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Our friend Edna Flinn had arranged for she and Jerry to have rooms nearby to Sharlene and I, during our January 11 to 14, 2007 visit to Laughlin, Nevada's Pioneer Hotel/Casino, or as their ads state, the Pioneer Hotel and Gambling Hall. Pioneer advertises as "The friendliest house on the river," and their room rates of $25.00 per night, including Friday and Saturday nights, certainly seemed friendly. Also, important to Jerry and Edna is that Pioneer is one of the few hotels that will allow guests to bring pets, and that's important to Jerry and Edna, as they prefer to travel with their two small dogs.
Left: Pioneer advertises themselves as "The friendliest hotel along the river," and this couple seem to agree, as they enjoy the river walk. Right: These seaguls seem to enjoy the river walk too, as Pioneer appears to be seagull-friendly as well. Our "friendly" experience at the Pioneer started when we checked in, as our reservations went without a hitch, is was over in a heartbeat, and the desk clerk was very helpful and friendly. He even answered a few questions that I had about the fabled Christmas Tree Pass... As far as the "hotel" aspect of the Pioneer, it's really a "motel," as the rooms are located east of the Casino, and the buildings are only 2 stories high. The desk clerk gives you a map, and you simply drive to your room, and park in a parking space as near to your room as possible. We stayed for four nights at the Pioneer, and we got a parking space in front of our room every night. Practically every casino has a theme, and Pioneer's is western, and it is so western that the theme is almost carried to a ridiculous extent. The exterior of the casino is made to look like Mainstreet, Anywhere Western, circa 1875. The motel buildings are constructed out of rustic wood, and feature false fronts. Instead of concrete sidewalks, I'm surprised that they didn't install faux board sidewalks. The staff is dressed in western garb, and country and western music is piped into the casino via XM satellite radio. Establishment inside the casino feature western names, such as "Booze and Butts," "The Cowboy Store," "The Boarding House Restaurant," "The Fast Draw Snack Bar," and my favorite, "Sassy Sue's River Bar." This place is so country that it makes Porter Wagoner look a lot like James Dean! But I have to say that the formula works, as it's a pleasant place to visit and spend your hard-earned dollars.
Left: A section of Pioneer's River Walk features streetlights, which seem to be a favorite place to perch for the ever-present seagulls. Right: This guy has attracted a mixed crowd of seagulls, ducks and blackbirds, and even gets a duck to eat out of his hand. Where are the pigeons? Pioneer Hotel and Gambling Hall faces the river, and they have a nicely landscaped path where you can walk along the river, and observe the birds in action, namely any variety of duck that you could imagine, pigeons, blackbirds, sparrows, grackles, and the ever-present seagulls. The walking path connects with sections of the path maintained by the Colorado Belle to the immediate north, and the Nugget and River Palms Casino to the south, which makes for a very pleasant walk of a mile or so. Pioneer's section is nicely landscaped with grass, trees and bushes, and several sets of stairs that provide easy access to the river.
Left: Looking across the Colorado River into Arizona, from Pioneer's section of the River Walk. Right: Tour boats a moored next the Pioneer's pier, but aren't being used on this cold January day. The casino itself is rather plain, by contemporary Nevada casino standards, but its comfortable, and features every kind of game that the gambler could wish for. As I played quarter slot machines I discovered a feature that's very important to me, drink service is frequent, and if you request a double shot of scotch, straight-up, as I prefer, they'll bring it to you. Not many casinos will bring you a double. By the way, after the waitress brings you your double, be sure to tip her a dollar. That way, she'll be rewarded for her hard labors, and you'll be assured a never-ending supply of booze as you attempt to win the jackpot.
Left: This pigeon knows how to survive the 25 degree cold, coupled with the 20 m.p.h. winds, on this cold January morning, which only means one thing: Brrrrrrr! Right: This guy pilots his boat up the Colorado River, against the river, and a cold, 20 m.p.h. wind. Our motel room was clean, spacious and comfortable, but hopelessly outdated. To Sharlene and I, the room seemed locked in the year 1977, rather than 2007, and the only concession to the 21st century seemed to be a 19" television with a remote control that actually worked. But the room is hopelessly outdated, and lacked basic amenities such as a faceplate on the telephone to let the guest unravel the mystery of the hotel's telephone system. WI-fi is non-existant, but at least the wall plugs had the third prong for a safe ground to plug my notebook computer into. Don't even dream about a fridge, iron, curling iron, or a nearby ice machine. But the room is clean, spacious, and at $25.00 a night, a real bargain. Now the important part: How is the casino? I think I pretty much described it in a previous paragraph, but the important part is that Madrilène won a couple of double-diamond jackpots on Wheel of Fortune quarter machines, which netted us $1500.00 dollars or so, that more than paid for our trip, and allowed us to put a down payment on Casey's upcoming June wedding. I don't know if Sharlene was lucky, or if Pioneer is "loose," but I never complain when we win money.
Photo: I climbed the hill across S. Casino Bvd from Pioneer to get this shot of the main casino, which clearly shows the false fronts and the western theme of the complex. The Colorado River and the State of Arizona lie in the background of the photo. Despite the corny western theme, the out-dated motel rooms, and the low-tech casino, Sharlene and I will stay at the Pioneer Hotel and Gambling Hall during our next visit to Laughlin, Nevada. Recommended by Eric and Sharlene! Pioneer
Hotel and Gambling Hall
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