My husband and I went to the gulf coast for his birthday. I don't remember telling the booking agent that we were celebrating a birthday but when we arrived to our room there was a ballon bouquet on the table with candies attached. It was a sweet surprise. Although our room was very modern and updated the location was next to the vending and ice machine which made it a little noisy. The Casino was fun. I'm not much of a gambler but I did enjoy the experience. The rates was awesome. That was the real reason I chose this resort. The food at the buffet was pretty good. An average buffet. I liked that if you bought a coffee at the cafe you got free refills all day!

Stayed 6 & 7 Aug 2014. The price was right and we were given a military discount. The room was excellent with new furniture and FREE WI-FI; not like Harrah's. All employees from bell man, valet, front desk ladies and buffet employees. I was not impressed with the buffet although there was a large variety to choose from. Maybe because it was a Wed night. 7 out of 10. Lost at the slots as most folks do, but after some play, using a player's card, we were given a credit of 1/2 off the buffet and after additional play was given $15. worth of FREE play. As I already stated, employees were great including the casino staff.

The best feature of this hotel/casino is it is totally smoke free.

Hotel: The rooms are clean, large, and comfortable. When I first vacationed here two years ago the rooms were functional more than luxurious. Since the renovation, the rooms are more luxurious than functional. Each room comes with an electronic safe, refrigerator, large flat screen television, and tub/shower combo with a large shower head. Weekday prices are a great value. A room with a view is worth the extra money.

Casino: Smoke Free! Dealers are friendly, and table games have low minimum bets, e.g. $3.00 blackjack, craps, and roulette during the week. Blackjack rules are favorable to the player. Since this place attracts an older crowd, there are very few if any loud, obnoxious, drunks in the casino.

Dining: Mignon's provides excellent food and service. The $35.00 fixed-price three course meal serves up high quality food and is an excellent value. The buffet is good--much better than when I first ate there two years ago. The grill provides large portions of good food at reasonable prices.

Amenities: The saltwater pool is terrific. The water is as smooth as silk and the temperature is perfect. The hot tub is large and the water temperature is also perfect. The pool area is an excellent place to rest and relax. The service at the spa is also excellent. Massages are reasonable priced, and the technicians are highly skilled. The spa also provides wet and dry sauna, showers, and (in the men's side) basic grooming supplies. Contact bar is a fine place to watch sports and drink a beer or cocktail.

Improvements: Attention management: If you want the Palace to be a top notch resort, you should make the following improvements in descending order of importance.

1. Keep the spa open 7 days a week. Perhaps add a barber shop/salon.
2. Expand the hours and days of room service. There is nothing more relaxing or self indulgent than breakfast in bed.
3. Keep Mignons open 7 days a week.

I'll be back.