It’s been a couple of years since I was last at Little Creek Casino to stay for the weekend and get some golf in, but I remembered it as a place I’d be more than happy to visit again.
Well this past weekend, I had the chance to come back for another trip that at once was very similar, and completely different than the last.
You see, the last go around I was on a trip with the guys. This go around?
It’s just myself and my wife Tate.
Being just over 2 hours from Portland (and less from Seattle), Little Creek Casino is the perfect distance for “getting away” without actually having to go that far.
I was curious to see how the trip would go considering my wife isn’t much of a golfer, and despite that one run she went on in craps 5 years ago, isn’t much of a gambler either.
Fortunately, I have nothing but good news to report: we had a blast.
While I wouldn’t generally think of an Indian casino to be my preferred weekend getaway, there’s so much to do at Little Creek that it made for the perfect summer getaway.
The Hotel and Accommodations at Little Creek Casino
I’m going to say this right up front and get it out of the way.
Upon arriving at Little Creek and walking into the casino, you’ll notice one thing right off the bat: smoke.
Most places these days have indoor smoking bans, but most casinos on the other hand do not. The main casino has a strong aroma of cigarette smoke. There’s a non smoking section of the Casino that’s quite a bit better, but you definitely still get the occasional wafts of it.
After being on property for a couple hours the smell kind of disappears, but it was something we noticed in a big way when we first arrived.
Our room at Little Creek was updated and a decent size. The large flat screen TV was perfect for lounging in bed on Sunday morning and watching the Open – one of the most thrilling Major championships in years.
The beds were perfectly comfortable, and frankly even better than I’d remembered them.
The bathroom was also a nice surprise. It was large, and the shower with a river rock base was a nice touch. Water pressure was great, and it had all the amenities you’d expect.
The only real knock I’d have on the room was that the view wasn’t much to write home about, looking out onto the parking lot. We were also in a spot at the Resort where the the building was at a 90 degree angle, and on the opposite side of our room was the cigar and whiskey lounge, so it felt necessary to keep the shades drawn in the evenings.
But you generally don’t go to a resort like this to sit in your room, so let’s look at the rest of the property!
The Little Creek Casino
This is a casino resort, so I’d be remiss not to talk about the experience there.
The casino is broken up into two sections, a smoking and non smoking section.
As far as Indian casinos go, it’s pretty good sized, but don’t expect anything like what you’d find in Vegas or Atlantic City.
It’s clear most people come here for the slots, but there were still probably close to two dozen tables including all the stand bys of blackjack, roulette, and craps.
The disappointing part of this, is that they didn’t have enough of those three specific things. There are two roulette tables (one each in the smoking and non-smoking section), yet the one in the non smoking section was never opened. There was one craps table, and only 3-4 blackjack tables.
The rest of the tables were all odd variations of blackjack, pai gow etc.
A lot of people love those, but I prefer the classics myself.
That said, we never had trouble finding a blackjack table to sit at, and every time you were dealt a blackjack they gave you a hot wheels car as part of a summer promotion they were doing.
Despite a dozen hot wheels, we still didn’t end up a winner over the weekend (but we had fun all the same!)
There’s also a keno room, and a poker room upstairs, so if gambling is your thing, you’ll be well covered here.
I haven’t been to more than a handful of Indian casinos, but it’s the best of the ones I’ve visited.
Salish Cliffs Golf Club Review
Since this is a golf blog after all, let’s talk about Salish Cliffs Golf Club. Salish Cliffs was designed by Gene Bates and opened in 2011.
When I first played it a couple years ago, I was extremely impressed with it, and found it to be the very definition of a “hidden gem.”
I’m pleased to report that after enjoying another round there on this trip, I still feel the exact same way.
The course winds through beautiful northwest forests, and truly allows you to feel like you’re out in the wilderness.
The course also has one of the better starting sequences I’ve seen with a reachable par 5 to start, a drivable par 4 on the second, and then a long downhill par 3 on the third.
From there, you end up winding your way up into the forest and are treated to a course where no hole feels the same, you have plenty of opportunities for risk and reward, and also have the chance to get beaten up pretty badly if you’re not hitting it straight.
Salish Cliffs is fair, but it’s not an easy course. Errant shots will be punished either by the trees or by deep fescue.
After my most recent round, I went back and read my previous review, to see that I played it from 6300 yards both days.
Well this go around I’d played it at 6700, had an off driver day, and didn’t break 90.
So don’t let your ego get the best of you out here, playing it on the shorter end of things will still be a hefty challenge.
