Woobar Bali is part of the W Bali Hotel which, in turn, is part of the Marriott Group of hotels. It positions itself as the swankiest beach club on the island and certainly, the prices reflect the positioning.
But does it deliver amazing value for money or are you just being overcharged for cocktails because of the brand names attached to this beach club?
We sent out our team to discover all they could about the Woobar from the minimum spend, to the price of a night out there, to which international DJs we might expect to see at this venue.
This is what they discovered.
Introduction – Getting To Woobar
Getting to Woobar is easy enough and because it’s on a hotel premises, you can get Grab or Gojek to drop you at the door.
You can also opt to use the hotel parking for a fee or park nearby for a smaller fee. We would note that this area can be quite busy and cheaper parking may be thin on the ground, particularly at peak times.
Where Is Woobar? Jalan Petitenget Seminyak, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361
Website: Woobar
Opening Hours: Open daily, every day except for Nyepi, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
As with all the best beach clubs in Bali, Woobar will insist on a security check before you can pass into the venue proper.
This is to ensure that there are no unpleasant repeats of the Bali bombing among other things. You may also be asked to leave certain items with security until you leave the venue, this is quite standard too.
What’s Inside Woobar?
Woobar is a big beach club spread across several levels, it has restaurant and bar facilities, a dance floor, several pools across multiple levels and seating areas which include daybeds and sofas.
Our Review Breakdown For Woobar
Our review criteria are the same at all beach clubs in Bali. The team visits and then ranks each club against 20 categories with a score of 1 (worst) and 5 (best) in each category.
They vote on these scores and then the club is given an overall score from 20 (worst) to 100 (best). This ensures that their opinion is consistently reflected in the review.
Once a review is live it stays up for, at least, a year before we revisit the beach club for a re-review.
Pre-Club Advertising
Woobar does advertise a bit, but given the strength of the hotel brand backing this venue, we’d expect much more.
Given that the place is often not very busy, we can’t work out why Woobar isn’t investing in advertising.
Location
This spot in Seminyak is easy to get to, the beach is very popular and there are plenty of other bars, restaurants, etc. within walking distance.
The only downside of this location is that the traffic can get pretty bad and you need to allow for lots of extra travel time if you’ve booked a bed in advance or you might lose your substantial deposit.
Booking Process & Seating Options
There is an online booking service at Woobar and it works reasonably well, you need to select the date and how many people are coming and then you can choose between a sofa and a daybed.
Our problem with this is there’s no indication whatsoever where they are inside the beach club and given that they both incur fairly hefty minimum spend charges, we think that the least they could do is give you a map of the place.
Woobar isn’t really hiding anything from you in terms of charges but we feel that where your seating is matters too.
We want to be surrounded by other cool people and not sat by the entrance or the toilet. We don’t think that’s too much to ask.
Entry Fee
As with all of the best beach clubs in Bali, Woobar does not have an entrance fee.
We approve of this as we feel before you commit to a night in an expensive venue, you ought to be able to see what’s inside the place and get a feel for the vibe.
You want to make sure you get a spot in the sun and that you’re in the best place for a date and that’s how it should be,.
Minimum Spend
The minimum spend at Woobar is on the high side for beach clubs in Bali. You will need a minimum spend of 2.5 million IDR to use a sofa and 2.8 million IDR to access a day bed.
There is no minimum spend in the restaurant, so when we say that entrance is free, we do mean it’s free and you can enjoy a place with some cocktails without committing to a minimum spend.
This earns Woobar a place on our collection of the best beach clubs in Bali with no minimum spend requirement.
The sofas and day beds each accommodate up to four people, so you can split the minimum spend four ways if you want.
However, that’s still 625,000 IDR to 700,000 IDR per person and you will need to stick around for a couple of cocktails and some food, at least, to use it up.
Welcome And Security
We were a bit baffled by the mediocre welcome at this beach club, as part of a huge hotel chain, you’d think they’d train the greeting staff properly.
As is, we had our bags searched (and we approve of that – safety is a good thing) and then were left to wander off by ourselves, we had no idea where to go and there was nobody around to tell us.
We expected much more on this front, particularly in a place with a very high minimum spend.
Inclusions
If you have agreed to minimum spend seating, then you will be afforded a free towel (per person) to use in the pools inside this beach club.
That’s pretty much the bare minimum at any beach club but there’s no option to upgrade the minimum spend for a more premium set of inclusions.
We would think given the statement Woobar seems to betrying to make that this would have been a no-brainer and it shows how a beach club like FINNS under local ownership, can outperform some of the biggest international brand names on the island.
Service
While we weren’t overly impressed with the welcome, things did get better inside the venue.
The wait staff were pleasant and attentive and we liked the fact that they threw in some complimentary chips when we ordered a drink.
