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

Trip Report 11/26 - 11/29

We just got back from our first trip to Tunica. We stayed at the Harrah%26#39;s Terrace on a junket.

Hotel - room was nice and employees were friendly. Would have preferred to stay at a hotel attached to the casino but the shuttles were prompt and drivers extremely nice. My husband and sister got hit up for money in the parking lot by a family. They claimed the wife%26#39;s purse was stolen and they needed to get money to get home but we thought we saw the same car cruising the parking lot yesterday. They alerted security as to what the family was doing. There were 2 small children in the car so the parents either taught the kids that there are still nice people in the world or there are suckers (my husband and sister each gave them 20 dollars, it was Thanksgiving).

Gambling - machines were tight, no big wins or even close, nothing over 200.00. I played pennies, nickels, quarters and dollars. I should have played more on the tables. Employees were also very friendly. It does get very crowded at night.

Food - ate at Paula Deen%26#39;s several times. It was good, nothing spectacular. There aren%26#39;t many dining options. Also at at Harrah%26#39;s sports bar, it was good. I must say the lines at Horsehoes buffet were always long.

Attractions - nothing to do but gamble. We rented a car and went to Graceland and Beale Street. That was fun as none had ever been.

I had a good time but I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d go out of my way to go again. Maybe if on a road trip and passing through. But, the Harrah%26#39;s junkets are a good deal and give you cheap options to try new places.

Trip Report 11/26 - 11/29

Thanks for your report! We are looking forward to visiting Beale Street next week.

Trip Report 11/26 - 11/29

Thanks for sharing your Tunica experience. We like staying at the Sheraton. I%26#39;ve never gone on a junket to Tunica but may in the future cause it%26#39;s a long drive from SA.

Nannerho, thanks for the report. I agree not much to do in Tunica except gamble. But I think the Blackjack is worthwhile. What about shuttle service from Harrah%26#39;s to Sam%26#39;s Town?

Dixie.

There isn%26#39;t any shuttle service from Harrah%26#39;s to Sam%26#39;s town. Harrah%26#39;s provides a shuttle to the Horseshoe and Sheraton only. They are next to each other along with the Gold Strike. It runs every half hour but make sure you pay attention to when it stops running so you don%26#39;t get stuck. There wasn%26#39;t any cab service that I was aware of.

It makes sense to rent a car since all of the casinos are very spread out.

Hampton Inn Corinth very good

Just returned from a trip to Corinth area and wanted to report that the Hampton Inn was a nice place to stay -- very well kept up, helpful staff, plush bed linens and towels, free soda/bottled water/apples/cookies/coffee/tea/hot choc/popcorn, and a complimentary breakfast bar (carbs, coffee, fruit, juice, yogurt and hot entree -- nothing too fancy here but entirely adequate and I was just happy to get the nice cold Yoplait :-) All in all, this is one of the better hotels of its class that I%26#39;ve stayed in recently.

Chicago Steakhouse at GoldStrike?

Has anybody eaten there? Trying to book a large group for business purposes and looking for a nice dinner--any suggestions for Tunica if this is a bomb?

Second trip... bringing wife... questions...

I first went to Biloxi via Skybus last February. I liked it so much, I am now planning a return trip with my wife. I, like many others, have basically given up on Las Vegas in favor of regional destinations.

Accordingly, I have some questions:

1. We will be staying at the Hard Rock(which I loved the last time), can anyone opine on the SPA there? I will be surprising my wife with some kind of treatment.

2. We will be driving to Biloxi from NOLA, is there anything along the way we should stop and see? After Biloxi we will be going back to NOLA for a few days so the inverse question applies as well.

3. Considering we will have a rental car, is there anything in Biloxi we should do or view while we are there?

4. Is there any nice shopping centers or outlets reasonably close to the Hard Rock?

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to returning.

Second trip... bringing wife... questions...

1. Have heard good things about the SPA at Hard Rock and the Beau. Don%26#39;t think she will be disappointed.

2. Not a lot in between Biloxi and NOLA. It%26#39;s only about 90 miles, but there are two other casinos on the way in the Bay Saint Louis area. Both off the beaten path (not near each other). We needed our GPS or don%26#39;t think we would have found one.

3. Visit the other casinos, walk on the beach.

4. Used to be a nice Mall in Gulfport pre Katrina, but believe only a few stores have reopened but still rebuilding. Go East of the Hard Rock, cross the new Ocean Springs/Biloxi bridge into Ocean Springs. Few quaint little stores and antique shops there. Only a ten to fifteen minute drive from the Hard Rock.

