We didn’t know that the Royal Purnama Beach Resort had a beach club until very recently but we liked what we saw in the pictures and decided we’d get to know the Moonstone Beach Lounge a little better.
So, the team headed out to Sukawati to find out what this luxury beachfront lounge offers and this is what they discovered on their trip.
Introduction – Getting To Moonstone Beach Lounge
Sukawati is a little bit away from the main tourist areas of Bali and you’re probably going to have to make a special trip to visit the Moonstone Beach Lounge if you’re not staying at the Royal Purnama.
It’s not too far from Ubud, but you’ll probably find that you’ll need an hour or two in a ride-share from most of the resort towns in Bali.
So, you might even consider stopping for a night at the resort if you do visit this beach club as it’s a long drive (even on a Sunday) for just a bit of time on a day bed by the pool.
Where Is Moonstone Beach Lounge? Jl. Pantai Purnama, Sukawati, Kec. Sukawati, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80582, Indonesia
Website: Moonstone Beach Lounge
Opening Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily except for Nyepi
What’s Inside Moonstone Beach Lounge?
This luxury beachfront lounge offers a swimming pool, several seating areas and restaurant and bar facilities.
The Royal Purnama Beach Resort describes the facility as a “cultural beach lounge” but while it certainly blends “sophisticated elegance” with “enchanting beauty”, we’re not sure how this place qualifies as a cultural highlight.
Our Review Breakdown For Moonstone Beach Lounge
All of our reviews are conducted in the same way to ensure that we treat all the beach clubs with fairness and so that you, our reader, can compare and contrast places on an equal footing.
The team is sent out to the club to see what things are about. They spend some time there (and they don’t all visit at once or even on the same day).
And each team member is asked to grade the club on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 is the worst, 5 is the best) for each of the following categories.
Once the initial visits are complete, the team meets up to discuss their grades and to vote on a final review grade for each club.
Finally, a single team member writes up the review based on these discussions and once it’s published, it stays in place for a period of, at least, one year before we revisit a place and take a moment to re-discover the hospitality and amend our feedback as required.
Pre-Club Advertising
As we didn’t know that Moonstone Beach Lounge even existed until this week, it’s fair to say that this luxury beachfront lounge is not investing heavily in advertising.
This isn’t uncommon with hotel beach clubs, they are primarily a guest benefit and the chance to sell a few extra seats to outsiders is a secondary thing.
However, we feel strongly that advertising is important because the best beach club experiences are those that are shared with plenty of other people.
Otherwise, they can talk all they like about “mysterious allure” and a “mystical experience of local culture” but you’ll still be alone and bored.
Location
The Moonstone Beach Lounge and Royal Purnama Beach Resort are on the East Coast and while they’re not so far from the beach towns that they make a day trip impossible, it’s far enough for it to be a long drive from most of the popular spots on the island.
We should also note that while this luxury beachfront lounge offers plenty of facilities, one thing it doesn’t offer very much of is beach – Pantai Purnama or Purnama Beach is vanishingly small at the point it meets the club and the sea pretty much crashes against the infinity pool at times.
Booking Process & Seating Options
Moonstone Beach Lounge could do wonders by improving its booking system which is just a WhatsApp chat facility.
That means you have to go back and forth with a staff member rather than just choosing where to sit, paying a deposit and booking.
Now, we understand that with no entrance fee and no minimum spend requirements, there may be no incentive for the Moonstone Beach Lounge to offer this facility – but we find that we’re very reluctant to travel to beach clubs where we can’t guarantee a seat when we get there.
Entry Fee
There is no entrance fee at the Moonstone Beach Lounge if you just want to drink and dine.
But if you want to sit in the day beds or cabanas by the pool and use the pool itself – then you do need to pay for a day pass.
That’s 100,000 IDR for the pass and there’s no discount for children. To be fair, the pass does get you a towel too but it’s not the most generous arrangement.
So, there is sort-of an entrance fee at Moonstone Beach Lounge and that gives it a middling score in our books.
We prefer places with no entrance fees as we think it shouldn’t cost you anything to come into a club sit down and use the basic facilities.
Minimum Spend
There is no minimum spend required at Moonstone Beach Lounge and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing.
it’s good because it means you can decide if what this luxury beachfront lounge offers is to your taste without committing to spending a fortune.
But at the same time, it means there’s no incentive for the team at the Royal Purnama to improve their booking process and ensure you have a way to secure a seat ahead of time.
Welcome And Security
You will recieve a warm welcome at the Moonstone Beach Lounge and it’s exactly what we’d expect from the team at the Royal Purnama.
There is a brief security check as you enter the hotel grounds but there isn’t any sort of bag check at the beach lounge itself.
We feel that every club should have a basic set of security protocols in place for everyone’s safety.
Inclusions
If you’ve paid for the day pass, you get to sit on the day beds and to use the pool. They provide a towel and Wi-Fi access as well.
This is very much the standard set of beach club inclusions and it’s a shame that while the Moonstone Beach Lounge is aspiring to “sophisticated elegance”, it’s not got any kind of VIP or Premier level of inclusions available for an additional fee.
Service
The service at the Moonstone Beach Lounge is excellent and exactly what you’d expect to find in an exclusive extension of the Royal Purnama.
