The Nusa Islands are becoming increasingly popular with holidaymakers seeking a short break on a small island from mainland Bali. They’re easy to reach by boat and there’s enough to see and do to make them worth visiting.
They’re also developing an interesting beach club scene out on the Nusa Islands and our team is always delighted to spend a little time exploring what these offshore locations have to offer.
So, recently, they packed their bags for Nusa Penida to explore ESA-G Bar & Beach Club, a place with an inexplicably awkward name, but could be a good time. This is what they learned when they were there.
Introduction – Getting To ESA-G Bar & Beach Club
There is no airport anywhere on the Nusa Islands, so you’re going to have to jump on a boat from mainland Bali (or possibly from mainland Lombok) if you want to visit Nusa Penida.
The trip is fairly short from Bali and only takes about an hour. Most of the time, it’s an uneventful and pleasant journey bobbing gently on the waves until you arrive.
However, if there’s a storm, this crossing can turn unpleasant, fast. Seasickness is a real issue during this type of voyage, and you should know that everything in your luggage is likely to get soaked – so, always pack everything you own that can be damaged by salt water into watertight cases or don’t bring it with you.
Assuming you reach your destination with the mood to party still on you, you’ll find that the ESA-G Bar & Beach Club are right by Buyuk Harbour and you can walk there from the boat if you want.
If you do decide to hire a scooter between the harbour and the beach club, you can park it near the beach club for a small fee.
Getting in, as with most things in Nusa Penida, just means walking inside where you will be greeted by the staff.
Where Is ESA-G Bar & Beach Club? Jl. Nusa Indah, Banjar, Kutampi, Kec. Nusa Penida, Kabupaten Klungkung, Bali 80771
Opening Hours: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, except Nyepi
What’s Inside ESA-G Bar & Beach Club?
This place is more of a beach bar than a beach club in the traditional sense, there are deckchairs, a small pool, bar and restaurant service. On weekends, there are DJs and parties.
This bar is also active in the local water sports scene, and you can rent equipment and arrange trips out onto the water from here.
Our Review Breakdown For ESA-G Bar & Beach Club
We always review beach clubs using a consistent set of standards. This allows us to be fair to the beach clubs themselves and to our readers as it allows them to compare two properties on a like-for-like basis.
The way it works is that, firstly, the entire team must visit the beach club and spend some time there. They do not all have to visit at the same time or even on the same day.
They grade the beach club individually on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) against each of the criteria that have been set out below.
Then, once everyone has spent some time at the beach club and come up with their scores, they will get together and discuss their experiences and vote on a final score in each category.
The next step in the process is for one of the team to write the review, they do this bearing in mind the discussions and to reflect the final scores.
Finally, the review is published on this website and it remains in place until such a time as we revisit the club and amend the review or scores as we see fit, which will be after at least one year has passed since our previous visit.
Pre-Club Advertising
As far as we can tell, apart from a few press releases that they sent out when this beach club opened a few years back, there has been no advertising for this place.
That’s a bit of a shame, because while we appreciate they have a great location near the harbour, advertising helps to bring people through the door and ensure you have the best social occasion at a beach club.
Yes, it’s harder to advertise when you’re on Nusa Penida in some respects, but that just means coming up with a better strategy. So, we can’t award any points in this category.
Location
This is a beach club on Nusa Penida, which means, by definition, it’s going to be harder to get to than any club on mainland Bali.
However, it’s not that long a boat trip to Nusa Penida and as long as the weather holds, it’s quite a nice journey too.
Once you arrive on the island, it’s not too far from the harbour, which is handy, and there’s a half-decent sunset view from this part of Nusa Penida too.
Booking Process & Seating Options
There’s no website, barely any social media to speak of, which means that you’re pretty much at the mercy of the capricious Gods of walk-in visitors when it comes to visiting this beach club.
Given that it’s very close to the harbour, this place can pack out fast at certain times, and that can be super inconvenient if you want to spend a day chilling out here with a beer.
We strongly feel that if you run a business in 2025, you should have a website, and if you run a beach club, that website should allow people to make reservations.
It’s not rocket science, it’s basic customer service, and while there’s no doubt that it was once pretty expensive to set up a website, today, it’s cheap.
Entry Fee
On the flip side of that, there’s no cover charge to get in the door at this beach club, which is in line with the best practices of beach clubs in Bali.
We did hear a rumour that sometimes, if they have a name-brand DJ on, they will charge a small entrance fee, but that seems reasonable enough to us – there’s not much in the way of entertainment out here in the Nusa Islands, so a fee helps the venue cover their costs.
We strongly believe that you should be able to walk into any beach club, check out the vibe and take a seat without paying a fee to do so, and ESA-G conforms to this rule.
Minimum Spend
There is no minimum spend at this beach club, which is sort of a good thing, in that you’re not committed to spending any money beyond that which you want to consume.
However, it also means that the beach club has no incentive to get a website or start taking online bookings, and we really do think that remote clubs like this one ought to have these facilities to ensure people aren’t disappointed on the day that they visit.
Welcome And Security
There’s a pleasant welcome at the ESA-G and the staff will be happy to show you to a seat. However, there are no security checks, and we are big fans of bag checks; we think they help to keep people safe all the time.
Inclusions
They will provide a towel on request at this beach club, and it’s free as long as you’ve purchased something.
However, there are no other inclusions and no options for higher tiers of service. We don’t understand why so many beach clubs are leaving cash on the table in this respect.
It’s not hard to give people an incentive to spend more money, particularly when they are on holiday and prone to treat themselves.
Service
We found the service here to be the kind of Balinese hospitality that we’d expect out on the Nusa Islands, friendly and kind, while not being 100% efficient.