Enjoy your stay.

Second trip... bringing wife... questions...

I%26#39;ve only done the Spa at the Beau but I hear the one at Hard Rock is great! There is the Edgewater Mall in Biloxi on Hwy 90, west of the Hard Rock. It has alot of stores, mainly chain stores. We also have the Prime Outlets in Gulfport. They are right off I-10 on Hwy 49. You could either go I-110 to I-10 W and get off on Hwy 49 exit or you go could take the scenic route down Hwy 90 and hit Hwy 49 and go North.

I also like the little shops in Ocean Springs that was suggested.

If you%26#39;re going in the warmer months, you could take the boat out to Ship Island. The water out there is much better than what you see driving along the beach. The boat ride is nice, and you usually see dolphins along the way. Ft. Massachusetts is out there too, if you are in to historical stuff.

There is also an outlet mall in Gulfport close to the airport (about a 30 minute drive from HR) that has a good number of outlet stores including a Coach outlet with excellent prices. My BFF and I stop every trip and are able to buy several coach purses for the price of one here in Atlanta. If your wife is a shopper, I think she may enjoy the outlets.

make up brushes

biloxi..anything besides casinos?

4 mid thirties guys going condo route in biloxi/gulfport. Would we be better off at the Legacy towers or a place off downtown w/ no amenities. Also is there anything besides the casino scene? Rent a boat? canoe? Natural area? Local music scene? Late night? We have a vehicle so can go wherever and would prefer to eat/drink locally or at least non-casino the entire time. Any info is appreciated.

biloxi..anything besides casinos?

I don%26#39;t know about the accomodations. As far as something to do, you could check the schedule for the boat to Ship Island. I don%26#39;t know what time of year you%26#39;re going, but late spring thru fall is a good time to go out there. You can fish, swim, picnic. Of course, it%26#39;s better in the warmer months. The water out there is much prettier than what you see driving along the beach. If you want non-casino places to eat, your best bet is back up on 49, leaving Gulfport, headed north. The casinos will have more as far as ';the music scene'; goes.

biloxi..anything besides casinos?

I sound like an advertisement; but we love the food at Lookout 49 on Hwy. 49, Gulfport, on the north side of I-10 intersection a couple of miles on the left as you are going North. It%26#39;s in an old remodeled white building with royal blue trim that is next to a big box type of store. The food is wonderful there....cajun and creole type of cooking.

We also like the Salute Italian Restaurant on Beach Blvd. in Gulfport. Both of these restaurants are owned by the same people....great food at both of them.

There%26#39;s also Mary Mahoneys%26#39; caddy-corner accross from the Bellagio in Biloxi...it%26#39;s pretty good and well-known. The Bellagio has a Prime steak restaurant that is really nice...great food. Hard Rock next door has a Ruth%26#39;s Chris Steak House which I hear is good. Also, there%26#39;s an Emeril%26#39;s at Island View in Gulfport.

Most of the music scene is in the casino bars in Biloxi/Gulfport.

Don%26#39;t know anything about the condo situation. I know the Legacy Condos are newish and look really nice from the outside. Guess it all depends on how much you guys want to spend.

This Biloxi board is on the smallish side but has a good bit of info from people....just read up on it a little more.

Thanks for the info. We are going down at the end of Jan. and debating on 2 or 3 days, or a day in New Orleans. thanks again everybody

New Orleans is more of a party town full of history. It also has LOADS of good restaurants.

Our Biloxi/Gulfport are fishing and shrimping villages with casinos. It has it%26#39;s share of partying too; but has a more peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.

I always enjoyed going out on a charter fishing boats with my folks as a kid and on a private little boat with a good friend of the family. I need to do that again sometime...miss it. That would probably be a fun outdoors activity for you and your guy friends.

dawg - don%26#39;t know if y%26#39;all are golfers, but there are some good courses nearby. The best is Fallen Oak, but you have to stay at Beau Rivage to play it (or at least that was the rule last year). Fishing can also be fun - it%26#39;s always fun just to be out on the Gulf. Have fun!

HTR

The Trust B&B

We are planning a trip to Bay St. Louis to visit our middle son, a volunteer for Hands On Gulf Coast. Has anyone visited the Trust Bed and Breakfast? I have only found one review. Thanks! We are leaving tomorrow.

If we stay there, I promise to post a review with pictures.

Chris