The made-to-order food was served at three stations. A carving station had roast turkey and beef one day, smoked salmon and roast beef the next. Salmon and swordfish steaks were grilled at another station; while very well seasoned, they tended to be overcooked, until we wisely caught her early in the process and requested it "rare." She gave us a funny look, but acquiesced and turned over a perfect salmon fillet. The third station was a pasta bar, with white or red sauce mixed with your choice of ingredients, including shrimp, crab and chicken.
The other highlight was the desert bar. We were tempted by more types of cakes and pies than I could count, although the highlight for me was strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate. Soft serve ice cream, cookies, one sugar-free choice and a few baked fruit concoctions rounded out the offerings.
The wait staff at the buffet were particularly helpful. A nice touch were the servers who came around the dining room with baskets of hot bread rolls. We also found the cashiers and hostesses to be not only friendly but eager to please; one rounded the entire stacked-to-the-gills dining room to find us a table as near as possible to the food, knowing I would be juggling plates and a preschooler.
Lazy River
We headed down to the newly-opened lazy river, where we checked in again with a security desk and scoped out a spot. Large, clear inner tubes for floating on the river were complimentary and plentiful, as were towels. The refreshing lazy river was a real treat, meandering past a swim-up bar, under a waterfall, around palm trees and back again. At the time of our visit, construction was still going on just outside the lazy river area, and the sight of bulldozers moving earth just beyond the palm trees was a bit jarring at times. Equally surreal was the enormous container ship we spotted floating past on the waterway; although my preschooler would say that was a highlight.
Poolside servers, who unilaterally seemed to be young girls dressed in hot pink skirts, were available to bring frozen drinks and snacks if venturing to the swim-up bar proved to be too much of a chore. The lounge chairs mostly sat in a few inches of water at the sides of the lazy river and small lap pool, which was a hit with the guests I spoke to. On one edge of the pool, a small strip of sand was popular with kids who brought along beach toys. Adjacent to the sand, a large section of pool with a depth of six inches was the spot of choice for families with young children, content to splash near the sand.
The swimming pool closed a half an hour before sunset, and we trekked up to the room, still without bed rails. At this point, we called to complain, only to be told the hotel does not own any bed rails. Since we were never informed of this at any time in the process, the front desk graciously offered to knock $20 off our rate for the night; a nice touch, since we'd be sleeping lightly that night, listening for a telltale thump.
Dining at L'Auberge du Lac
We ventured down for a quick and casual meal, opting to try Asia. The "Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine" with a "Louisiana twist" was good if not particularly memorable, but the prices seemed higher than they should have been. Our "quick and casual meal" ended up costing more than the original rate of our room.
Casino Bound
The casino was next to try. Since we were traveling with our preschooler, we took turns exploring the 30,000 square foot casino. My game of choice is blackjack, and I was pleasantly surprised to find several $5 and $10 tables still available after 9 pm. I sat with a group of gamblers who had driven in from Houston for a while before wandering through the rest of the casino and globar, the round lounge in the center of the casino. Low-slung tables, plasma screens and video poker at the bar made this more of a hip hangout than a nightspot.
Not Vegas, But What Is?
The experience, while it could never match Las Vegas for the sheer oddity (I'll never get used to the sight of a full wedding party walking through the casino, no matter who many times I witness it), proved to be a good fix without the long haul to the desert.
The room at $59 a night was a bargain, but even at $159 would have been a good value. Kids won't find much to do outside of the lazy river and a small arcade, but adults are well taken care of between the casino, bars and restaurants, and the full-service spa. While not on the scale of Las Vegas in terms of glitz and glamour (but who is?), L'Auberge du Lac is a restful, entertaining oasis in an unlikely spot.
