Canna Bali is one of the few beach clubs in the upmarket tourist town of Nusa Dua and we wanted to know if this small family-friendly beach club was worth a drive to the Bukit Peninsula.
So, we sent out our intrepid review team to spend a day on Nusa Dua Beach to experience Canna Bali on your behalf and this is what they thought of the place.
Introduction – Getting To Canna Bali
Canna Bali is in the Nusa Dua area and it’s on the famous Nusa Dua Beach of white sand. It’s not the easiest part of the island to get to as it’s on the Bukit Peninsula but it ought not to be more than an hour or two’s drive from the most popular parts of Bali in traffic.
Where Is Canna Bali? Jl. Raya Nusa Dua Selatan, Benoa, Kec. Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80363, Indonesia
Website: Canna Bali
Opening Hours: 10 a.m to 10 p.m every day except for Nyepi
What’s Inside Canna Bali?
Canna Bali has a restaurant and bar as well as two shaded dining areas, and a pool area with daybeds as well as some seating on the beach itself.
Our Review Breakdown For Canna Bali
All of our beach club reviews are carried out on the same basis for fairness. Our team visits the beach club and grades it on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in a set of 20 different criteria.
When they return to the office they vote on the final grade for each criterion to ensure that it’s the best representative score of their combined experience.
Then, a review is written by a team member and once it’s live on our site, it remains there for, at least, a year before we revisit the club and amend any scores that it would be helpful to amend.
Pre-Club Advertising
We can’t account for seeing any advertising for Canna Bali beyond their website and we guess that they’re expecting most of their guests to come from the Nusa Dua area.
We think this is a bit of a shame as advertising helps ensure that a beach club is packed out and this helps to deliver a better experience.
However, we can’t argue with the idea that a beach club on Nusa Dua Beach is always going to be reasonably busy, this area is very popular, particularly with well-to-do families.
Location
Nusa Dua Beach is a very attractive area and you can’t help but be impressed with the ocean view and the white sands here.
However, it’s not the easiest place to get to when compared to the main beach towns and Ubud and you will find it’s a decent drive to get here.
Once you’re in Nusa Dua, you will find that it’s an upmarket area and prices in this part of the island tend to be higher than in the other beach towns.
It’s also not the most walkable area and you may need to get a Grab or a Gojek to get to another place of interest.
Booking Process & Seating Options
The booking process at Canna Bali is done through the Chope app which means you won’t need to pay a deposit but it also means they don’t hold the seats very long – if you don’t turn up within 30 minutes of your booking time, you lose the seat.
However, they’ve done a good job of helping you understand the kind of seats you are booking and while you can’t book a specific seat, you can see the area you will be sitting in.
It’s also important to note that you can only have a seat at this beach club for 5 hours (no day pass), after that, you will be expected to find somewhere else in the Nusa Dua area to hang out.
We do like that they stress you can’t take a camera or a drone inside while you book, so you can’t complain when they don’t allow them in on the day.
Need a different booking policy? There are so many beach clubs in Bali to choose from, find one that suits here.
Entry Fee
Officially, there’s no entrance fee at this beach club and we think no matter how much “otherworldly beauty” a club has to offer even if it’s a “wondrous hidden gem” (we took the phrases in quotes out of some of the fawning press pieces on this club) you should be able to get in for free and decide if you want to spend a day there or not.
However, all the seating in this venue has a minimum spend attached to it (which is essentially an entrance fee by stealth) AND if you want to bring additional guests beyond the “capacity” of a seat, they will be charged 150,000 IDR per person just to walk in the door.
This isn’t “good value” and while the Nusa Dua Beach location is quite lovely there’s no excuse for entrance fees at a beach club.
You may also be able to get a free drink with an Air Asia boarding pass but their website doesn’t make the terms of this offer clear.
Minimum Spend
There’s no longer a “romantic tent” option at this beach club but you can get seats in the lodge (a sofa for 4 or a sofa for 8), day beds by the infinity pool for 2 guests, loungers on the sands for up to 8 guests, beanbags on the sand for 2 guests, day beds on the sand for 2 guests, a cabana on the sands for up to 4 guests and a table in the other lodge for up to 4 guests.
These vary wildly in price with the beanbags requiring a minimum spend of just 750,000 IDR, the day beds by the infinity pool of 1,500,000 IDR, and the cabanas and loungers of 2,000,000 IDR.
This is not unreasonable and falls roughly in line with
Welcome And Security
The welcome at this beach club is warm and friendly without being truly stand out. They do have a quick bag check as you come into the club and we appreciate that.
We like security checks, they ensure that a trip to Canna Bali is safe and memorable for all the right reasons and we prefer all clubs take care of the important details like this.
Inclusions
As you’d expect for a place with a minimum spend attached to every seat there’s a towel included with every seat and you can use the pool for free.
However, there is no premium or VIP tier and we think that Canna Bali is the sort of place that could really benefit from offering a more differentiated service.
