OK, you’ve decided which beach club you want to visit in Bali, but now there’s just one hurdle – do you book a beach bed (or day bed) and if so, how do you go about it?
Our quick reference guide to booking beach beds at Bali’s best beach clubs is all you need to ensure that you get a great seat by the pool and can kick back and relax.
What Is A Day Bed?
Often referred to as “furniture” by those in the beach club trade, a day bed is a cross between a sun lounger, a bed and a sofa.
It’s an ultra-comfortable piece of furniture and it’s designed to ensure that your day by the beach makes you feel really special.
You will find that day beds come in all shapes and sizes. You can find some day beds that accommodate just one person and aren’t a huge upgrade over the traditional sun lounger.
However, just because a day bed or beach bed only seats one person, it doesn’t mean that it won’t be super comfortable.
Others can seat 6-8 people and are very luxurious, indeed. These beds are often in the heart of the best beach clubs because they help to create a party atmosphere for all the guests.
Some clubs may also offer bean bag style seating as well as more traditional restaurant and bar seating.
Are Day Beds Expensive?
If you’re asking do they cost a lot of money to buy, the answer is, yes. Compared to the sort of sun lounger that you have in your back garden, they’re usually quite expensive.
However, it’s fair to point out that because most beach clubs buy large quantities of beach beds, they get fairly substantial discounts on them too.
The important thing to realize is that beach beds don’t last forever. In fact, the upholstered parts of the beds may need washing, maintenance and replacement on a very regular basis and even the frames may need changing, at least, once a year.
That means that beach clubs need to be able to recoup their investment in day beds back from their customers.
And it’s important to remember that wear and tear on these items of furniture takes place even if nobody is using them. That fresh sea breeze is full of salt water which damages (and eventually bleaches) fabrics, causes iron and steel fittings to rust and slowly rots away wooden fixtures too.
How Do Beach Clubs Pay For Their Beach Beds?
In the main, most beach clubs do not charge their customers directly to use their day beds. You’re not likely to rock up at a beach club in Bali to be told you have to pay $10-$20 (or more) to use a seat.
Entrance Fees For Beach Clubs In Bali
However, there are some beach clubs in Bali that do levy an entrance fee and, in part, some of that money will be used to cover the work on their beach beds.
Though, usually, an entrance fee will include a drink and the use of a towel – towels are another item that beach clubs have to pay for wash and maintain and then replace frequently. (We answer any and all questions you may have about beach towels in beach clubs.)
We don’t like entrance fees and the good news is that the vast majority of beach clubs here in Bali don’t charge an entrance fee as standard with the exception of when there’s a major event running. After all, DJs like Fat Boy Slim or Martin Garrix don’t come free for anyone.
Minimum Spend Agreements At Beach Clubs In Bali
That leaves us with the device that the vast majority of beach clubs use instead of an entrance fee – the minimum spend agreement.
This agreement recognizes the value of the day bed and allows you to use one for free. In exchange, you agree to purchase a minimum value of food, drinks and/or tobacco products in the beach club.
These products are always charged at the standard menu value on the day and are not charged at a premium.
So, for example, in FINNS Beach Club (our favourite beach club) while you do need to agree to a minimum spend if you want to use a day bed or beach bed, you don’t need to commit to a minimum spend to sit in their bars or restaurants.
Whether you’re on a day bed or at the bar, wherever you are in FINNS the food, drinks and tobacco products all cost the same amount of money.
The minimum spend that a club levies varies between clubs and often changes based on the day of the week or the season that you’re using the bed in.
Find out all you need to know about the difference between entrance fees and minimum spends).
A Note On Taxes And Service Charges In Bali’s Beach Clubs
A “typical” minimum spend is usually between 500,000 IDR and 2 million IDR per person ++. That “++” means that you will have to pay tax and service charges on top of this amount.
While the service charge can vary slightly between beach clubs (minimum 7% – maximum 12%), you will usually find that ++ is roughly equivalent to 20%.
So a 500,000 IDR ++ minimum spend is 600,000 IDR (that’s about $40 USD or $60 AUD) whereas a 2,000,000 IDR ++ minimum spend is 2,400,000 IDR (that’s about $150 USD or $240 AUD).
A very few beach clubs don’t have an entrance fee or a minimum spend, but they often have very few amenities available either.
Don’t Worry About Minimum Spend Unless You’re On A Tight Budget
In our experience, clubs tend to set their minimum spend agreements at less than the average spend per visitor.
