Santa Claran Hotel & Casino

SC bar and grill used to be a good place for all three meals. HOWEVER, they have taken away all the specials., so now why bother.
Breakfast had great specials, BUT since they closed for remodeling, they should have stayed closed, I looked around and sawing many patrons pushing unsavoury parts of thier breakfast to the side, we will not be back.
The before closure wait staff had a couple of star employees, but they must have gotten rid of all the good SC had to offer.
Who hires a waiter who refuses to serve alcohol to his guests… This means your other good waitresses are doing double duty, mayhaps this man should be a receptionist?
Receptionists always seemed lacking and they’re the first ones who greet the guests on the way in.

Our room had 2 double beds and the shower was amazing. Very clean and neat. The beds were super comfy. They have free wi-​fi but it is public (no secure connection) and it hardly worked which was distressing. We ate at the sports bar and had burgers which were awesome. The casino on the other hand not so much… just took took took… didn’t have fun there. I am from Las Vegas and at least we get some plays for our money, but not this casino… seems like they just want your money. Also there is a little hot dog cart at the entrance of casino with hot dogs and they also have popcorn. $ 7.00 FOR A DOG AND DRINK ??? Crazy price… 3.00 is the most they should be charging for that… But once again as far as the hotel ‘wonderful’. They have a indoor heated pool also and Jacuzzi and a fitness room. I would definitely stay here again, but I wouldn’t gamble for sure.

Santa Claran is such a beautiful place! The hotel accommodates all age ranges, there are tons of slots, a dance floor and great restaurants to eat at. The rooms are truly unique and have a beautiful southwestern theme. Can’t wait to stay here again!

What a pleasant place. To address an earlier Unilocal review: yes, it’s smoky in the casino, but for the most part, the rest of the premises aren’t *that* smoky, if at all. I enjoyed my visit here, and would stay again.
HOTEL ROOMS: The rooms are beautiful, clean, and spacious! I stayed in a single king bedroom. Plenty of pillows on the bed (I did have to ask for an extra blanket — my fault, not theirs… I had a cold!). Two free mini water bottles in room. Lovely, somewhat dimly lit bathroom. Not ideal for putting on makeup, I can tell you that. I also have complaints about the alarm clock, but I know I am one of few who actually use a manual alarm clock, so this comment is moot.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: There isn’t WiFi on the 3^rd floors and up, but the 2^nd floor has a very roomy, comfy lounge where you can sit with your laptop if need be. If you’d like, you can pick up an ethernet cord at the front desk to have internet access in your room. There’s also the business center. Depending on the reason for your travels, having the internet in room may be necessary. I was okay without it, and I was in town doing academic research.
The lobby has a little Starbucks café that opens at 6am and closes mid-​afternoon. Great for a cup of coffee or tea, but the pastries are overpriced, and I’m pretty sure they’re not baked daily. That said, head over to the casino café or offsite for food in the morning — there is no continental breakfast.
The staff is very friendly and quick to meet your needs. They’ve a kind sense of humor too, and will say hi to you whenever you bump into each other in the hallways.
CASINO: Smoky but clean overall. They’ve a little sports bar as well as a café for food, and there’s also just a bar in the center to pick up drinks. Oh wait, there is a third food option… the most hilarious hot dog and popcorn stand. It is loud in here because of the music from the center bar, but the further you are from it, obviously the less loud it’ll be. You’ve a few tables, mostly slots. They’ve themed days: senior nights, ladies nights, and what have you.

Hotel is clean and the rooms are nice. The staff is friendly and helpful.
But, and these are big buts for me, the lobby and the casino are smoke infested! Yuck! They got no money out of me in the casino due to this.
Also, there is no wifi in the facility! Seriously? A holiday inn can offer this, a motel 6 can offer this but this «modern» facility does not?
Finally, the satellite TV would freeze every two minutes. Very frustrating.
Now, if you never spend any time in your room and if you don’t mind inhaling second hand smoke in the casino and lobby, then this will be a great place.
Sadly, for me, I would never stay here again.

It’s been a while since I had visited Espanola and a few of the local friends who are from the area recommend several places and mentioned there were a few casino establishments. I’m not really a gamble but I can really appreciate good amenities, location and service. The place a smoke-​free hotel, casino is not, yuck… lol. The place is well decorated with nice furnishings and great photography. I especially like the black and white photography found throughout the hotel. (must remember to ask who the photographer is) The café in the casino is pretty good, never had to wait more than 10 minutes to be seated. For was tasty, especially liked the chile and salsas.
Didn’t care too much for the smokey lounge or casino section and we were bummed that the Steakhouse that was inside had funky business hours and the WiFi is quite limited in some areas of the complex. If the WiFi were better and the steak house was open I would’ve given the place five stars… oh well.
The staff was super nice and helpful and the have great security inside and outside in the parking areas. It’s fairly in the middle of the now-​busy Espanola with hair/​nail salons, banks and tons of eateries. We will definitely be back and will tell all our friends about the Santa Claran, woo hoo!

If your between Santa Fe and Taos and want to avoid the crowds of either city, this is the hotel to choose. Only open for a year, it is a fine place to stay. The architecture, the furnishings, the design of the rooms and the service are all EXCELLENT. We travel, stay in lots of hotels, mostly mid range. This place is exceptionally well done. Bed was excellent, lots of pillows, small balcony was lovely, coffee in the room with special niche for holding the pot, bathroom spacious and shower excellent. Next door is a Casino, easy access and can say i won a bit too. In morning we enjoyed Coffee (Starbucks) in the lobby sunk into leather chairs and view of the local landscape. This place is FINE.
It is the design that made it for me, everything is human scale and with comfort in mind.