The two beach club titans of Seminyak are Potato Head and Ku De Ta. One is the largest in the area, the other the oldest.
But if you had to choose between the two, which would you go for? Well, our time sat down, went through our reviews and their own experiences and then put together this head-to-head match up.
It should help you decide which of these two beach clubs located in Seminyak, you want to visit.
About Potato Head Beach Club
Potato Head is one of the most famous clubs in all of Bali. It’s been around for a decent amount of time and has a unique combination of sustainable facilities that have made headlines around the globe.
Inside you will find three restaurants, three bars, a large lawn area, a lounge area for chilling in and a very pleasant oceanfront infinity pool area.
Potato Head is best known for its laid back vibes and it’s a great place to relax sipping cocktails by the pool.
Where Is Potato Head Beach Club? Petitenget St No.51B, Seminyak, Kuta Utara, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Website: Potato Head
Opening Hours: Open daily, every day except for Nyepi, from 9 a.m. to 12 midnight.
Read Our Full Review Of Potato Head
About Ku De Ta
Ku De Ta’s one of the few places that has been around longer than Potato Head.
In fact, it’s been open in Bali for nearly 20 years which makes it the island’s oldest beach club.
However, it still has plenty of facilities including a restaurant and bar area (over two floors), a nice lawn area and an oceanfront pool.
It’s more of a party destination than Potato Head though and there’s a good music policy at Ku De Ta.
Where Is Ku De Ta? Jl. Kayu Aya No.9, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali, Indonesia
Website: Ku De Ta
Opening Hours: Open daily, every day except for Nyepi, from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight.
Read Our Full Review Of Ku De Ta
Potato Head Vs Ku De Ta Head-To-Head
We review all of the beach clubs in the same fashion for fairness and that means we grade them all in 20 categories (the ones shown below, in fact).
In this head-to-head, we’ll compare each club in each category and either declare a winner or a draw. The club that wins the most categories wins our match-up.
Pre-Club Advertising
Advertising matters, the more people have heard of your brand, the more likely they are to visit your club. The more people in a club, the better time that guests are likely to have.
Potato Head Beach Club doesn’t do as much advertising as some of the big names on the island but it does advertise and the adverts are well-designed and well-thought-out.
Ku De Ta, on the other hand, is a bit underwhelming when it comes to advertising. It’s not non-existent, but it’s definitely not very good at letting people know it’s there.
Potato Head Beach Club is the winner in this category and it’s something of a walkover.
Location
Potato Head and Ku De Ta are both on the Seminyak Beach Front and while you can argue that one is marginally easier to get to than the other – they’re both in great places for visitors to the island’s popular South Coast.
There are plenty of shops, bars, and restaurants in the area and you can walk from each club to other destinations once you’ve finished for the night.
The area is mainly focused on a younger crowd, but you will be fine as an older person in any beach club on the island, they don’t discriminate.
Overall this category is very much a tie.
Booking Process & Seating Options
Potato Head has a decent booking system and you can easily choose a seat, though only after you’ve found the well-hidden booking button on their site (a bizarre design choice).
You can then pick your place, your time slot and place a deposit online. If you don’t show up on the day – you lose your deposit. So, be certain before you book.
Ku De Ta also allows online booking but the process is not as polished. You will need to jump from their website to a booking site to reserve your bed and there’s no facility to choose the location of your bed inside the club.
Potato Head takes another round with a better user experience in the book engine.
Entry Fee
Ku De Ta has no entrance fee and it backs this up with seating that has no minimum spend requirements attached.
For us, this puts Ku De Ta firmly in the league of best beach club practices.
Mainly, Potato Head Beach Cub does the same except between 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. when it does charge an entrance fee.
We don’t like entrance fees. You should be able to go into any club and sit at the bar without paying just to walk inside.
So, Ku De Ta claims this category as they never charge you for sitting down.
Minimum Spend
There are areas where you don’t have to commit to spending a certain amount of money in both clubs.
However, if you want to sit in Ku De Ta’s day beds, it will cost you 1,000,000 IDR ++ on Monday and Tuesday and 2,000,000 IDR ++ (that’s 2,400,000 IDR total) for the rest of the week.
A day bed at Ku De Ta holds up to three people.
Potato Head’s day beds start at 1,500,000 IDR ++ and hold just two people.
