How do nightclubs work?
I am 35 and haven’t gone to a nightclub anywhere in over ten years, but I am going to Playa del Carmen in February with friends who are all younger (ranging from 26-30 years old, we’re a total of 10 people) and they want to go clubbing. I have found names and websites for many clubs (Clandestino, Mandala, Mezontle, Onyx, and Santino) but I am not sure how they work.
Can we just show up at a club and get in without making reservations or buying tickets in advance? How much is the cover charge? I’m seeing clubs like Mandala sell tickets for $60 USD online that includes open bar, but what if we don’t want an open bar because we’ll only be having 3-4 drinks each at most? Other clubs, like Clandestino, offer VIP table reservations, but since we’re unlikely to stay at a single place for long, or even stay out for more than a few hours, I don’t think a VIP table would be worth the money.
Is it fairly easy to get cabs back to Playacar very late at night on the InDrive app, or is there a taxi service whose phone number I should save for a late night pickup?
Is expecting to spend less than $1000 MXN per person for cabs from Playacar and back, cover fees, and drinks for a night out realistic if we’re going to visit 2-3 places? We’d be splitting the cost of 3 cabs between 10 people so there’s that at least.
Also, of all the clubs I mentioned at the beginning of this post, what are the top three I should consider visiting?
EDIT: We’re all women, which is apparently relevant information