6 minute read
I turned 40 on July 31 in Las Vegas, and I spent almost all of that day sitting in a plunge pool on the upper deck of Palms Pool, looking down at the DJ and the main pool below. We never went downstairs. Not once, in six hours. That should tell you most of what you need to know.
My brother and sister-in-law flew in from Los Angeles for it. My business partner and best bud Barry was there, along with my friend Adri. Five of us, and none of us were even staying on property. We were over at MGM Grand. The cabana was the only reason we came to Palms that day, and it turned out to be the best decision of the whole trip.
The upper deck is the whole thing
Palms Pool has 39 cabanas across a multi-level deck on the east side of the casino, near Serrano Vista Cafe. Most come with a private plunge pool. Ours was upstairs, and that’s where it clicked. The plunge pool sits right at the edge of the deck, so you’re in the water looking out over the main pool and the DJ booth below. From where you’re sitting it reads like an infinity pool.
It was scorching. Vegas in late July does not negotiate. The plunge water wasn’t cold enough to shock you, which I assumed would be a problem, but I hadn’t accounted for what happens when you climb out. There’s just enough breeze up there that a few seconds of air on wet skin does the whole job. Between that and the shade under the cabana, I was never uncomfortable. Never too hot, never too cold. In that heat, that’s not a small thing.
The covered portion seated eight to ten people without anyone stuck on an armrest. Palms rates the cabanas for 10 to 15 guests, so with five of us there was serious room to spread out. Each one has a TV, a mini fridge, and a fan.
The menu was the surprise
I pulled up the pool menu a few days before the trip, half braced for the usual Vegas poolside math where a burger runs $35 because you’re a captive audience with nowhere else to go. That’s not what’s happening here.
My first drink was a Bloody Maria, the tequila build, 12 ounces for $17. In Vegas pool terms, that’s fair. Wine by the glass was $11.
The food went further than the prices suggested. I ordered the seasonal fruit at $15 assuming it would come out as a single serving, and instead it landed as a platter that five of us worked through without anyone rationing. Melon, mixed berries, kiwi, grapes, pineapple, toasted coconut, with basil yogurt on the side.
The Baja breakfast burrito is the one I’d order again, and at $15 it’s the best value on the menu. Carne asada and scrambled eggs with fries packed inside the tortilla, pepper jack, pico, avocado, with salsa and a Tajín fruit cup alongside. We also went through an order of wings, $21 with a dry rub, fries, and your pick of sauce. Buffalo, Vegas Hot, sweet chili, BBQ, and hot honey are all available. The fries come as a mix of crinkle cut, waffle, and curly in one basket, which is a smart move for a group. Nobody has to agree on a fry.
All of it was plated properly, which is not a sentence I get to write often about food that arrives on a pool deck.
Our attendants were Jasmine and her assistant Elijah, and they’re a real part of why the day went the way it did. Drinks turned up before anyone thought about flagging someone down. Food came fast. Neither of them hovered, which is harder than it sounds.
Two things I’d flag
When I checked in, before they walked us out, I asked whether the cabana had a safe. We weren’t sure if we’d wander down to the main pool later and I didn’t want phones and wallets sitting in an open cabana. I was told yes. There wasn’t one. We never left the upstairs so it never became a problem, but if you plan on moving around the property, confirm it at check-in and then confirm it again once you’re at the cabana.
There was also a small hiccup with the bill at the end. It got sorted and it wasn’t enough to color the day, but read your check before you sign it. That’s true anywhere in this city.
What to know before you book
Palms Pool runs 10AM to 6PM and admission is free. Monday through Saturday, hotel guests of any age are welcome and non-hotel guests need to be 21 or over. Sunday opens to all ages. You have to be 21 to reserve a cabana. Food service doesn’t start until 11, so if you show up at open, plan on an hour of drinks first.
Booking a cabana or daybed is one of the only ways in if you’re not a hotel guest, which is exactly the position we were in. Parking is free, which in Las Vegas in 2026 still feels faintly unbelievable.
Nevada locals get a free cabana program Sunday through Friday for guests 21 and up, based on availability. Earlier in the season it ran all seven days.
One more, and this one matters if you make content for a living. The posted pool rules prohibit professional cameras, video equipment, GoPros, and wearable tech, and all persons and bags are searched on the way in. Plan on shooting with your phone unless you’ve cleared something ahead of time.
Where I landed
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Nine out of ten. The only thing holding it back is the safe, and that’s a five-minute fix on their end. What sticks with me is that we drove to a property we weren’t staying at, spent an entire day there, and never once discussed going anywhere else. On a 40th birthday in Las Vegas, with the whole Strip fifteen minutes up the road, that’s a real endorsement.
I’m already trying to line up a guys trip to come back and do the rest of it properly. Rooms, Scotch 80 Prime, the full property. If the pool is any indication of how Palms handles details, that one should be worth writing about too.
BOOK YOUR STAY AT PALMS CASINO RESORT
Palms hosted my cabana at Palms Pool. All opinions, prices, and observations are my own.