The cabanas at Potato Head are 3,000,000 IDR ++ but can accommodate more people.
Overall, there’s not much in this but we think Ku De Ta offers fractionally better value for money in this category.
However, we think both clubs have reasonable minimum spend policies that are very much in keeping with other clubs on the island.
Welcome And Security
We’d say that both clubs do an excellent job of welcoming you to their facilities and the staff are warm and friendly.
In addition, we’d say that their security teams are both effective and carry out the basic bag checks that we want to ensure that we are safe inside.
However, there’s no escaping that it’s a very long walk from the front door to a seat in Potato Head whereas Ku De Ta makes getting inside much more efficient.
So, Ku De Ta takes this category, but there’s not a lot in it.
Inclusions
Potato Head provides a towel as well as free fresh fruit for those who use their day beds (and agree to the spending requirements that go with them).
If you have to pay the entrance fee for arriving between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. then you will find that it includes a free drink,
Ku De Ta provides a towel to their day bed users and that’s it.
Neither club provides a premium or VIP tier level of inclusions.
So, Potato Head wins this round but it’s not by much and neither club really goes above and beyond in this category.
Service
We thought that Ku De Ta offered very good service throughout our visit and while it wasn’t “the best service we’ve ever had a beach club” we certainly weren’t complaining.
However, Potato Head was a different matter. While the staff were friendly, professional and courteous – they were also very slow to bring our orders.
We think when you charge as much for a beer as Potato Head does, you ought to be able to open it and bring it to our table in less than 30 minutes and they didn’t.
Our other minor problem with Potato Head’s service is the shortage of urinals for men in the toilets.
Thus, Ku De Ta wins in this category.
Entertainment
Ku De Ta is very much about entertainment. The club has a music director and head of entertainment.
However, in the day it’s all piped music with DJs only turning up at night.
Potato Head is not famous for good music and, in fact, it’s all piped chill-out tunes with DJs also arriving at night.
Both clubs have special events in the evening on a regular basis.
Ku De Ta wins in this category, but it’s not by as big a margin s we’d expected it to win.
Pool Quality
The bigger the pool, the more people who can use it at the same time and have fun.
And Potato Head has a much bigger pool than Ku De Ta. Both pools are clean and well-maintained but we feel that if you want a pool party – you want it at Potato Head Beach Club.
So, Potato Head wins this category with some ease.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We found Potato Head to have a premium pricing structure on the menu but it’s reflected in the high-quality of the ingredients.
Their “lead people to sustainability” menus are designed to improve our relationship with food and the planet without being preachy.
Ku De Ta, on the other hand, while reasonably priced for drinks was straight-up expensive for food.
Thus, Potato Head wins this round.
Food And Drink Quality
We felt that both clubs delivered excellent meals that tasted good and we were glad to have eaten.
However, we also felt that both clubs could provide more generous portions – particularly at the prices they charge.
We also found that both clubs served well-mixed drinks of the right strength.
And that leads us to declare this category to be a draw, you won’t be sorry to eat and drink in either place.
Sunset View
Given that these two clubs are not very far apart on the Seminyak shoreline, it won’t come as a surprise to learn that they both have excellent and very similar sunset views.
The Balinese sunset is truly iconic and this coast is the perfect place to see it from.
If you want to witness a colourful sky with the sun finally ending the day by dipping behind the horizon of the ocean, these clubs are as good a place to see it as any.
This category is clearly a draw.
Music And Ambiance
Potato Head is famous for its chill out vibe and honestly, we found the music a little bland for our tastes.
It’s fine for being by a swimming pool, but we can’t imagine ever choosing to listen to this elsewhere.
Ku De Ta is more party-oriented and upbeat and while the music can be a little loud in some parts of the venue, it makes us want to party all night long like a good beach bar should.
This category goes to Ku De Ta.
Payment Options
Both clubs will let you pay by cash or card throughout the venue but we didn’t see either offering QRIS or e-wallet systems.
Neither club has crypto payment but then, crypto payment is illegal in Indonesia.
This category is a draw.
Exit Process
Leaving Ku De Ta takes a few seconds and it’s just back out the way you came.
Potato Head, on the other hand, was a long slog to get into and it’s a long slog to get out too.
