Luna Beach Club recently launched to a fanfare of positive press and it was showered in adjectives by journalists on free press tours, but is it worth the hype?
That’s the question we asked when we sent our people to the beach club and the “fantabulous Luna restaurant” (as an unnamed journalist said) to find out what the reality is.
Introduction – Getting To Luna Beach Club
Getting to Luna is a pain in the neck. There’s no getting around the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere and for most people who visit, that means a long drive down the busiest roads in Bali to get there.
Even from Canggu, it’s going to take an hour or more to get there, from Kuta it might be 2 or more. There is parking available when you arrive though.
We should note that getting a ride back isn’t always easy, so it’s good to arrange your return trip in advance if you come by Grab or Gojek.
Where Is Luna Beach Club? Jl. Kayangan, Beraban, Kec. Kediri, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali 82121, Indonesia
Website: Luna Beach Club
Opening Hours: Open daily, every day except for Nyepi, from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight.
You can expect to be searched on the way into Luna, this is standard practice in nearly every beach club on the island. If you have anything they don’t approve of, you will be asked to leave it at security until you finish for the day.
What’s Inside Luna Beach Club?
Luna consists of the beach club, the Utopia Cave Club, the Luna Beer Garden, Restaurant 360 and the Gardenia Pods. It has a few pools, though no central feature of a pool and the club’s star attraction is the oversized celestial steel sculpture known as Luna Rising.
It’s a bamboo architectural marvel of sorts (as the press called it) and it’s certainly very attractive among the tropical foliage of the area.
Our Review Breakdown For Luna Beach Club
Our approach to rating every beach club on this site is the same. We score the beach club from 1 to 5 in a range of 20 criteria.
The best possible mark is 100, the worst possible mark is 20. Thus, 60 not 50 is the average possible mark.
We vote as a team on the review before it goes live to ensure that the ratings reflect the widest range of experience of any given beach club.
Once it’s live, the review will be in effect for, at least, 1 year before we revisit and remark a club.
Pre-Club Advertising
Luna Beach Club isn’t entirely shy of promoting itself, we’ve seen the occasional online ad and one of our team saw some ads strapped to the back of a scooter the other day. A single billboard was spotted too.
However, given the ambition of this club and its remote location, this is fairly underwhelming stuff and you’d think they’d be working harder to get people in the door.
It’s worth noting that they did get a burst of decent publicity in the press recently for their formal opening, so that might be why they’re not stepping up their game, yet.
Rating: 2/5
Location
One day, the area that is around Luna Beach Club will be a busy and exciting part of Bali. Sadly, that day is not today, not tomorrow and not anytime soon: Luna Beach Club is a long way from most people’s holiday homes.
If you don’t mind spending half a day driving there and potentially waiting a long time for a Grab or Gojek to take you home, that’s fine but we think most people are going to be reluctant to make the trip.
You will also need transport from the car park to the club and back again. While this is fine during quiet periods (the club provides golf carts), if things get busy, you might be waiting a while to get to and from the doors.
Rating: 1/5
Some easier places to get to include The Lawn and Atlas Beach Fest.
Booking Process & Seating Options
It’s easy enough to book online for Luna Beach Club but we find the endless selection of options pretty mind-numbing. Big venues like Luna need to make it simple for their customers to book – but this isn’t simple, at all.
You can also book the Luna Beer Garden, the Luna Restaurant, and a bunch of other spots which just adds to the confusion.
Walk-ins are welcome at Luna Beach Club and as we think it’s unlikely they will be sold out except on the busiest days of the year, you might want to just turn up and sort something out when you get there.
Rating: 3/5
Entry Fee
Luna Beach Club allows you to access the bar and restaurant tables with no entrance fee.
There is also no charge for the use of the sunbeds and daybeds but you will, of course, have to agree to a minimum spend.
Rating: 5/5
Minimum Spend
The minimum spend ranges from 2 million IDR for a single sunbed up to 12 million IDR for a huge daybed that can hold up to 12 people!
Now, while these minimum spends are a bit higher than some of the other beach clubs, they’re not outrageous and given how expensive everything is at Luna, we’re fairly confident you will have no problem using up your quota and potentially spending even more.
Rating: 4/5
Welcome And Security
Luna Beach Club as with all beach clubs in Bali takes your safety seriously and there is a security check on the front door.
You will be asked to open your bags for a search and any contraband (such as cameras, drinks, etc.) must be left at the front desk to be collected later.
