Review of the most upscale casino resort in Massachusetts, Encore Boston Harbor: A day trip from our month long Airbnb stay in Fairhaven
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| Encore Boston, MA |
Ever since my wife and I started to visit the famed city in the desert that is Las Vegas, we have been fascinated by all the glitz, glamour, and beauty of upscale casino resorts there. Those resorts include iconic places like Bellagio, Aria, Venetian, and Wynn, to name just a few.
The name Steve Wynn is closely tied to the beginning of Las Vegas’ golden age, as his twin creations, the Bellagio in Las Vegas (1998), as well as his lesser known sister property, Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi (1999) set forth the the upscale casino resort building boom of the last 20 years. Even to this day, the Bellagio and even the Beau Rivage stand the test of time as the standard for casino resort hotels in their respective markets.
We had visited Wynn Las Vegas, the Bellagio, and the Beau Rivage on several occasions, and we came away with the thought his creations really stand out compared to others in the industry for their upscale touches like beautiful landscaping, fancy rooms, and amazing amenities that rival some of the best hotels/resorts in the world. When we heard Steve Wynn was building another upscale, a 5 Diamond rated hotel resort in downtown Boston, we knew we had to eventually check it out.
That day finally came when we were staying in nearby Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, using an Airbnb rental for the month of July. At a distance of roughly 65 miles from our rental in a town called Fairhaven to Encore Boston Harbor, we planned a day trip for a little adult fun and exploration.
We set out little after 10 a.m. on a midweek, taking a northerly route towards the great city of Boston. With a population of about 5 million people in the Boston metro area, we already knew the traffic would be challenging, to say the least. As soon as we passed through the suburbs of the city, traffic got busy!
It was just like driving in New York City, but arguably with worse road conditions (probably due to repeat cycles of heavy snow/road salt usage). Potholes were plentiful, and rutted roads were fairly common as we got closer to the Encore Boston Harbor.
At the exit to the resort, we realized the immediate vicinity had seen better days. We knew the resort was built on a 33 acre, hazardous waste site, so it was no surprise to see the usual city blight nearby. There were abandoned industrial buildings, dirty streets, and sizable population of homeless/panhandlers on our way from the exit to the resort.
With slight hesitation and trepidation building, warning us to be extra vigilant, we drove carefully, mindful of people and other cars out on the road. Luckily, nothing happened as we arrived safely at the resort.
The first thing greeting us to the resort were the marvelous, beautiful flowers (and landscaping) surrounding the property, especially by the ramp to the self parking garage. Who can resist beautiful colorful flowers?
We took the ramp to the parking garage, found a spot easily on a Wednesday morning, then walked not more than 3-4 minutes, to arrive at the casino area. We were now ready to explore this 5 Diamond rated casino resort!
Check out below for our list of must see attractions at the Encore Boston Harbor:
- Casino
Resort has a 210,000 square foot gaming facility making it even bigger than his other iconic creation, the Bellagio, which has around 156,000 square feet. The casino floor was marvelous, with a town square-type feel punctuated by a faux apartment looking second floor with windows right in the heart of the casino.
The look reminded us of the Beau Rivage, or upscale supermarket chain, Wegman’s. Look is inviting, making us feel like we are in a middle of a town square. At any moment, we can just about imagine someone opening one of those faux windows to greet the townspeople below.
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| Entrance to the casino from the self parking garage |
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| Restrooms are located right near the entrance |
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| My favorite spot, with a faux second floor apartment look |
We walked around the casino floor on our first go around to get oriented, and while doing that, we had no trouble finding all the requisite places like the restrooms, food court, and the front lobby. The signage was right on point, and we would follow it to check out the major showpiece to any Steve Wynn property, the main lobby.
By the way, we played 2-3 hours at the casino, not making money, but definitely enjoying ourselves. The resort had a promotion where new members could get additional free play based on first day’s play (they also had new member sign up bonus free play of like $25), and we got that. It wasn’t much ($35), but hey, it was free money.
