From the people who brought you Coyote Ugly, the in-your-face party
bar at New York-New York, comes a hot new beach bar at the Rio
All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Worry not that Las Vegas is about 500
miles from the nearest beach. At Bikinis Beach & Dance Club,
it’s a South Beach party five nights a week.
The big draw at Bikinis is well-built, beautifully toned
cocktail servers, bartenders and dancers clad in beachwear. The
women, of course, wear bikinis and the men bathing trunks and tank
tops.
The 14,000-square-foot club is decorated in a funky ’60s retro
style with Space Age-looking seating and geometric accents. The
main room, designed to resemble the beach at night, sports an
“exhibition shower,” a plexiglass stall with showerheads where
bikini-clad dancers perform. An elevated stage holds a DJ playing
popular, top-40 dance music.
A VIP area overlooking the dance floor has tables, oval couches
and lounges reserved for celebrities or guests willing to purchase
expensive bottles of spirits. A sunken seating area resembles a
swimming pool with a diving board. Gawkers line up along the
railing that separates the VIP area from the main room to scope out
the action on the dance floor.
Lounge Acts
The Lava Lounge, named for the row of 5-foot-tall lava lamps
lining the back wall, is open to the public but has its own
entrance and can be leased for special events. Shag carpeting on
the floor and walls and retro, Jetsons-like furniture provide a
backdrop for another DJ playing disco music of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The water feature in this room is an exhibition whirlpool bath that
also is the site of bikini-clad dancers. A window by the tank
gathers a crowd of voyeurs from the other room.
“We wanted a club that was upscale but where people would feel
comfortable in their jeans and casual clothes,” said Stephanie
Wilson, the club’s marketing director. She said the club is
designed to attract a slightly older demographic than other local
nightspots.
The philosophy that rules Coyote Ugly also governs Bikinis,
Wilson said. The aim is to provide good-looking personnel and an
over-the-top fun atmosphere for drinking, dancing and connecting
with members of the opposite sex.
A menu of specialty drinks includes the Bikinis Beach Bucket, a
combination of four ounces of rum and fruit juices served in
plastics beach pails. The drink is recommended for two and costs
$16.50 (refills $12.50). The Bikini Blast mixes vodka, peach
schnapps and cranberry juice for $12.50 (refills $10.50). Regular
drinks run $7.50 and domestic beer is $5.
Cover charges run about $10 for women and $20 for men but may be
higher or lower depending on the amount of traffic on any given
night. A retail store selling T-shirts and sportswear opens daily
at 10 a.m., as does a carryout bar facing the casino. The nightclub
opens at 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Monday night.
Call 702-777-6582.
