Beau Rivage Resort and Casino

Beau Rivage is located in Biloxi, MS and is so attractive it puts some of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip to shame. Even though it opened in 2006, it appears brand new and the casino floor is reminiscent of the lovely Bellagio is Las Vegas.

Beau Rivage sits right on the beach and the back of the hotel looks onto the ocean however, there is no easy access to the beach. Turning left out the front doors and walking to the end of the hotel, there is a small patch of beach that is neither beautiful nor enjoyable since it is surrounded by highways. To actually enjoy the beach, you’ll need to drive a ways down the street to where the full stretch of beach is located.

Also worth noting is that everything at Beau Rivage is ridiculously overpriced. In Las Vegas, these high prices are the norm since every casino on the strips charges the same absurd amount, but in the unappealing location of Biloxi, the prices seem outrageous.

Regardless of what day or time it is, there is always a decent crowd at Beau Rivage consisting of mostly senior citizens and people in their 40-50’s. Only a small amount of people looked under 30. If you enjoy gambling, you’ll be pleased with the clean and tastefully designed casino with a plethora of slot machines and table games and if you don’t like gambling, there are excellent amenities to fill your time such as the spa, salon, pool, and restaurants.

PARKING AND VALET

If you are driving in, as soon as you come off the highway you will see an entrance that says West Valet & Self Parking. You can self park, or valet is free. This entrance is not crowded at all and after you drop of your car, you simply walk through the shops to get to the Lobby. When it’s time to pick up your car, you don’t call down. The valet cars are kept so close to the West Doors that the attendant will have your car ready in a couple of minutes. In the picture, the West Valet & Self Park is located on the bottom right underneath the huge red square. You walk through the shops which are orange to get to the lobby which is the green square. (The yellow is the casino and the blue are the restaurants.)

If you prefer, drive past the West Valet & Self Parking garage to the front of the hotel where you’ll pull up for valet at a pretty fountain. When you enter the building, you’ll be directly in the lobby. The only downside to the front entrance is that it can get crowded and it takes longer to get your car from valet.

GUEST ROOMS

There are 1,740 guest rooms and the rooms on the back side of the hotel overlook the ocean and the rooms on the front side of the hotel over the the city and have an excellent view of MGM Park. Room 24074 was spacious and tastefully decorated with only a small amount of wear and tear. WiFi was free as were two bottles of water.

The bathroom only had one sink and we were disappointed to find someone else’s body hair in the bathtub.

ROOM SERVICE

CASINO

The gambling offerings at Beau Rivage match any Vegas casino. Even visiting during “off-days,” there were generally enough tables open for any kind of gambling someone would want. Limits at table games generally started at $10, but in slower times, you could find a $5 Blackjack table or a $5 Craps table. The Craps tables were fairly popular especially since they offered 10x odds, which is hard to find on the Strip in Vegas. Dealers across all games knew what they were doing.

There was a wide variety of slot machines, as you would expect. The back corner of casino was designated as a non-smoking slot area. It was not closed off, so the ever-present smell of casino smoke was still there, but the air was much better.

The poker room was located in a space that was formally a Memphis-inspired BBQ restaurant. The decor still matches that, but the room works very well as a poker room. There are plenty of tables available for cash games and tournament games. In general, you can find a $1-$3 NL game or a $4-$8 limit game. There is usually an interest list running for $2-$5 NL, but that game is more rare during the week. There was also a Noon tournament and a 6pm tournament. The fields are usually just a few tables and the structure is fairly fast. The room also does regular cash drawings every couple of hours with entries earned each hour at the table. It’s a very nice room with comfortable chairs and plenty of space.

POOL

The pool, spa, salon, and gym are all located in the same area of floor 2. Right by the pool doors is a little swim shop.

You need your room key to gain access to the pool. If your forget it, the pool desk will run your name and room number in the computer to verify you are a guest. They provide free pool towels. There were a lot of kids splashing water all over the place thus the pool was not exactly relaxing. The pool is large and there are plenty of chairs. The back of each chair has a little flag that you raise anytime you’d like to order a drink from the servers that walk around. Virgin daiquiris are $6.

The first row of chairs around the pool are the VIP Chairs and they have a blue cushion on them and are sold for $40 for two. Your chair is reserved the entire day. Mostly all of these chairs were empty.

There are also cabanas available for $200. None of the cabanas were being used.

Behind the cabanas and totally hidden from the pool is an area that overlooks the ocean. Only a few people were here and it was very quiet but there weren’t any umbrellas for shade.

SPA & SALON & GYM

You must be over 18 to use the spa and gym. There is a $25 fee to use these facilities if you are a hotel guest and $75 for non hotel guests but if you purchase a spa or salon service that totals more than $50, the initial fee is waved.

It seems that the salon and spa do not answer their phones so it is impossible to make appointments. I called on 5 separate days, calling three times a day. I used their direct number and also called the hotel and had them connect me but still, no one ever answered. On the day I arrived at Beau Rivage, I walked to the Salon and asked for appointments for the following day. I was able to get the last appointments available – a 9am massage and 4:30 blow out. The really should answer their phones so people can make appointments for their desired times.

The spa and salon are right across from each other and you can make all your appointments at just one instead of walking to both. All your services at the spa and salon are combined in their computer so when you pay, even if your last service isn’t until a few hours later, you will be paying for all of it at once. You can pay in person or have it charged to your room.

