Ranch & Coast Magazine

T HE HOUSE FINDS HIGH rollers. At San Diego-area casinos, if your bets are big, you'll get noticed. at's a good thing. VIPs get perks: Free play on slot machines. Complimentary suites. Gratis steak dinners. Spa treatments on the house. Over her 28-year career, Kara Montanarella has been a host, manager, and director in Las Vegas casinos. For the last decade, she's been director of casino VIP marketing at Pechanga Resort Casino. "On-property, it's our job is to make sure high rollers have everything they like," she says. Off-property, too. Pechanga's name is on the former San Diego Sports Arena. VIPs get perks like Andrea Bocelli concert tickets (coming June 15). e casino also has suites at SoFi Stadium for Los Angeles Rams and Chargers games. For Super Bowl LVI, Pechanga filled a luxury limo bus with 20 high-ranked "Jade" level players for door-to- door service to the game. e ten area casinos use player's club cards to track your betting habits. at includes casino-resorts Barona, Harrah's, Pala, Pechanga, Sycuan, Valley View, and Viejas, and casino- only properties Golden Acorn, Jamul Casino, and Pauma. My assignment: A high-roller fact-finding mission. Recently, my wife and I lived large at six local casinos. We saw a show, got a golf lesson, stayed in penthouse suites, sunned in poolside cabanas, had muscles kneaded in an orange blossom-scented treatment room, and dined in the best restaurants on pan- seared Chilean sea bass, New York steak, and Maine lobster. e experience was epic. Here are the VIP highlights from "Ron & Jules' Excellent San Diego Casino Adventure." Jamul Casino, Jamul Our casino road show began with a Valentine's Day- inspired night at Jamul Casino. e Rooftop is VIP central. is 10,000-square-foot, open-air event venue offers a panoramic view of the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve. e high-tech, high-concept space can be configured for an array of events. I once played in a charity poker tournament on e Rooftop hosted by former California First Lady Maria Shriver. My wife and I sat front row at a dinner-and-a-show Supper Club offering. Love Is in e Air was a campy-cute stage show that featured nonstop love songs. While we sang along at our table to "Can't Hurry Love," casino staff served us a three-course dinner medley. Detour destinations JOURNEY AT PECHANGA: PHOTO BY AIDAN BRADLEY DIVE: PHOTO BY RON DONOHO ALL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY San Diego Casino VIP Experiences Curious about high-roller treatment? Glimpse the suite life at local Native American gaming properties BY RON DONOHO @ranchandcoast ranchandcoast.com 64 MAY 2022 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE Journey at Pechanga is a par-72, links-style award- winning golf course designed by noted architects Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest

• Cover