The Sofitel Nusa Dua is one of Bali’s most iconic and upmarket hotels but does the Manarai Beach House, the resort’s own beach club measure up to the 5-star standard?
Our team wanted to know and decided they would visit and find out. This is what they learned on their trip to Nusa Dua on the Bukit Peninsula about Manarai Beach House.
Introduction – Getting To Manarai Beach House
Manarai Beach House is in Nusa Dua at the Sofitel. That means it’s on the Bukit Peninsula and it can be time-consuming to get there from other parts of the island because of the traffic in Bali.
If you’re staying in Nusa Dua or Uluwatu then you will find it quite easy to get to this beach club.
Otherwise, set off earlier (sometimes a lot earlier) than you need to be thre and it’s not too onerous a drive.
Where Is Manarai Beach House? Lot N5 ITDC Tourism Complex, Jl. Nusa Dua, Benoa, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80363, Indonesia
Website: Manarai Beach House
Opening Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Nyepi
What’s Inside Manarai Beach House?
Manarai Beach House has two pools (including a beachfront pool), a restaurant, a wine shop, and bar facilities. It also has a range of seating options inside.
Our Review Breakdown For Manarai Beach House
We review all beach clubs in the same way for fairness and transparency. Our team visits the club and each person scores the club out of 5 in a set of 20 categories.
When we return to the office, we vote on the final score in each category to ensure it’s representative of everybody’s experiences.
Then, one of us writes up the review based on our feedback and once the review is published, it goes live for a period of, at least, one year before we return to the club and revisit any scores, etc.
Pre-Club Advertising
We didn’t find any pre-club advertising for this spot and that doesn’t entirely surprise us.
Many hotels with a beach club-style venue inside don’t advertise their clubs because they’re too busy trying to sell rooms.
However, we wish they would promote the clubs as part of the experience is enjoying the Bali sun with a group of people around you.
Pre-club advertising sells seats and the more seats sold, the more fun you will have (in general).
Location
Nusa Dua is a posh resort town on the Bukit Peninsula. It’s not the easiest part of Bali to get to from the other main beach towns (Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta and Legian) or from Ubud.
Once you arrive in Nusa Dua, you’re also going to find that the area is not really that walkable and you may need a Grab or Gojek to get to other facilities once you leave Manarai Beach House.
On the upside, the beach here is lovely and is often considered to be one of the best in Bali with soft white sands and tranquil, clear waters offshore.
Booking Process & Seating Options
Booking a seat inside this Nusa Dua club is fairly straightforward, you visit the Sofitel website (link above) and click through to their booking engine.
Oddly, they don’t have a custom set up and are using Tablecheck for their reservation system.
That means they cannot take any form of deposit and thus, they have a strict 15-minute window for you to claim your space or it will be given to another guest.
The system is also quite limited and while you can specify a type of seating, you can’t pick your exact seat.
We wouldn’t mind this from a small beach club brand but this is part of the Sofitel, and we are positive they could do better. It could be that this is a hangover from when the club was managed by the Ismaya Group but it needs an update.
Entry Fee
On the bright side, our enthusiasm is sparked by the fact that you can enjoy a place here by Nusa Dua Beach without paying any kind of entrance fee (with the exception of days when they are holding special events).
This is something that we wish that all of the beach clubs on the islands of Bali would offer – you should be free to come in and have fun without committing to any kind of spending and you certainly shouldn’t be charged to sit down.
Minimum Spend
There is no minimum spend associated with any seating at this club in Bali and that’s unusual for beach clubs on the island. It also earns Manarai a place on the best beach clubs in Bali with no minimum spend list!
The good news is that it means you can enjoy a relaxed time at the club without being forced to get through a certain amount of food and drink (though if you opt for their wines, we can guarantee that by evening, you will have spent enough money to cover the minimum tab in any club in Bali).
However, it also means that you can’t reserve a bed for longer than 15 minutes beyond a certain time slot – get there too late and you lose the spot.
We prefer a reasonable minimum rate when it allows us to lock in our spot for longer – we don’t like travelling half way across the island only to miss out on a seat because of the traffic.
Welcome And Security
This is a 5-star hotel property and we expect a high standard of welcome and found that that’s exactly what we got – they clearly pay attention to the details while training staff here.
We were also pleased that there was a bag search on the way in to this venue – we like security checks, they keep everyone safe and while we doubt they catch many armed criminals here in Nusa Dua, it’s better safe than sorry.
Inclusions
This club is quite generous and even though there’s no minimum fee associated with each bed – they all come with beach towels included.
