The stay we would book first1
Top pick1. Le Normandy Barrière (Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy)
Deauville · Normandy, France
Opened 1912,beside the casinoThe most complete stay here: a real seaside hotel first, with the casino a garden-width away.
Half-timbered Anglo-Norman buildingCasino Barrière next door, same founding yearA short walk to Les Planches boardwalk
On siteHotel rooms and suitesRestaurants and barCasino theatre next doorSea-facing rooms+ more in the full review
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Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy
Le Normandy went up in 1912 for Eugène Cornuché, the same year he opened the casino beside it, and the pair still work as one address. The building is the one on every Deauville postcard: timber framing, green shutters, steep roofs and a courtyard with an apple tree in it. Rooms run from compact doubles to suites looking over the Channel.
What earns first place is proportion. The casino is there, with its own theatre and restaurants, yet the stay is shaped by the beach, the boardwalk and the racecourse town around it. You can spend two nights and never set foot on the gaming floor, and the trip still feels whole.
2
Best view2. Fallsview Casino Resort (Fallsview Casino Resort)
Niagara Falls · Ontario, Canada
Opened 2004,above the fallsBook a falls-view room or don't bother; with one, this is hard to beat.
Hotel tower on the escarpment over the fallsTheatre venue inside the resortSpa and indoor pool on site
On siteHotel towerTheatreSpaFalls-view rooms+ more in the full review
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Fallsview Casino Resort
Fallsview opened in 2004 on the ridge above the Horseshoe Falls, and its hotel tower was placed to make the most of that position. Higher rooms on the right side look straight down the gorge, and at night the lit water fills the window.
Beyond the view there is a proper theatre for touring acts, a spa, an indoor pool and a spread of restaurants, all under one roof and linked to the tourist strip below. It slips to second only because the setting outside the door is busier and less graceful than Deauville's.
3
Best for families3. Atlantis Paradise Island (Atlantis Paradise Island)
Paradise Island · Nassau, The Bahamas
Royal Towersopened 1998A beach resort with a casino in it, not the other way round, and all the better for it.
Several hotel towers on one beachfront siteAquaventure water park inside the resortMarine habitat open to guests
On siteSeveral hotel towersWater park and poolsRestaurantsOcean-view rooms+ more in the full review
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Atlantis Paradise Island
Atlantis grew out of an older resort on Paradise Island, and its signature Royal Towers, joined by a bridge suite high above the lobby, opened in 1998. Around them sit further hotels, a marina, a water park and large aquarium lagoons that run beneath the public areas.
The casino occupies a central hall between the towers, and most guests pass through it on the way to dinner rather than stopping. For families especially, the pools, beach and marine exhibits carry the stay, which is why it ranks this high.
4
Best for dining4. Grand Lisboa (Grand Lisboa)
Macau Peninsula · Macau SAR, China
Hotel opened2008Come for the restaurants and the old town on the doorstep; the tower itself comes second.
Lotus-shaped tower on the peninsulaRobuchon au Dôme at the top of the towerWalkable to Senado Square
On siteHotel towerFine-dining restaurantsCity and harbour viewsGaming floor at the base+ more in the full review
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Grand Lisboa
The gilded, lotus-shaped tower of Grand Lisboa became Macau's most recognisable building when its hotel opened in 2008, a year after the casino at its base. It stands on the old peninsula rather than on Cotai, which puts the historic centre within walking distance.
The draw is the food. Robuchon au Dôme sits in the glass sphere at the top of the tower, and several other serious restaurants fill the lower floors. Rooms are plush in a deliberately opulent way; if that is not your taste, the dining alone still justifies a night.
5
Best for shows5. Mohegan Sun (Mohegan Sun)
Uncasville · Connecticut, United States
Owned by theMohegan TribeChoose it for the calendar; few casino hotels put this many stages under one roof.
Casino opened 1996, hotel tower 2002Mohegan Sun Arena on siteSeparate comedy and music venues
On siteHotel towerArena and smaller venuesSpaRestaurants+ more in the full review
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Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun opened in 1996 on the Mohegan Tribe's reservation beside the Thames River, and the Sky hotel tower followed in 2002. Its interiors lean on the tribe's own imagery and seasons rather than on borrowed themes, which gives it a character most large resorts lack.
The arena hosts concerts and large touring productions, and smaller rooms handle comedy and cabaret most nights. Rooms are large and quiet, and the spa and restaurants mean a two-night stay built around one show works well.
6
Best highland escape6. Resorts World Genting (Resorts World Genting)
Genting Highlands · Pahang, Malaysia
First hotelopened 1971Worth it for the cool air and the ride up; pick the smaller hotels over the biggest one.