There’s nothing to complain about, though; this is what island life is meant to be about, relaxed and calm.
Entertainment
They do have DJs on some evenings, but there weren’t any while we were there, and it’s clear that to some extent, ESA-G’s big party days are behind it.
This beach club feels a bit like it’s in decline now, and there’s more of a focus on selling tours than dancing until dawn. This probably explains the next category, too.
Pool Quality
There is a small pool here, but the big pool from the days of ESA-G’s foam parties appears to be long gone. It’s a nice spot to cool off, we guess, in the Bali heat, but the beach is better, and this is one of the best bits of ocean in the world for swimming.
Grab your snorkelling gear and head out into the waves instead of wasting time in the pool at this beach club.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We didn’t think the beach club pricing was insane here, but it’s definitely higher than the background on Nusa Penida, and you’re not getting much increased value for your cash.
While this beach club once aspired to be something more than it is today, now, it’s a beach bar with a small pool and a travel arm, and while it’s a good place for a beer before your boat, it’s not really offering enough to be charging high prices.
Food And Drink Quality
While there’s nothing wrong with the beers, the food was a bit of a disappointment at this spot, with both small portions and they weren’t particularly tasty.
We’d eat here again if we were in a rush before we caught a boat out of Nusa Penida, but we don’t think we would hurry back, otherwise.
Sunset View
This beach club’s not perfectly aligned with the sunset, so you may have to move around a bit, but you can get a decent view of the sunset, particularly if you stand on the beach and look to the side a little.
This is a nice touch as Bali sunsets are one of the things that we all love to enjoy when we get to a beach club.
Music And Ambience
They do play music at this beach club, and sometimes it can get a bit overpowering. But that’s OK, it’s kind of in the spirit of their old identity as a party spot.
If it’s not your cup of tea, there are some quiet spaces around the club where you can get away from it a bit.
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card at this beach club for all of their services. We didn’t see any signs for QRIS payments though which is a shame because it’s a very handy way to pay for locals and expats in Bali.
Exit Process
This is no longer a big beach club, and it’s very easy to find your way back to the front door and back out into the town.
In our experience, you will be given a warm and reasonably fond farewell too.
Transportation
Nusa Penida’s not great for transportation, in general, as there’s no Grab or Gojek service. But because this place is in the middle of town, it’s easy to find a scooter taxi or scooter hire within a short walk of the front door.
You might also be staying close by and only have a stroll between the beach club and your hotel or resort. You’re also right in front of the harbour if you need a boat back to the mainland or to one of the other islands.
Social Media Presence
There is an Instagram presence for this beach club, but it’s badly dated and hasn’t been touched in a long time.
This is frustrating for us as we feel that this is the easiest online presence to maintain, and it costs nothing to do.
Other/General Comments
ESA-G is OK. It’s a beach bar with pretensions to grandeur, and that’s OK. The tour booking facilities are handy. The party side of things is in a state of general decay, though.
Our Overall Opinion Of ESA-G Bar & Beach Club
We said at the start of this review that the Nusa Islands are starting to see a growing beach club scene, and that means we kind of expect more than we got at ESA-G.
While this place has a good location for Nusa Penida and they do cater to a diverse crowd, the food isn’t great, and there’s a real emphasis on selling tours and diving services.
It’s not awful by any means, but we certainly wouldn’t travel to Nusa Penida for this beach clu,b and it wouldn’t be our first choice of beach club while we were on the island.
We like that they’ve tried to create a place to party, but for all that, more attention is needed to the little details that make beach clubs great places to be.
FAQs
Can You Swim At ESA-G Bar & Beach Club?
Yes, you can swim at the ESA-G Bar. The old pool for parties is no longer available, but there is a small pool here, but you don’t really need it as there is access to the sea itself, and this is a glorious spot for swimming and snorkelling.
You are far enough from the harbour that you don’t have to worry about boats coming in while you swim, and you can just enjoy the view of the marine life.
They also have watersports equipment for hire at this venue, and they are able to arrange boat trips out for diving or further snorkelling as required. We would note that we haven’t tried any of these trips and can’t vouch for the quality of service provided.
What Can You Do At ESA-G Bar & Beach Club?
You can swim, enjoy water sports, eat and drink, and in the evenings, you can party with friends and strangers alike.
There is music at this bar, and it’s often extremely loud, so be aware that if you want conversation, this might not be the place for you.
Is ESA-G Bar & Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
They won’t stop you from taking children inside the ESA-G Bar & Beach Club and during the day, while it’s not perfectly “family-friendly”, particularly as there tends to be no restrictions on smoking in this venue whatsoever, your kids aren’t likely to see anything upsetting.
However, once the sun sets, we’d say that this becomes more of an adult party spot and you may not feel comfortable taking young children into this venue.
We’d note that if you do choose to take kids to this beach club, you are responsible for their safety and for ensuring that they don’t annoy any of the other guests.
Who Owns ESA-G Bar & Beach Club?
This beach club is owned by Anthony Cipta Permadi Keppy, usually known as Anthony Kepy to keep things simple. He is a local businessman.
Final Thoughts On ESA-G Bar & Beach Club
The ESA-G Bar & Beach Club is an odd mish-mash of tourism operator, beach bar, and party spot, and it’s definitely not going to suit all tastes.
However, if you don’t mind clouds of tobacco smoke, it’s a fun little venue with its own unique vibe.
We couldn’t possibly recommend that you travel to Nusa Penida just to visit this beach club, but if you do visit Nusa Penida, it’s right next to the harbour, so it’s an ideal stopping point on the way back to the mainland or if you’re in town for a night or two.
It’s also a handy way to get a few drinks in while arranging snorkelling and diving experiences. Just remember, you need to leave some time between diving and flying out of Bali to avoid getting the bends.
