Going to a beach club is not just a day at the beach. When you visit a beach club, you should be aware that they have rules and regulations and quite often, this includes rules regarding food and drink.
Before you visit any beach club in Bali, you should be aware of these rules and what to expect, so we put this quick guide together for you.
The Basic Rule Of Thumb: Leave Food And Drink At Home
Beach clubs are a business and their business is usually food and beverage oriented.
The beach club provides you with comfortable facilities including a nice daybed and pools to swim in and you agree to consume their food and drinks.
Yes, this food and drink is more expensive than it would be in a local warung, but at the same time, a beach club is a big step up on a warung in terms of the facilities it offers.
In fact, at most beach clubs, you may be asked to agree to a minimum spend on food, drinks and tobacco products if you want to sit down on the nice seats.
Why Leave The Food And Drink At Home?
Most beach clubs will have a bag search team which is there to provide security for all the guests.
They’re also looking for contraband and while in Indonesia people don’t tend to bring drugs to beach clubs, the contraband they’re really looking for (among other things) is outside food and drinks.
In the best case scenario, the beach club will ask you to leave your food and drink at security and then collect it on the way out.
But this is a best case scenario, in many cases, the beach clubs don’t have a huge amount of storage space for contraband and they’re saving it for things like cameras rather than bottles of water and homemade sandwiches.
So, in the next best case scenario, they will ask you to leave the food and drink in your vehicle, where it will sit and sweat in the hot Bali sun.
If you have any fresh items on you, they won’t be too fresh when you get back.
If you don’t have a vehicle to dump things in, you will be left with a simple choice – either you throw the items you have brought with you away or you don’t get into the beach club.
We should note that if you’ve booked furniture and paid a minimum spend, you may lose your deposit if you walk away at this point.
So, it’s always best to leave the food and drink at home.
Can You Bring Water Into A Beach Club?
No, you can’t but you can take a reusable water bottle inside as long as it’s empty.
And all businesses in Bali are obliged by law, to provide free drinking water that you can use that bottle to take advantage of.
This means that you can drink as much water as you need without spending any money and without generating any of the plastic waste that really mars the island.
Could You Sneak Food And Drink Into A Beach Club?
At the bigger beach clubs, we’d say that it’s impossible to get food and drink inside.
They have very strict security checks and very professional security teams – places like FINNS, Potato Head, La Brisa, etc. are not going to let you get in with outside items.
At some of the smaller beach clubs, there may be no security check on the door (something that we find concerning – they’re not just to find food and drink, they’re also meant to stop people bringing in weapons), so you might get away with things in your bag.
However, if anybody inside the venue sees you eating or drinking these products, you’re likely to be thrown out immediately.
If you have agreed to a minimum spend, you may end up forfeiting the entirety of your deposit too.
We also don’t think it’s morally right to try and bring food and drink into beach clubs – that’s their bread and butter. You wouldn’t try and take supermarket beers into your local pub, would you? It’s the same thing.
How Much Is Food And Drink In Beach Clubs?
It varies from club to club. We’d say that on average you can buy a meal for around 150,000 IDR (that’s $10 USD or $15 AUD) though some menu items may be much more expensive.
For cocktails, it’s usually around 120,000 IDR (give or take a few thousand IDR) which is about $8 USD or $12 AUD.
If you are in a beach club during happy hour, you can probably get a buy one get one free deal on cocktails (though there may be a limited happy hour menu).
These prices aren’t unreasonable when you consider the facilities that most beach clubs offer to their customers.
Infinity pools, beach towels, sun loungers, etc. aren’t free and you’re paying for the use of these “free” facilities as part of the cost of the food and drink.
FAQs
Is It OK To Take Food And Drink To Beach Clubs?
No, these businesses are food and beverage companies. They won’t allow outside products to be brought inside or to be consumed on the premises.
Is It A Good Idea To Bring A Reusable Water Bottle To A Beach Club?
Yes. All businesses in Bali are required to provide access to drinking water that you can fill your bottle from.
Final Thoughts On Food And Drink At Beach Clubs
A beach club is not a hotel. It’s a restaurant and bar business and that means it has to sell food and drinks to survive.
It’s not OK to bring outside food and drink into these establishments and unsurprisingly they won’t react well if they catch you sneaking things in.
Your best bet is to leave the food and drink at home and then pay for what you need inside the beach clubs.
