To complete our round-up of the best beach clubs in Bali, we’ve been venturing into the murky world of beach clubs that are only available to resort guests.
Fortunately, for our wallets, there aren’t too many of those but one of them is the D’nusa Beach Club which is part of the D’Nusa Beach Club and Resort complex on the small island of Nusa Lembongan.
However, as a night at the resort isn’t unreasonably priced, our team speang into action and headed out to Nusa Lembongan to learn all they could about the D’nusa Beach Club for you and this is what they found.
Introduction – Getting To D’nusa Beach Club
The real challenge of getting to this resort beach club is getting to Nusa Lembongan in the first place. There are no airports on the Nusa Islands, so you’ll need to take a boat from mainland Bali.
This can be a very pleasant experience if the seas are smooth and it’s only a 45-minute journey, but be warned, if there are storms, that journey can feel like an eternity.
We’d also strongly recommend that if you opt to go to the Nusa Islands, that you ensure everything you own that can be water damaged is sealed in waterproof cases before you board, it’s not unknown for luggage to get soaked if the seas turn rough.
Once you’re on the island, this resort is in the main built up part of Nusa Lembongan and getting local transport won’t be a problem.
The beach club is only open to hotel guests, so assuming you’ve checked in, you should be good to go and grab yourself a seat on the daybeds.
Where Is D’nusa Beach Club? Light House Beach, Nusa Lembongan, Br. Kaja, Jungutbatu, Kec. Nusa Penida, Kabupaten Klungkung, Bali 80771
Website: D’nusa
Opening Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, except Nyepi
What’s Inside D’nusa Beach Club?
There are two pleasant seating areas along with a pool area. There are bar and restaurant facilities available throughout the beach club.
Our Review Breakdown For D’nusa Beach Club
We endeavour to ensure that all of our reviews are fair both to the beach club owners and to our readers who expect to be able to compare beach clubs on a like-for-like basis.
That means we use a standard methodology for reviewing beach clubs in Bali and we always use the same one.
Our team is firstly tasked with visiting the beach club, this may not all be at the same time or even all on the same day.
Once they arrive at the beach club, each team member is expected to grade the club on a rating scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) against the criteria that we have laid out below.
After all the team has been to a beach club, they meet up to discuss their various experiences with the beach club and to vote on a final score in each category.
Then, one team member takes on the task of writing up the review and they will take into account the conversations that have been had and the final grades.
Once their review is published on our website, it remains in place for at least a year, before we revisit the beach club and amend the review as needed.
Pre-Club Advertising
It’s fair to say that we’ve never seen any advertisements for the d’Nusa Beach Club, though there is a website, there’s no real effort to promote this facility online or offline.
This is a problem for us, because we believe that beach clubs are all about the social vibe and if there’s no advertising, the place is likely to be less busy than it should be,
And while we appreciate that this is a fairly small facility, in our experience in this venue, the beach club was often underutilised.
So, while it may be challenging to advertise a beach club that’s on Nusa Lembongan, there is real incentive to do so, for both the beach club and its guests.
Location
The Nusa Islands aren’t the easiest place to get to, however, they are becoming more and more popular with people seeking a quiet escape from the mainland for a few days.
We don’t recommend going out to these islands on a day trip, because you tend to get hurried around a few packed out sites and never really experience them properly.
And yes, the boat journey out to these islands can be great or it can be a bit on the unpleasant side depending on the day (of course, it’s more likely you will hit storms in the rainy season).
Once you’re in Nusa Lembongan, though, this beach club is easy enough to find and it’s on the right side of the island for a decent sunset.
Booking Process & Seating Options
Because this facility is for hotel guests only, you can’t book seats in the beach club in advance, they’re available on first come, first served basis to those who’ve checked in.
That means as long as you have a booking for the hotel, you’ve got a booking for the beach club and if you don’t, well, you can’t get into the beach club.
We understand this in principle as it’s a pretty small facility and it would be very easy for it to get crowded with walk-ins and become less fun for the resort’s guests.
However, there’s no booking system and no way to reserve a seat.
Entry Fee
There are two ways to look at the entrance fee for this beach club, we could note that if you’re a resort guest, you can get in for free which is in keeping with the best practices of beach clubs in Bali.
Or we could note that you need to spend, a minimum of, 900,000 IDR (about $60 USD or $90 AUD) on a room here, which makes it one of the most expensive entrance fees of any beach club in Bali.
In the end, we’ve split the difference between the two as we have for all hotel-guest-only beach clubs here. It’s not “free” but nor is it the full cost of your night’s stay.
Minimum Spend
There is no minimum spend at this beach club which is only to be expected given that you’ve already paid to stay in the resort, it would be pretty cheeky to then require you to meet a certain spending limit to sit on the daybeds.
However, this also means that you can’t reserve a seat as an outside guest, which is a little frustrating and in our time at this resort, we found that the beach club was never really all that busy – a few outsiders might have given it a bit more life and buzz.
Welcome And Security
When you enter this resort, you’ll be given the kind of warm Balinese welcome that we’ve come to expect from hospitality businesses here in Bali. It’s sincere and heartfelt.
However, there’s no sign of any security and you won’t be asked to undergo a bag check. We understand that there are some impracticalities of scanning a resort guest’s bag but we still believe that bag checks help to keep people safe.
It’s one of the reasons that Bali has had no incidents in a long time, security teams help to promote a culture of safety.
Inclusions
You will be provided with a towel at this beach club, which you’d expect given that you’re staying in the resort but there’s nothing else included.
And there is no option to extend your inclusions for a small fee, either. We don’t get this. It’s nice to be able to treat yourself a little on holiday and most beach clubs are missing out here.
