Box Checked after 20 Years
About 20 years ago, I was in an upscale gentleman's club in Buenos Aires which at the time was probably one of the best clubs on the planet. The kind where you could mingle with dozens of young, well-dressed beautiful women, drink, socialize, and take them out for some fun. Both the club and the chica selection were top-notch. On this particular visit, I got into conversation with a fellow punter and learned he was well-travelled, as I was beginning to be. We were both in agreement that this club was great. So I asked him, what other clubs do you rank as the best ? He didn't hesitate in dropping two names - River Palace in Kiev, and a club in Bogota whose name I forgot, but he described it as the best club in Bogota. I later determined it must have been Lido. Well I made it to Kiev a few years later, but it took me a lot longer to visit Bogota. I first went to Colombia a decade later, but it was to Medellin, which I liked so much I went back several times. But I still had that box to check in Bogota, which I finally did last year.
Lido is known as the most high-end club in Bogota, the capital and largest city in Colombia. So I had fairly high expectations. Upon arrival, it looked more like a townhouse, UTR, no sign or anything. The only tip-off is the presence of security guys out front, not surprising for Bogota which is not the safest place. As a gringo I was well-received and welcomed inside after a pat down, and took some time for a walkaround. It wasn't as big as I had thought. There is a long bar down the left side with seating at the bar and the aisle across, more seating at the far back, and on the right, past the restrooms, a stage with pole and two levels of seating around. Altogether probably enough seating for 100 people. Stage had regular dancers. There were about 30 girls and 30 guys during my visit, though I was told it gets busier after midnight. Quality of chicas was good - most in the 7.5 - 8 range. But I was a bit disappointed, I expected Lido to be up a notch more in the 8 - 9 range. Chatted with a few girls to figure out the deal and was a bit surprised. The minimum seemed to be 800,000 COP for the girl, which is about 200 USD. Some higher. Twice the cost in Medellin. Since I was only in town a short time, I was still set on picking one for the full Lido experience.
Met up with a chica named Carolina, a solid 8. Found a quiet spot at the back and hung out and drank and talked in Spanish. Good company and convo with some flirting and petting, but nothing wild. She had some interesting stories, famous visitors to Lido and a guy who flew her to another country for a long term arrangement but it didn't turn out that great. Decided she was the one, agreed on 800,000 and proceeded to arrange for some private time. We are at the bar, the waiter writes up the bill on a piece of paper and this is where I am keenly reminded I am a gringo about to be taken for $$$. The bill is 755,000 COP for the room and drinks. I am like WTF how do you get 755 ? He explained a bit, I didn't understand it all but could sense there was some substantial padding going on. Wasn't in the mood to argue or waste time so I agreed. Later in the room Carolina explained it to me. It was 300 for the room, 140 for two drinks we had had at 70/each, and the remaining 315 was for two additional drinks (which I hadn't requested), condoms, and a tip for the waiter. Lol. I learned I could have requested to substract the drinks and negotiate the waiter tip. Oh well no biggie.
We walked to the adjacent building, a quick out and back in at the front. Up the stairs to a room which was nice, small but well-furnished, though not what I'd call luxurious. Bed, TV, shower, etc. The waiter brought our drinks up and got us settled in then left. Carolina was good company, good service with bbbj. Along with a few tips the total cost for the evening was about 1,600,000 COP or $400 US.
While Lido fell short of my expectations for quality, quantity and value, overall I had a good time and was glad I went. I finally checked the box for this club in Bogota.
