The Palms Casino Resort Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Off the Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

The pool bar

The Palms has a reputation for being a party hotel. Whether it's Britney Spears entertaining in a penthouse or Michael Phelps hanging by the pool, partiers -- famous and otherwise -- like to hang at the Palms. And it's understandable why. With three great clubs and a rowdy pool scene, the Palms knows how to party. The hotel reached global popularity when seven strangers moved in for five months for the filming of The Real World: Las Vegas in 2002. The MTV crew is long gone, but the party remains.

The three-tower complex has a boisterous pool complex with three bars and a DJ, nine restaurants, a spa, and multiple nightclubs, including the rooftop Ghost Bar, the dance club Rain, and a Playboy Club. Chances are good that if you're staying at another hotel but want to party, the Palms will be one of your stops. West of the Strip and over a highway, the Palms feels far from the main action. For another sinfully good party hotel that's closer to the Strip, check out the Hard Rock.

Service was friendly at a Palms and typical of such a large hotel, which is to say not personal. But the kind of services offered, like room service and a concierge, are on par with what you'll find at other major party hotels like the Hard Rock.

View on a Larger Map

Located on West Flamingo Road, about a mile west of the Strip -- Bellagio and Caesars are the two closest Strip hotels -- the Palms complex is, by Strip standards, quite isolated. A cab ride to the Strip, which takes about 15 minutes (depending on traffic and where on the Strip you're heading), costs less than $10. The Rio is technically across the street but barely within walking distance since that street is Flamingo, an active four-lane east-west thoroughfare. The Palms has a shuttle service that goes to the Fashion Show Mall and Forum Shops at Caesars, but it's so infrequent (twice a day) that it's pretty useless.

The Palms hotel complex is spread among three towers: the Palms Tower, Fantasy Tower, and the Palms Place Condos tower. The sky tube, a hallway with a moving walkway, connects the Palms Place tower with the other two. The Fantasy Tower is home to the Playboy club and swanky suites.

The Palms Place Condo

The standard room at the Palms -- called the Deluxe -- has a 27-inch TV and either two double beds or one king-size bed. That's about it. So if a room in the new Palms Place tower is going for about the same price as a standard room in the older Palms Tower, it would be wise to go for it. Rooms are large and modern, with among the best bathrooms in town. The bathroom is stocked with Aveda products. The only drawback is the walk through the SkyTube to get to the main casino area. The Palms Place tower has its own pool and a relaxed lobby bar called Rojo. Wired Internet access costs $14.99 for 24 hours, wireless costs $11.99.

The Palms has multiple unique suites available too. One has an indoor basketball court; another, a fireplace. Check out the Palms website for more information. For the ultimate room experience at the Palms, consider the 9,000-square-foot Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, a popular choice for rap stars.

Lounge chairs by the pool

The main pool complex at the Palms has four pools, though two are small. With three poolside bars, it's a de facto party scene. Tight-bodied men and women dance in the pool as the DJ cranks a loud mix from his solar-powered DJ booth. Poolside cabanas are available. Instead of paying a flat daily rental fee, cabana users must meet food and drink minimums -- $500 on weekdays, $1,000 on weekends.

There's also a quieter more relaxing pool at the Palms Place tower, but it's open only to guests staying in that tower.

The spa at the Palms includes a fitness center ($20 a day). The spa offers a full menu of services.

The Palms even has its own recording studio. While the hotel can't provide aspiring rock stars with talent, it can provide them with a place to test their chops. For true rock stars, this can make Las Vegas a work-pleasure trip.

The food court

A party hotel like the Palms shouldn't be the first choice for parents planning a family vacation in Vegas. But guests who bring kids along may appreciate some of the amenities the hotel offers. Babysitting for children ages six weeks to 12 years old is available at Kids Quest, a child-care center with branches in 21 casinos nationwide ($7 to $8 an hour). The center stays open until 1 a.m. on weekends.

The hotel's food court features plenty of kid-friendly fast-food options, including McDonald's, Nathan's Famous, and Pizza Express.

Rollaway beds are $20 per night, and cribs are free. In the Palms Place condominium towers, a queen-size pullout sofa comes standard in the studio suites (the most basic rooms).

Overall the Palms is very clean. Even at the pool, where hundreds of people are partying at any given time, staff members are quick to pick up empty cans and cups and collect used towels. The hotel itself was very clean, especially the brand-new Palms Place tower, which was immaculate.

A sandwich from the 24 Seven Cafe

The Palms has plentiful food options, even at the low end, including nine restaurants and a food court with fast-food eateries like McDonalds, Nathan's Famous, and Panda Express. 24/7 Café is a solid choice for a quick and simple bite. For French food there's Alize, for Mexican Garduno's, for Asian/sushi Little Buddha, for steak N9NE, and for Southwestern Blue Agave. Also, at Simon Restaurant & Lounge, Chef Kerry Simon chooses organic, in-season ingredients.

Rojo bar

Even before the seven strangers of MTV's Real World: Las Vegas called it home in 2002, the Palms was known as a party hotel. And with celebrities dropping by the Playboy Lounge and Moon nightclub, it maintains that reputation.

Rain, the nightclub in the Palms Tower, is a lot of fun -- for those who can get in. It's a huge place with a main floor surrounded by balconies, smoke machines, giant monitors displaying abstract images, go-go dancers on platforms, and thumping music. The rooftop Ghost Bar offers panoramic views of Vegas from the 55th floor.

The Playboy Club in the Fantasy Tower is small gambling area with Playboy Bunny dealers, a dance floor, and two bars. The view of the Strip and Las Vegas is amazing. The space is more intimate and, with private seating areas, a good place to hang out before taking the escalator up to Moon, a dark, thumping dance club upstairs with even better views and a balcony. It has a retractable roof, live DJs, and multiple bars.

A $40 pass gets Palms guests into all three clubs, but doesn't move them to the front of the often-long lines outside the clubs.

The Palms also has a concert venue called Pearl. Check the website for the schedule of events.