First Timer

I am planning a 2 day trip thanks to Harrah%26#39;s from Ft. lauderdale to Biloxi early next month. RT airfare and 2 nights at The Grand Casino. Anyone take advantage of this offer?

I checked out the hotel reviews which seem pretty good-casino not so good. Anyone been there lately?

Is there another harrah%26#39;s property in the area?

I appreciate any and all inforrmation as this is my first trip to Gulfport/Biloxi

First Timer

You are going to find the Biloxi area still devastated from Hur. Katrina 3 years ago. Not too much has been rebuilt. Insurance and code problems. Casinos have purchased much of the vacant land for future expansion. Much empty spaces where homes and businesses existed before. Casinos operating. Harrah%26#39;s Grand along beach is being rebuilt...scheduled opening 2010, but slowdown as made that doubtful. Grand is operating out of the converted convention center and hotel. Casino small but quaint. Go farther down beach about 1 mile to BeauRivage, IP, and Hard Rock operating at full speed. There is a trolley ride for $1.25.

If you are a Vegas junkie...this venture will not even rate 2nd class! Just take it for what it is worth and enjoy the trip. Keep in mind they are rebuilding and it will take time.

First Timer

Ouch, tiller-tom! You paint a rather gloomy and dire picture of our Coast. We aren%26#39;t as desolate as he has depicted....but he is entitled to his opinion. True, Biloxi/Gulfport is not a Vegas; but it is a great get-away. It%26#39;s a fishing and port area. You can catch a boat out to Ship Island from Gulfport. Ship Island has the pretty greenish/blue waters on the Gulf side of it.

True there are, in places, empty lots along Beach Blvd. that still exsist; but it%26#39;s still an interesting area. The casino where you are staying is on the smallish side; but nice enough. Do visit all the casinos: Beau Rivage, Hard Rock, Isle of Capri, Imperial Palace, Palace, Boomtown, Treasure Bay, Island View in Gulfport (few miles to the west). Gulfport and Biloxi are like twin cities.

They are building several really tall condo buildings. Read up on this Biloxi thread about restaurants in Biloxi and Gulfport. Just do some researching on line and you will get some ideas.

Vegasgrandpa,

I just came back from a 4 day visit to Biloxi. Left a 3K winner! You cant beat Biloxi for friendliness and professialism of the staff. Had a first rate experience. The staff all go out of their way to make sure you are happy. Everyone has a quick hello. Great experience. Dixie.

Vegas Grandpa ...

We used to go to Vegas three times a year until we tried the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, no more Vegas for us. The rooms and Casino are great, as nice and better than several in Vegas.

We go to gamble and enjoy good food and found one stop shopping in this place. They are very generous with comps including junkets from Houston (air fare).

We never did run the strip in Vegas so we feel that we are not missing anything. You will enjoy your stay, the people are friendly and service is great.

Good Luck.

The Grand was still very small when we were last there 3/08. It is on the casino shuttle line so you can check out the other casinos. Biloxi rocks, we are headed back for the month of March, can%26#39;t wait. Check out the oyster PoBoys at Schooners, awesome!

Is Biloxi still devastated from Katrina? Or has most of it been rebuilt?

Dap, read my other post in this thread. It%26#39;s coming back. Like I said before, there still are several empty lots along Beach Blvd. where the big beautiful homes used to be. However, there are alot of new things being built....looks like there will be alot of tall condo buildings along Beach Blvd. It%26#39;s not by any means desolate anymore.

If you are coming this way, just keep in mind that it is totally different from Vegas. It%26#39;s just a peaceful little beach town and fishing village with several nice casinos both on the Beach Blvd. and along the back Bay area. There is a shuttle that goes between the ones in Biloxi. There is also a nice casino in Gulfport(Biloxi%26#39;s sister city), Island View or Isle View...never can remember which it is...lol.

Our Miss. Coast is coming along pretty nicely.

I was just to Biloxi/Gulfport last week. It was very sad. Alot of Beach Blvd was very barren, but like the other person said, there is Beau Rivage and Hard Rock that are open and in full swing. Also Beauvoir is open to the public and the sand beach is still beautiful. But I must say that I was saddened to see the damage caused by the storm. It seems that many places are trying to rebuild.

I guess my seeing it about 4 months after Katrina hit gives me a different perspective on what the Miss. Coast looks like now in comparison. I have only seen video, news reports, etc.,of the beach right after it was hit .....no one can begin to imagine what it looked like then unless you lived there, had property there, or relatives that lived there. Our Miss. Coast has come leaps and bounds since. ....and the casinos helped a kajillion times over.

As far as I am concerned, it%26#39;s in great shape and will get even better. I do feel, though, for little Bay St. Louis area on West of Gulfport.....it slow going for them. However, they are chugging along and will make it eventually.

This was the first time that I was ever in Mississippi so I have not seen anything to compare the coast to, either before or after Katrina, although I have heard that Beach Blvd had been lined with beautiful homes and big trees. I know what our beaches look like and they are packed with things. There was not much on either side of the Beauvoir. Rt. 49 was packed with things. I saw that there was a mall in Biloxi, but it looked new. I heard a lot about the damage in New Orleans, but this damage was not publicized enough in my opinion. Regardless it is still a beautiful area and I was glad to visit it and bring some tourist dollars into the area. The Mississippi welcome center was very kind and made me feel very welcome