurant, Bullhead City, AZ

We were seated by a friendly waiter, then looked over the menu and the decor.  The place felt like a sports bar more so than a restaurant, but a meal is a meal.  We honestly didn’t expect much looking at the decor and the venue.

We saw that the lunch special pasta dishes include free salad bar, so we ordered a spaghetti parmigiana and a cheese ravioli.  We helped ourselves to the salad bar which was awesome.  On the east coast of the United States, it’s getting harder and harder to find restaurants that still serve salad bars, but on the west coast, there still were plenty of places that do.  We loved that!

By the time we chowed down on our salads (I had two helpings of it), our pastas arrived.  The cheese ravioli was ok, but the spaghetti parmigiana was phenomenal!  I had secretly hoped I had ordered a parmigiana, rather than just the marinara sauce.  Oh, well…

I stole some of my wife’s dish and we had an absolute feast of a meal.  Our bodies were craving salads since being on the road for the past two months.  We got a hefty serving of salad to satisfy our craving for it!

The bill came out and it was $41 for the 2 pasta lunch specials with salad, two soft drinks, and delicious garlic breads!  It was a reasonable price for a hearty meal that includes salad bar.  It was so good we went back to the same restaurant 2 days later.  We sure love Italian food!

After our meal, we headed for our hotel, which would take about 20 minutes.  We went back the same way we had come, taking AZ-95 back towards Laughlin.  We crossed over the Colorado River then turned left to get on the Casino Drive.  

We were happy we were right within the main part of Laughlin.  We liked what we saw:  wide boulevards with many restaurants, casinos, shops, and close proximity to the Colorado River!

We parked our car (huge parking lot including a covered garage), then walked inside the hotel.  We passed a McDonald’s and a Subway’s to our left, going through the food court, to get to the hotel lobby.  

We saw the casino area was located right in front of the hotel lobby, therefore, it reeked of smoke yet again.  The ceilings were low, maybe not as bad as Avi Resort, but certainly similar.  

The resort was built in the 1990’s, and it showed.  Some resorts age better than others, but this felt like a hotel that needs much TLC (tender loving care).  The ventilation system really needs to work better…

January 23rd was a Monday, yet there were plenty of guests trying to check-in.  We waited in line for a few minutes then finally checked in.  We took the elevator that was right off the hotel lobby then went inside our room, which was a Riverview King room.  

We loved the floor-to-ceiling windows with fantastic views of the Colorado River and Bullhead City, and the room itself was surprisingly nice.  It was nicely sized, with a comfortable lounge chair, a comfortable bed, and a desk.  

View from Riverview King room, Aquarius Casino Resort 

We settled in to our room, enjoying that phenomenal view stretched out in front of us.  The second half of the Aquarius Casino Hotel stood across from our hotel, and we loved looking out towards the river and the distant mountains.  

At nights, we savored the incredibly bright orange sun setting to our right, then seeing the surrounding city come to life with neon lights inviting doe eyed tourists dreaming of hitting the elusive jackpot.  We really liked the location and Aquarius Hotel Casino.

Setting sun, viewed from our hotel

During sunset

We were delighted we were right in the main area of Laughlin this time around.  We liked what we saw: the various hotels/casinos, neat walkway hugging the river, tour boats, and many more people wandering around the area.  It was a nice change of pace from where we were just 10 days prior at Avi Resort.

We stayed 3 nights/4 days at Laughlin, and we really enjoyed our stay discovering the city and Bullhead City right across the river in Arizona.  When you’re planning a trip to Laughlin, please be sure to check out these attractions:

• Laughlin Riverwalk

This is quite possibly the most famous attraction in the city of Laughlin.  At around 1.25 mile in length, the Riverwalk has Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort on one end and Laughlin River Lodge on the other end.

The pristine walkway is a great way to spend some time enjoying the stunning Colorado River, various water sports/tours, and to people watch.  During January, most of the water sports and tour operators weren’t open, but we still got to see beautiful boats moored on the water.

