Both the Terrace Tower and the Veranda Tower are across the street from the casino and restaurants. Because of the layout of the property and the lack of sidewalks you can’t walk to the casino. A free courtesy shuttle that runs 24 hours a day shuttles guests back and forth from both towers to and from the casino. So neither tower has a location advantage on the other one when comes to how close they are to the casino and the restaurants. The only real location consideration between the two comes into play in if plan to use the Bellissimo Spa which is located inside the Terrace or if you want to be close to the Mid South Convention center which is adjacent to the Veranda. Both towers have their own outdoor pool. Neither tower has a real restaurant, but both have coffee bars and a lobby bar that serves alcoholic beverages. As I don’t use the spa or the convention center, the choice between the two for me always comes down to price. I book whichever one give me the best rate.

The buffet is rather large itself it took up the entire floor space of the old Grand Buffet and then they added quite a bit more floor space. The buffet is made to look like a large house when you look at it from the commons area inside the casino. The new floor space inside the dining area is made to give off the feel that you are sitting inside a screened in porch. There is also a rather large gift shop that you must enter and exit through to get to the buffet that offers a wide variety of Palua Deen items such as her cookbooks.

I must it admit for both dinner and lunch it was rather crowed. You buy your buffet tickets at a cashier stand across the entrance from the Gift Shop. This is actually outside the buffet and at peak hours the line can be somewhat long, but it does move very quickly. Once you have your tickets you enter the gift shop and walk to the back where there is a small desk. You give the seating hostess your tickets and she seats you. Once inside the buffet the lines at the various stations can be long especially at peak hours. I remember waiting some time to get those hand battered shrimp, but they were well worth the wait. All in all this really is the best buffet in Tunica and in fact it is quite a bit above the rest of them.

If you kids are a bit younger than my two teenagers were at the time of their trip to Tunica, you might be able to keep them occupied during the day at the Kid’s Quest on the grounds of Harrah’s (formally the Grand). In the summer you have the swimming pools, but keep in mind in most cases the kids have to be 18 or accompanied by someone who is before they are allowed at the pool. So you really don’t have a lot of kid friendly options in Tunica, and I think as my girls will attest three days in Tunica is three days too many for most kids.

Also worth mentioning is that, Tunica actually has a very small airport. You can’t book a commercial flight into this airport as it services charters and private planes only. If you are arriving to Tunica on a charter flight provided by a casino there is a good chance you will be flying into this airport. I flew into this airport on a 737, and once the plane unloaded the entire airport was arm to arm while we waited for our ground transportation. When catching your departing flight prepare yourself becase it will take a long time to get through security. Because of the smallness of the airport most baggage screening is done by hand. Once you make it through security, the gate area is a commercial double wide trailer. At this airport you board and deplane directly outside in the elements. If the weather is adverse dress appropriately, and if the forcast calls for rain you might want to carry on an umbrella.

Shuttle Service
There is a shuttle service that runs between all nine Tunica Casinos. This shuttle service costs $1 per-person for each trip you take. So a two way trip for a couple would be $4. The shuttles run regular schedules so if you are at the Hollywood, and want to go to the Grand keep in mind that depending on what part of that particular shuttle’s route you are on you could be stopping at every other hotel along the way dropping off and picking up other passengers. I find that the security people at the various casinos are very helpful in pointing out where their casino’s shuttle stop is. Here is a printable shuttle schedule. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that these shuttles quit running fairly early on the weekdays (11:00 PM). So if you stay at one of the hotels that are not next to anything else all of your late night gambling will have to be done at that hotel. Caesars runs a free shuttle to and from Harrah’s (formally known as the Grand) to their two properties located in casino center (the Sheraton and the Horseshoe). There is no cab service in the Tunica area. So if you miss the last shuttle pickup you’re stranded.

On a prior trip I noted they upgraded the bedding in all their rooms which is now comparable to what you will find at the various Harrah’s properties in town, but overall most of the rooms are still basic budget style rooms. On my most recent stay in July of 2008 I had king room that had not been remodeled which you can see in the photograph below. This room had the same décor as the Sam’s Town rooms I had stayed in on my prior trips. While on that July trip, I got to see one of their newly remodeled rooms. The new rooms are much nicer as they have ceramic tile on the bathroom floor instead of vinyl, a flat panel television, and generally a much more upscale look than the old rooms. If you want something more upscale, make sure you specify you want a renovated room when you make your reservations. The hotel buffet is the 2nd best in the area. During lunch and dinner they offer a huge selection of Corky’s BBQ items which sets this buffet apart from the other buffets in Tunica.

Like the Hollywood it seems to be very easy to get weekday room comps and free slot play for future visits with a low level of play. I think this is very important to keep in mind if you’re looking to set-up future trips to Tunica. One of my favorite features at Sam’s Town is the poker room. Their tournaments always seem to have a good turnout which means more people get paid at the conclusion of the tournament. They also have lot of low domination slots, and the second best video poker in Tunica. Almost all of their video poker machines offer 9/6 Jacks or Better. This hotel is located across the street from The Hollywood and The Resorts. The walk is doable provided you’re in good health and the weather is decent. There isn’t a sidewalk or crosswalk and a fence that surrounds the Sam’s Town RV Park makes the walk more difficult than it would have to be.

I do have one complaint about Sam’s Town. On my July 2008 trip the Internet available for a fee in the room only worked sporadically. The Internet service faded in and out every 30 seconds or so making it almost useless. On a prior stay the Internet didn’t work at all. I find this inexcusable for a service you pay extra for. The bottom line being if you need Internet access don’t count on it working at Sam’s Town as it didn’t work for me on my last two trips. Nevertheless all things considered Sam’s Town offers an overall outstanding value.

Pros: Easy Comps, Good Buffet, Location, Poker Room, Good Video Poker

Cons: Some Rooms have a budget flavor, It is a long walk to cross the street

On the past two occasions I have stayed here I selected a Luxury room which is a larger room (650 Square Feet) than a standard room. It features a sitting area that has a large couch next to the windows, and the bathroom in this type of room is oversized. The drawback to the Luxury room is that it is a bit dated, and has not been remolded and modernized like the standard rooms in this hotel. I have been told by other people that the standard rooms at the Horseshoe are a little bit smaller than the usual hotel room so if you want space make sure you book a luxury room. The Village Square Buffet is one of the better buffets in Tunica in terms of selection and freshness, but it is also one of the more expensive. It is open 24 hours a day so whenever you get the urge to eat the Buffet is open. Low denomination slot players and video poker players of all denomination are much better off taking the short walk next door to the Sheraton. Both properties are part of the Harrah’s Total Rewards system so you don’t get penalized for playing next door. High limit table game players and poker room players will love the action they get at this property. The poker room hosts a World Series of Poker circuit event.

If you’re a Total Rewards Diamond Card holder this property has the nicest and most extravagant Diamond Lounge I have ever been in. That includes the numerous Diamond Lounges I have been in while in Las Vegas. This hotel is located in the middle of Casino Center. The Sheraton is out one side door of this property and the Gold Strike it out the opposite side door of this property so you cannot beat the location it is the best in Tunica. Overall this I give this property the highest marks in Tunica.

Pros: Location, Favorable Odds on High Limit Table Games, Huge Selection of High Denomination Slots, Extravagant Diamond Lounge, Good Buffet, Good Video Poker and Low Limit Slots Next Door at the Sheraton.

Cons: None

Pros: Location, Size, Indoor Pool

Cons: Size, Tight Video Poker