Dolce UltraLounge

I’ll skip the part about the wiggety-​wack party, lame DJs and teeny-​bopper music.
Anyway!
Real cute set up, good drinks. (For $ 15, it had damn-​well better be!) and more bars than bathroom stalls. (Did I mention that THREE of the FIVE stalls weren’t working?! Yeah.)
Would’ve been better if the VIP area wasn’t so HUGE. I guess they try to make you feel bad about not paying for bottle service.
Please.

It’s a pretty cool spot.

I have mixed feelings about Dolce… Here’s my story: We went to Dolce because Alicia Keys was supposed to be «performing”/showing up. We got there early– 11pm, and nothing was set up. The ropes weren’t set up and no one who worked there could even tell us where the line was supposed to be. After switching back and forth about 3 times! We were FINALLY were standing in the right spot but still had to wait.
We got in after about 25 – 30 minutes. The club was pretty cool looking. Waterfalls and clear plexiglass stairs. The VIP area was huge and we decided that we wanted to get bottle service. I asked one of the hosts and he had me go back outside and downstairs to talk to the girls at the entrance. They gave me huge attitude and were reluctant to give me the price list. They also claimed that no more than 2 people could share a bottle! I said forget it and went back upstairs to get back in and meet my friends. I had to wait in line– again and barely got back in because I didn’t have my ticket but luckily the host waved me back through. I talked to the host to complain about the 2 people per bottle situation and he said that the girl didn’t explain it well and that since it was a special night it was a 4 bottle minimum. We said forget it until our guy friends got there and they insisted on it. The guy talked to the shot girl and got us into VIP immediately and we only had to buy 3 bottles (we went with Bacardi– the cheapest on the list for $ 250 per bottle). The waitress in VIP let us pick from a few different booths and then brought us the list of bacardi flavors. We spent a few minutes deciding and let her know. The waitress left and came back and said they only had 3 of the flavors. Argh!
Once we got out bottles the night went pretty smooth and we ended up having a great time! We saw Serena Williams, some NFL players, and Fat Joe sat at the booth right in front of us. Alicia Keys finally came out said like 2 words and left. This was irritating and I’m sure the club didn’t care bc everyone had already paid to see her so what can you do? Overall, I enjoyed my night but customer service (except for the extremely tall host guy, was beyond horrible!)

SOUTH BEACH, THE MECCA OF EVERYTHING HIP HOP ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND WILL HOST HOP HIP ROYALTY AT DOLCE ULTRA LOUNGE FOR A THREE DAY EXTRAVAGANZA
By: Liza M. Santana & Gabriel Pineres
(Miami, FL) May 19, 2009 – South Beach in the last few years has become the Mecca for the Urban/​Hip Hop movement on Memorial Day weekend and this year will be no different as DreamMakers Events, Live Miami Magazine, and Abebe Lewis Marketing will raise the bar as they will presents the «Welcome to Miami Weekend». An intense three-​day lineup at Dolce Ultra Lounge that will feature performances by many of the top hip hop stars. DreamMakers Events is asking all to get ready for the ultimate three days in Memorial Day Weekend history.
Friday, May 22^nd marks the ultimate «welcome to Miami» party. The start of this three day event celebrating everything Hip Hop will feature a star studded line up as the Friday kickoff event will blow the roof off of Dolce and have guests partying to performances by a slew of South Florida’s home grown Hip Hop chart toppers in Flo Rida, Trick Daddy, Brisco, Billy Blue, and Ball Greasy. Co-​Hosted by Source Magazine the Saturday May 23^rd will pack even more star power that should leave Miami buzzing for weeks as Dolce Ultra Lounge welcomes Hip Hop royalty in Busta Rhymes, performing hits off his new album with his conglomerates Akon, Jamie Fox, N.O.R.E., Jadakiss, Swiss Beats, Red Café, and Uncle Murda. Just when the urban community thinks Saturday was the Hip Hop limit comes the Sunday May 24 performance by South Florida’s own Plies who beat out Né-​Yo for «The Peoples Champ» award at the 2008 BET Hip Hop awards and also walked away with the «Ring Tone of the Year» and «Best Collaborations» awards. Dolce Ultra Lounge marks the only venue on Memorial Day Weekend that will feature Plies.
DreamMakers Events chose the Dolce Ultra Lounge venue because of the patron friendly design. Dolce Ultra Lounge is a three story custom built live entertainment complex which lures guests into a luxurious and unforgettable experience. Located just steps from the Ocean on South Beach this unique 25,000 square foot entertainment complex features a mesmerizing center stage, 7 separate bars, 4 VIP areas, a private VIP guests room, and a spacious terrace which overlooks Ocean Drive and the Atlantic Ocean. The venue is tailored to accommodate a diverse mix of entertaining events including live music, performers, and DJ’s. With three days full of chart topping personalities at South Beach’s premier night club make «The Welcome to Miami Weekend» events the go to spot during Memorial Day Weekend.
South Beach over the years has hosted some of the biggest and best events over the years and with an increasing mix of cultures and ethnicities Miami in general keeps pushing up its standards. This Memorial Day Weekend in South Florida plans to welcome a record amount of guests and will feature a giant array of events for Hip Hop lovers but make no mistake that the «The Welcome to Miami Weekend» events at Dolce Ultra Lounge will be the premier ticket on South Beach. Don’t be left out as tickets are going fast.
To purchase tickets to the «Welcome to Miami Weekend» or more information please visit
or call 866−599−6260. Dolce Ultra Lounge is located at 1501 Collins Ave # 203, Miami Beach — (305) 672 – 222. Presented by DreamMakers Events, Miami Live Magazine, Abebe Lewis Marketing,
and WEDR 99Jamz, this event will be unforgettable for all urban-​culture enthousiasts.
For media inquires, sponsorship and interviews, please contact Creativas Group at
or 305.968.2384. For images: Please contact Creativas.~~~~