For the amount of time we played, we felt it was money well spent. We look at it this way: when we used to go to arcades as young adults, we spent like $60 for maybe 20-30 minutes of entertainment. At least at most adult playgrounds (a casino), we get similar entertainment with freebies like food vouchers, free play, sign up bonus, etc.
Better than nothing, and definitely better than a poke in the eye.
- Main lobby
The main lobby, just a 3 minute walk from the casino floor, is a true showstopper that should not be missed at all cost. The decor was vibrant, with fantastic displays of colorful, fragrant flowers with perfectly coiffed landscaping, and it features a whimsical replica of a Ferris wheel right in the middle of it all.
The upscale (and whimsical) decor was exactly what we expected from this resort. The attention to detail was evident throughout the lobby, and we really enjoyed seeing all the little details.
Walking around the lobby area also feature high end stores/restaurants, something we no longer care for these days, but they definitely add to the upscale atmosphere that is a signature of Wynn designed resorts. We spent several minutes gawking at the displays and we highly encourage everyone to do so. It’s a nice little break from all the gambling just steps away…
- Boston Harborwalk
Boston Harborwalk is a 43 mile public walkway that follows the shoreline of Boston Harbor, and the best part about it is that it passes right along where Encore Boston Harbor is located. We had to ask few employees at the hotel how to get to it, but we eventually found it after few missteps. *Casinos sure make things difficult to go outside. Sure, I get it. They want to keep you gambling inside and for you to not waste time outside…
The first thing that came into our view was the beautiful free harbor shuttle docked right in front of the hotel as we walked outside. With a stop to Long Wharf, Boston’s famed pier, it is a great way to get out of the resort for some fresh air. During our visit, it was operating on a 20 minute interval midweek. Be sure to check hotel’s website for up to date information.
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| Free water shuttle! |
The second thing that struck us was the stupendous, marvelous landscaping along the resort’s harbor front. Colorful flowers were everywhere, reminding us of any number of famous gardens we’ve visited, like Longwood Gardens, Nemours, Biltmore Estate, and Winterthur.
We could tell the resort really spent good amount of money on this place. It looked absolutely amazing…
While walking around the harbor walk, we saw joggers, cyclists, runners, and people like us, just enjoying the flowers, away from the casino. Smart people!
Views were fantastic, incredibly upscale, and those awesome flowers and landscaping made us stay a little longer than we normally would. Great place to stop by for some views, flowers, maybe a free harbor shuttle, and fresh air.
- Food court
Although food court only has 3 vendors (Shake Shack, Dunkin’ Donuts, Frank & Nick’s), it was perfect for low rollers like ourselves. We don’t need to spend $100 for a meal when a $25 would do. To that end, Shake Shack was our go to choice for both lunch and dinner!
We ordered our usual: a ‘shroom burger, regular single patty burger, fries and two soft drinks. Seats were plentiful on a midweek, and we pretty much had the food court to ourselves during lunch. Dinner was noticeably busier, but not too bad. *For dinner, we had enough comps to pay for roughly half of our meal price, which was better than nothing.
We really liked the pub-themed seating/decor of the food court with plenty of televisions to keep us occupied while eating our delicious foods! It wasn’t the best food court at a casino resort, but it did its job of feeding us. With anyone on a tight budget, this is really the only place to go inside the resort without breaking the bank.
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| Nice food court area |
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| Additional photos… |
In conclusion:
Encore Boston Harbor was exactly what we expected of a Steve Wynn created casino resort. It was upscale, beautifully decorated, with amenities like the free harbor shuttle, that makes it stand out even among his other well known properties around the country.
One of the most important aspects of any 5 Diamond rated resort is the level of service provided by its employees, and on that end, it has succeeded. Most employees we encountered were friendly, professional, and that includes the food court employees which is a rarity these days.
If you’re a fan of an upscale casino resort, or any 5 Diamond rated resort, you should check out this one while visiting the great city of Boston. I don’t need to sell anyone on the merits of this city as it’s so popular and historically significant, but it’s worth mentioning the city now has one of the best casino resorts in the state, if not the world.
Thank you for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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