Well, maybe this is the third time lucky, but once again, we’ve found another beach club that we’d missed. In this instance, our excuse is that this one is fairly new and thus, it simply slid under our radar.
We won’t mention that most of us live very near to this place and probably ought to have stumbled over it anyway, because why ruin a perfectly good excuse? Anyway, that means our team didn’t find it too much of a hardship to visit Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club on your behalf to find out what’s what.
This is what they learned in Seminyak’s most recent beach club offering.
Introduction – Getting To Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club
The Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club is in the Ocean Grand Beach Bali lifestyle boutique Bali resort, which may be the longest name for a hotel that we’ve ever encountered. It probably works quite well for finding them in a Google search, though.
It’s on the beach front at Double Six Beach in Seminyak, which is one of the most popular parts of the island, after Canggu, and it’s a short drive from most of the popular tourist spots, including Canggu, Seseh, Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran, etc.
However, because it’s a popular tourist destination, the traffic in this area can be pretty bad, and you may spend rather longer in a Grab getting there than the map suggests you will. We recommend setting off early if you don’t want to miss your reservation.
There is parking at the hotel, which is available to beach club guests, and that’s pretty handy. And your Grab or Gojek will be able to drop you off at the front door of the hotel, as long as you pass through the simple security check at the gates.
Overall, it’s a relatively easy place to get to, and there’s plenty in the surrounding area to keep you entertained if you decide the Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club isn’t to your tastes
Where Is Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club? Grand Seminyak, Jl. Camplung Tanduk Jl. Dhyana Pura, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361
Website: Ocean Grand Beach
Opening Hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, except Nyepi (However, some facilities are limited, and the Day Club is 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with their “Sunset Session” running from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
What’s Inside Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club?
This beach club is broken up into three seated areas, one of which contains a pool and comfy daybeds for lounging around on, one of which is a beach terrace deck with ocean views, and the third is an indoor restaurant area for cases of inclement weather.
There are no entertainment facilities at this beach club as it’s not designed to cater to the party crowd.
Our Review Breakdown For Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club
In common with all of our beach club reviews, we used a standard process for reviewing Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club in Seminyak.
This allows us to ensure that we’re fair to the beach club owners and management by using the same standards each time, and to ensure our readers can easily compare beach clubs because we use the same format every time.
It works like this:
- Firstly, the entire team is asked to visit the beach club in question. They don’t have to visit the beach club together, at the same time or even on the same day.
- Each member of the team will grade the beach club from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in the categories laid out below based on their individual experience at that beach club.
- Once every member of the team has finished their visit, the team meets up to discuss their various experiences and to take a vote on the final grade in each category.
- Then, a single member of the team is assigned to write up the review. They are required to take into consideration the discussions and must reflect the final scores as voted upon.
- Finally, the review is published to our website, where it will remain until we revisit the beach club and amend our scores and comments as needed. This will be, at least, one year following our original visit.
Pre-Club Advertising
You’ve got to advertise to get the bodies through the door, it’s that simple. With over 100 beach clubs here in Bali, getting the attention of the masses is vital.
Without that attention, you lose one of the most important parts of the beach club experience, the social side of things.
We love going out to meet people from around the world and having a lovely time with them, and pre-club advertising is part of what makes that happen.
So, it’s a shame to start this review by acknowledging that we’ve never seen an ad of any kind, either in real life or in the e-world, for this beach club.
Location
Seminyak is one of Bali’s most popular resort towns, and there’s no doubt that Double Six is one of the nicest beaches on this stretch of coastline, either.
The only real downside of this location is its popularity; the sheer volume of traffic at the peak hours of the day can be a real downer.
However, overall, you’ve got a nice beachside spot here with a great view out over the sea, and yes, you’re on the right side of the island to enjoy an amazing sunset too.
The resort that this beach club is in also seems to be nice, attractive and modern, and most people would probably enjoy staying there.
Booking Process & Seating Options
We are real sticklers for booking processes at beach clubs here in Bali. We believe that if you want us to travel to visit your beach club, the bare minimum you can do is let us reserve a seat so that we can be certain of somewhere to lounge around when we get there.
This is something of a mixed bag for the Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club, as although their website does have an automated booking system (which is better than, at least, half the clubs on the island), it’s a very basic thing.
