If there’s one hospitality concept that Bali’s really ran off with and mastered, it’s beach clubs.
This island’s got it going on when it comes to beach clubs — spots with sick infinity pool set-ups, and we’ve got our pick of cliff-top or beach-level spots. Party-vibes or family friendly. Chilled out Bukit or hip and happening Seminyak. If you want to gaze out on the Indian Ocean while cooling off in the pool, booze in hand, then Bali’s got plenty of options.
Here are five new beach clubs to do just that.
Roosterfish Beach Club
You can tell just by looking at their name what Roosterfish is going for: wacky and playful. The beach club opened up this past June on the bright blue waters of Pandawa Beach. We love Pandawa Beach and remember just five years ago when it was considered a “secret spot”, but still can’t believe there’s a beach club there, where there was once just little local warungs and before that, nothing. That said, there’s no denying they’ve got a prime location on one of the prettiest beaches in Bali and have done a beautiful job with the natural looking, breezy open-air architecture of the club. The beach club is operated by the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa, so a good portion of guests are in-house, as there’s a free shuttle.
We hit the beach club up for a media tasting this past November and were quite impressed with the food and beverage aspect of it all. The Roosterfish Platter was massive and tasty, the restaurant’s specialty dish, playing off that whole “land meets the sea them”: a mix of Balinese ayam betutu (spiced chicken) and ikan pepes (banana leaf wrapped snapper). As for drinks, the “Bloody Scary Mary” was a fun, spicy Indonesian take on the cocktail, using Indonesian chili and sambal to pack a punch.
Jl. Pantai Pandawa, Kutuh
Manarai Beach House
As the host venue of the Brazilian street festival party Elrow Room this past August, the Manarai Beach House opened with a *big* bang. The crew at Coconuts Bali was feeling a bit under the weather and couldn’t it make to this launch, so, sorry fam — we’ll have to give our review of the space next time.
From what we can see, though, they’ve got the usual furnishings you’d expect from a five-star beach club: a couple of pools, sun beds, restaurants, and a lounge. The place is right in front of the Sofitel hotel in the BTDC, one of the calmest little pockets of sea, FYI, for those of you who haven’t done a beach day down there before. Since Manarai is a project of Ismaya Group whose umbrella covers Ismaya Live, the event organizer behind shows like the Djakarta Warehouse Project and Sunnyside Up, we’re expecting a lot of good parties on their sands. Watch this space.
Lot N5 Nusa Dua Tourism Complex (BTDC)
SugarSand
This one opened just off of Double Six this coming Saturday, Sept. 1. SugarSand doesn’t seem to want to refer to itself as a beach club, but, you know what — it’s a beachfront restaurant, lounge, and pool, so, come on now. If it looks like a duck and swims like a duck…
Anyway, touting itself as an up-and-coming cool kid in the nightlife scene and serving up Nikkei-inspired dishes (the Japanese-Peruvian fusion culinary trend for those of you following the food beat), Japanese-inspired cocktails, and “slow-cooked G&Ts” (yasss please, sign us up), it’s clear that SugarSand’s going for a more refined niche than your typical Legian-located ‘bogan’ bar.
Jl. Camplung Tandak no. 10, Seminyak
Pedestrian access from Jl. Double Six
Tropicola
If Miami, Palm Springs, a couple of Mexican resorts, and the ’80s had a lovechild and birthed it on the shores of Bali, it would be this new beach club (and restaurant, rooftop bar and hotel) which had its big launch on Aug. 12.
Picture bold and bright electric colors, gridded tiles, and sundowners set to the tune of tropical, party beats. Set just up the coast from beach club bosses, Potato Head, Alila, and W Bali, you know there’s a lot of money involved in this perfectly-positioned project — Tropicola has proudly announced itself as coming from the same team as Motel Mexicola and Bondi’s bucket List. Trendy bloggers present.
Jl. Pantai Batu Belig no. 5, Seminyak
COMO Beach Club
When we think of casual Canggu, we don’t necessarily think of beach clubs, but as Bali’s development spreads northward, that’s bound to change. With the opening of the five-star COMO Uma Canggu off Echo Beach earlier in 2018, came the ground-breaking of COMO Beach Club, a “modern surf shack for the modern surfer.”
Substitute the word “modern” for “affluent” and you’ll get a clearer idea of the scene. Crisp, modern minimalist design, perfectly-plated entrees, and plushy taupe sun beds. Comfortable and certainly Instagram-worthy, but not to be confused with casual by any definition of the word.
COMO Uma Canggu, Jl. Pantai Batu Mejan, Canggu
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in August 2018, but the Coconuts crew is bringing it back from the archives since the information it contains remains relevant and useful. Rest assured, we’ve reviewed and updated it to make sure this oldie but goodie will still serve you well.
