in praise of the palms

I didn't mention where I was staying in Vegas for obvious reasons, but I've wanted to sing the praises of The Palms since the day I checked in.

The food is great, the rooms are huge and comfortable, the bed is second only to a luxury suite at the Bellagio, and their staff is simply the best I've ever encountered.

Seriously. Oh my god, the staff at the Palms is just incredible.

Every single person I encountered there, from the front desk to housekeeping to room service to the bartenders to the dealers in the poker room treated me like they were there specifically to take care of me, and I was the only person they were working for. It was just amazing. The outstanding service and amenities at the Palms will make you forget where you are, until you walk down into their casino (which is always swarming with beautiful twenty-somethings, if you're interested in that sort of thing) and remember that you're in Las Vegas. Their pool is fantastic (try the lobster club and get a bucket of Newcastles. Trust me on this one.) and on the weekends, it's a sexy party that would impress even the likes of  Stewie Griffin.

I didn't do much gaming while I was there, but I spent my entire last night in Vegas in their poker room (story to come,) and it was great, too. The dealers were awesome, and the manager even opened a table specifically for us -- and offered to keep it private -- when we asked to spread a 3-6 HORSE game after midnight in an otherwise-full room.

I've always wanted to find "my hotel" to stay in when I go to Vegas, and over the last few years I've tried lots of different places in that quest. I'm happy to report that my quest has come to an end.