My Fancy Rezcation at the Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino

Are you looking for a fun staycation? Well look no further, the Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino is the perfect place for good eats and relaxation. I was recently invited to the grand opening of George Lopez’s Chingon Kitchen. Not only was the food delicious, the hotel was equally pleasant.

I admit I had never been to the Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino in Laveen, AZ prior to my visit. It is about 30 minutes from Sky Harbor Airport and it’s the perfect place for a staycation or rezcation as I’ll explain later. So, I was excited to have the opportunity to check it out for the weekend and be part of the grand opening festivities at Chingon Kitchen.  It was by far the fanciest staycation/rezcation I have ever been on!

Location

If you didn’t know, the Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino is owned by the Gila River Indian Community which means the hotel is on the Gila Indian River Reservation. Honestly this is the best part. My husband and I love staying at Native owned hotels and casinos whenever we travel.

We love supporting local and Native owned business and we always feel at home around fellow Natives. It is like I am a guest at relative house. With that in mind, the location is a bit rural and out of the way of city life. On our way to the hotel, I passed by a Native Food stand and made notes to come back. So, if you are looking to get away from the city, then this place is for you. However, don’t worry there is plenty to do at the hotel and casino.

Hotel

I was quite surprised by the actual hotel. Not only was it modern and chic, it had all of the amenities of a fancy hotel. From the large bathroom with a standing shower, to the big screen TV in the room. It was very comfortable and I had a great night stay.

The casino, restaurants, and pool are a short walk away. The pool was my favorite part of the stay. I loved being able to lay out by the pool in complete serenity. The hotel does have limited cell reception, but I quite enjoyed putting my phone down and taking in the sites.

Casino

I am not much of a gambling person, but there is something about the casino atmosphere that is so exciting. From slots, table games, to bingo there were so many options to play. I tried my hand at a few slot machines, it made for a few laughs as we tried to figure out how to play.

I have always heard about BAD (Bingo After Dark) Bingo and wanted to give it a try, but I had just gotten back from a trip the day prior. So, I decided to enjoy my room amenities. I’ll have to come back and give it a try.

Food

The food options at the casino are superb. There are so many options from the food court that offers Starbucks, Panda Express, and Fat Burger. To sit down restaurants like the Full House Café and Chingon Kitchen. There are also a variety of places to lounge like The River Bar, VQ Live, and Square Bar,

For breakfast we stopped in at the Full House Café which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a quite cute café with plenty of food options. We tried the Chilaquiles and the Bacon, Tomato, Avocado Benedict, and a Fruit Plate. Both were all delicious and I loved the décor of the café.

Chingon Kitchen

The star of course was Chingon Kitchen!! I love Mexican food and this place did not disappoint. The exposed brick walls with a lowrider mural adds so much charm to the atmosphere. This is not a sit and order restaurant instead you walk through the line and pick out what you want.

There are so many options like Tacos, Tortas, Bowls, Burritos, Salad, and a Cabo Baked Potato. Then you can choose your fillings like fire grilled carne asada, citrus chile chicken, crispy carnitas, shrimp mazatlan, and vegetarian style.

I wanted everything down the line, but my favorite was the Cabo Baked Potato with Crispy Carnitas, the Beef Machaca Taquitos, and the Artisan Churros. Also make sure to give the Agua Frescas a try. My favorite was the Watermelon and Horchata!!!  If you want a fancy drink, then make sure to check out all the varieties of tequila at the bar.

I also had the opportunity to sit down with the George Lopez himself and honestly cannot believe this happened. Not only was Mr. Lopez very chill and easy to talk to. He is very passionate about his restaurant and had to learn a lot about the restaurant industry. We talked about how churros and fry bread are similar.

He also shared a story about how growing up his grandma wouldn’t let him have fresh raspberries and black berries because they were too FANCY, so he made sure to have them on his menu.

As a minority, I have always admired George Lopez and seeing a person of color in mainstream media. I think it is incredible that he chose to have his restaurant at the Vee Qiva Hotel & Casino.  Who would have thought I would have the fanciest staycation/rezcation in my literal backyard?

A huge thank you to the Play at Gila River Team for being such gracious hosts!! I can’t wait to return.

Head on over to their website to check out their other properties or to book you stay! https://playatgila.com/. I’ll also be doing a $100 gift card giveaway to use stay at Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino or any of the other Play At Gila Hotels & Casinos on my Instagram. So make sure to check today’s post and enter! https://www.instagram.com/thefancynavajo/.

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Want to know what I did on my travels to Seattle? Then head on over to this post. https://thefancynavajo.com/2017/10/13/seattle-the-fancy-navajo-travels/