They also require you to leave your name and e-mail address with their booking team. we don’t know if this will result in any spam – so far, we haven’t had any.
The overall welcome was fine, but it didn’t stand out as anything special, either.
Rating: 4/5
Inclusions
As with most beach clubs, you don’t get anything included if you walk into Luna Beach Club just to use the Luna Restaurant or the bar.
However, if you book a daybed or sunbed, you do get the use of a towel for free. There’s nothing else included, mind you, and no premium services.
We think that this is a real missed opportunity for Luna and that they ought to be looking at VIP services for the people who’ve travelled a fair distance outside of the main tourist areas to be here.
Rating: 3/5
Service
Service is definitely an important factor in your beach club experience and the staff at Luna were very friendly and attentive to your needs.
They weren’t the most exceptional staff we’ve dealt with but we have nothing but positive things to say overall.
You’re not likely to go to Luna and come away feeling like you’ve been treated badly, there’s clearly a focus on making customers feel valued and that’s a good thing.
However, we did witness some minor lapses in service and one friend claims the waiter opened his beer bottle with his teeth!
Rating: 3/5
Entertainment
We were quite surprised by the near-total absence of entertainment during the day at Luna.
They don’t even have a DJ on the decks. While they do have a DJ turn up after sunset, this feels like an extraordinary lack for a club that has been positioned as a potential big deal in the beach club scene.
Even when the evening’s entertainment gets underway, it’s nothing special.
This is something that their management is going to need to improve dramatically if they want to persuade people to make the drive out to Luna.
Rating: 2/5
Pool Quality
With an infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean and some lagoon swimming pools, there are plenty of options for a swim at Luna Beach Club.
However, if you want to access the infinity pool, you have to go into the Infinity Cave Club and your minimum spend does not apply there, so you may end up spending much more than you wanted to.
However, we should note that although these pools are very clean and inviting for a dip in the middle of the day – there’s no central pool that brings everyone in the club together.
This is going to make it harder to deliver entertainment packages if the management ever does focus on entertainment.
One odd thing about the pools at Luna is they are immediately closed after sunset. We’re not sure why this happened on our last visit, but it definitely makes enjoying the rest of the evening a little more challenging.
Rating: 4/5
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We don’t mind that beach clubs charge a premium for their food and drink, we expect that because an infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean, the surreal trees sprouting out of the architecture, the black and yellow bamboo twisted over to protect the restaurant, etc. cost money.
However, Luna Beach Club seems to be charging a premium beyond most beach clubs and again, we might be OK with that if the food was “the best ever” but it’s good, not the best.
But most of all, what irks us about the prices at Luna is a 21% tax and service charge, a rate that is far higher than at most other beach clubs.
A slice of leisure on an apparently peaceful coastline and an ocean-view festival stage under some coconut trees doesn’t justify price gouging.
Rating: 2/5
Food And Drink Quality
We were impressed by the variety of food on the Luna Beach Club menu and we don’t think you’re going to be bored if you opt to eat Luna.
If you’re in the mood for pizza, sushi, burgers, etc. you’re going to be very happy. The food is tasty enough but it’s not the best in class.
There are also some very pleasant fresh juices on the menu as well as the usual alcoholic options.
The cocktails weren’t as strong as they could be, mind you. Something that always irks us a little as a premium price should see a generous serving of alcohol.
Rating: 4/5
Sunset View
They have set up a special sunset viewing area at Luna Beach Club and the sunset on display is a fabulous example of the sunset on this tropical island.
However, we find having a special area to view the sunset from kind of weird.
It’s such an important part of the beach club experience here on the island that it ought to be visible from everywhere.
Rating: 4/5
Music And Ambiance
The vibe in Luna is quite chilled out and there’s nothing that’s going to blow you away regarding the music.
This is especially true during the daylight hours when the music is canned but even when the DJ arrives, it’s very much chill without any real distinct sound.
The music in the Cave Club is more inclined toward partying but it’s also not particularly memorable.
To be fair to Luna, music seems to be an area that most beach clubs in Bali could work harder on.
Rating: 3/5
Payment Options
You can easily pay by both card and cash throughout the venue at Luna.
We didn’t see any signs up for QRIS payment which seems like a minor oversight, given how popular this system is in Indonesia but you should have no problem paying your bill before you leave.
Rating: 4/5
Exit Process
Leaving Luna sees the problem of arrival becoming magnified. The issue is that you have to catch a golf cart to the front entrance.
