Looking for a beach club on the island paradise of Nusa Penida, Bali? Well, you might want to check out Cactus Beach Club which is a very pleasant spot on the East Coast of Penida.
We did, so we sent out our team of reviewers to spend a few days on Nusa Penida checking out some beach club highlights and this is what they learned about Cactus Beach Club.
Introduction – Getting To Cactus Beach Club
You’re not likely to make a spur of the moment decision to visit Cactus Beach Club, firstly, it’s on Nusa Penida and that means you’re going to have to take a boat from Bali just to get to the island.
Secondly, it’s in quite a tucked away location even for Nusa Penida which means you won’t just walk past it or drive past it.
So, once you’ve taken the boat to Nusa Penida, you will need to arrange local transportation of some kind to get to the beach club – many people ride scooters on the island, but some will opt for scooter or car taxi services.
However, if you’re in the know, you’ll contact the beach club by WhatsApp and they will arrange a free pick-up and drop-off service! You can’t beat that and it means you can drink to your heart’s content while you’re there without worrying about driving afterwards.
If you do drive, you’ll be fine to park a bike outside this beach club or to be dropped off at the door.
Where Is Cactus Beach Club? jl. pantai jungutbatu, Nusa Lembongan, Jungutbatu, Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency, Bali 87500
Website: LinkTree
Opening Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, except Nyepi
What’s Inside Cactus Beach Club?
The club is home to a stunning pool area with two pools divided down the middle, as well as spa,bar and restaurant facilities. There is also a playground area for children to play in.
Our Review Breakdown For Cactus Beach Club
We work very hard to ensure that are our reviews are fair and equitable to all beach club owners and that means our team always operates in the same fashion.
They visit the beach club in question – not necessarily all at once or even on the same day but in a short period of time – then, they grade the beach club out of 5 (1 being the worst, 5 the best) against the criteria listed below.
After that, they meet up as a team and discuss their scores and experiences and the they take a vote on the final score against each criteria.
Finally, one member of the team writes up a review based on the discussions and the review scores. Once our review goes live, we are unlikely to change it for a year (or possibly longer) until we revisit the beach club.
Pre-Club Advertising
We confess, until we did our research about Nusa Penida, we’d not heard of this place and that’s because we’ve never seen an advertisement of any kind for it.
Nothing online or offline, which is curious, because you’d think with this kind of remote location – relying on word of mouth wouldn’t cut it.
We’re big fans of beach clubs advertising because it brings bodies through the door and part of the best day out at any beach club is other people. It’s a social occasion.
Location
Nusa Penida is a lovely place, but it’s too much effort for most people to get to as it requires a boat journey from mainland Bali and the boats don’t run from every neighbourhood in Bali, so if you have to get to Sanur, it’s going to take some time in the traffic.
And this place is on the wrong side of Nusa Penida for you to enjoy an epic sunset and it’s certainly not open early enough for sunrise.
However, having said that, Nusa Penida is lovely and this is a fabulous spot with epic ocean views and all the creature comforts you could need for a day at the beach.
Booking Process & Seating Options
Yes, we know, it’s Nusa Pendia but we also know that this is 2025 and there’s no excuse for a beach club to have no website and no booking system.
Yet, that’s exactly what the case is for Cactus Beach Club. You can message them on WhatsApp, arrange a daybed, pick-up, etc. but it feels so archaic.
It’s better than nothing, mind you, but only just.
Entry Fee
In keeping with what we feel are best beach club practices, there’s no entrance fee of any kind at Cactus Beach Club.
That’s a good thing because nobody should be charged money just to walk into a venue and decide if they want to stay for food and a beer – imagine if your local pub tried that? It would be empty.
We feel that beach clubs that charge entry fees should be empty too. Fortunately, Cactus Beach Club doesn’t and that’s a huge plus.
Minimum Spend
There is no minimum spend at Cactus Beach Club and this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that you don’t have to commit to spending so much as a cent without seeing the place, first.
