We loved our stay at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Arizona

Situated a mere 30 minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport, the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, offers stunning views of the Sonoran Desert and the sacred Four Peaks mountains (translated at “We-Ko-Pa” in Yavapai). The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is a 40 square mile reservation with 889 Native American tribe members. The once nomadic Yavapai hunted and gathered food in Arizona’s deserts and the mountains of the Mogollon Rim.

There are two heated resort-style pools with a bar and grill, two spas, five-hole putting green and a horseshoe area.

This peaceful, relaxing AAA Four Diamond We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort desert property features 246 contemporary guestrooms and suites with mountain or pool views. The entrance welcomes guests into a well-appointed, modern and spacious lobby that blends contemporary design with Yavapai influences.

Guest accommodations include 246 contemporary guestrooms and suites with features such as 100% smoke-free rooms , as well as free high-speed wireless Internet, free self-parking, luxurious linens, flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, coffeemakers and in-room safes.

Dining at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort includes the casino resort’s flagship restaurant Ember run by Chef De Cuisine Richard E. Pelz. Signature dishes include American Wagyu beef cooked on a Mesquite wood-burning grill. We enjoyed the Braised Buffalo Short Rib and the Herb Crusted Chilean Sea Bass. For the dessert be sure to order the Ember Flaming Liquid Chocolate Truffle.

Congratulations to Ember for winning the Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence” for 2021.

Dennis Payne is the Advanced Sommelier, CWE, CSW at Ember who can guide you through the selection offered from the Wine Library which includes an incredible selection of over 600 wines and spirits from seventeen countries. A special selection titled “The Century Club” features 32 “critically acclaimed wines spanning more than two decades that have scored a perfect 100 points” There are also 30 Dessert Wines including 15 Ports and Madeiras. Sacred Smoke is their signature cocktail – a bourbon cocktail prepared tableside.

If sports bar dining sounds like a fun evening there is WKP Sports and Entertainment with pub fare and craft beers, live entertainment and gaming. The Market is open 24/7 for to-go options. The Ahnala Mesquite Room is open for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ahnala Restaurant for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

The 24/7 casino at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort is an impressive 166,341 square foot gaming venue, decorated with Native American design elements honoring its heritage. Here you will find 850 multi-dimensional slot machines, a 400-seat smoke-free bingo hall, 22 action-packed blackjack tables, and a spacious poker room featuring five tables with live games and tournaments. This new casino which opened in October 2020 replaces the historic Fort McDowell casino which originally opened in 1984 as a bingo hall. “Eight years later, the proud Yavapai Nation peacefully – and successfully – held off the attempts of federal agents to seize their slot machines, protecting their right to operate a casino on their reservation and provide livelihoods for their tribal members.” We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort Fact Sheet

For golf enthusiast We-Ko-Pa Golf Club offers two award-winning golf courses, a clubhouse with restaurant and Top 100 golf shop against the backdrop of the desert and mountain scenery.

At the Amethyst Spa you can enjoy massages and facials such as the Amethyst Facial (the name honors the lavender gems mined in the nearby Four Peaks mountains).

Event space at the Wassaja Conference Center includes 25,000 square feet of meeting space and an 18,000 square foot ballroom.

A short distance from We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort is Fort McDowell Adventures. Here you can ride horses, enjoy a cookout, experience a Segway or ATV tour, take jet skis to Saguaro Lake and a City Slicker Cattle Drive.

At the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort you can easily enjoy the luxuries of the hotel property, accommodations and amenities of fine dining, active casino entertainment, Sonoran desert surroundings, along with its ideal location.

Some photos and text courtesy We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort and Gail Manginelli GM & Associates gail@gmandassociatespr.com.

We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort

10438 WeKoPa Way

Fort McDowell, Arizona 85264

480.789.4957

855.957.9467 (toll-free)

Web for Resort and Casino : https://www.wekopacasinoresort.com/

Web for Golf Club: https://wekopa.com/

Web for Fort McDowell Adventures: https://www.fortmcdowelladventures.com/

Instagram: Resort: @wekopacasinoresort

Ember: @emberwekopacasinoresort

WKP Sports & Entertainment: @wkpsportsentertainment