The Sundara Bali Beach Club is in Jimbaran Bay at the Four Seasons Resort Bali. That’s a very upmarket part of the world and we wondered if the view of Jimbaran Beach would justify the premium for spending time at the Four Seasons?
Well, our beachfront gazing team went out to explore the double daybeds and private pools on offer at the Four Seasons Jimbaran and the Sundara Restaurant/Beach Club to find out for you.
This is what they learned on their visit.
Introduction – Getting To Sundara Beach Club
Jimbaran Bay is relatively easy to get to from most of the island, the Four Seasons Resort Bali is a short drive from the airport and from Kuta and Uluwatu, it’s also not that far from Canggu, Seminyak, Ungasan, Ubud, and Nusa Dua.
This is Bali, so expect some traffic on your way to Jimbaran Bay and allow plenty of travel time if you’re trying to reach the Four Seasons Resort at a specific time of day.
However, as you’d expect at the Four Seasons, Grab and Gojke drop-off is fine and there’s parking available too.
Where Is Sundara Beach Club?
Website: Sundara Beach Club
Opening Hours:
What’s Inside Sundara Beach Club?
The Sundara claims to have the longest beachfront pool in Bali at 57-metres long. It also has beachfront cabanas, daybeds, a sundeck and the Sundara Restaurant and bar facilities.
Our Review Breakdown For Sundara Beach Club
We review every beach club in the same fashion as guests. We visit each club in Bali’s club scene as a team and every person ranks the experience from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in a series of 20 categories (as seen below).
On our return to the office, we vote on the final grade in each category to ensure that it is reflective of everyone’s experience at the club.
Then, based on our discussions and voting, one of us writes up the review and it’s published on our site.
It remains live for, at least, one year before we revisit the club.
We have a complete list of all the best beach clubs in Bali with links to their individual reviews.
Pre-Club Advertising
We’ve never seen adverts for Sundara, we’re not saying that they don’t exist but we’ve not seen them and we’re quite actively looking for them.
This is a drawback for a club’s guests because the more they advertise, the busier the place is and the better that normally makes your experience.
However, they do advertise the Four Seasons and they may simply be trying to keep things muted to ensure that hotel residents can always find a spot at this club.
Location
Jimbaran Bay is a pretty good location, it’s a relatively short drive from most of the other major beach towns, from the airport and from Ubud.
There are also other restaurants and bars on the same road as the Sundara.
However, if you want more than a seafood dinner, you may need to hail a taxi or drive to find something else.
Booking Process & Seating Options
There is no reservation process for the cabanas, day beds, or sundeck.
These are assigned to guests on a first-come, first-served basis with priority for Four Seasons residents.
We appreciate that this is, perhaps, the fairest way to allocate seats from a revenue perspective, but it does mean that for those travelling to Jimbaran Bay will want to get there early to guarantee a spot in the ocean sun.
We confess the lack of booking irks us a little. No matter how fantastic a place is, we want a guarantee of somewhere to sit when we arrive particularly when spending a small fortune on small plates from the all-day menu and on cocktails made from expensive imported liquors.
Entry Fee
In theory, there’s no entry fee at this club but in practice, there are no seats that are provided without a minimum spend.
We consider this an entrance fee by the backdoor and while understand why clubs do this – we do feel you should be able to get inside and have a look at a place and sit down with your preferred tipple before being expected to cough up large sums of money.
Minimum Spend
The minimum spend for a cabana is 1,750,000 ++ IDR. It’s important to note that this is for 2 people sharing the cabana and if you want to add a 3rd person (or a fourth), you will have to pay an increased minimum spend.
The daybeds are 1,200,000++ IDR for two people and if you are bringing more people, you need more beds.
The sundeck offers sunbeds for two people at 980,000++ IDR per couple.
This is quite high for a hotel club, but given that this is the Four Seasons Resort Bali, we didn’t really expect anything less.
There is a nice offer from the resort for those leaving Bali on the day they visit the club – you can arrive at 12 p.m. and then stay until your flight departs with a minimum spend of just 750,000 ++ IDR for a daybed.
Welcome And Security
The welcome was exactly what we expected from this top-tier hotel brand – efficient, enthusiastic and warm.
There is also a security check where they ensure that you’re not bringing any contraband or other materials into the club.
We approve of this as it helps keep people safe.
Inclusions
The Four Seasons Jimbaran offers more inclusions than the majority of beach clubs and in addition to the usual towel, they also provide free mineral water and Wi-Fi access along with access to all poolside amenities.
However, there’s no premier or VIP offering and that’s the sort of thing that we’d hope that the Sundara offers as standard.
We would note that you can add a spa package at the resort spa at an additional (and fairly substantial fee) but if you feel like relaxing before dinner, that might be interesting to you.
Service
The Four Seasons Jimbaran is world famous for its service and it’s on par with the best restaurants and clubs on the island.