The bad thing about a lack of minimum spending is that you’re going to find that any reservation you have for a daybed is tenuous at best.
There is no incentive for beach clubs to keep a daybed for you, if they have a paying customer at the front door who wants it – unless you’ve paid a non-refundable deposit.
Sure, this is no big deal if you’re staying nearby and don’t mind trying your luck but if you travel from mainland Bali for this beach club, you probably want more of a guarantee than “maybe”.
Welcome And Security
You will get a warm and friendly Balinese welcome at the door of the Cactus Beach Club and they will be only too happy to show you to your seat if needed.
However, as with a few beach clubs in Bali, there’s no security check and while you might consider this a good thing as it speeds up the entry process when it’s busy, we don’t.
We like to know that beach clubs are taking precautions to ensure that their guests are safe at all times in their premises and that starts with a bag check.
Inclusions
As you might expect at a beach club with no minimum spend and no entrance fee, there’s absolutely nothing included as part of your time there.
That means you have to pay for some services that other beach clubs provide for free and that includes towel rental. The good news is that towel rental is only 15,000 IDR which is roughly $1 USD or $1.50 AUD, which is one of the lowest towel rental fees we’ve come across in Bali.
We would note that we’ve seen sites trying to sell access passes for this beach club, given that it’s free to get in and there’s no minimum spend, you definitely do not need to buy such a pass – the passes cost around 10 x the towel rental fee!
Service
We were very impressed with the service at this beach club and while it didn’t quite match the heights of service at the very best beach clubs, their staff are a credit to the venue.
They are friendly and helpful and as importantly, efficient. We felt they knew the menu well and were capable of helping out with any special requests.
Entertainment
There is the occasional pool party and DJ night at Cactus Beach Club but there’s no real entertainment beyond this. It’s piped music and that’s OK by us.
In fact, sometimes, it’s nice just to chill out and enjoy the ocean waves and some food and drink with friends without loud music competing for your attention.
Pool Quality
We were very impressed with the pool area at this beach club, it’s clean and well-maintained and on our visits, it was never too busy for you to jump in and have a swim.
We would have liked a pool-bar, but you can’t have everything and we can understand why a small club in a far out place like Nusa Penida wouldn’t make an investment in this kind of facility.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
Generally speaking, Nusa Penida is a bit cheaper than mainland Bali despite everything here being imported from the mainland and that’s because wages and rents are much lower.
However, Cactus Beach Club bucks this trend a little and its prices are comparable with good value beach clubs on the mainland.
It’s not extortionately expensive, but it is more expensive than we’d expect for its location.
Food And Drink Quality
They do say, however, that you get what you pay for and there’s no doubt that the food and drink at Cactus Beach Club is of exceptional quality. It might not quite be on a par with FINNS Beach Club, but for a place on Nusa Penida this is 5 star grub.
You can reduce the price of drinks a little by turning up for their three hour happy hour and you can get good deals on food, four days of the week, when the beach club has a promo on specific types of food (this changes with the day).
Sunset View
Sadly, Cactus Beach Club is on the wrong side of Nusa Penida for an epic sunset view. You might get an epic sunrise view here, but the club doesn’t open until long after the sun has risen.
So, while the view over the ocean at this beach club is quite lovely – we can’t give it any points for an evening light show.
Music And Ambiance
We liked the music at this beach club, it felt like they’d put some thought into their set lists and found music that was universally appealing and it was neither too bland nor too pumped.
We found that it helped us bond with other guests around us and that everyone else had a good time too. However, if you want a party atmosphere, it’s probably a bit understated for you.
Payment Options
As far as we could tell, they accept all major credit cards and cash in this beach club. We didn’t see any signs for QRIS payments though, which is a shame as it’s a great way to pay here in Indonesia.
However, this isn’t too big a deal and anyone who can pay by QRIS ought to be able to pay by card.
Exit Process
The Cactus Beach Club in Nusa Penida isn’t the world’s biggest beach club and you should easily be able to navigate your way back to the front door without too much trouble.
