The Strip never fails to bring out vacation envy in me. The tourists revel in their natural habitat, splaying out by the pools, sipping afternoon cocktails and relishing the last vestiges of the sun as daylight fades to evening. This place, in many ways, belongs to them.
But for locals like me, an off-Strip oasis experience often feels out of reach. That’s where Bel-Aire Backyard comes in.
It’s around noon on a Saturday when I tiptoe into Durango’s new poolside wonder, a sister concept to Clique Hospitality’s intimate Bel-Aire Lounge mere feet away. Mild melodies of house and techno embrace me like the warm sun, and I’m swept away by what genuinely feels like a piece of private paradise in the southwest Valley.
Ahi poke bowl
Bel-Aire Backyard feels like it’s ripped straight from Palm Springs travel guides, with its mature palms crowning a sprawling deck and a body of crystalline water springing forth from the center. Women lounge poolside on their lily pads, making waves with their toes; couples canoodle in daybeds or by the bars; there’s even some friend groups in the water enjoying a midday swim and lazing out by the lawn.
“This is where the locals play,” says Mustafa Abdi, senior director of nightlife marketing for Clique Hospitality. “It’s not Wet Republic, it’s not Encore Beach Club. But it’s something sexier and more adult than Red Rock and GVR.”
Clique also operates Daylight Beachclub at Mandalay Bay, but Abdi views that and Bel-Aire Backyard as “two different beasts.” Whereas Daylight relies on tourists and DJs anchoring ticket sales, Bel-Aire Backyard casually fills a niche for the neighborhood.
“The aim was to give everybody who lives in this area a taste of what we give them on the Strip,” adds Hassib Wahab, director of marketing at Clique Hospitality. “The Strip, as everyone knows, is one of the top destinations in the entire world. But when you move away from the Strip a little bit, you’re not getting as highly elevated of an experience. Now it’s changing.”
Because it is a hotel pool, locals still pay a cover, but Bel-Aire’s 21-and-up sunset swim party Recess Fridays admits locals for free. Roughly 48 daybeds and 10 cabanas flank the pool and can be rented for a discounted price compared to the Strip.
I personally found plenty of open table seating, and the two bars are prime people-watching spots. If all that holiday-ing has you hungry, Bel-Aire Backyard Grill also features an extended menu from Bel-Aire Lounge, with sushi, grilled fish tacos, lobster rolls and more to cover your cravings.
For a local, Bel-Aire Backyard serves as a welcome escape. “When you’re in here, it almost doesn’t feel like you’re in Las Vegas,” Wahab said,
and sometimes, that’s exactly what we’re looking for.
BEL-AIRE BACKYARD Durango, 702-567-7893, belairebackyardlv.com. Daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Recess Fridays, 4-10 p.m.
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