Even if you're making your way to Bali for a silent retreat, yoga course, or spiritual awakening, enjoying cockail or two at a beach club is simply a right of passage. Luckily for you, I've done the grunt work (ha, absolute torture) to bring you the resumes of 5 excellent sunset spots around the island.
1. Ku De Ta
Not only was this my first ever beach club experience, but it is one of my personal favourites. Located in bustling Seminyak nestled among some of the top resorts, Ku De Ta features a gorgeous open air restaurant surrounding a large infinity pool, overlooking the beach. It has a range of furinishing to suit anything from formal dining to poolside louging. Most people probably think of beach clubs as the optimal place for sunset boozin', and while I do not dare dissagree, my experience with Ku de Ta took place one beautiful sunshiny morning at 8am. I am almost embarassed to admit I was the first one through the doors, but hey, thats what jetlag will do to you.
Protip: try out my eager beaver move and hit up Ku de Ta in the early morning. You'll be the first one there, so you've got the pick of the litter for seating, and you've also got a massive infinity pool to yourself once you've finished breakfast. Who DOESN'T want to spend the duration of their morning coffee watching the waves and earybird surfers.
2. Potato Head
A hop, skip, and a jump from Ku de Ta, (or a short scoot scoot) lies the famous Potato Head beach club, also in Seminyak. It likely had to do with the discrepancy in the times of day of my visits, but Potato Head was significantly more "bumpin'" than Ku de Ta. It is gorgeous; living tropical plants covering the walls, bright colours everywhere, with a huge L shaped bar wrapping around the entire (outdoor) room, again with a very large infinity pool in the centre. Potato head's vibe is equally upscale to Ku de Ta, but significantly more "trendy" and youth/ party focused. It almost felt like Ku de Ta's fun younger cousin, with funky music, creative cocktails, and eccentric decor.
From what I could tell, Potato head knows how to throw a good party. There were tons of posters advertising events and concerts, and I honestly can't imagine a better atmosphere. If you're hoping to get tickets for a night out at one beach club, Potato Head would be my first suggestion. Like, if I was rich or famous, I would choose this venue to rent out and have my birthday party. Ok, rant over.
3. The Lawn
Located in my heart of hearts: Canggu, Bali, is the Lawn. It's got a piece of prime real estate on Batubolong beach, just a minute walk from the happenin' party spot Old Man's. It is arguably the best place to watch the sunset in Canggu, with a large open concept restaurant with an infitity pool closest to the ocean surrounded by lounge chairs and daybeds, and more traditional style resaurant seating as you recede towards the bars. Although beach clubs in Bali are known for their steep pricepoints, my fellow backpackers and I found the prices at the lawn, particularly for drinks to be exceptionally high. However, the quality of the drinks did reflect their price (try the pina coloda!!), so if you're feeling spendy this is a great place to splash out.
Protip: On Friday nights, the Lawn does half off on selected drinks and appetizers, making it much more accessible to young backpackers. Check it out, and go early so that you can lock down a table before the deal starts. Sit back, enjoy your discounted cocktail, and be seranaded by angelic, live Bon Iver covers as the sun sets.
Ahhhhh, La Brisa, boy do I have a soft spot for you. Also located in Canggu, but cozying up to Echo beach, this time. The first thing I have to say about La Brisa is that it's Instagram heaven. Everywhere you look is an opportunity for an effortlessly beautiful instagram pic. The way that I would describe La Brisa is beachy and rustic (in the best way possible). We're talking chairs made of rope hanging from the ceiling, wicker poufs for seating, and tastefully nautical acessories. Echo beach is where you can catch some of Canggus pro-sufers, and La Brisa gives you a frontrow seat to the show. This is the perfect spot to sip cold drinks on a hot day- I'd reccomend the whole coconut (they give you a lime wedge and lemongrass to flavour it with!) One thing I will say, is that they've got a limited menu in terms of food. Some of my friends and I had decided to head there for dinner, had a look at the menu, and not only was it overpriced (a given) but there wasn't much on it that any of us wanted to eat for dinner, so we ended up leaving. I'll also say that La Brisa is a bit farther out of the way if you're planning on going to the other main bars in Canggu, which is fine if you're going by scooter, but if you are walking I'd suggest The Lawn as an alternative.
Single Finn is the "hotspot" in Uluwatu. There aren't a ton of popular places or bars in Uluwatu, and it's got a really wonderful lookout over the ocean. During the day it's a full restaurant, with it's own full menu, and is partnered with it's neighboring restaurant (an acai bowl and poke bowl place) whose menu is also served there. I ate here for lunch AND dinner one day- I reccomend the "Poke Nachos" for lunch. At night they had a live DJ while we ate our dinner and watched the sun go down. It was awesome. Apparently, the best day to go to Single Finn is Sunday, as they've got a huge party every week. If beach club parties are your scene, try to make it there on Sunday night. Otherwise, I'd definitely reccomend heading their for dinner just before sunset, like we did. Another great thing about Single Finn is that it really won't break the bank for food, and the drinks are relitviely affordable especially if you're willing to stick to beer or cider.
NOTES ON BEACH CLUBS
You pay a premium for the irreplaceable atmosphere that they provide. Just to give you an example, you're going to be paying about an entire dollar (CAD) more per beer than you would at a normal restaurant. I will also go ahead and say that it's worth it, not necessarily to spend your days drinking and dining in them, but to rather order a beer or coconut water and enjoy the jams and pool. Us poor folks deserve to have fun too!
There are dresscodes that need to be adhered to when the sun goes down. From what I gather in Bali is that it's so stinkin' hot that during the day anything goes, but at night, they would like fellas' to be wearing shirts n' sleeves (no tanktops/ singlets). I don't know if there are any hard and fast rules for ladies-wear, but let's keep it classy nonetheless.
They get BUSY, but they do accept reservations, which is a really good idea if you're coming in for a larger group, and if you're coming in for a meal and not just for drinks, to make sure that you've got a good table.
Enjoy, and have a Bintang for me!
C
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