The staff will wish you a heart farewell and if you booked their free drop-off service you might have to wait a few minutes for it to arrive but it will turn up and take you home in comfort.
Transportation
You can’t argue with a beach club that provides free transportation to and from your hotel and that’s exactly what Cactus Beach Club does.
Sure, it’s impossible to get a Grab or Gojek in this area, but who cares if you don’t need one?
As with all of Nusa Penida, it’s not the safest area to drive in, but if you’re on a scooter, getting home will be every bit as challenging as getting there in the first place, we’d strongly recommend using their pick up service, again, it’s free – you have nothing to lose.
Social Media Presence
This beach club has a decent Instagram account and the pictures are fairly representative of what’s inside. It’s also updated regularly and not out of date.
However, we wonder why they bother when they don’t have a website to drive traffic to – again it’s 2025, there’s just no excuse for this.
Other/General Comments
We think that the Cactus Beach Club makes for a great day out. It’s clean, well maintained, the staff are professional and kind and everything just works the way it should do.
Nusa Penida is the ideal location for a day of just lounging around by the sea and there’s no doubt that Cactus Beach Club was built for just that.
Our Overall Opinion Of Cactus Beach Club
We very much enjoyed our day at Cactus Beach Club. No, it’s not the most prestigious club in Bali nor is it the cheapest but it is very nice, the service is great and the facilities are first rate for an out of the way spot like this in Nusa Penida.
It’s definitely not worth booking a trip to Nusa Penida for this beach club alone, but the island has a lot to offer visitors and if you’re in the mood for some incredible beaches and offshore snorkeling and diving, then we would recommend stopping in at Cactus Beach Club.
It doesn’t have the party vibe like somewhere like FINNS on the mainland, but that’s OK, Nusa Penida’s not really a party destination. It’s a place to chill out and relax.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Cactus Beach Club?
Yes! There are a pair of pools at this beach club which are clean and well-maintained and ideal for swimming in. We would also note that this beach club has direct access to the sea which means if you prefer to swim in the ocean, you can.
You should note that with no entrance fee or minimum spend requirement, you are required to rent a towel at the Cactus Beach Club but as it’s only 15,000 IDR ($1 USD or $1.50 AUD) it won’t break the bank.
As with many beach clubs in Bali, you are not permitted to evade this fee by using your own towels. If you bring a towel, you will be required to leave it with their security team during your stay.
What Can You Do At Cactus Beach Club?
For a beach club in the middle of nowhere Cactus Beach Club is pretty good. It has pools for swimming, direct beach access for those that like to play on the beach, a spa with massage facilities, a bar and restaurant serving food and drinks too.
It even has a children’s playground for the little ones to have fun and make new friends while you enjoy a day of relaxation on a daybed.
One other thing of note is that the Cactus Beach Club has regular theme days with promotions on food (such as Sweet Money, Tuesday Pasta, Friday Pizza and Sunday BBQ) and a happy hour that runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. offering buy one get one free on a selected range of cocktails.
Is Cactus Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, Cactus Beach Club is a family-friendly venue. Children are welcome throughout the venue as long as they are kept under the supervision of their parents.
They also have a playground, for the little ones to keep themselves entertained and to enjoy the company of other kids, while you enjoy the more adult beach club facilities.
Who Owns Cactus Beach Club?
The company is owned by the PT ANGELA PENIDA MANAGEMENT company. This appears to be owned by an Indonesian national, though several reviewers seem to think the owner is Polish so this may be a shared investment structure of some kind.
Final Thoughts On Cactus Beach Club
We were very impressed by the overall offering at Cactus Beach Club and if we spent more time on the Nusa Islands, we’d probably go back every now and then.
As is, it’s probably not worth travelling to Nusa Penida just for this beach club (there are better beach clubs on the mainland) but if you are visiting Nusa Penida, we would be happy to recommend Cactus Beach Club.
Just be prepared for slightly higher prices than this area normally attracts but the trade off is a first-rate facility and excellent food.