That’s nice and we appreciate it very much. However, it also means theere’s no option for a greater tier of service- such as a VIP or premium option and we’d kind of lack to pay for some more pampering in an environment like this.
Service
The service at Manarai Beach House is exactly what we expect from a 5-star resort venue.
It’s not the most exceptional service that we’ve ever had, but it is top notch and the staff are helpful, kind and attentive.
You will be glad to spend time at this club because of their efforts.
Entertainment
There’s not a lot of entertainment at this club except for piped music, but that’s OK because the children here make their own entertainment.
This is definitely a family-friendly club and there are balls, floats, etc. all over the place.
Whether this is what you want or not, will depend on whether or not you have kids.
Pool Quality
The pools are shaped like two islands in the club and one is for adults and the other for children.
They’re both of a decent size and you can easily swim in them and we were pleased to note that the water was very clean too.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We felt that the food was a little pricey inside this club, but that’s probably t o be expected in a hotel club in Nusa Dua.
The drinks, however, were very reasonably priced given the upmarket nature of the setting.
Food And Drink Quality
While the food wasn’t totally exceptional it was the kind of quality that we’d expect in this kind of environment.
We also found the drinks to be strong enough and well-mixed. Their coffee was one of the best cups of coffee we’ve tried on the island too.
Sunset View
This is one of the details that all Nusa Dua clubs are going to miss out on, you can’t follow the line of the sun down behind the horizon at sunset because the club is facing in the wrong direction.
Sure, the sky lights up as night approaches but it’s not anywhere near as spectacular as it is in Canggu or Seminyak.
Music And Ambiance
This place is buzzing with the excited hum of small children and the piped in music helps to soothe that out a little.
There’s no doubt that this is a spot for families rather than groups of young people seeking a good time.
Payment Options
As you would expect, they accept cash and card throughout this venue but there’s no provision for QRIS or e-wallet payments. This seems a little odd given how popular these payment types are Indonesia.
Exit Process
Leaving this club is as easy as walking in in the first place. You will be given a cheery farewell by the staff too.
Small clubs like this one, always have a very simple to follow route to the exit.
Transportation
You can park at the hotel and this is a very convenient way to get in and out of the venue.
Otherwise, the good news is that there is no taxi mafia allowed inside the grounds and you won’t be hassled to overpay for your journey home.
However, the area isn’t as convenient to get a Grab or Gojek as some other parts of Bali and you may need to wait a while to get a ride, particularly at busier parts of the day.
Social Media Presence
We’ve got to give this club some credit for maintaining a decent social media presence and their Instagram is regularly updated.
They have fallen into the trap of presenting pictures of a near empty beach club but overall, this club’s social media presence does accurately portray what this club has to offer.
Other/General Comments
Hotel beach clubs are rarely as full on as the clubs of Canggu or Seminyak and that’s not always a bad thing.
If you want a family day out or somewhere to nurse a hangover in the sun, then somewhere like the Manarai Beach House can be the ideal environment.
Our Overall Opinion Of Manarai Beach House
Manarai Beach House is a solid hotel club with excellent service, no entrance fee and no minimum spend.
It is a touch pricey but we’d expect that in Nusa Dua which is an upmarket resort town.
If we were looking for somewhere on the Bukit Peninsula to take our families or to chill for a day, we’d be happy to come back to Manarai.
But, if we only visited one beach club in Bali, we’d still be looking to spend time at FINNS rather than here.
Want to know if this is a good score? See how every beach club in Bali scores here.
You may also appreciate our reviews of these other beach clubs: Kayu Kayu Beach Front and Roosterfish Beach Club.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Manarai Beach House?
Yes, there is a pair of pools at this club and as you would expect from a premium 5-star hotel brand – the pool area is clean and well-maintained.
There are changing facilities, showers as well as towels provided for guests.
What Can You Do At Manarai Beach House?
You can swim, relax, eat, drink or a blend of any of these activities. This is a club for relaxing rather than partying, mind you.
Is Manarai Beach House A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, one of the pools is specifically for kids to have a safe place to play and as this is part of a five-star hotel chain families are always welcome and catered for.
Who Owns Manarai Beach House?
Manarai Beach House is part of the Sofitel Group of Hotels.
Final Thoughts On Manarai Beach House
Hotel beach clubs are rarely about partying, but if you want a sedate spot that’s child-friendly in Nusa Dua, you can have a nice day out at Manarai Beach House.
It is a little pricey because of the nature of the hotel group and it’s not the best place in Bali for an amazing sunset view, but overall, it’s a decent club for this part of the island.