SPA

The ladies who work at the spa were all very friendly and helpful. Arrive at least 10 minutes before your service because an attendant will give you a tour of the facility, give you a locker, and then you’ll want to change into your robe and slippers which are provided. The spa is small but has everything you need for a relaxing day.

The first room you see in the spa is the lounge/locker room. It is ladies only so nudity is acceptable though mostly every woman had on a bathing suit under her robe. An attendant will assign you a locker and teach you how to program a code into it. When it is time for your service, sit here and wait for your masseuse to fetch you.

There are complimentary beverages consisting of orange juice, apple juice, tea, coffee, bottled water, and a strawberry/pineapple flavored water.

Through the waiting room is the dressing room and bathrooms. They have everything you need: hair dryers, brushes, combs, curling iron, flat iron, hair spray and gel, deodorant, shaving cream, and mouthwash. If you need a razor, ask and they are happy to provide it.

The solarium has wonderfully comfortable chairs but they are not heated like other spas. There is a view of the pool but none of that noise enters the solarium. It is very peaceful and relaxing. Coconut flavored water and trail mix are offered.

Four shower stalls are available for your use and each stall has shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel.

At the very back of the spa are the whirlpools. The center whirlpool is extremely hot and it is advised that you stay in there no longer than 15 minutes. The two to the side are warm but not nearly as hot as the middle one. These whirlpools are very small and the side ones could only fit 2 ladies each.

In the same room as the whirlpools are the dry sauna and steam room.

My appointment was for a 50 minute Swedish massage priced at $110. When you are escorted to your massage room the masseuse tries to sell you some of the following upgrades but I declined.

Adina gave me the best massage I’ve had in the past seven years. She told me she graduated in 1996 and then worked with a mentor who was a masseuse as well as a physical therapist. I think this served Adina well because she did some unique things to my neck that felt wonderful.

SALON

I truly love getting my hair blown out and at Beau Rivage the blowout (which includes a wash) is $40. When I arrived for my blowout, I was taken to the waiting room and shown the complimentary trail mix and beverages.

The salon was empty and the stylist were hanging around doing their own hair. Along the side walls are the nail stations. The blonde stylist in the picture was very kind but my stylist was not.

For me, a blowout is such a relaxing and enjoyable experience but unfortunately at Beau Rivage it was anything but. My stylist didn’t bother to tell me her name and was rather distant. She proceeded to wash my hair so roughly that it was not enjoyable at all. I told her I liked my hair parted down the center and the ends to be straight. While getting your hair done, it is the norm to face the mirror so you can see what the stylist is doing, but this girl actually turned me so that I was looking directly at a wall the whole time. When I was finally turned to the mirror to see the finished hair, I was disappointed to see that not only was my part not down the center but it also was not a straight line. Plus, I had so many baby hairs near my forehead sticking straight up that it looked as though I’d been electrocuted. The poor hair style combined with her cold demeanor made the entire experience lousy.

CASUAL DINING

BUFFET

There is enough variety for everyone to find something satisfying.

Carving station.

Pizza.

General chicken, beef and broccoli, lo mein.

Fried chicken, fried pork chops.

Salad bar and soup.

Huge shrimp.

Desserts.

TERRACE CAFE

This is a casual sit down cafe with a limited menu. It is located at the front of the building near the lobby. As with everything else in the building, the prices are unusually high.

We both ordered the hamburger for $15 each. Mine had cheddar and my husband ordered his with bleu cheese. The burgers were decent but the fries were bland.

COAST

SNACKS

HAAGEN-DAZS

COFFEE SHOP

FINE DINING

STALLA

JIA

BR PRIME

BR Prime has a dark and romantic atmosphere that makes it an excellent choice for a special occasion. Most people were dressed in casual attire but there were some who made more of an effort. The glamorous bar is a nice place to have a drink and the massive wine display is impressive. We were here on a Tuesday night and most of the tables were occupied so it is wise to have a reservation.

Even though we were impressed with the elegant appearance of the restaurant, we were disappointed with our waiter who was extremely uppity and provided terrible service by disappearing for long periods of time. As for the food, it was very good but not on the same level as the exceptional Craftsteak by Tom Colicchio at the MGM in Las Vegas.

Complimentary amuse-bouche. Tomato salad with feta and olive oil drizzle. The combination of flavors was delectable.

Bone-In Strip 16 ounces. $48. Topped with the Roaring 40’s Australian Bleu Cheese Crust. Even though the topping was listed as $7 on the menu, we were only charged $4. My husband ordered this medium but it came out medium-well however, he had no complaints about this since there was still a hint of pink. He found the steak to very good but not excellent.

Filet, butterflied, 8 ounces. $42. I ordered this medium-well and it came out medium. Even though it was pinker that I would have liked, it was still a satisfying steak.

The sides at BR Prime are NOT FAMILY SIZE. We were shocked that at $11 each, they are only single servings. At every other steak house we’ve been to, for that exact price you get a family size serving that is enough for the whole table. The butter mashed potatoes were truly no better than instant mashed potatoes from a box. The mushroom medley had a variety of three different mushroom types that were good but I had to ask for some salt to improve the flavor a bit.

The dessert menu was limited and nothing tempted us.

After the meal, complimentary smoked caramel truffles were brought to the table. At first there was an odd taste but the liquid caramel within was delicious.

ENTERTAINMENT & SHOPPING

EIGHT75 is a bar with live music in the evening. Only a handful of people were dancing each night.

THE THEATER has a variety of shows through the year such as Terry Fator, Kenny G, and The Commodores. A new show was recently launched called BraVeau that is similar to a Cirque du Soleil show.