That means, most people spend more than the minimum spend by the time that they leave.
In some beach clubs, such as Mari or La Brisa, we managed to breach the minimum spend limits with our first orders of food and drink!
In others, it takes a bit longer but we rarely find ourselves wasting any money by leaving it unused.
And yes, if you don’t spend all the money you’ve committed to with a minimum spend agreement – you lose it.
Though to help prevent that, many beach clubs will allow you to convert that amount into take away products – so you can grab a couple of beers or a pizza to go on the way out the door.
So, Do You Need To Book A Beach Bed At A Bali Beach Club?
At some rare beach clubs in Bali, the clubs don’t take bookings. Their beds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
These clubs tend to be small and in out of the way locations, however, the vast majority of beach clubs do have some sort of booking system in place.
If you want to visit any of our top 10 beach clubs (on our 114 best beach clubs in Bali), we’d recommend that you book in advance at any time of year – particularly if you’re going to FINNS which regularly sells out even in the low season.
Otherwise, we recommend booking a bed at a beach club on weekends and in the high season, when clubs are prone to running out of space.
There’s nothing worse than turning up for a night of fun at a beach club and not being able to sit in comfort.
What Do Bookings Cost For Beach Beds In Bali?
Clubs will generally expect you to put down a deposit for your beach bed or day bed. This is usually equivalent to the minimum spend agreement for that bed.
We should warn you, that once you’ve paid this deposit most beach clubs have terms and conditions that prohibit refunds under any circumstances except if acts of God, etc. close the beach club for the day.
So, make sure that you are committed to visiting a given beach club before you pay the deposit. We’re always shocked to hear from industry insiders how many people book beds and then don’t turn up.
However, there’s usually no charge for the bed itself and you should only be paying a deposit equivalent to the minimum spend.
How Do You Book A Beach Bed In Bali?
The best beach clubs have an integrated booking system on their websites. These systems will usually allow you to:
- Specify the date you want to come
- In some cases, they may require you to choose a time slot on a date – so, for example, Potato Head has two time slots per day for each day bed, whereas you can book a bed for the whole day at FINNS.
- Choose from the available furniture options on that date
- Learn the minimum spend associated with that furniture and any other important terms and conditions (such as the “no face tattoos” policy at many beach clubs in Bali)
- Make a payment.
In some cases, the booking system is not as robust and you may need to cross your fingers and hope for a good location within the club as part of the booking system’s process.
In the worst cases, where you can book, there is no booking system at all and you have to trade messages over Whatsapp. The good news is that generally, you won’t have to pay a deposit to clubs that don’t have a booking system.
What Happens If You Don’t Book A Day Bed?
If you don’t book a day bed, you can still turn up at a beach club and try to get a seat on the day. However, if they’re sold out – they’re sold out and going on a waiting list does not guarantee you a seat if none becomes available while you’re there.
That means you risk being very disappointed by your day by the sea.
What Happens If You Do Have A Booking But Turn Up Late?
If your booking has an “arrive by” time on it, if you turn up late, it’s not uncommon for beach clubs to cancel your reservation entirely.
For example, FINNS has two options – “arrive before 1 p.m.” and “all day arrival” on its website. If you choose to arrive before 1 p.m. you get a reduced minimum spend agreement. But you must arrive before 1 p.m. or you will lose your seat.
If you’re habitually late for things, we strongly recommend booking an all-day time slot where you can arrive anywhere.
If you’re late then some beach clubs, may allow you to keep the minimum spend deposit and use it in their bars and restaurants even if you can’t have day bed seating. Some will require you to forfeit the deposit entirely.
We cannot stress enough that traffic in Bali can be very, very bad particularly at rush hour.
You must set off early for your booking and keep the venue appraised if you’re going to be late.
If you don’t pay a deposit at all on your booking, most beach clubs will cancel the booking if you’re more than 15 minutes late.
Final Thoughts On Booking A Beach Bed At Bali’s Beach Clubs
We nearly always book day beds when we can book them. We go to beach clubs for a bit of luxury, not to sit on a rickety bar stool miles away from the beach and the pool.
Because we know that we typically exceed the minimum spend agreements at every beach club, we don’t really worry about paying the deposit because it never goes to waste.
And if you’re intending to visit the best beach clubs in high season, we recommend booking as far in advance as you can. FINNS, for example, is never empty at that time of year and often sold out weeks ahead of time.