One of many fun places along the Laughlin Riverwalk

We sat along many benches on the Riverwalk taking our time, breathing in the fresh January air in southern Nevada, and just idling away.  We walked, stopped often, gawking at various points of interest.  It was exactly how we wanted to spend our vacation: to be immersed in new stimuli, trying to take in everything that is novel and interesting…

Laughlin Riverwalk

What we loved the most about the Riverwalk was the incomparable, blue and turquoise waters of the Colorado River, beckoning us to take a closer look.  We did, and we saw energetic little fishes swimming around as well as various waterfowl lazily floating on the river.

Riverwalk was by far our favorite attraction in all of Laughlin and for a good reason.  We felt safe, happy, and we enjoyed it immensely!

• Turtle Beach Community Park

Turtle Beach Community Park sits on a parcel of land (376 acres) along the Colorado River with great views of the river and the surrounding areas.  It is located in Bullhead City, just across the river from Laughlin, NV.

We passed this park on our first foray into Bullhead City on our way over to D’Angelo’s Italian Restaurant.  We loved how the park looked and we loved the impressive, tall rock walls directly across the river on the Nevada side.  We promised to stop by the following day.

We did stop by the following day, and we did not regret our decision.  The place was absolutely beautiful and amazing.  The park even had a beach area.  The waters were crystal clear and the colors were even more vibrant up close.

It is a popular local destination for swimming and water sports during warm months, which is just about every month except maybe January or February.  It was pretty much deserted when we arrived, and we didn’t mind that at all.  The beauty of early retirement is visiting places when they’re not too busy, like during the weekdays or off-season.

Highly recommend this place on your trip to Laughlin!

Turtle Beach Community Park, Bullhead City, AZ

• Fisherman Access Park

Fisherman Access Park is on the north end of the Riverwalk, past Don Laughlin’s Riverside Hotel/Casino.  We stumbled onto this little park after passing the casino, but saw a large parking area with nicely manicured lawn and a walkway.

We continued until we saw a little boat launch/fishing pier, which we really liked.  Views were nice, right off of the boat launch, getting us up close to the river.  We fell in love with Colorado River thanks to Laughlin.  

The waters are so clear and the colors are phenomenal.  I don’t remember ever seeing a river with so many beautiful colors like the Colorado River at Laughlin.

Fisherman Access Park

• Casinos off of Casino Drive

Perhaps the most famous reason for Laughlin is the abundance of casino resorts right off of the Casino Drive.  There are 8 of them in total along the Casino Drive.

As of this writing, these are the 8 casino resorts:

1. Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino
2. Aquarius Casino Resort 
3. Regency Casino
4. Edge water Casino Resort 
5. The New Pioneer Hotel and Casino
6. Golden Nugget Laughlin Hotel and Casino 
7. Laughlin River Lodge
8. Harrah’s Laughlin Beach Resort and Casino

Laughlin can legitimately be called “Las Vegas Light” due to these casinos and few more off the main drag.  Someone looking to gamble will find plenty of places to lose their money (and maybe, sometimes, very rarely win for a change!).

In conclusion:

Laughlin was a good destination to spend several days.  We really liked the location of the city right near the Colorado River which gives it a very interesting vibe about the place.  It’s more than just gambling town, as there are plenty of outdoor activities in and around town.

There are water sports, tours to nearby Havasu City, or nice hikes on the Riverwalk and beyond.  Dining options are plentiful in Bullhead City (Arizona) if Laughlin isn’t enough for some people.  We got to eat some delicious Italian food at D’Angelo’s Italian Restaurant and excellent Thai food at Sa-Bai Thai Bistro.  

The close proximity to Bullhead City is one other great thing about Laughlin.  We visited Bullhead City on 3 different days, eating good foods and enjoying a stellar park.  

We hope you add Laughlin to your list of potential destinations in your future travel plans and happy travels!  Thank you for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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