Top 10 Casino Hotels

Pechanga stands on tribal land of the Pechanga Band of Indians, just outside the town of Temecula, whose valley is lined with wineries and tasting rooms. Old Town Temecula, with its shops and restaurants, is an easy evening outing.

The resort's appeal is scale: a pool landscape built for full days outdoors, a standalone spa with hydrotherapy pools, and a theatre that books musicals and headline concerts. Weekends in summer fill quickly, so reserve cabanas and spa appointments when you book the room.

Owned by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the resort lies where the city of Highland meets the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. Roads climb from here toward Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear for pine forest, lakeshore walks and cooler air in summer.

The tower's suites are the draw for celebration trips, and the theatre means a show night needs no drive home. The pool deck has cabanas; check opening months and any adults-only hours before you plan a family day around it.

Graton stands beside Highway 101 in Rohnert Park, on land of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The town of Sonoma, the Russian River valley and the coast at Bodega Bay are all reachable on day drives.

The hotel was added later than the main building and feels newer than many wine-country inns. Third-party listings describe the property as adults-only and the pool as seasonal, so ask about both before you plan a family stay or an off-season swim.

Cache Creek belongs to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and sits on Highway 16 in the Capay Valley, a farming corridor of orchards, olive groves and roadside produce stands in western Yolo County.

Most guests come for the spa and the pair of pools, with the valley's farm stops and back roads as the reason to leave the property. Fill the tank before the drive out; services thin out along Highway 16.

The resort is owned by the United Auburn Indian Community and stands on the edge of Lincoln, in the Placer County foothills. Old Town Auburn and the American River canyon are close for a morning out.

The pool area is a summer affair, so ask about its season before you count on it. Outside concert nights the tower is a calm stop for drivers breaking up the climb into the mountains.

Morongo, a Morongo Band of Mission Indians property, towers over the freeway through the San Gorgonio Pass, the gap between two of Southern California's highest mountain ranges. Large outlet shopping sits just down the road in Cabazon.

The pool area, with its lazy river and slide, is the most family-flavoured part of the property, while the spa offers a quieter escape. Winds funnel through the pass, so a light jacket is useful after dark.

The resort belongs to the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians and sits in the foothills between Fresno and Oakhurst. Continuing north on Highway 41 brings you toward Yosemite, with Bass Lake as a nearby detour.

An indoor pool makes it useful outside summer, when foothill evenings turn cool. Check the park's entry and reservation rules for your dates before planning a dawn start from the hotel.

The Blue Lake Rancheria operates the hotel just off Highway 299, east of Arcata. The college town's plaza, the Arcata Marsh trails and redwood groves along the coast make good half-day trips.

This is the smallest-feeling stop on the list, suited to travellers who prefer a calm base in fog-and-forest country. Coastal weather shifts quickly, so pack layers whatever the month.

The Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe runs the resort outside Lemoore, among the orchards and fields of Kings County. Highway 198 runs east from here through Visalia toward the Sequoia foothills.

Valley summers are hot, so the pool earns its place on long driving days. Ask which spa treatments are offered on your dates, as third-party listings describe them only briefly.