A Pocono paradise for two: Caesars Resort's suite full of luxuries is the perfect tonic for couples looking for quality time together. . - Going Places - Pocono Palace - hotel review

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), March, 2003 by Wayne M. Barrett

Dinner, which is served in the Venus Court Dining Room between 6 and 8 p.m., turned out to be a scrumptious International Buffet in which, as is my usual practice, I had two of everything, including dessert. (The next night was even better, as the entrees were steak and lobster.) Since we had barely beaten the 8 p.m. seating deadline, it was getting late by the time we were through eating dinner.

Rather than digest back at the Towers, we decided to check out the entertainment at the Gladiator Night Club, where a dance and show band was playing, to be followed by a comedian. At Brookdale, we really had enjoyed what little we saw of the nighttime entertainment. Because of the kids' early bedtimes, however, we did not see as much as we had hoped. So, freed from the restraints of children, it was with great anticipation that we entered the nightclub at Pocono Palace. We were not disappointed. The band was extremely talented, and, this being a couples-only retreat, the in-between-songs patter was generously sprinkled with double-entendres, much to the delight of the enthusiastic gathering. Enjoying the music and our drinks, which were quickly refilled by the attentive and--in the Caesars' tradition--provocatively clad female servers, we opted to stay for the comedian. While his routine was a bit uneven in spots, it was funny and generated plenty of laughs.

It was getting on near midnight, and although the band was slated to play at least another couple of hours, we headed back to our suite. Refreshed, relaxed, and refueled, we enjoyed the warmth of the swimming pool and the romantic glow of the celestial lights until the wee hours of the morning.

Realizing most of its guests are indulging in late-night fun, Pocono Palace wisely has established liberal breakfast hours (8-11 a.m., although coffee is available at 7) as well as a breakfast-in-bed option. While dining the evening before, we were seated by ourselves, but this, as we learned the following morning, is the exception. Caesars usually doubles or triples up couples at a single table. The thinking is--correctly so, judging by the exuberant chatter all around us--that since couples obviously spend an overwhelming amount of time in their rooms together, they probably crave a little outside adult conversation upon emerging from their dens. We, however, share every meal with our offspring, so we were a bit tentative about our "adult" conversation skills, doubly so since the ages of the couples ranged from those of young lovers to old married folks who had been together 30, 40, even 50 years.

At Saturday's breakfast--Caesars' usual generous assortment of eggs, omelets, bacon, sausage, cereal, toast, bagels, and various muffins and Danish pastries--our fears were eased when we met a pair of extremely polite and soft-spoken newlyweds who were wrapping up their one-week honeymoon stay at Pocono Palace. (Nearly 16,000 couples spent their honeymoon at Caesars last year.) He was from Northern California and had met his wife, a native of Maine, while she was stationed on the West Coast. She had left the Air Force a few months prior, and had hoped to honeymoon in Europe, but he was reluctant because of the volatile terrorist situation, so they happily settled on Caesars before going back to California to enjoy civilian life together. As they spoke, my wife and I exchanged knowing glances. No words were needed to convey what we were simultaneously thinking: "My, how young they look. Are they even old enough to get married?"