Whether you’re ordering cocktails in happy hour or grabbing as spot after sunset at the fire pits, you will be certain of all the assistance and care that you need.
Entertainment
There is piped music during the majority of the week but the Four Seasons Resort Bali does provide live music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through to Saturday (with a lot of musical variety) and they have a live DJ and Saxophonist on Sunday between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Pool Quality
It’s a big pool with excellent sunset views located right along the beachfront. So, if you want some fun in the pool or if you want to swim laps, there’s plenty of room to do so.
As you’d expect from this brand, the water is always clean and the pool area is very tidy and well-maintained.
However, there is also only one pool and that puts this club a bit behind some other clubs on the island.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
It’s the Four Seasons and if you have any doubts about what that means for your wallet, then the first item on the menu, caviar for 990,000 IDR ++ will clear that up for you.
Yes, this is a very premium-priced club and whether you’re here for a dessert, brunch, dinner with friends, etc. you’re going to pay for it.
The same is true for the drinks with cocktails starting at a very pricey 215,000 IDR++.
There is a happy hour once a day, mind you, where you can get 2-for-1 deals on certain drinks.
Food And Drink Quality
However, there’s no doubt that the dishes here are world-class and the seafood that Jimbaran Bay is so famous for is well-represented on the menu.
The cocktails are amazing too and they’re very unique recipes presented in cool fashions that really make you enjoy the drink more.
Sunset View
The Sundara offers excellent sunset views on par with anywhere else on the island and you can’t beat watching the sun go down while lounging on comfy double daybeds in Bali.
We like to ensure we have cocktails in hand and have just had our last dip in the pool as the sunset begins.
Music And Ambiance
The music is mainly piped and we don’t have any real objections to that.
This is a relaxing club with a vibe that sees music mainly relegated to the background.
The live music at night varies dramatically in style and you might want to choose when you visit this club based on the music on offer – for us, there’s a big difference between Latin, Reggae and Pop.
Payment Options
It’s the Four Seasons Jimbaran, you can pay with a card or in cash. If you’re a resident at the resort, you can also sign the tab on to your hotel tab.
However, we didn’t see signs for QRIS or e-wallet payments.
Exit Process
This isn’t the biggest beach club in Bali and it’s relatively easy to trace your path back from the sea to the door where you entered this club.
The super friendly staff will be sure to wish you a warm farewell.
Transportation
You will have no problems getting to this club and leaving is generally going to be easy enough too.
You may need to wait a little while for a Grab or Gojek at the busiest times of day as Jimbaran Bay isn’t quite as well-served as Canggu, Kuta and Seminyak, but it’s not Ungasan, either – you will get a ride in reasonable time.
The nice thing about this being a club in a posh resort is that they don’t let the taxi mafia inside, so you can wait for a ride without being hassled.
Social Media Presence
This club has a social media presence which is independent from the resort.
However, we can only imagine that a coconut fell onto the social media manager as when we checked their socials before publishing this review – it had been 14 weeks since anyone last updated their account.
They also seem to have fallen into the trap of photographing an empty club rather than a packed happy one.
Other/General Comments
The Sundara is exactly what we expected an upmarket hotel club to be like.
While it’s definitely not a place to party, if you wanted to impress a business colleague or spend some quality time with your family by the sea – this is the kind of club you’d come to.
Our Overall Opinion Of Sundara Beach Club
If you can live with the exceptionally high prices at Sundara, you will find that it’s an excellent hotel club with top-notch service and food and drink.
It might not be worth the effort of travelling to Jimbaran Bay by itself, but if you’re staying in the area and especially if you’re staying at the Four Seasons, then this might be a “must-see” club.
We’d still say that if you only visit one club in Bali, you should make it FINNS Beach Club, but Sundara offers a different experience to FINNS and one we think most people will enjoy if they can afford to.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Sundara Beach Club?
Yes! There’s one of the largest pools in Bali at this club to swim in and it’s kept clean and well-maintained.
What Can You Do At Sundara Beach Club?
You can swim, eat (particularly seafood), drink, lounge around and soak up some sun and at night (for some of the week) you can listen to performers playing to diners at the restaurant.
Is Sundara Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, there’s even a hotel kid’s club that your children can join to ensure they have an amazing time while you unwind by the pool.
Who Owns Sundara Beach Club?
This club is owned by the Four Seasons Jimbaran which is part of the Four Seasons hotel group.
Final Thoughts On Sundara Beach Club
Sundara is based at the Four Seasons Jimbaran and that means it’s going to be an upmarket but pricey experience and that’s exactly what we found.
It’s not a great place for a party, but if you want a more subdued day with family or friends, it excels at being what you’d expect it to be.
The Jimbaran Bay area is famous for its seafood and if you’ve got your heart set on sampling some of that seafood, this might be just the place to do it.
If you found this useful, why not see our reviews of Karma Beach Club and Kubu Beach Club too?
