Casino Hotels

The complex on Île Notre-Dame is best known for its building. The main structure was the French pavilion at Expo 67, an angular aluminium-clad form that has kept its original silhouette through several conversions, with the former Quebec pavilion attached alongside.

As a place to stay, the appeal is the island. Parc Jean-Drapeau surrounds the site, the Saint Lawrence is a few steps away, and the Gilles Villeneuve circuit runs around the same stretch of ground. Downtown Montreal is across the water and reachable by metro.

Dining runs from casual counters to a formal restaurant, and there are performance and event spaces on site. A gaming floor operates within the complex and is one facility among several; guests who have no interest in it can use the hotel without going near it.

Position is the whole argument here. Fallsview sits on the escarpment above the Niagara gorge, high enough that a good proportion of its rooms look directly at the Horseshoe Falls. Ask for that orientation when booking; the difference between the two aspects is considerable.

The resort is large and self-contained, with a theatre used for touring acts, a spa, a fitness centre and a spread of restaurants and cafés across several levels. Enclosed walkways connect parts of the complex, which is worth knowing in a Niagara winter.

Everything else in the tourist district is close: the Fallsview area, the Clifton Hill strip downhill, and the walkway along the gorge. A gaming floor forms part of the property and sits alongside the rest of the facilities rather than dominating the guest experience.

River Rock's advantage is logistical. It stands on the Fraser River in Richmond, minutes from Vancouver International Airport, with a SkyTrain station adjacent that reaches downtown Vancouver in about twenty minutes. For anyone arriving late or leaving early, that combination is hard to beat.

The property includes a theatre that books touring music and comedy, a marina on the river, a spa, and a set of restaurants covering everything from a buffet to sit-down dining. Rooms are split between a main hotel and a quieter adjacent building.

Richmond around it is worth the walk — the Steveston fishing village to the south, and one of the denser concentrations of Chinese restaurants in North America nearby. A gaming floor operates on site as part of the resort's facilities.

North of Orillia, on the land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, Casino Rama Resort functions as a destination hotel for the Lake Country area. It has been operating since the mid-1990s and remains one of the larger employers in the region.

Live entertainment is the resort's signature. The on-site venue seats several thousand and has hosted a long run of touring musicians and comedians; show nights change the character of the place entirely. Restaurants on site range from quick service to full dining rooms.

Surroundings are lakes and cottage country — Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe are close, and Toronto is roughly ninety minutes south by road. A gaming floor is part of the resort and sits among the hotel, dining and entertainment facilities.