(12) Palazzo vs (5) Mirage
In Napoli where love is king
When boy meets girl
Here’s what they sing
When the moon hits your eye
Like a big pizza pie, that’s amore
When the world seems to shine
Like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore
That’s Palazzo, that’s Palazzo.
Ah Palazzo, the Vegas hotel that knows what I want in Vegas, i.e., to feel that I am not in Vegas. The trend, as you have seen from the inception of my Knockout Bracket is to find a hotel that tricks you into believing that you are in the middle of the action while being far away from the grime.
Enter the Palazzo, the second coming of its sister resort, the Venetian. The Palazzo is like a fine Chianti, rich yet unassuming, bold but unpredictable.
Let’s examine the best reason to stay at the Palazzo besides my appreciation for fine Italian wines- sports gambling! The sports book at the Palazzo is bar none the best in all of Vegas. Most sports books in Vegas have oversized fake leather couches with impatient waiters, losing patrons, and chimney smokers. Ask for a burger and you’ll get a burned piece of roadkill and a hefty bill of $16, gratuity sneakily included.
What’s worse than when your 15 team parlay inexplicably doesn’t come through? I’ll tell you: uncomfortable chairs, outdated televisions, and terrible service. (I’m looking at you Bellagio.)
The sports book at the Palazzo has couches and private televisions. Imagine watching Michigan lose another game to a MAC opponent while being comfortable! Sure your waging ticket is worthless and you wish that Brady Hoke was fired yesterday but how much are you enjoying those nachos?
Of course, the Palazzo resort has beautiful rooms, access to Tao Beach (to be covered in the Venetian review), and the mediocre nightclub Lavo, but the reason you stay here is to break the bank banking on parlays.
Yet with all this, and most likely due to unlucky tournament seeding, the Palazzo is knocked out by the Mirage.
Ain’t that a kick in the head.
