Beijing Nightlife – Where To Party During The Games

The Olympic games bring together the best athletes from the world over, and attendance at events is the main thing to do.

But everyone needs to blow off some steam now & then, and as the games carry on and athletes finish their competitions, the nightlife is getting better.

And since nobody can refuse a good party – here’s a list of hot spots that Access has sampled in Beijing (and some that we’ve just heard about, but that we’re excited to check out!).

You’ve got one week of Olympics madness left — so if you’re in town — what are you waiting for?!

China Doll – The most fun we’ve had at a club in Beijing so far, we caught up with Quincy Jones here for an interview here, and while there, we also saw Chris Tucker celebrating his birthday and ran into Evander Holyfield. Oh, and we had to move tables because the Prince of Denmark wanted our seats. But, all being said, athletes who have finished their competitions have been converging at this hotspot every night – where the beats are hot, and the crowd is even hotter.

Holland House – OK, so we haven’t actually been to Holland House yet, but we’ve driven past it and we’re planning on going this week. From what we hear, nobody at the Games can party like the Dutch! A tradition since Barcelona in 1992, you have to have a “sponsor” to get you in to any countries’ host houses, but we hear that it’s quite easy if you make friends easily with strangers (for an insiders tip, anyone can download an invite from their Web site, here!). Holland House is sponsored by Heineken and reportedly has over 150 people working the bar and restaurant, which serves as a place for all Dutch-files to gather. Oh, and it’s all orange! Really gets rockin’ from 11 PM – 2 AM (when they promptly end the party).

Other popular houses to hang out at include Casa Brazil (they’re bidding hard for the 2016 games) and the Russian House (in Houhai) – the U.S. House is rather tame. Also, next door to Holland House, check out the Budweiser House, where a rockin’ “Wet Party” was thrown in honor of the U.S. swimming team this Sunday night just past.

Opposite House – This brand new hotel, located just next door to China Doll has supposedly been open for less than a week (although we haven’t confirmed that). The architectural design just blows us away! It’s one of the most spectacularly modern buildings we’ve seen in Beijing! Inside the lobby is a bar called Mesh. Take the elevator down one floor, and there’s the delicious Sureno restaurant (where Quincy Jones dined last Thursday, and where we’ve eaten at twice now), and another bar, called Punk. There also are apparently two other restaurants in the hotel, Bei and The Village Café.

Song – Located in the basement level of a mall in the Central Business District, this club reminds us (in design) of New York’s popular hotspot Butter, although the food and size aren’t nearly as impressive. The athlete presence factor has been minimal when we’ve been there, but it seems to be popular meeting spot for media types.

Bar-hopping in Houhai – We’ve only been there during the daytime so far, but several people tell us that this lakefront district is hoppin’ at night! Lined with restaurants and bars, it’s laid out for the ultimate night of bar hopping.

Destination – For the gay & lesbian set, this always-packed spot is located in a popular nightspot strip just near Worker’s Stadium & Gymnasium (where soccer & boxing are taking place). What used to be a two room joint, now features two floors and over 8 different rooms. The next lounge area upstairs is a stark contrast to the sweaty dance floor on the first level.

LAN – A restaurant with club attached, LAN Club is a Philippe Starck designed restaurant, with night-club / lounge attached, located in the LG building in the Chaoyang district. The food is high-end, although not the most delicious we’ve had in Beijing. Worth it just to check out the outrageous bathrooms! (LAN Review)