Mano Beach House is a relatively small beach club in Seminyak. It’s a place that considers itself to have a distinctive local flair where you can sip island-inspired cocktails and feast on contemporary cuisine.
But does it measure up to the billing? Our team want to enjoy one of Bali’s sparkling sunsets and to find out if island dwellers should be making a beeline for Mano Beach House. This is what they learned.
Introduction – Getting To Mano Beach House
Mano Beach House is on Petitenget Beach in Seminyak which is one of the busiest parts of the island. That means if you’ve booked a time slot online, you should allow plenty of extra time to get there as traffic can be quite severe.
It is accessible by Grab and Gojek and you can be brought almost to the front door. There’s free parking available to guests too.
Where Is Mano Beach House? Jl. Pantai Pura Petitenget Kerobokan Kelod, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali
Website: Mano Beach House
Opening Hours: Open daily, every day except for Nyepi, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
You should be subjected to a security search on arrival at Mano Beach House, however, on our visit, this didn’t take place.
If you are searched at Mano Beach House they may ask you to leave anything like cameras, outside food and drink, etc. with security during your time at the beach club.
What’s Inside Mano Beach House?
Mano Beach House is not the biggest beach club in town. There’s a pool area, with seating and another seated area and that’s it.
They say this club is for “island dwellers and explorers alike” but we’d have to note it won’t take long to explore the inside of Mano Beach House.
Our Review Breakdown For Mano Beach House
We review all beach clubs on the same basis for fairness’ sake. Each club is graded from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in 20 different categories.
This then gives them an overall score between 20 (worst possible) and 100 (best possible). Our review team votes on each score before we publish to ensure that the scores are as reflective of our experiences as possible.
Once a review is in place, it will be, at least, one year before we revisit it.
Pre-Club Advertising
If Mano Beach House does any advertising, we haven’t seen it. They do have a nice website but they don’t even seem to proactively push their booking system in Google.
To be fair to Mano Beach House, this may be because they are a very small beach club and they don’t find it hard to fill up. However, on our visit, Mano Beach House was not full.
Overall, we feel that beach clubs live or die based on their vibe and much of what makes them amazing is when they’re full of people and advertising is key to this.
Location
Mano Beach House is on Petitenget Beach which is in Seminyak. It’s a very popular area and that does mean that it’s a little hard to travel to at times (though this is probably true of everywhere in Bali, now).
It’s within walking distance of plenty of shops, restaurants, bars and other amenities though and the area is popular for good reason.
Looking for other beach club options? Atlas Beach Club and Sugarsand both have reviews on this site too.
Booking Process & Seating Options
Making a reservation online at Mano Beach House is easy enough and you won’t have any problem reserving a seat.
However, there’s no mention at all during the booking process that Mano Beach House requires a minimum spend on some f their seats.
Now, admittedly, the minimum spend is quite low at Mano Beach House, so they may not see this as an issue. But we don’t believe in hiding information from potential customers.
Entry Fee
There is no entrance fee at Mano Beach House and we think that’s a good thing.
You should be able to enter any beach club and decide if you like it there before being required to spend as much as a penny.
Minimum Spend
What they don’t mention on the website is that there is a minimum spend policy in place.
It’s only 200,000 IDR for a beanbag and 400,000 IDR fora single bed, and given Mano Beach House’s rather pricey “Modern international menus and island-inspired cocktails” this is, perhaps, not a big deal as we can’t imagine not spending, at least, 400,000 IDR on drinks and food here.
However, we still think this minimum spend should be highlighted when you book a beanbag or a bed, and not once you arrive at the club.
Welcome And Security
We found the welcome at Mano Beach House to be very friendly and we felt that we were in an authentic Balinese place.
However, Mano Beach House didn’t search our bags on the way in. And that’s a problem.
The reason bag searches exist is twofold. The first is to protect the beach club from you bringing in outside food and drink and prohibited items.
The second, much more important, reason is that they are meant to be looking for things that could be used in a terror incident.
We don’t think another Bali bombing is very likely, but that’s because of security checks. Mano Beach House needs to step up its game on this.
Inclusions
If you agree to a minimum spend you will receive free towel rental for the pool.
This is a standard inclusion and there’s no option for VIP treatment or upgrades.
Service
We found the staff at Mano Beach House to be very friendly and attentive and willing to help you choose between green peas and cherry tomato with your grilled prawn.