Things like sunscreen, charging stations for phones, etc. can be very handy and we don’t mind paying a little for access to these things.
Service
We thought the service at this resort was pretty good all told and the same level of service carried through to the beach club.
No, it’s not the most polished service that we’ve ever seen, but it’s more than good enough and you’ll find the staff to be helpful and kind.
Entertainment
This is not a party-oriented beach club and the capacity of the place means that there’s very little scope to budget for entertainment even if it was easy to source on Nusa Lembongan.
So, there’s no entertainment and that’s OK, this is a hotel beach club for some day time chilling, not a place to dance the night away.
Pool Quality
It’s a pretty small pool area but the pool is just about big enough to do a few lengths in if you want to. The resort offers one of those “floating breakfasts” in the pool if you want to pay an additional fee for it.
Overall, the area is clean and decently maintained, but the resort itself is looking a bit older and shabbier than it once did and everything, including the pool area, could use bringing up to date and being renovated.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We thought that the prices were on the high side at this beach club for Nusa Lembongan. Now, we appreciate that resorts are normally a bit more expensive than the background but even then, it seemed pricey.
Food And Drink Quality
We always think you can offset the pricing of food and drinks by providing an incredible dining experience.
However, we also thought that the food here was just OK. It wasn’t terrible, the portions were reasonable but the overall taste just wasn’t there.
The drinks were fine, though, and more than strong enough when they’d been mixed.
Sunset View
This beach club isn’t perfectly positioned for sunset, but it’s not bad and if you move towards the beach as the sun goes down, the view gets better.
We love a great Bali sunset and there’s no doubt you can enjoy a sunset here with that great lightshow in the sky even if you have to move around a bit to get the best view.
Music And Ambiance
There is some background music in this beach club, but it wasn’t very memorable and really this is more about chatting to your friends and lounging by the pool.
That’s OK, not every day at a beach club needs to be a hardcore party day.
Payment Options
You can pay by both cash and card in this resort and beach club, but we didn’t see any facility for QRIS payments and that’s a shame because it’s very handy for locals and expats with local banking.
Exit Process
It’s a fairly small resort and beach club complex and you just head back out the way that you came in. The staff will wish you a warm goodbye as you leave.
Transportation
Nusa Lembongan doesn’t have Grab or Gojek services. So, either you got a scooter taxi to get here or drove a rented scooter and that’s how you’ll need to leave too.
You can walk to the nearby town and there’s a few businesses and hotels within walking distance.
Social Media Presence
The resort does have an Instagram account and it is updated every now and again, but it’s not the most useful account and it’s hard to distinguish between the resort and the beach club.
There are very few photos that give you any context to the environment and overall, we thought this was quite disappointing. It’s not too hard to put together some decent photos of a place.
Other/General Comments
This is a hotel facility but it’s pretty bland and forgettable overall. It needs more of an identity to distinguish it from an ordinary hotel pool with some nice sun loungers.
Our Overall Opinion Of D’nusa Beach Club
D’nusa Beach Club was OK and that’s a shame because with a little work it could be better than OK. However, if you’re staying in the resort, you’ll be quite happy with this facility.
But we can’t recommend that you book the resort just for this beach club as there are better beach clubs in Nusa Lembongan than this one.
FAQs
Can You Swim At D’nusa Beach Club?
Yes, there’s a reasonable sized pool at the D’nusa Beach Club with a small handful of daybeds around the side.
Given that this facility is only for hotel guests, it never seems to get particularly busy and you should be able to do lengths without a problem.
The pool area is clean and well-maintained though like the hotel itself it is showing signs of aging and could, perhaps, be given a new coat of paint, etc.
The resort also faces out directly onto the beach and you can swim in the sea if you choose to do so.
We’d recommend exercising caution when swimming off the coast of Nusa Lembongan, though as the currents can be unpredictable and often stronger than you might expect. Even strong swimmers have been dragged out to sea, you might be better off sticking to the pool.
They do offer watersports equipment at the hotel reception if you want to brave the waters here.
What Can You Do At D’nusa Beach Club?
This is a hotel beach club facility and as such, it’s designed for lounging on a daybed in the sun by the pool or on the sand.
There are restaurant and bar facilities and you can enjoy a dip in the pool. Other than that, there’s not very much to do, though you can borrow watersports equipment from the hotel if you want to get out in the ocean.
Is D’nusa Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, as with most resorts on Nusa Lembongan, the D’nusa Beach Club is entirely family-friendly and children are welcome throughout the facility.
However, there are no special amenities for kids at this beach club, so they’ll have to use their imagination to entertain themselves.
We’d also note that there are no lifeguards, so you will need to keep an eye out for your kids when they play in the pool or on the beach, as you will be responsible for their safety.
You will also be expected to ensure that your children don’t annoy other guests during their time at this beach club.
Who Owns D’nusa Beach Club?
This beach club has a fairly prestigious owner. It’s part of the D’Nusa Beach Club and Resort which is owned by the company PT Sejahtera Indoo and while that name might not ring a bell, the company is owned by the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, one of the world’s richest men!
Final Thoughts On D’nusa Beach Club
The D’nusa Beach Club is a pleasant enough hotel beach club but there’s not a lot to recommend it beyond that and we don’t think it’s the best beach club on Nusa Lembongan.
If you’re staying in the resort, you should definitely check it out and enjoy the facility, but it’s not enough by itself to make us book this resort in the future.
And we certainly wouldn’t travel all the way to Nusa Lembongan for this beach club. Fortunately, there are better beach clubs across Bali and the Nusa Islands.