This rating is probably 3 stars instead of 2 since all the previous experiences my friends and I had going out in South Beach paled far in comparison. Sad, I know. By the third night into our trip we were desperate to go somewhere decent and that place was Dolce. The line outside was ridiculous, there were people everywhere. Good thing we knew someone who worked there or we would’ve been completely lost.
Once inside, the place was huge! Sort of like The Kress (in La’s) five floors. Most of the place is VIP. I have no idea what it’s like since we never made it up there. We were just too busy sucking down the drinks because we were all so excited to finally be at a semi-​fun place. We only stayed for a little before we went to Prive, but the music was good and the crowd was by far better looking and not drugtastic like at Mansion. We saw a couple of Miami Heat players… totally difficult not to miss them as they towered over the crowd. Funny watching them dance with girls half their height.

On one of the coldest nights this winter, January 30, 2009, Kaysee, the SalsaPower Local Correspondent for the Bahamas, and I braved the winter winds of Miami Beach (Northerners: don’t laugh! It was 52 degrees!) and joined the crowd of enthusiastic Timba fans standing outside on the 2^nd floor balcony of Dolce UltraLounge for the historic concert with Manolín, el Médico de la Salsa and Paulo FG, while the Fire Marshalls continued their late night inspection. Many people we spoke with had been standing there since around 6 p.m., but it wasn’t until after 11 p.m. that they finally began to let people in the door.
So, if security was tight, that’s OK with us, since the anti-​castrista faction in Miami has been known to stoop to threats, protests and even bombs in the not-​so-​distant past.
Once inside, Kaysee and I were invited upstairs to the VIP section by Hugo Cancio, the promoter, who generously told us we were free to sit anywhere. After checking out the landscape, we chose a table by the balcony with a great view for taking pictures to accompany this article. Down below, in the DJ booth, I spotted DJ Cabrera, one of two great Timba DJs in the south Florida area.
But as we were observing the stage below, a grey haired man brought a group of blithe Miami Beach «beautiful people» who started to seat themselves at our table. The elder man approached me and stated that we needed to leave. He didn’t ask, nor did he say, «please» (obviously his mother didn’t teach him any manners!). I conferred with Kaysee, then politely informed him that we were there first. He retreated, and spoke with a young, long-​haired waiter. The waiter then approached me and told me that Kaysee and I needed to move. I asked why and he replied, «because the he wants you to,» …pointing at the grey-​haired man.
I again politely refused, stating that the table did not have any «reserved» sign on it and that my friend and I had been sitting there for over an hour, undisturbed. The grey-​haired man spoke with the long-​haired waiter and then the group of people moved to the table next to us and sat down.
I then got up and approached him, handing him my business card and introducing myself as the President of
, the largest salsa website on the Internet, with over a million readers around the world every month. I said to him, «When you told us to move, you didn’t even have the common courtesy to ask us, or say ‘please’.» He responded that it was his club and he could do as he liked. I asked him if he had a business card and he said, «Yes, I do, but I don’t give it to rude people.»
Me, rude? This guy needs to look in the mirror! He stared at me with hatred, but I smiled politely and turned and went back to the table where Kaysee was still sitting. A little later I went to the bar and asked the bartender what the grey-​haired man’s name was, and he admitted he didn’t know (He works there and doesn’t know the owner’s name???).
I told him that he claimed to be the owner so the bartender asked another waiter what the grey-​haired man’s name was and he told me: Haim Turchmin.
About 30 minutes later, as I was watching the band get ready to start the show, he returned and said facetiously, «Pleeeeeze move.» I turned to Kaysee and told her what he had said, but before she could even respond he said, «You aren’t going to make a scene are you? Because I’ll have you escorted out of here by the police.»
Well, that left us no choice but to get up and vacate the table where we’d been sitting for an hour and forty-​five minutes, spending an exhorbitant $ 16 for a simple 6 oz. rum and coke (not even top-​shelf!).
Based upon his inconsiderate attitude and his brute-​like lack of manners, I would urge anyone reading this review to avoid this club and pass the word on to your friends to do the same. In other words, I’m calling for a boycott of this business.