The visitors here are mainly upmarket and from the nearby resorts and would be likely to pay for additional services that enhance their day at the club.
Service
We found the service at Canna Bali to be very good, it wasn’t quite the best we’ve ever had at a beach club, but it was certainly above average.
The staff are happy to have a conversation and to help you with any requests that you have, they’re also super handy to have around if you’re trying to get the best photos at the selfie stations in this venue.
Entertainment
There is live music at night and there are activities on the beach throughout the day but Canna Bali is not really set up for the kind of entertainment that you get at the best beach clubs like FINNS, either.
That’s OK, the family-friendly feel of this beach club is just right and we’d suggest that it’s a place where the fun is always kept under control and never strays into full “party hard” territory.
Pool Quality
There is an oceanfront infinity pool which isn’t the biggest pool we’ve seen in Bali but is fine for swimming in – you can also take a dip or snorkel in the ocean here.
The pool is very clean and the ocean water is clear and blue.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We thought that the food menu was very reasonably priced for Nusa Dua but that the drinks were very pricey, even taking into account the area.
Food And Drink Quality
There’s no doubt that the food was excellent though and beautifully presented and represented great value for money.
However, though the drinks were strong enough and well-mixed, they didn’t quite justify the hefty price tag.
Sunset View
Nusa Dua is on the wrong side of the island for the best sunset views and while you can certainly get a light show above the ocean as the sun drops below the horizon, it doesn’t hold a candle to the sunsets of Canggu, Seminyak and Kuta.
However, you may be happy enough to be spending time on the white sands of Nusa Dua Beach that you don’t mind this trade-off.
We would encourage everyone to witness, at least, one full Bali sunset in their time on the island though.
Music And Ambiance
During the day they have piped music but they often have live music (a band rather than a DJ) in the evenings and we like that – it gives Canna Bali a distinct identity and helps it maintain the family-friendly vibe even after the sun has gone down.
Payment Options
You can pay with cash or card throughout Canna Bali but we didn’t see any QRIS or e-wallet options and that’s something that all beach clubs could use working on – it’s 2024, and these are the top payment choices for much of Indonesia.
Exit Process
Leaving Canna Bali is very straightforward, you just head out the way that you came in and their staff will wish you a cheery farewell on the way out the door.
As a fairly small beach club, it’s hard to get lost inside Canna Bali even if you’ve had a few too many while sitting by the pool.
Transportation
Nusa Dua isn’t the easiest place for access and at the busiest times of day, there may be a bit of a shortage of Grab and Gojek drivers to get you around.
However, the area is blissfully free of the taxi mafia (though that does mean you can’t flag someone down for a ride easily, either).
Parking is available at this beach club for a fee and overall, it’s not the worst place in Bali for transport, but it’s not the best either.
Social Media Presence
Canna Bali has a decent social media presence highlighting their attractive location in Nusa Dua and some of the events that take place there along with the food and drinks.
It has fallen into the trap of showcasing an empty venue rather too often in the pictures which is odd given that this is quite a busy place most of the time.
We want to see a packed club on social media not pictures of empty seats.
Other/General Comments
One thing we really liked at Canna Bali was their use of selfie stations where you can get awesome photos that have been set up to ensure you can document your visit on Instagram.
These work well for both individuals and groups and families may find that they’re worth the price of admission all by themselves.
This is also an amazing spot for snorkelling in the ocean, you can meet much of the best of Bali’s marine life at this beach club.
Our Overall Opinion Of Canna Bali
We don’t like entrance fees and Canna Bali could do some work in that area as well as boosting their social media presence and advertising in general.
However, we did think the food was great at this beach club and if we were looking for a family day out rather than a party or a day of chilling, Canna Bali would be a beach club that we would definitely consider.
Looking for other beach club options? Check out Komune Beach Club and Ohana’s Beach Club too.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Canna Bali?
Yes. There’s a decent infinity pool at Canna Bali and it’s more than clean enough to swim there. You can also swim in the sea/ocean as this spot is directly on the beach.
What Can You Do At Canna Bali?
You can swim, relax, enjoy an ocean view, have lunch or dinner, enjoy delicious drinks and snacks and have fun on the beach.
Is Canna Bali A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, while there’s no special children’s area, they offer many activities that are suitable for families and children are very welcome inside Canna Bali.
Nusa Dua Beach is a great place for making sandcastles or having a night time bonfire with marshmallows and cocoa.
Who Owns Canna Bali?
Canna Bali is owned by the Indonesian Chef Chandra Yudasswara, he found the place as a chance to showcase his food to international guests.
Final Thoughts On Canna Bali
Canna Bali Beach Club is in the swanky part of the island, Nusa Dua and the pricing structure sometimes reflects this.
However, overall we felt this familly-friendly beach club was a nice place for a family day out particularly if you like to have fun in the water.