This category goes to Ku De Ta.
Transportation
This part of Seminyak has a taxi mafia operating in it but you can ignore them and call for a Grab or Gojek, instead, and we recommend that you do.
If you get hassled just politely say, “no, thank you” and then ignore them.
This category is a draw.
Social Media Presence
There was a huge difference between the two clubs in this category.
Ku De Ta barely updates their social media with weeks going between updates at times.
Potato Head, on the other hand, is in the same league as FINNS – world class with social media that really makes you want to visit and enjoy what they have to offer. Updates are regular and relevant.
This category goes to Potato Head.
Other/General Comments
We feel that overall, Potato Head sets a standard for beach clubs on the island.
Whereas while Ku De Ta is the oldest club in Bali, it’s no longer setting the pace. It’s a good place to be, but it doesn’t stand out quite enough to wow us.
This category goes to Potato Head.
The Results: Potato Head Beach Club Or Ku De Ta Which Is Better?
Well, in our head-to-head this is actually a tie with both beach clubs taking the same number of categories.
So, we turn to our original review scores for a tie-breaker and there we find that Potato Head scored a very impressive 81/100 and Ku De Ta picked up 71/100.
This means that in the categories where Potato Head wins, it wins by a larger margin than Ku De Ta wins in its categories.
So, we’re declaring Potato Head to be the winner of this head-to-head but it’s not by much and we think for most people. the deciding factor will be the club’s music policy.
Do you want to chill? Go to Potato Head. If you want to party, instead, go to Ku De Ta.
FAQs
Is Potato Head Beach Club Worth It?
Yes! Potato Head Beach Club currently holds second place on our best beach clubs in Bali list, only beaten by the mighty FINNS Beach Club over in Canggu.
It’s much more than a beach bar with good music and it’s a great destination for chilling out by the sea for a day.
The vibe in Potato Head is very much focused on chill out, so if you want to party, you might want to head elsewhere but if you want to sunbathe or nurse a hangover with some hair of the dog treatment – Potato Head is a great place to be.
Who Is The Owner Of Potato Head Beach Club?
The Potato Head brand is owned by Ronald Akili who was also the founder of the entire Desa Potato Head empire.
Ronald is from Jakarta but is now based full-time in Singapore.
What Is The Minimum Spend At Potato Head Bali?
Potato Head Beach Club has several seats with no minimum spend requirement – though if you arrive between 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. you will need to pay a 180,000 IDR ($12 USD or $18 AUD) entrance fee.
If you want to use a day bed, these do have a minimum spend which starts at 1,500,000 IDR ($100 USD or $150 AUD) and can be higher depending on the day you visit or the season.
The cabanas are more expensive still with a minimum spend of at least 3,500,000 IDR ($230 USD or $350 AUD).
Is Ku De Ta Worth It?
Yes! In fact, Ku De Ta ranks third on our list of the best beach clubs in Bali and while it’s the oldest club on the island – it still feels new and fresh thanks to constant renovation and innovation.
We’d advise heading to the top floor of the restaurant area where there’s no need for a minimum spend and you get a great view far enough away from the main speaker system that you can still hear yourself speak.
Who Is The Owner Of Ku De Ta?
Ku De Ta is owned by a consortium of both local and international investors. The head of this consortium is Pak Kadek, an Indonesian, who is also the major shareholder.
The consortium is extremely defensive over its intellectual property and has sued (and won in court) a club for using its trademark in Singapore.
What Is The Minimum Spend At Ku De Ta?
There are several areas without a minimum spend requirement at Ku De Ta but if you want a day bed, there is a fixed 2,400,000 IDR minimum charge (that’s around $160 USD or $240 AUD) in premium time slots and you can only get three guests on any given day bed.
There are no options for larger day beds at this laid back club, so if you want to go swimming and relax in the sun by the pool, you may want to bear this in mind when choosing your beach club for the day.
Final Thoughts On Potato Head Or Ku De Ta
While we’d always recommend FINNS as our first beach club of choice, these two come very close to that as our next choices.
As you can see from the round-up Potato Head Beach Club just edges Ku De Ta in our head-to-head but it’s a very close run thing and in the end, we think it’s going to come down to a choice between music policies.
A trip to either place for sitting and drinking cocktails into the evening and night is always going to be a good time.