We found the staff to be helpful, attentive and friendly without ever being overwhelming or annoying.
This is the best of Balinese hospitality and oddly, the best illustration of local culture that a beach club could offer.
Entertainment
They may emphasize the connection with local culture and the the mystical experience of this club but we found it was a beach lounge that was attractive and pleasant without really taking us to the next level.
There are clear Balinese influences in this place and we like the enchanting beauty of the surroundings, but overall, we didn’t feel that we were being overly entertained by the supposed focus on culture.
There is some piped music in the venue which is pleasant enough, mind you.
Pool Quality
The pool is a sort of infinity pool directly against the beach and as we’ve already mentioned, there’s so little beach that at high tide, the waves almost crash against the pool itself.
It’s a lovely area though, it’s very well maintained and the water is clean and pleasant. We’d be happy to swim here at any time.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We were very surprised to see how reasonably priced everything is at the Moonstone Beach Lounge.
This is a luxury resort that really aims to bring value for money to its customers.
Of course, its location in a less expensive part of Bali won’t hurt when it comes to deciding on prices.
Food And Drink Quality
We were very impressed by the food and drink at this beach club and while we don’t think Moonstone Beach Lounge is quite at the pinnacle of club dining, we’d be happy to eat there any day of the week.
The cocktails and mocktails are both beautifully presented and extremely tasty with local influences.
Sunset View
This isn’t the right coast for the best sunset view and while the sky does light up as the sun sets. It’s not as amazing as it is on the South West Coast in Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, etc.
Music And Ambiance
The music was completely inoffensive at Moonstone Beach Lounge and that’s perfectly fine in a setting where you go to relax and chill out by the pool.
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card easily in this place but there are no options for QRIS or e-wallet payments.
Exit Process
Leaving the Moonstone Beach Lounge is very easy and you will find that you just walk out the way that you came in.
You will receive a cheery farewell when you depart too.
Transportation
Purnama Beach is somewhat in the middle of nowhere and you may have to wait a long time if you’re relying on Grab or Gojek to pick you up.
We’d advise either driving yourself (there’s plenty of parking at the resort) or having a private driver wait around for the day.
On the bright side, there’s no taxi mafia in this area – it’s not busy enough to justify their presence.
Social Media Presence
We were really impressed by the Moonstone Beach Lounge’s social media presence.
It’s regularly updated and it makes the place seem enticing and exciting while accurately reflecting the vibe of the place.
Other/General Comments
Hotel beach clubs are a funny thing. They’re not really trying to compete with the big beach clubs of Canggu, Seminyak and Ungasan but rather evolving their own category of club.
This club is a lovely place to hang out for a day by the pool away from the tourist hustle and bustle of other parts of the island.
If you’re a resort guest, it’s a don’t miss facility and if not, it’s , perhaps, worth a day trip if you don’t have anything pressing to do.
Our Overall Opinion Of Moonstone Beach Lounge
As hotel beach clubs go the Royal Purnama Beach Resort has really delivered the goods.
While we’d still pick FINNS or Potato Head over this kind of day out, there’s no doubt that this place which blends sophisticated elegance with the local culture offers a very pleasant day out.
If you want to unwind in the sun in a somewhat different venue and want to enjoy 5-star hospitality while you do, there are much worse choices of venue than Moonstone Beach Lounge.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Moonstone Beach Lounge?
Yes, there’s a nice pool at the “cultural beach lounge” or Moonstone Beach Lounge at the Royal Purnama Beach Resort.
However, you should be aware that you need to purchase a day pass to have access to the pool at this luxurious resort and that means paying a fee of 100,000 IDR (about $6 USD or $10 AUD) per person.
This does include towel rental but otherwise, there are no other inclusions with this fee.
What Can You Do At Moonstone Beach Lounge?
The Moonstone Beach Lounge is the perfect spot to enjoy some sun and the sea breeze atmosphere that Bali is famous for.
You can enjoy the venue and unwind, enjoy the “mystical experience” promised by the Royal Purnama (an award-winning hotel) and eat and drink from the bar and restaurant facilities.
Is Moonstone Beach Lounge A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, the Royal Purnama Beach Resort is a family friendly hotel and this exclusive extension of that resort is open to all guests as well as to visitors from outside of the hotel with their children.
Children are welcome at most places in Bali and while there aren’t many special areas for children at the Moonstone Beach Lounge the pool is a nice place for kids to play while adults relax and enjoy the luxury beachfront lounge.
Who Owns Moonstone Beach Lounge?
The Moonstone Beach Lounge is part of the Royal Purnama Beach Resort in Sukawati and that is owned by an Indonesian group company. This may explain why there’s an emphasis on local culture when they create the advertising material for the Moonstone Beach Lounge.
Final Thoughts On Moonstone Beach Lounge
The Moonstone Beach Lounge is a nice space for a hotel beach club. The Royal Purnama Beach Resort blends sophisticated elegance and enchanting beauty for an exclusive extension in the form of a beach club.
It’s not a place that you’d go to party but it’s the perfect spot for some lunch or to relax with a book for a day.
Given that the venue is a little off-the-beaten-path and is not working too hard to advertise itself, we can imagine that there are some days when it’s very busy, but most of the time, it’s a place to unwind and enjoy the moment with very few other people around.
