Nectar Nightclub

As a foreigner, I didn’t feel particularly welcome here. it’s so different from European gay clubs. It almost feels as if there is a two class system operating . Those that have reserved tables and those who haven’t. If you haven’t, you’re relegated to the back of the room without even somewhere to put your drinks down. Inside it is modern excellent Soundsystem, great lighting, very well air-conditioned and all the staff were professional courteous and we never had to wait long for a drink. The whole point of having a gay club is to promote inclusivity however, this club felt far from inclusive .

This is the strangest LGBTQ club I have been to anywhere in the world. Firstly, it has a class/caste system where ‘if you know’ you can pre-book every available space for you and your friends and everyone else can’t even put a drink down - or dance anywhere as there is not one bit of dance floor (in a club!!!). While the staff seemed friendly and the service quick, this is the antithesis of an inclusive welcoming venue where LGBTQ people can go to meet others - it is impossible to actually mix with anyone other than your own friends unless you go outside to smoke. Also, the worst drag performer I have ever seen. Drag is not just about putting on a dress and then standing on stage taking pictures of yourself - whoever the drag queen was who had her birthday here this week should have some more respect for her art, and the people that came to the venue to see her. We left after an hour to go back to the straight venues in another part of the city, they were a lot more fun - I never thought I’d say that! A lot for you to learn here guys, pretty lights and expensive drinks do not keep places in business very long…

Our group of friends simply love coming here - we came twice in a row! The atmosphere is very good, the drag queen shows were memorable; they put a lot of effort in their routines. The dancer boys were gorgeous and friendly. The drinks were nice and the variety was pretty good. The food - we had a few sold out when we were there but the chicken strips are good. One IMPORTANT thing to notice is that you do need to bring some medium-denomination pesos for the tips. The dancers, the drag queens all live from the tips. Although they are friendly and very nice, they are not pushy for tips; I suggest maybe the format of the tipping can be changed: the way the clubs in Bangkok how their tipping policy goes comes into mind. The Filipino locals are very friendly and will happily dance and chat with you. And most importantly is that unlike Bangkok or Bali: there are not overrun with (ASEAN) tourists! One other thing I am very glad for about this club is: It’s smoke free inside!! (compared to Indonesian nightclubs where you smell like you were just dropped into a nicotine furnace). Recommended and will come again. I suggest to get a table; though extra charge; but if there are 4 of you in a group its worth it to have ‘somewhere to hang out, put your bags and return to’.

First of all you cannot dance here, only the drag queens on stage are allowed to dance because there is no dance floor. There is nowhere to stand because they jam the place full of tables that they want to charge you a bottle to stand at, and everywhere I stood in the place a bouncer popped out of nowhere to tell me I couldn't stand there. Could not STAND it.

Pro: Free entrance on Wed. Bartenders provided fast and friendly service. Cons: The weird/somewhat elitist tables setup encourages folks to stay with their cliques rather than mingle and socialize. The Wednesday "pre-show" was literally a queen and a fashionista type taking selfies of themselves on stage. The crowd was mostly made up of 20somethings who seemed more intent on posting on Instagram than anything else. Perhaps on a weekend night with a real drag show it can be a real fun experience, but still I can't help wishing that there was something else for the Filipino LGBTQI+ community.