OK, you’re ready to head to a beach club in Bali. But how do you get the most out of your beach club experience? What do the locals and regulars know that you don’t?
We decided to survey our team and come up with some tips that will ensure you have the best day out at your chosen beach club and maybe save some money too.
Tip 1: Always Book In Advance If The Beach Club Has Online Booking
Booking online in advance has two advantages. The first is that you know you’re going to have a seat in the beach club where you want it.
There’s nothing sadder than trying to be a walk-in guest to be told that there’s no room by the pool and you’ll need to sit in an area far removed from the action on the second floor at the back of the venue because that’s all they have left.
The second is that you will normally get the best minimum spend agreements by booking in advance.
This can be pretty important, particularly if you’re not a heavy drinker, as the minimum spend at some beach clubs can be quite high.
Committing to spend 2,000,000 IDR per person as a walk-in can be fine if you intend to party hard, but if you sign up online and get the same seats with a minimum spend of 1,000,000 IDR each, you have a bit more control over how your day will go.
Tip 2: Look Out For Special Deals – You Can Book A Long Way In Advance If You Need To
We’ve just seen FINNS offer a crazy deal for Black Friday with not just a 50% discount on their already reasonable minimum spend requirements but also with a free bottle of premium spirits!
That’s absolutely amazing value for money and while the sale may have run for just two days, you could have booked a seat for any time in the year following the sale!
So, if you know you’re coming to Bali and see an incredible deal on a beach club’s website, don’t hesitate to grab it and save some serious cash.
Tip 3: Always Read The Terms And Conditions Carefully
Yes, we know, it’s boring to read terms and conditions and everybody just clicks “OK” and moves on when they’re asked to read them.
But if you don’t read them properly, you can’t be angry when you get to your chosen beach club and find that your children aren’t allowed in.
One really important thing to watch out for is a venue’s tattoo policy. While most tattoos are fine, some venues have strict policies that forbid facial tattoos.
If you book a bed at FINNS or Atlas, for example, and you turn up with a spider’s web tattooed on your cheek, you won’t be allowed in and you won’t be eligible for a refund of the deposit that you paid.
At FINNS, they will either ask you to take the deposit as a takeaway of food and drinks or for the tattooed person (or persons) in your party to leave and admit those without.
This might sound unfair, until you realize that this point is stressed throughout their booking process. If you didn’t read the t’s and c’s, you can’t blame the beach club when they enforce them anyway.
At other beach clubs, you may find that your bed is only yours for specific hours and that you may need to surrender it just as the sun goes down or whatever. And so on… so, please read the t’s and c’s before you put down a deposit.
Tip 4: Don’t Be Afraid To Get To A Beach Club Early In The Day
Beach clubs aren’t night clubs. That means you can enjoy the whole day in the sun and we think it’s a shame that more people don’t choose to do just that.
With amazing pools, stunning beaches, and a relaxing chilled out vibe, why wouldn’t you want to grab your daybed and lounge around in the warm light of a Balinese day?
Not only can you work on your tan and finish that book you’ve been meaning to read, but you can wander around the venue and work out where everything is.
Then, when the sun sets, you’ll know where in the beach club you want to be to enjoy the music and party atmosphere.
Tip 5: Bring Sunscreen, Sunglasses And A Hat
It’s hot here in Bali and that glorious sunshine can burn the unwary or leave them with sunstroke or heatstroke.
You can prevent this from happening to you and spoiling your holiday by investing in sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
In fact, we recommend you bring your sunscreen from your home country to Bali rather than try to buy it here, for some reason it’s super expensive in Bali. It’s also usually full of the skin whitening ingredients that the locals love but visitors in search of a tan aren’t so fond of.
Some of the beach clubs may offer a premium tier service with free sunscreen, but most don’t and there’s nothing worse than having to run around the neighbourhood looking for sunscreen rather than bringing it with you.
You should ensure that the sunscreen has a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor) if you want to spend most of the day out in the sunlight.
We’d also recommend buying a decent pair of sunglasses rather than buying some fake ones from a Bali market – the fake ones often don’t have the right level of UV protection to ensure your eyes don’t get damaged in bright sunlight.
Tip 6: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask The Beach Club Staff About Anything
There is a huge variety in the beach clubs of Bali and they all have their own unique layouts, menus, rules, etc.
So, it’s super easy to feel a bit confused about what you can and cannot do or what the best thing on the menu might be, or whatever.
The staff in most beach clubs will speak decent English and they will be delighted to help you in anyway that they can.
Tip 7: Find Out When Happy Hour Is And Make Use Of It
While drinks in Bali aren’t that expensive when compared to the prices in similar places in the West, they’re still not as cheap as they could be.
One very easy way to ensure that you stay within your minimum spend criteria is to maximize the use of happy hours.
Most beach clubs have a happy hour (and sometimes more than one or a happy hour that lasts for more than an hour).
We find that if we time it right, we can get drinks at the start of the happy hour and then we order a couple more drinks right at the end of happy hour too. Four drinks for the price of two? Don’t mind if we do.
Tip 8: See If There Are Any Cool Promos On Food And Drink
We were really excited to see FINNS launch their “Bottomless Lunch” deal this last month. We go to FINNS a lot and thus, we like a great deal when we do.
This deal allows you to eat as much as you like and drink as much as you like in their St. Tropez restaurant for a period of three hours (from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Deals like this can save you a small fortune and deliver amazing value for your money.
Many beach clubs will have promos running particularly during the off season.
Tip 9: Beware Of Beach Clubs Bearing Gifts
Sometimes, a deal is just too good to be true. One of Bali’s beach clubs in recent months has been empty nearly every day.
That means they’ve resorted to waiving their entrance fee, dropping their minimum spend and even handing out a free drink to people coming through the door!
This sounds amazing, until you realize, you’re going to be stuck in a big empty beach club all day long and if you try to leave, you will be made to feel guilty for doing so, because you got all that “free” stuff.
Particularly in the rainy season, there are only a few beach clubs that get consistently full enough to deliver the kind of experience that you want to have – so don’t get carried away when a club is giving away the farm to get people through the door, it’s often a sign that it’s empty and lacking in fun.
Tip 10: Don’t Forget To Have Fun
Beach clubs are social places, in the main. Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with someone else in the club when it feels right to do so.
Do get on the dance floor and strut your stuff when you’re ready to fully let your hair down.
If the beach club offers any activities, take advantage of them. What makes beach clubs so much better than a pub or restaurant with a pool is that they’re vibrant, fun days out.
Final Thoughts On Enjoying Bali’s Beach Clubs Like A Local
Beach clubs in Bali are amazing places to spend a day. You get treated like royalty, at least at most of the beach clubs, enjoy amazing food and drinks and often get live entertainment too.
It’s not hard to get the most out of these experiences but you have to know what to look out for and we hope that our ten tips above will help you know what to expect and how to enjoy your day to the fullest extent at your favourite beach club.
