Question: What cost $70 million, occupies 60,000 sq ft, has 8 bungalows, 26 cabanas, 19 daybeds, a pool, gaming tables (Blackjack & Craps) and an attached night club? If you said the XS Nightclub at Encore, you’d be wrong! The correct answer is the Encore Beach Club and Surrender Nightclub; just steps away from the XS Nightclub in the same hotel! You have to see this to believe it. Two of the world’s most premier pool clubs and nightclubs under the same roof! And that doesn’t even include the Encore’s hotel pool.

I had the opportunity to visit this incredible, over-the-top, pool and nightclub, along with 5,000 other “friends and family” for its soft opening the night before the start of the Memorial Day weekend Grand Opening. With over 75 VIP hosts, hundreds of the world’s most beautiful cocktail hostesses, this venue is sure to be one of the most visited spots in Las Vegas. The venue is decorated in the standard Wynn collection of fabrics (which translates to very expensive). The sound system is perfectly balanced throughout the venue so that no area is louder than another. There are 4 “stripper” poles, each with gushing water originating from the bottom. (Girls, remember to take your shoes off, otherwise you’ll be throwing out those expensive pumps).

The Bungalows have their own hot tub, along with a private bathroom, including a shower. The cabanas have chaise lounges and chairs in front of each bungalow overlooking the pool area. But here’s a heads up: each cabana and bungalow have a door which opens up to a balcony facing the Las Vegas Strip (who wants to bet that this becomes the new “French Quarter Flashing zone”?) Both have their amenities, including a 52” Plasma TV (I tried to get some HD channels but couldn’t seem to find one. Hey, preopening night glitches. I’m pretty sure that Steve Wynn will fix that up in a jiffy).
The restaurant “Switch” has a seating area overlooking the pool and in addition, there is a grill and swimsuit shop attached, as well. There’s even a coat check inside the pool area (I guess it’s for those cold nights when people bring their coats and then check them, so they can freeze outdoors while looking elegant).

In between the casino and the pool lies the Surrender Nightclub: a swanky ultra-lounge feel to it (similar to Blush) which has a long bar running the length of the club, along with booths, tables and a stunning decor. The glass doors open to the pool area, so you’re never without a view. If you’ve ever done the nightclub circuit in Las Vegas, you’ll know lots of familiar faces at Encore Beach. VIP Hosts, servers, security, bar backs, bartenders from the town’s other venues, have taken up roots at the Beach, which is one of the reasons why I love attending these events. Recently I lost all of the information in my contact database (that’s another story) and I was able to rebuild a sizable amount in just one night. People whom you haven’t seen in a year, month, week, a day…all show up to these events. Thank goodness for the Vegas entertainment and nightlife industry!

The nightclub is open every day, but dark on Thursday. The Beach is open every day 11am to 7pm, but on Thursdays, you can go swimming until 5am. I asked Sean Christie, managing partner of the Las Vegas Nightlife Group (the company that runs Blush, Encore Beach and Surrender) if he thought that patrons would get confused having two super nightclubs (XS and Encore Beach), a major club (Tryst) and two ultra-lounges (Blush and Surrender) in one major hotel property (Wynn and Encore). He said that he wasn’t concerned with the other clubs, only the ones that he is managing (Blush, Encore Beach and Surrender). I asked him: “With 3 clubs, when do you find time to sleep? He responded: “Never.” SLV

Issue 50 featuring: Lela Star, Faye Reagan, Carli Banks