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Hot clubs around town, some you can even get in to ...

Compiled by Lauren Johnston | STAFF WRITER

West side club cavern Crobar. (Courtesy of Crobar)

New York's clubs come in all shapes, sizes, styles and degrees of chic -- just like the eight million people who live here.

NYNewsday.com's party-hoppers hit the scene to find out which clubs are for the VIP-est of the late-nite social set, which ones staff bouncers who barter (i.e. you can talk you way past the velvet rope even if you didn't make Us Weekly's style watch this week), and which ones open the doors wide for anyone out to bust it and have a good time.

CLUBS

I. THE VIP

Bungalow 8 This uber-exclusive lounge is modeled after the Beverly Hills Hotel's infamous and celebrity-studded Bungalow 8. Open for the late-night party crowd from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., Amy Sacco's Bungalow 8 features Banquette-side minibars, arranges helipad pickups for jet-setting patrons and offers on-site hairstyling, along with other resort-level perks. (515 West 27th Street; 212-629-3333)

Marquee Marquee has attracted throngs of young Hollywood starlets (and those who just look like them) since it opened on 10th Ave. Club-goers can drift from the main dance floor, to an upper level, glassed-in lounge and the super elite may gain access to the VIP room. The club gets raves for strong, top-shelf cocktails and wild, late-night dance parties. (289 Tenth Avenue; 646-473-0202)

Cain This high-end newcomer takes premium service to a new level. The West Chelsea hot spot features bottle-only seating surrounding a sunken dance floor. The South African-inspired club boasts a zebra skin-topped bar. Shorts skirts and stiletto heels make up the reigning uniform for ladies at Cain. A DJ spins house music hidden behind a giant rock, but no one really moves. The scene is being seen. (544 West 27th Street; 212-947-8000; www.cainnyc.com)

Suede Lines and velvet ropes greet hopeful club-goers outside Suede. Just past the ropes, the front section of the club is built around a white marble bar. Unlike other clubs where model wannabes exercise their only their eyes checking everyone out, at Suede the model wannabes actually dance. A nightly DJ in the back room plays everything from hip-hip to '80s to house. (161 West 23rd Street; 212-633-6113)

II. HIP BUT NOT TOO HAUGHTY

Aer This mod club characterizes the new sanitized, chic-ified Meatpacking District with its modern design, sleek, well-heeled clientele and standard fixture DJ. The spare lounge features white walls that fade to different colors with a deluxe lighting system. Banquette and table areas offer prime spots to see-and-be-scene and bottle service is always available for big spenders. We hear the drinks are strong and pricey, and the crowd is always dancing. (409 West 13th Street; 212-989-0100)

Hiro This late-night lounge is located in the Meatpacking District's hot & hip Maritime Hotel. The theme is Japanese marked with accents like paper lanterns, dark wood ceiling beams and red cushions and of course sake-soaked drinks. The draw is a see-and-be-seen crowd, with sexy party-hoppers as sleek and chic as the décor. DJs spin rock remixes, rare '80s tunes, hip-hop and electronica. Try the door. You might get the hand, you might get a welcoming "Konnichiwa!" (366 West 17th Street; 212-727-0212)

Lotus The big night at Lotus is Sunday, so the door is a bit more democratic other nights of the week. The VIP crowd sits up on half-moon banquets lining the bar area, but when the DJ gets started, the barriers dissolve. The club, demure in the early hours, turns into an all-night dance party making it a favorite standby destination in the Meatpacking District. Expect to hear oldies but goodies like "Celebrate" and "Raspberry Beret." (409 West 14th Street; 212-243-4420; www.lotusnewyork.com)

PM PM hosts an exotic Brazilian dance party on Tuesday nights, where dancers (wearing beads and not much else) skim out into the crowd to the pulsing beat of bongo drums. The interior is simple, and the unique, fruited cocktails go down easy. This lush urban oasis keeps the high-class party going all night long. When PM opened, the scene was notoriously chic with an 'only-the-V-est-of-the-VIPs-need-apply' vibe. It's relaxed a little. If you're dressed to kill and feeling lucky, give it a try. (50 Gansevoort Street; 212-255-6676)

III. WHAT VELVET?

Crobar This cavernous West Side club draws a diverse crowd and fills its 2,750-capacity dance space with a sparkling, pulsating cross-section of New York City's 24-hour party people on a nightly basis. Unlike its smaller, snootier counter-parts downtown in the Meatpacking district, you don't have to be wearing the latest designer duds to get inside. The club has an industrial feel. It's known for special touches that play on NYC street themes, like a tunnel tiled to look like the subway. The music changes nightly, the crowd is always wild. (530 West 28th Street; 212-629-9000; www.crobar.com)

BED New York Have you been to bed lately? If not, this luxury Chelsea cocktails club invites you to relax on its rooftop and view the city skyline from the comfort of a canopied bed. BED designed its décor and drinks on boudoir themes. Located in a sixth floor warehouse space, BED is divided into three sections, a dining area, the bar and of course the beds! The look is classy, but the crowd (we hear) is all about the hook-up. Be prepared to drop a lot of cash, BED-goers say. But if you're on the prowl, we're guessing the sexy drinks and pillow-strewn beds piled with reclining members of the city's glitterati are a way better bet than Match.com. (530 West 27th Street; 212-594-4109; www.bedny.com)

APT If the snootier clubs give you the hand, meander through the Meatpacking District and head toward the chic, hideaway hot spot, APT, and make yourself at home. With its cream-painted moldings, striped wallpaper and wood furnishings, walking into APT feels like walking into a luxury uptown apartment. Patrons at the bar area can sip cocktails at the bar or in bed. You might need a reservation for the upstairs lounge, but the lower level bar, with a rotating schedule of hot DJs, is always open. (419 West 13th Street; 212-414-4245; www.aptwebsite.com)

Glo Get your groove on at Glo. The modern dance club is just north of the Meatpacking District, but not quite in Chelsea. The dance area radiates with pink and orange lights that give all club-goers Day-Glo glamour. The vibe is sleek and modern and the DJs get eager-to-move crowds busting a move with a mix of hip-hop and R&B beats. (431 West 16th Street; 212-229-9119)