Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel

Several years ago Mohegan Sun paled in comparison to the Foxwoods Resort and Casino just down the street. Nowadays the playing field has been leveled and while not quite as large as Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun offers a total gaming experience that in my opinion is a lot more enjoyable than a stay at Foxwoods.

In addition to two large casinos and a smaller, third casino, Mohegan Sun also has a full-service hotel, a retail shopping "mall" linking the two main casinos and a number of different restaurants that run the spectrum from simple dining to fine dining. Not only that but there's an arena for sporting events and shows, a cabaret theater, the world's largest planetarium and a free performance space called the Wolf Den where you can watch and listen to various bands while you play in the Casino of the Earth.

How do I get to Mohegan Sun?

Mohegan Sun is located almost directly off of Interstate 395. It's about an hour and 45 minutes or so from Boston and about 3 hours from New York City.

Coming to Mohegan

I can't say that Mohegan was always my first choice for gambling. For years my partner and I along with friends always headed to Foxwoods first and then if we had time, we'd make a stop at Mohegan Sun. However since the expansions and what I'd consider the slight decline of Foxwoods in general, Mohegan Sun is my first choice when it comes to gambling.

I like the atmosphere of the entire casino complex plus I enjoy the comps that are offered to me when it comes to tickets, hotel rooms, dining and shopping. Not only that, but I find Mohegan Sun to be a lot better maintained than Foxwoods and their air circulation system is much better. As a non-smoker I realize people smoke in a casino, but at Mohegan Sun the smoke is pretty much quickly sucked up and out of the casino.

Hotel Rooms

My only real disappointment with Mohegan is their hotel rooms. For what they charge, you'd expect to have sheets spun of gold thread, yet the rooms are pretty much average at best. They have standard rooms with either two queen beds or a single king bed along with various suites. We've never paid full price for a room having used comps from time to time to stay. On our last stay we had requested a room with two queen beds since we were going with a friend. We even confirmed the night before and they told us we were all set. When we got there, they told us that they only had a room with a single king sized bed, saying that the reservations didn't guarantee anything. I understand that, but don't confirm it with me the night before and not tell me that it won't be there the next day. Even so, we did get a rollaway bed for the room and we did have a good time since honestly, when you spend the night at a casino, how much time do you spend in the room? Room service is quick and there's plenty of services if you want to use them including a gym and a pool.

Dining

We've eaten pretty much everywhere at Mohegan and there are quite a few different restasurants to choose from. Our standard place is the Birches or Fidelia's, which are your basic restaurants that serve sandwiches along with a few bigger entrees. Neither is outstanding but they are generally quick and easy. Want something even quicker and easier? There are two buffets in Mohegan, one in the Casino of the Earth (Seasons Buffet) and one in the Casino of the Sky (Sunburst Buffet). The Sunburst Buffet is slightly pricier and has a bit more "class" and is open during limited times, while the Seasons Buffet is your normal buffet that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For something a little fancier there are three fine-dining restaurants in the Casino of the Earth: Pompeii and Caesar (Italian); Bamboo Forest (Asian); and the Longhouse (steak). All three are nice, though my favorite is Pompeii and Caesar, which has some great Italian food. In front of those three restaurants is a casual place called The Cove, which serves dishes inspired by the three fine dining restaurants. Heading into the retail mall that connects the two casinos there are several different restaurants including Big Bubba's BBQ, Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, and the Summer Shack. There's also a Johnny Rocket's. The Casino of the Sky is home to SolTorro, a mexican restaurant and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

There are also quite a few different quick service places scattered around the complex including Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Johnny Rockets along with deli's and other small coffee shops.

Gambling at Mohegan

Gambling is pretty much up to chance, but I enjoy playing at Mohegan. They have tons of different table games and thousands of slot machines to choose from. There's also the Mohegan player's club, so that as you are gambling, you earn points on your club card. Once you have a balance on your card, you can use it at most establishments throughout Mohegan to purchase items or pay for services (1 point = 1 dollar). The player's club is also the way that Mohegan tracks your play at the casinos and how it figures out what kind of complimentary offers it gives to you. These include coupons for food, discounted hotel rooms and more.

There are three casinos at Mohegan. Casino of the Earth, the first and oldest, is my favorite. The casino is in the shape of a very large circle and has a ton of different slot machines and table games. The Wolf's Den is in the center of the Casino of the Earth and is a small performance area where various acts perform in free concerts and can be seen and heard throughout the Casino of the Earth.

The second casino to open at Mohegan was the Casino of the Sky. I think it's a bit bigger than the Casino of the Earth and is more open and brighter.

The newest casino at Mohegan is the Casino of the Wind. This casino isn't as large as the other two casinos, but it does have a number of different slot machines that aren't in the other casinos along with table games and he casino provides access to the new Poker area. The Casino of the Wind is a lot more intimate than the other casinos at Mohegan Sun. The ceilings are also a lot lower than in other portions of Mohegan so the cigarette smoke does tend to build up here and that's one reason I try not to spend too much time in there since it can be very smoky and it gets to me pretty quickly.

Overall

Besides the hotel rooms not being all that impressive and somewhat overpriced, I really like Mohegan Sun. I tend to think of Mohegan first when it comes to gambling and while we still go to Foxwoods from time to time, I'd rather spend my money at Mohegan where I know I'll enjoy myself and where I'll get decent comps.

I would think if you are visiting the southeastern Connecticut region and want to gamble, definitely check out Mohegan Sun. It's well worth the visit.