Title: Terrible Anniversary Experience - Rodents, Undercooked Food, Lost Property, and Unresponsive Management
I rarely write reviews, but our experience at Casino Del Sol in Tucson was so shocking and distressing that I feel compelled to share everything. My girlfriend and I were celebrating our fifth anniversary on September 25-26, 2025. I had planned this special night carefully, having finally turned of age and excited to try the casino for the first time. I had heard so much about it over the years and was really looking forward to finally experiencing it. Sadly, it turned out to be nothing like the advertisements or our expectations.
From the start, our plans were stressful. We booked a hotel online, called to confirm, and were told our reservation wasn't in the system. We had to buy another, more expensive room, which we couldn't cancel due to Experian policies. Still, we tried to make the best of it.
That evening, we headed to the buffet, hungry and excited. The food options were extremely limited--mostly sides--and what they did have was poorly prepared. My girlfriend ordered pasta with broccoli and chicken, made in front of her by a chef. The broccoli was hard and undercooked, and my small plate of baked vegetables, pizza, and baked potato was equally disappointing.
We sat down, took our first bites, and started a conversation about how even Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse would have been better. That's when everything fell apart.
Within minutes, my girlfriend spotted at least four rats running around our table. She was terrified and ran from the restaurant crying. I looked and saw 2-3 more rodents under our table and immediately documented the incident with photos and videos. What made this worse was that the restaurant continued to operate, letting more guests in and not informing those already eating. Diners around us had no idea there was an infestation in the dining room.
Despite undeniable proof, the casino staff were reluctant to help. They only refunded our buffet after I showed the video but still charged us for my girlfriend's drink. We were given no apology, no compensation, and no reassurance that they would take corrective action. The buffet carried on like nothing had happened.
We left shaken, nauseous, and still hungry. Uber Eats or DoorDash were outside our budget, and we had been drinking, so we ended up going to bed hungry on our anniversary. We told ourselves that maybe breakfast in the morning would make up for it, but the next morning things only got worse.
While packing at around 10:30 a.m. (with checkout at 11 a.m.), we realized my girlfriend's watch was missing. I rushed to security while helping load the truck. The handling by security was completely unprofessional:
* I was told a staff member had found an item the previous night but wasn't told what it was.
* After 15 minutes, another guard said it wasn't my girlfriend's watch.
* They never documented the situation, never asked for a photo or description, and never offered me an incident report.
* Instead, I was told to simply call back at 4 p.m. to check if housekeeping had turned it in.
I then spoke with hotel manager Nicole to see if anything could be done: a refund, compensation, even just an apology. She told me she couldn't compensate me. When I explained how poorly security handled the missing watch, she informed me that I should have filled out an incident report--something security never even mentioned. My attempt to escalate to the Food & Beverage Director was also ignored.
At this point, the failures were overwhelming: undercooked food, rodent infestation, unsafe dining, unprofessional security, lost property mishandled, and completely unresponsive management. It left us emotionally distressed, worried for our health, and robbed us of a special anniversary I had worked hard to plan.
It's been days since the incident. I have called, emailed, and left voicemails, and I still have not heard back or received my refund. This shows a total lack of care for customers. Maybe next anniversary will be better--certainly not at Casino Del Sol, because I would never come back here again. Honestly, a night at Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse would have been a hundred times better than this nightmare.
We've since reported the incident to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Pima County, the Arizona Department of Gaming, and the BBB. The fact that the casino has yet to provide even a basic apology speaks volumes.
In my opinion, this experience also highlights why we need more small businesses, because smaller restaurants usually show real love, appreciation, and quality. Bigger corporations like this casino just focus on advertising and profits, while ignoring serious health violations and customer safety. read more