Hilltop resort in the Titiwangsa rangeReached by the Awana SkyWay cable carIncludes First World Hotel
On siteSeveral hotelsRestaurants and food courtsConcert arenaMountain views+ more in the full review
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Resorts World Genting
The resort began with a single hotel on a cleared mountaintop in 1971 and has grown into a town of hotels, malls and venues, including the enormous First World Hotel. The cable car from the valley rises through rainforest and is reason enough to come.
Up top it is noticeably cooler than Kuala Lumpur, often misty, and busy at weekends. A purpose-built arena puts on concerts, and dining runs from food courts to proper restaurants. The quieter Genting Grand and Maxims make for a calmer stay than the headline hotel.
7
Best for the beach7. The Star Gold Coast (The Star Gold Coast)
Broadbeach · Queensland, Australia
Opened 1985as JupitersAn easy beach base with good restaurants; the rooms in the newer tower are the ones to book.
Queensland's first casinoLight-rail stop at the doorThe beach is a short walk east
On siteHotel towersPool deckTheatreRestaurants and bars+ more in the full review
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The Star Gold Coast
This site opened in 1985 as Jupiters Hotel & Casino, the first casino in Queensland, and took The Star name in 2012. It sits on its own island in Broadbeach, with the light rail running past and the surf beach a short walk away.
The newer tower, The Darling, has the better rooms; the original tower is larger and more family-oriented. A theatre, a lagoon-style pool and a strong line of restaurants round it out. It ranks here because the beach does more for the stay than the resort itself.
8
Best lakeside weekend8. Casino Rama Resort (Casino Rama Resort)
Rama · Ontario, Canada
Opened 1996 onRama First Nation landA calm, well-run weekend in lake country, as long as you drive.
Near the shore of Lake CouchichingHotel, spa and entertainment centreLake-country setting near Orillia
On siteHotelSpaEntertainment centreRestaurants+ more in the full review
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Casino Rama Resort
Casino Rama opened in 1996 on the lands of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, near Orillia and the shore of Lake Couchiching. The hotel came later, and the resort now pairs it with a spa and an entertainment centre that books touring acts.
It suits a weekend with a show, a meal and a morning out in the lake country around it. There is little to walk to, so a car matters, and in winter the stay turns quieter and more inward.
9
Best near an airport9. River Rock Casino Resort (River Rock Casino Resort)
Richmond · British Columbia, Canada
On the FraserRiver's Middle ArmThe sensible pick for a night either side of a flight through Vancouver.
Beside Bridgeport station on the Canada LineShow theatre inside the resortMarina on the riverfront
On siteHotel suitesShow theatreIndoor poolRestaurants+ more in the full review
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River Rock Casino Resort
River Rock stands on the riverbank in Richmond, a few minutes from Vancouver International Airport, with the Canada Line stopping practically at its door. Downtown Vancouver is a straightforward train ride away.
Its show theatre books concerts and comedy, and the hotel side leans towards suites with river outlooks. It is a practical, comfortable stay rather than a destination, which is exactly what most people need from it.
10
Best for a day visit10. Casino de Montréal (Montreal Casino & Hotel)
Île Notre-Dame · Quebec, Canada
Opened 1993 inan Expo 67 pavilionA striking building for an evening out; sleep in the city and come by metro.
Housed in the former French pavilionOn Île Notre-Dame in the St. LawrenceRestaurants and a cabaret stage
On siteRestaurantsCabaret stageRiver and skyline viewsNo guest rooms on site+ more in the full review
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Montreal Casino & Hotel
The casino has no guest rooms of its own. It occupies the aluminium-clad French pavilion from Expo 67, joined to the neighbouring Quebec pavilion, on an island in the St. Lawrence, and opened in 1993. The building alone is worth seeing, and the upper floors look back across the water at the city skyline.
Inside there are several restaurants and a cabaret stage, and the Jean-Drapeau metro station puts downtown hotels within easy reach. It closes the list because there is no stay to judge here, only a very good evening.
How the ranking was made
The order reflects one question: how good is the stay? We looked at the rooms, what there is to eat, what plays on the stages, and what surrounds the building. A large gaming floor earns nothing on its own, and the one entry without guest rooms sits last for exactly that reason.
Positions are not for sale. No hotel paid to appear, and none was asked to.
You will not find star ratings, scores or vote counts here. We could not verify any we might have printed, so we printed none. Every fact in an entry is general and checkable: where the hotel stands, when it opened, what the building was and what sits on site.