On my most recent trip to Las Vegas I visited the Hyde lounge / nightclub at the Bellagio for the first time. My overall impression: good but not great unless you’ve never seen the famous Bellagio water fountain show.

Hyde(the name doesn’t really do much for me – not sure what the name is supposed to bring to mind) is a nightclub starting at 10:00pm on “clubbing nights” (Friday, Saturday, and other days depending on the season and events going on) and a lounge starting at 5:00pm on most days. It’s hard to pin down exactly what gives a lounge a comfortable, inviting feel. To my friend, Hyde seemed a bit too night-clubby and not quite enough loungy, but I felt the opposite – a bit too loungy. Maybe Hyde is trying to be two different things.

The décor was very modern but maybe a little bit too dark. I enjoy people watching while sitting at a bar. The layout of Hyde was OK but not optimal for this because the bar faced a wall. But the entire east wall of Hyde is made of glass, which gives a fantastic view of the Fountains of Bellagio (water fountain show). The seating areas were arranged in traditional lounge style in pods that can accommodate about six to a dozen people.

On the plus side, my bartenders Erica and Dave were very personable, and I met some interesting, fun people while enjoying my drink. Erica recommended a house specialty drink called a Love Unit. The ingredients sound very, very strange – vodka, basil, lime, grapefruit, and bell pepper! Surprisingly, these ingredients worked very well together.

All things considered, I liked Hyde a lot but for a lounging experience at Bellagio I think I prefer the more classical open area Petrossian lounge and the Baccarat Bar lounge.