Champagne, Casinos, & Culture: A Stay at the Tulalip Resort Casino

Disclosure: Tulalip Resort Casino provided a complimentary stay & spa service in exchange for this review. All opinions are mine!

Do you love casinos?

I’m not a gambler, so I'm usually only at a casino because my grandparents want to go and well, I do love them. I now also love the Tulalip Resort & Casino after my stay there this fall!

With eight restaurants, amazing amenities, a world-renowned spa, and the Seattle Premier Outlets just across the parking lot, there’s just as much to do off the Tulalip Resort casino floor as there is on it. We had a whirlwind of a stay there, sampling fare at almost every restaurant and soaking it in at the T Spa.

Let me back up and give you some context. Tulalip Resort & Casino is in the Quil Ceda Village on the Tulalip Indian reservation near Marysville, WA - about a 45-minute drive north of Seattle. Tulalip means "a bay shaped like a purse” and was used in 1855 to describe the tribes who joined together on the Tulalip Reservation established by the Treaty of Point Elliott. I’ll share a little more about the tribes in my post on the Hibulb Cultural Center!

Tribal influence can be found in every nook and cranny at the Tulalip Resort. The art and decor, in particular, are like no other; they make the expansive lobby atrium and the hotel rooms alike feel vibrant, colorful, cultural, and yet cozy and welcoming at the same time.

After settling into our room, we embarked on what I like to call a tummy tour of the resort’s food establishments. We started just off of the casino floor at Blazing Paddles, which is perfect for a pizza straight out of the stone-fire oven and a pint of beer. They offer 50+ toppings to customize your artisan pizza pie to your heart’s content! 

After that, we made our way to the hotel lobby bar for some wine and appetizers. I appreciated the selection of wines and apps, which you usually don’t see in your typical lobby bar. Oh and later on in the night, the lobby turns into a piano bar! Fun fact: I may have already been full by the time we left there. Haha!

Our next stop was The Draft. If you’re in the Marysville/Tulalip area and need a good place to watch the game, you can do that here no matter what game you’re trying to see. It’s a lot of TVs in there! They’ve got all the game day faves on the menu - craft brews, wines by the glass, delicious cocktails, signature jumbo wings, Mahi fish tacos, and a half-pound, hand-pressed “Build Your Own” Burger.

The fourth stop of the night was Journeys East, where you can find Asian dishes made with Tulalip hospitality. Their sake collection is impressive (this one was delish), and the menu is meant for sharing. 

Our fifth and final stop of the night was at Blackfish, where regional Northwest ingredients and Tulalip tradition combine for a seafood-centric menu. Normally I’m pretty good at pacing myself on media food outings, but I think this one was a personal record for me. I’m honestly surprised I had it in me to make it to the end! The laughs and good company definitely helped.

After a fabulous night’s sleep, we met up at Cedars Cafe for breakfast. Cedars Cafe is actually tucked away in the resort lobby, not on the casino floor like the rest of the restaurants. It’s open 24/7, providing a quiet, more relaxed atmosphere for resort guests any time of day. We enjoyed our usual brunch favorites - eggs benedict & coffee for him; oatmeal with a side of protein and some breakfast tea for me.

As we bid goodbye to Allan and the rest of our group, I headed up to the T Spa for a signature massage. T Spa is definitely in my top choices for local spas - I made sure to indulge in the cedar sauna, steam room, and grotto shower after my service.

We made a quick stop at the Seattle Premium Outlets next door before driving home, and the next weekend I came back up to the reservation to take in more of the history of the Tulalip tribes at the Hibulb Cultural Center (post coming soon.) 

Thank you so much to Allan and the Tulalip Resort team for having us! Your hospitality is truly unmatched. My grandma is turning 80 next year and we’re trying to convince her to make a Tulalip Resort weekend for her family birthday party. 😃 Can’t wait to visit again soon!

Check out the Tulalip Resort Casino website for spa & dining specials and to book your own stay!