You can specify how many people and what time or date, but you can’t choose where you want to sit, which is a little annoying.
Overall, though, having a booking system at all is a step in the right direction.
Entry Fee
In keeping with the best beach clubs in Bali, there’s no entrance fee at the Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club.
This is quite a pleasant surprise as many of the beach clubs in this area do have some kind of entrance fee, even though we’re firm believers that everyone should be allowed in to have a look around and get comfy before deciding if they want to spend their money and time in a beach club.
So, this is definitely a positive, and we’re pleased that Ocean Grand Beach believes in treating its customers fairly.
Minimum Spend
There is also no minimum spend requirement at this beach club, and while many people will insist that this is a positive thing as it means you’re not required to eat or drink a certain amount during your stay, we disagree that it’s completely positive.
The problem with this is twofold. The first is that there’s no incentive for a club to hold your booking, not even for a second, past the time you booked for, when there’s no deposit and deposits at beach clubs are always linked to the minimum spend.
Secondly, there’s also no incentive for the club to improve its actual booking system. Which means that you can’t secure a nice daybed by the pool here, you have to turn up and hope there’ll be space.
That’s best for the club in a world without deposits, but not so great for the consumer.
Welcome And Security
You will receive a warm Balinese welcome when you arrive at the Ocean Grand Beach and as you’d expect from a hotel of this calibre, it’s very clear that the staff have been well trained to handle guests from all over the world.
However, while there is a sort of bag check if you drive into the hotel grounds, in terms of your car being inspected, there is no such thing when you try to enter the beach club.
Long-term readers will know that we like bag checks. They enable us to be sure that the environment is safe and will stay that way.
Inclusions
Given that you’re not paying an entrance fee and there’s no minimum spend in the Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that you’re not getting very much in the way of inclusions.
However, the resort does provide a towel for all pool users at this beach club, and that’s a very fair offering given you’re not paying for it.
We’d like to see a VIP-tier of benefits, though, for a small additional charge, we like things like power banks, sun tan lotion, etc,. being laid on, and we don’t mind paying for it.
It’s also a way for the beach club to earn a little extra revenue when people are on holiday and in a “treat themselves” mindset.
Service
We thought the service at this beach club was very good, and while it may not quite have been the best service we’ve ever received, the staff here are a credit to their employers.
They are kind, attentive and well-informed about their menus and other details of their work. We also found them to be surprisingly efficient when it came to getting our orders to our tables or the bill at the end.
The staff also have that wonderful Balinese charm that you know and love from this paradise island of ours, and will make sure you have a great day at this beach club.
Entertainment
There is no live band or DJ here, but they’re not entirely without entertainment, and there is some piped music and fire dancing in the evenings at the “sunset show”.
This is provided free of charge to guests who are present and eating or drinking during these hours.
It’s an interesting performance, and while the fire dance’s cultural significance may be a touch overplayed, there’s no doubt that it’s intimately associated with Bali.
Overall, this makes for a nice conversation starter when dining with friends and family.
Pool Quality
It’s not the biggest pool that we’ve ever seen, but the area is very well-maintained and kept exceedingly clean.
You’d have no reservations about your children swimming here or jumping into the cool water to keep the Bali heat at bay yourself.
That they provide a free towel is a nice bonus on top, and we’d be happy to come back to swim again.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
While there are certainly some expensive options on the menu at Ocean Grand Beach, overall, we felt that this beach club was reasonably priced.
It was neither cheap nor expensive when compared to other beach clubs within the Seminyak area, and there were options for almost every budget.
The drinks prices were slightly higher than in some other beach clubs, but not in any kind of way that made us feel like we were overpaying.
Food And Drink Quality
We felt that the food and drinks were of excellent quality, and their presentation was excellent too. If you want to grab some snaps for your Instagram, you’re going to be very happy with the results.
The fresh seafood, in particular, was a real highlight of eating here, and we’d love to try the pan-seared barramundi again.
The drinks were also nicely presented, and they were mixed well and more than strong enough to justify their price tags.
Sunset View
This is a fabulous part of Bali to witness a sunset from, and from certain parts of this beach club, you have a completely uninterrupted view out over the Indian Ocean.