Too many places fail to even put some nuts on the table and we like little touches like this, it makes us feel better about the expensive cocktails we’re ordering.
Entertainment
Woobar occasionally hosts international DJs and there’s regular DJ entertainment at night, once the sun goes down, from local talent.
However, during the day, the music is piped in and we think when you’re charging this kind of minimum spend, they ought to be doing more in terms of entertainment.
Pool Quality
There are several pools at Woobar and the minimum spend seating is aligned along the sides of these pools.
However, you don’t have to buy anything to swim in them, though you will need to rent a towel if you’re not eating and drinking.
We were impressed by the pools which are arrayed over several levels and offer different experiences. They were also very clean.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
Well, one thing you can be certain of is that getting through your minimum spend in Woobar won’t be challenging.
With a basic plate of pasta coming at 275,000 IDR (with another 20% added on for tax and service charges), you will spend money like your wallet is on fire here.
And while we do think the food and cocktails here are good, we just can’t find anything that justifies the prices that they charge for them.
Food And Drink Quality
We thought the food we had was excellent and among the best in the beach clubs in Bali but at that price, it absolutely ought to be.
Given that FINNS, our current best beach club in Bali, charges about half the price for food and is equally good, we can’t say that Woobar represents value for money.
The drinks are good though and there’s no doubt that they put enough alcohol into their mixes to keep us happy.
Sunset View
We aren’t positive that you can see the sunset from every part of this hotel beach club but you can certainly see it from most of the club.
The view over the ocean is very nice and the beach looks great as the sun dips below the horizon.
People come to Bali, at least in part, for the spectacular sunsets and we feel that every beach club should offer a great sunset (or sunrise on the other side of the island) view.
Music And Ambiance
One thing we’ve noticed is that Woobar is often quite empty and we suspect that the steep price tags on everything might have something to do with that.
But unfortunately, it does mean that the vibe suffers, being in an almost empty beach club just isn’t that much fun.
We thought the music was also fairly bland on both of our visits, standard beach club fare but nothing to write home about, either.
Payment Options
As you’d expect from the Marriott Group, they will be delighted to take your cash or card payments anywhere in the club or the hotel too.
There were no signs for QRIS, e-wallet or crypto payments, though.
Exit Process
Getting out of this beach club isn’t too convoluted and while it’s a big place, it might take a little time to walk to the door, the paths are direct and not at all annoying.
Nobody was around to wish us goodbye though, rather like the absence of a greeting when we entered the venue.
Transportation
There is a taxi mafia operating in this area but fortunately, as long as you stay in the hotel grounds, you can summon a Grab or Gojek to the entrance without interference.
However, this is a popular part of the island and you may well find that you’re waiting a long time for a ride here, so book before you leave the venue and then you won’t spend too much time standing around.
If you parked in the hotel car park, getting your vehicle back will be very easy too.
Social Media Presence
We weren’t impressed by the social media side of Woobar at all, their Instagram hadn’t been updated for a month.
The photos are mainly bland corporate nonsense and we didn’t feel they did a good job of representing the beach club at all.
Other/General Comments
We can imagine the occasional A-list star makes their way through the doors of the Woobar every now and again and they’re probably the only ones who think it represents value for money.
It’s a nice spot, for sure, but this hotel club makes you feel like their personal ATM, not a guest.
Our Overall Opinion Of Woobar
We wanted to be blown away by Woobar but we just weren’t. It’s a nice spot and we’re glad that we went but we can’t see ourselves rushing back.
It’s overpriced even within the scope of the luxury beach club scene and that just spoils the whole experience here.
Given how empty it often is at Woobar, we don’t think we’re the only ones who feel this way.
If you’d like to know how Woobar compares to the competition, check out our best beach clubs guide for Bali.
You may also appreciate these guides to family-friendly clubs on the island and our breakdown of the differences between beach clubs, jungle clubs and pool clubs.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Woobar?
Yes, you can swim at Woobar, there are several swimming pools available on different levels of the beach club.
What Can You Do At Woobar?
You can swim, eat, relax, drink and chill out in the sun. You can also dance (they have a dance floor) when the DJs are doing their thing in the evenings.
Is Woobar A Family-Friendly Venue?
You can take children into this beach club but there are no special amenities for them and you will need to keep an eye on them.
At night, this is a party spot and is probably not suitable for younger children.
Who Owns Woobar?
Woobar is part of the Marriott Group.
Final Thoughts On Woobar
Woobar is a cool spot that falls victim to high pricing. If it was in the same ballpark cost-wise as other beach clubs in Bali, it would be an easy recommendation.
As is? Unless you have money to burn and don’t mind sitting in a fairly empty beach club while you do it? We’d go elsewhere.
If you found this review useful, you should also check out our reviews of La Plancha Bali and La Brisa.