This place gets more ridiculous every time I come here…
Showed up here SUPER late night on Saturday… It was past 3am. Sure, we had no hassle getting in at that time… But then they wanted to charge us $ 20/​person cover, and I’m sorry, but at 330am, you have got to be KIDDING ME. With a little over an hour before the club closes I am not paying a cover charge. Not to mention that I’ve NEVER paid a cover charge ANYWHERE.
Sorry Dolce, you need to do a bit better than that.

A promoter for Dolce found us shopping on Friday afternoon, and standing on an excessively hot street corner, gave us the rundown on how their promoting works. No, he can’t get us in free, but he can get us to the front of the line. Sounded kinda lame till we showed up and found that there is not really a line… just a mass of people surrounding the entrance. Yes, I decided… front of the pack, saving half an hour of standing in 3″ heels is worth $ 20.
Inside, the atmosphere is nice enough… standard club. Small Latin/​hip hop room to the left, giant electonica floor ahead. I wasn’t feeling any of the music, so I explore a bit and find that although they block off one side of VIP, the other is completely open. We walk in and start dancing next to the stage, which would have a swimsuit fashion show later in the evening, and are soon invited to partake of drinks at a VIP booth near the stage. suwheet! $ 20 is well spent at this point.
I agree that the staff is friendly… case in point, Muhammed the white bearded VIP post is awesome. Also, bathrooms are nice.
It’s a standard big club experience. More hip hop would have been great… with more danceable music it would have had four stars.

It’s nice, but not the right vibe for me. Even from the VIP section I just couldn’t get into it.
I can see why people like it though… it looks great on paper. It’s huge, 3 floors, 2 rooms (house and hip-​hop) and it’s just a pretty place. I went on a Friday but I heard the best night is Saturday. It was full, but not to the point where people’s sweat lands on you.
The crowd was a mix of «eh». Not bad, but I certainly wouldn’t go back for it. The DJ wasn’t playing my hits on this one.

I wouldn’t have been here were it not for a member of my group who was kind of a high roller and suggested Dolce as an alternative to the played-​outedness of Mansion. It’s pretty much a cookie-​cutter nightclub from the music to the crowd (although what’s with the waterfall Buddha? For that matter, why are there so many nightclub Buddhas in Miami? We got over this in NYC…) and it’s presumably difficult to get in because at least half the place is reserved for table service patrons.
So it was pretty much a typical «clubbing» experience, fun but probably not worth the absurd line. The tables section was nowhere near full on a Saturday night, so it was oddly empty compared to the packed dance floor where people didn’t even really seem to be dancing.
But there was one real thumbs-​up that pushes this from two to three stars: the club staff was much less aloof and more attentive than anything I’d ever seen in NYC. There, unless you’re a celebrity or a Middle Eastern oil tycoon who’s sure to plunk down several tens of thousands, you’re pretty much going to be treated like any other sceney mega-​club addict who’s come in from Jersey with a new spray tan, regardless of how many bottles you buy. I wondered if my positive impression of the Dolce staff was anomalous, but then noticed that an earlier reviewer had said the same.

dangit, i thought i’d be the first to review! since i was at their soft opening on friday and all.
the first thing that struck me when i walked in… other than the hot girls out front trying to get the hordes of people waiting outside to get bottle service and the relative emptiness inside once we got past the hordes … was that this place reminded me of a korean nightclub. like the kind in LA or seoul. why? because it’s big, decadent, lots of black light, pretty classy but in a depraved trashy sort of way. anyways…
my friends and i ordered enough bottles to get a nice corner on the first floor. our super cute latina waitress was so friendly too! (god i hate her: P) as well as the bar back who would keep things tidy, then dance and have shots with us. music was pumping, people are beautiful.
there are multiple levels and each corridor and area is beautifully appointed with waterfalls, twinkling lights, and carpet with bed on the top floor. while megaclubs are usually not my scene, if i did wanna go all out, this would be it.

I had the pleasure last weekend of attending both opening nights at Dolce Ultralounge. A beautiful décor, plenty of room to dance, good music and a touch a glamour all added up to 2 nights of fun. The club offered one more thing that many of the clubs in South Beach have forgotten: respect for their clientele! So many people commented to me on «how well they were treated, how nice security was».
On Friday night (promoted by Mauro) I danced the night away on the second floor overlooking the DJ Booth.
I spent Saturday night (promoted by «Sounds of Life») in the BoilerRoom (the third floor Penthouse). Small and intimate compared to the rest of the club and definitely more loungey; it was a great place to spend the evening with friends.

I look forward to spending many more weekend nights there.