However, we didn’t think they were “the best” staff on the island, either, just good.
One thing you should know though is that they’re dab hands at taking photos for guests, they really know how to make the most of Mano Beach House.
Entertainment
The Mano Beach House’s commitment to “slow living” appears to mean no entertainment except for canned music.
Pool Quality
The pool was clean and pleasant but incredibly small and that’s a bit of a downside to a beach club.
If Mano Beach House is busy, you may struggle to get in the water at all.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
Beware places that don’t have their food and drink prices on their website. This is a golden rule of hospitality.
And it applies to Mano Beach House, when you “sip island-inspired cocktails with a distinctive local flair” or “indulge in contemporary cuisine from the modern international menus” you’re going to pay through the nose for doing so.
We’re not sure what merits this level of premium either. When you consider how good many beach club restaurants are, you’d need to be offering the best food on the island to justify these prices.
Food And Drink Quality
And that’s the problem, Mano Beach House isn’t providing the best food and drinks in Bali.
The cocktails are weak which is shocking when you consider the cost of them.
The food is good and beautifully presented, but it’s not better than you can find elsewhere, for less money.
Sunset View
This part of Bali is famous for its stunning sunsets and you can watch the sun’s rays breaking over the ocean from anywhere inside the club.
Music And Ambiance
Canned chill-out tunes are what Mano Beach House is about. That’s fine, it makes for a pleasant enough vibe but it’s nothing to write home about either.
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card inside Mano Beach House without any problems.
We didn’t see any signs for QRIS payments though and we don’t think anywhere on the island takes Bitcoin yet.
Exit Process
Mano Beach House is so small that it would be impossible to find it hard to leave.
You will be wished a fond farewell as you leave too.
Transportation
If you brought your own vehicle, you can pick it up and drive, very slowly away in the Seminyak traffic.
If you need a Grab or Gojek, we would suggest booking one 20-30 minutes before you intend to leave the club if the traffic is heavy outside.
There are taxi touts and taxi mafia all over Seminyak but if you just politely decline their services, they will leave you alone.
Social Media Presence
Mano Beach House maintains a social media presence and it’s even intermittently active on its social media accounts.
The images are attractive (though there’s no video) and fairly represent what the club is like.
Other/General Comments
We enjoyed our time at Mano Beach House but the hidden and expensive prices left a bad taste in our mouths and not one of garlic aioli or pickled onion.
Our Overall Opinion Of Mano Beach House
We were hoping that Mano Beach House would be a plucky underdog of the beach club scene in Bali.
But the prices and lack of amenities don’t gel together, this is a nice enough place, but it’s not worth making a special trip for.
Mano Beach House appears in our best beach clubs on the island list, why not take a look and see what your options are?
FAQs
Can You Swim At Mano Beach House?
Yes, you can swim at Mano Beach House. However, this beach house is meant to be a testament to “slow living” and you may find that the slow life starts in the sparkling pool which isn’t very big.
In fact, if you find yourself sharing the pool with more than a few guests, swimming is likely to be impossible.
You can still enjoy the water and the chill-out tunes while trying some of the sophisticated cocktails on offer. It’s a nice place to watch the stunning sunsets from too.
What Can You Do At Mano Beach House?
Mano Beach House is a small beach club that you can use as a gathering place, to sample some laid-back tunes and ocean views, or to enjoy their modern international menus and sophisticated cocktails or take a swim in the pool.
There’s not much else to do at this beach club, it’s just not big enough to accommodate anything more.
Is Mano Beach House A Family-Friendly Venue?
You’re welcome to bring children to the Mano Beach House but you are expected to keep them supervised at all times so that everyone can enjoy comfortable dining experiences here.
You can find a list of the best family-friendly beach clubs here.
Who Owns Mano Beach House?
Mano Beach House is owned by a local Balinese personality called Dewa Wahyu. They also founded the now-defunct Street Boi Bali Southeast Asian fusion restaurant.
Final Thoughts On Mano Beach House
Mano Beach House is unlikely to be anyone’s first choice of beach club, it’s too small and when you combine that with expensive food and drink, there are better options on the island.
However, if you’re in the neighbourhood and want to spend a few hours under the stylish and shady canopy provided by Mano Beach House, you will probably enjoy what it has to offer.