Unfortunately, not all of the beach club has access to this view, and if you’re in the wrong seats, you may have to stand to enjoy the light show.
Music And Ambience
They pipe in their music at this beach club, and it’s not overly memorable, but nor will it annoy you during the course of your time there.
We’re OK with that, not every beach club needs to provide a party vibe, and sometimes, you just want something in the background while you talk and enjoy the company of others.
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card at this venue, and that’s just fine. However, we didn’t see any signs up for QRIS payments, which is a bit of a shame as it’s the best way for expats and locals to pay.
If you do need an ATM, there are several within walking distance of this beach club, too.
Exit Process
This is a decent-sized but not huge beach club, and the exit process is very much the entry process but in reverse.
Just head back to the door, there are plenty of staff around to ask if you do get lost, but we doubt you will.
You will be wished a warm farewell as you leave.
Transportation
Getting a Grab or Gojek to pick you up in a hotel waiting area is easy enough, though you may have to wait depending on the traffic.
You’ll also find that it’s no problem to get your vehicle back from hotel parking if you left it there, though getting out of Seminyak might take some time.
Social Media Presence
There is a social media account for this beach club, but it’s not very good, and it’s the one area that we feel lets Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club down.
We’d like to see more effort to showcase this otherwise solid beach club to the general public.
Other/General Comments
Overall, it’s not on the same level as FINNS or Potato Head, but this is a very good hotel beach club experience and a nice spot in Seminyak to enjoy a meal by the sea.
Our Overall Opinion Of Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club
Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club could be truly exceptional with a little more attention to the details, but overall, it’s a very good hotel beach club facility,
Resort guests will find that they get real value from having this included as part of their stay and outside guests will find much to recommend this beach club too.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club?
Yes, this club is constructed in three distinct dining venues, and if you opt for their “refreshing poolside setting”, you can use the club’s swimming pool to your heart’s content.
There is no minimum spend to access this part of the beach club; however, seats and daybeds are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so you may wish to get there early if you want to use the pool.
In theory, as this place has direct access to the beach, you could swim at Double Six Beach, but in reality, this isn’t a great spot for swimming.
In common with nearly all beaches along this stretch of coastline, you can get good surfing opportunities, but swimming can be dangerous.
That’s due to the unpredictable currents, which can drag even the strongest swimmer out to sea. We’d recommend either using the pool at the Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club or sticking to the one in your hotel.
As with all of Bali’s beaches, there are also no lifeguards on duty on the beach, so if things do go wrong, you’re on your own.
What Can You Do At Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club?
This is a typical hotel beach club setup with a swimming pool for swimming, beach access for fun and games on the beach, and dining and bar areas. They have a pleasant beach deck area where you can enjoy sunset views as you while away the evening too.
However, this isn’t a party venue, and there is no real entertainment available to those seeking something a bit more from their beach club experience.
Is Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, children are welcome throughout the resort and the beach club properties. However, we didn’t see any special facilities for children at this beach club, which means they will have to make their own entertainment.
We’d also note that, in common with most beach clubs here in Bali, parents are expected to take charge of their children and ensure their health and safety at all times.
Parents are also meant to ensure that their kids don’t annoy the other guests, and while it’s rare for a beach club to expel a parent over unruly children, it can happen.
Who Owns Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club?
Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club is part of a resort that is owned by a company, PT Hotel Indonesia International (which was the result of a merger between two local hotel groups). The ownership structure of this company is not in the public domain.
Final Thoughts On Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club
We have to confess that this is one of the best hotel beach clubs in Seminyak. While it doesn’t and can’t compete with the spectacle of somewhere like FINNS (which is, of course, the world’s best beach club), it’s a great place for dining and drinks, and the fire dancing in the evenings is a nice touch.
If you’re looking for a day out with friends that focuses on conversation and cocktails rather than dancing and high-energy, and you’re passing through Seminyak, then Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club is a good place to be.
If you’re staying in the attached resort, you’re bound to love this place as it’s a great facility to have included in your room rate.
We’re not sure if we’d travel across the island for Ocean Grand Beach | Beach Club, but we would definitely hop in a ride-share for a short-distance journey to this place when we’re in the mood for a chill-out day.
