My group has been coming to Las Vegas to catch the opening weekend of March Madness for decades, and we’ve hit a wide variety of watch parties over that time.
Most of them involve sitting in a dark, cold theater sipping beer, which is a blast.
This past year, we went out of our comfort zone and rented a cabana at Palms’ Basketball Bonzna watch party, which takes over the pool complex during the tourney.
Despite the flaws, which I’ll dive into, we loved it and plan to return.
The watch party is open to the public and free to get into.
Seating is limited, however, and you’ll likely have to post up in the pool all day which has a great view of the big screen, pictured below.
Free entry could be a great option if you just plan to pop in for a game or two. A full 12-hour day without shade, or a place to set your crap could be challenging.
Cabanas have historically been discounted for members of the March Madness in Las Vegas Facebook group (you should join), and were billed as a $300 F&B minimum for lower-level units.
Upper level bungalows with a semi-private plunge pool started at a $500 F&B minimum. We figured a plunge pool would be cool, and reserved the one with the best available view of the big screen, which was in the corner, below.
If you’re unfamiliar with how Vegas cabana billing works, they’re either a flat rental fee for the real estate, an agreement to spend a certain amount, or a hybrid of the 2.
In this case, there wasn’t a rental fee, but we agreed to spend at least $500 as a group.
The view of the big screen was terrible, unless you were in the plunge pool, and even then it was pretty distant. We’re going to book earlier this year to get something closer/with a better angle.
Fortunately, the cabana had it’s own TV, which was already tuned to display all 4 games simultaniously when we arrived.
Not a huge screen, and this party will be terrible for folks that want the best viewing experience, but we thought the environment made up for it.
The menu is about what you’d expect for the setting.
$60 for buckets of 6 beers and $45 for buckets of 6 waters. I did notice in advance on the party’s website that they were offering $2 Monster Beast Tea (6% ABV), or $10 for a bucket, which we abused early and often.
We didn’t branch out much from those drink options, but ordered “sharables” throughout the day, most of which were reasonably priced (a handful were $20 or less) and were quite good.
The $20 chicken nachos were great (Of course I didn’t get a pic. But I was drunk. Give me a break).
Fortunately, my brother snapped a pic of our $59 wagyu slider tray, which I thought was a fine value for the setting.
We put one of those onion rings to good use after a day of consumption. Never fall asleep at a pool party.
We wanted for nothing all day.
We kept the buckets of beer, Beast Tea, water, and appetizers coming and racked up a $1,000 bill after accounting for tax and double gratuity (🙄more on that in a sec), which came to $200 per person total.
Most “traditional” March Madness watch parties with AYCD cost more than that, and we loved the setting and being outdoors despite the party’s drawbacks.
Ok, What Are the Drawbacks?
Despite loving the change of pace, there were some aspects of Palms pool party that were less than ideal.
The server “hustle” game
I get it. But I hate it.
I came into the experience excited about the $2 Beast Teas and $10 buckets, which were advertised on the party’s website.
When our server came to take our first order, I asked what drink specials were available. She menitoned $60 buckets of beer, etc… but not a peep about the $2 Beast Tea / $10 buckets. Hmmm…
Her memory improved when I asked about the deal I saw on the website. “Ohhh! Yes, we have $10 buckets of Beast Tea!”
It was clear that the server was not a fiduciary, a term most commonly used to describe a financial advisor legally obligated to put your best interest above their own.
Research any deals before showing up.
Double Tipping
The server hustle didn’t stop there. We got our communal check at the end of the night, and the $800-ish amount included an 18.75% auto gratuity.
She was quick to point out that the auto gratuity goes to everyone but her, and that we reward her service with a separate tip on the line she circled.
Despite all 5 of us rolling our eyes, we decided to tack on an additional 20%, bringing the grand total to just over $1,000, or $200 each for one hell of a fun day. And to be honest, the service was spectacular.
We chose to tip, yes. But the double tip request definitely feels scummy and something you should know about going into the experience.
Game Viewing
To put it bluntly, this party isn’t for those that want the best screens, audio, and viewing experience. We could barely see the big screen from our cabana, and the TV mounted inside the cabana was small.
The sunshine, pool, and vibe was worth the tradeoff for us, but this isn’t for everyone.
No Pooping
Palms was enforcing a strict “no pooping or peeing in the pool” policy, which was inconvenient, as the bathroom was 3 cabanas away.
To Sum it Up
Basketball Bonanza, hosted at Palms’ pool isn’t for everyone. Real college hoops die hards are likely better off posting up in a bar, sportsbook, or theater-style watch party.
On the flipside, we loved being outdoors, having a plunge pool, and getting an endless train of drinks & food over 12 hours for just $200 per person, even if our server tried to conceal deals and solicited a double tip.
We enjoyed it so much we plan to rent a cabana on both Thursday and Friday next year.
See also: My annual rundown of March Madness watch parties in Vegas and a review of the Festival of Hoops at STRAT.
I’m a former software salesman turned Vegas aficionado. While the craps table is my preferred habitat, I pull myself away to explore new attractions, shows, restaurants, and outdoor activities around Las Vegas with the intent of sharing my experiences.
Ultimately, I just want to help folks plan a better trip and save a few bucks in the process.