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The hotel is a nice, full-service hotel, like most of the Hyatts I''ve stayed in. The room was very basic, as I didn''t have any way of upgrading the room to anything larger on such a low rate. However, it was nice and clean as expected.

There is a restaurant on the roof (Skies) that actually rotates, so you get to see the entire city from your table during dinner. This is mainly a steak restaurant, and was a pretty nice dinner in the medium-high price range. We enjoyed Skies, but I feel that the restaurant as a whole needs some updating and refreshing. It definitely has a 1980''s feel to it.

The Peppercorn Duck Club is also in the hotel. Many people feel this is one of the best restaurants in town. I didn''t eat there, but it always gets great reviews. There is also a sportsbar, a cafe, and a piano lounge in the hotel.

The Hyatt is attached to Crown Center, which is also attached to a Westin hotel and now to the newly-renovated Union Station. There is a lot to do without ever stepping outside. Other great restaurants within walking distance of the Hyatt are the American, Benton''s, and Pierpont''s.

Although I rarely stay at KC hotels, I would recommend the Hyatt.

Signature holes:

- #5 - a 430 yard par-4 with an uphill drive and then a mid-iron downhill to the green.

- #10 - a 90-degree dogleg left par 4 that requires two near-perfect shots: a long iron or wood from the tee and a mid-iron through trees to the green. Some people like to try to cut off the dogleg with the driver, but that's a sucker bet unless you are really crushing the ball and have a favorable wind.

- #15 - a short par four requiring a mid-iron layup shot followed by a tough short-iron between trees to an elevated, narrow green. If you don't position the tee shot perfectly, the approach can be almost impossible.

From the other 15 holes, there are admittedly some very easy ones. Because all four par-fives are two-shotters for the long hitters, you might spend a lot of time waiting on these holes. The only downside to the course is that the don't marshall it well enough, and you find a lot of slow play. Get out there when it isn't as busy, and you won't have many problems.

Again, I love this course when I need to rebuild confidence. You can go definitely go lower than your handicap.

The Posse has several signature holes along the lake, including a very long par four requiring two huge shots to a green surrouned by sand, and an all-carry par three over the lake to a narrow green that juts out into the water (if it's windy, just bail out to the right on this one and hope to get up & down). The par fives on the Posse are strong - even long hitters will have difficulty reaching them in two.

Outlaw Course: The outlaw has a links-ish feel to it, although it's certainly not pure links golf. Perhaps part of it is the fact that you don't see the clubhouse until you've finished 18. The Outlaw hazards consist mainly of sand, high prairie grasses, and undulating fairways on most holes; with a couple of water holes mixed in for good measure. The course is usually in pretty good condition, and seems to get less overall play than the Posse. The pace generally moves a little faster on the Outlaw than on the Posse.

The signature holes:

- #5 - a 570-yard par five with kack and water on the right, and more kack on the left. Dogleg right near the green. The last time I played this hole, I hit a big drive and a good 3-wood...and was still 50 yards short. It's a three-shotter all the way, unless you are Tiger-huge.

- #9 - a shortish par five requiring a precise second shot if you are going for it in two. A hidden green with a big tree in front and water to the right. Deep rough protects the green as well.

- #10 - an absolutely brutal 220-yard par three with water on three sides of the green. You can lay up short, which is the recommended play unless you can smoke a long-iron or wood dead solid straight. The green juts out into the lake, and wind is usually a big factor here. If you get your 3 here, you've done a great job. Not only have I never birdied this hole, I've never *seen* anyone who has even had a makeable birdie putt.

- #17 - picturesque par five down into a valley. Second shot must negotiate two large trees. Short approach to a two-tiered green. Can be reached in two if you are a long, high-ball hitter.

Over the past two years, this course seems to have grown immensely in popularity. It used to be easy to walk on during the week or on weekend afternoons; now there are tee times every day, so you have to call ahead, even during the week.

The course is on the short end of things, and you can score well. There are a few tight par fours on the back nine - resist the temptation to get greedy, and play for the fairways. All of the par fives are reachable in two.

Harrah's game are, for the most part, a little tighter than they are at the Argosy or Isle of Capri. Although Harrah's used to advertise 10x craps, I haven't seen anything other than double odds in a while. Some dealers will let you go triple odds on the six and eight; some won't. I can't figure out exactly when they will or will not allow this. Blackjack is always dealt from a six-deck shoe, and the rules seem to be typical of an LV strip casino (i.e., on the tight side). Still, this is a fun place to go, and the restaurants/bar are pretty good.

I believe that Harrah's still has a live poker room on one of their two boats. There's also a hotel attached to the casino, although I've never stayed there.

The theater only seats about 40 people in large recliner chairs, so you must call ahead to reserve seats. (Cinemark also has other "normal" theaters at the Palace that don't require reservations.) Since there is only one VIP room, you don't have a choice of movies with the full-bar service. Usually, the theater is showing whatever the current biggest hit is.

The last time we were there, we ordered a bottle of wine and had sandwiches. It was quite a different movie-watching experience!