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

Conversation at the next morning's breakfast was a bit more randy. We shared a table with two couples who were slightly hungover and obviously had come to the resort together and had side-by-side suites. A crash and a scream the night before from the one couple's room had provided the assumption by the other couple that some sort of sexual gymnastics had gone awry. No, as it turned out, the woman simply had fallen while trying to take a dip. The second couple then spoke to each other in hushed tones, before the female blurted out groggily, "Really? I don't even remember being in the pool."

After Saturday morning's repast, we bid the honeymooners good luck and farewell, as they indicated they were going to work out at the gym. We could only laugh at such a notion. Ah, the enthusiasm of youth, we thought. Little did we know that their destination--The Arena, Caesars' 32,000-square-foot, multilevel, indoor sports and entertainment complex--was to hold the biggest thrill of the weekend for us (discounting, of course, the time we spent in the champagne glass whirlpool).

Shooting for a free night's stay

Since the steady rain had turned into a heavy mist, we decided to walk off our morning food festival on the quaint trail that rims the large lake on the property. To beat the 11 a.m. breakfast deadline, we had left our room hurriedly, leaving behind our hats, raincoats, and hiking boots, so back we went to gear up properly. To get to the trail, which was behind the building, we walked through the Arena, where we heard the sound of echoing basketballs in the gym.

Caesars, as we learned during our Brookdale stay, is big on providing social activities throughout the day. Each morning, a new itinerary is available at the front desk, in which the start times for things such as Bingo, Giant Volleyball, Miniature Golf Tournament, Speed Pool, TV/Music Trivia, and the "X"-Rated Newlywed/Not-So Newlywed Game are listed. We pulled out our activity sheet and saw that the "Basketball shot for a free night" was about to begin in the gymnasium.

I figured that to win a free night would require hitting a shot from half-court, and I was right, sort of. The women would shoot from half-court. The men, meanwhile, were pumping up bombs from the three-point line, but at the far end of the floor. In other words, we guys would have to sink a basket that was required to travel a distance of more than three-quarters the length of the court.

Margaret sauntered over to the sidelines with some of the other women to watch the practice shots. A small handful looked like they had a really good chance of earning that free night's stay. Many of their long tosses arced accurately off the backboard and rim, although none went in. On the female side, there was this one woman who had to be the heavy favorite. We had spotted her the night before burning up the dance floor with some real smooth moves. She looked no less impressive with a basketball. Most of her half-court hook shots were oh-so close to going in.