A group enjoys their drinks at the new Dolce Nightclub in downtown Orlando (formerly Club Paris)
(Credit: MikeAnthony Moffa)
Décor: No longer do you enter from the side by South Garland, but through the actual main entrance on Church Street, like normal people. Due to some remaining construction you might bump into a phalange of security, so don't freak out. The interior of Dolce is similar to Club Paris, except less pink and more fish tanks. In fact, the tanks combined with the plasma TVs showing screensavers of swirling galaxies makes Dolce seem more like a stoner lounge than a dance club (if you can ignore the extremely loud music, that is).
There's no seating except for VIP, but this isn't much of an annoyance since Dolce knows it's a place to dance and doesn't try to even mimic an ultralounge feel. The VIP areas are located on balconies above the dance floor, and a separate room can be rented out for parties and events. There is a dress code to enter, though enforcement might depend on the attractiveness of the individual.
Drinks: Despite the $10 cover for guys and a $5 for girls, Dolce's prices for drinks are pretty fair. $6 nets you a wells mixer with a hefty portion of alcohol, while all beers (Bud, Bud Light, Corona, Landshark) are $4 a bottle. Wednesdays are salsa nights, featuring the stylings of Mega 98.1 FM and varying drink specials. Thursdays are for both ladies and college kids, and the drink specials are vague but promised to be "upscale." Fridays are "Thank Goodness It's" nights, with live piano and jazz on the stage as well as forthcoming happy hour specials. Saturdays bring XL 106.7 FM in alongside promised drink specials (but they haven't been introduced yet, so be mindful).
Sounds: The music blares louder and more densely than your average club, and in combination with the ever-pumping fog machines you won't be able to see or hear anyone, producing an strange, inverted sensory deprivation.
Crowd: The scene at Dolce is mostly populated by twenty-somethings, usually entering in packs of three or more. They claim to have a regular female to male ratio of four-to-one, though some of those girls (the impossibly attractive ones) were escorted in from the back, suggesting that Dolce might be skewing the numbers. But who cares, they're hot.
Tip: This is for those impossibly attractive girls - if you're wearing a miniskirt that doesn't allow for underwear, be mindful of how crossed your legs are when sitting on the dance stage. Dolce's not that kind of club.