And, of course, the more people leaving at one time, the longer you have to wait for your ride.
In the day, we’ve been stranded in the direct sunlight for 10 minutes at a time and at night, we’ve been kicking our heels for the best part of an hour.
Otherwise, the exit process is relatively painless and the staff are pleasant throughout.
Rating: 3/5
Transportation
It’s in the middle of nowhere and that means, you’re going to want to arrange your ride before you leave the club.
If you wait until you hit the car park before trying to book a Grab or a Gojek, you’re going to be in for a long wait.
There are some local taxi drivers around, but as you might expect, they’re going to want a substantial premium for you to get home.
We think if we ran Luna, we’d have a shuttle bus running, at least, into one of the more developed areas.
Rating: 1/5
Social Media Presence
Luna Beach Club still seems to be learning its social media game and we were underwhelmed with their Instagram, etc.
There are some very good photographs there, but no video and updates are very infrequent.
This is a key selling point for many beach clubs and social media ought to be whetting our appetite for what’s in store and this club is far from doing that.
Rating: 2/5
Other/General Comments
You can’t help but be impressed with the design and layout of Luna Beach Club. You can see a lot of time, money and thought went into it and the same is true for the staff inside Luna.
There are also some cool features such as the floating beanbags in the pools, the diving platform and the slide to enter the cave club.
However, this feels like a lot of effort to disguise the fact that the rest of this beach club’s offering feels unfinished and poorly focused.
Rating: 2/5
Our Overall Opinion Of Luna Beach Club
Luna Beach Club is a decent but not spectacular club and we think that’s a shame given how much investment has been put into this place.
We hope that we’ll see it transform into a spot that’s worthy of its ambitions in the years to come but for now?
We don’t think we’ll be back soon. It’s too far to travel for too little reward. Spending hours on the island’s busiest main roads to get here just isn’t worth the effort.
Rating: 55/100
Luna appears in our round up of the best beach clubs in Bali and you may find that useful when deciding which beach club to visit.
We’ve also got some great guides to beach club etiquette and dress codes that can help you fit in as soon as you arrive.
About Utopia Cave Club At Luna Beach Club
In addition to the Luna beer garden and Luna restaurant, there’s also the white Utopia cave bar or cave club. You can enter this club through the water slide in the main lagoon swimming pool and it’s quite a nice way to make an entrance.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Luna Beach Club?
Yes, the lagoon swimming pool and infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean are both available for swimming.
Luna attracts mostly adult guests for fun and games while consuming alcohol and while children are welcome in the pools, the environment may not always feel suitable, particularly for younger children.
What Can You Do At Luna Beach Club?
Luna has all the usual beach club features such as swimming pools, a restaurant, a bar, and some others like a beer garden and a nightclub.
You can do anything from eating a nice meal to indulging in late-night drinking at Luna.
However, one thing you can’t do is visit the beach. The club will not allow pass-outs to walk on the sand, so once you’re inside, you can’t leave and come back in.
Can You Take Kids To Luna Beach Club?
Yes, children are welcome at Luna Beach Club. However, there are some minor restrictions, particularly on the use of the water slide from the lagoon swimming pools to the Utopia Cave Club.
Under 18s can only use this slide before 3 p.m. as the Utopia Cave Club is an adults-only area once it opens to the public at 3 p.m.
Children must also be accompanied throughout this beach clubber’s fun park to ensure that they are safe and not interfering with the enjoyment of the club for other guests.
Who Owns Luna Beach Club?
Luna Beach Club is owned by the private citizen James Karl Ephraim. James has worked across Southeast Asia in the hospitality trade and has worked at some of the best restaurants in the world.
Final Thoughts On Luna Beach Club
Luna Beach Club is new on the island and still trying to find its way. The “magnificent bamboo architectural marvel” with “marvellously whimsical natural architecture” (as the press has described it) is impressive to look at but currently lacks substance beyond features like the Luna Rising oversized celestial steel sculpture.
This might not be a big deal, except for the fact that Luna is not the easiest beach club to get to. It’s a long drive to reach a location that still isn’t delivering a truly amazing experience.
We’d say that unless you’re staying on the right side of Canggu, you might find making the trip to another beach club, such as FINNS, a much better return on investment for both your time and money at the moment.
Of course, in the long run, Luna has plenty of potential and we will be stopping in again in the future to find out whether things are improving.
