I can't argue with the first point. From high atop a hotel tower at The Palms, the view is stunning, offering unparalleled vistas of The Strip from both inside the bar and an adjoining outdoor patio. This really would be a great place to go have a frothy concoction, sit outside, and watch the city come to life at night.

It is worth noting however that The Palms is playing the same games that next-door neighbor Rio plays with their hotel tower. They bill ghostbar as being on the 55th floor of the hotel, which would be fine if in fact there were actually 55 stories, but there aren't. There are only 42. Some interesting and culturally sensitive floor numbering (4 is bad luck in certain Asian cultures) has transformed the 42nd floor into the 55th floor and although I understand the concept behind it is ultimately an altruistic one, they are milking it for all it's worth and that kind of bugs me a little.

But it still doesn't change the fact that you're not going to find a view like this anywhere else in Vegas.

The bar itself is done in ultra-retro mod-chic - a phrase I just made up to cover the sort of "Austin Powers" 60s and 70s futuristic look that has become very popular in bars like this. While fun to look at, it comes off as very sleek and cold with acres of gleaming white, silver, and grey surfaces competing for attention. I'm still not sure why anyone thinks austere is a good thing when trying to create a livable environment but I guess that's why they don't ask me to design places like this.

Despite the live DJ, there is no dance floor per se but the crowd on the night I visited was turning any available space into a bump and grind. And there wasn't too much available space. Even on a Sunday night the place was packed to the rafters with the young and trendy crowd.

Unfortunately, the place seems to draw a crowd that wants to be noticed more than they want to have fun. Everyone is dressed to impress, with hair and make-up high, and skin showing wherever possible all so they can, for the most part, stand around and try to be seen while pretending to be too cool to care. The "I'm prettier than you" atmosphere is overwhelming here from the moment you step into the room and I found it to be exhausting.

Cover and drink prices are pretty high - $20 and up to get in and $7-10 for beers, more for mixed drinks. That's about average when compared to other clubs of this caliber but unlike some other places I wouldn't have felt as though I got my money's worth here.