The Courtyard by Marriott Bali is an upscale resort in a town full of upmarket resorts, Nusa Dua. But does the imaginatively entitled, “The Beach Club” measure up to the soft white sand of Nusa Dua Beach?
Our team of reviewers and island explorers went to check out the Beach Club at this great location and this is what they learned while they were there.
Introduction – Getting To The Beach Club
The Courtyard by Marriott Bali is in Nusa Dua which is not always the easiest part of the island to get to. While it’s a short drive from the airport and from parts of the Bukit Peninsula, it can take much longer to get to this great location from the rest of the island.
Be warned that if you want to visit The Beach Club, you may have to set off pretty early to get through the Bali traffic and make the time slot for any reservation you may have.
Where Is The Beach Club? Peninsula Beach, Nusa Dua, Benoa, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80363
Website: The Beach Club
Opening Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Nyepi
What’s Inside The Beach Club?
There’s a nice pool area, access to Nusa Dua Beach, a variety of seating areas and restaurant and bar facilities that serve international dishes to guests throughout the beach club.
Our Review Breakdown For The Beach Club
We review every beach club in the same fashion to ensure that we are treating them fairly and so that you can compare places on a like-for-like basis.
Our team visits the club and then each member grades them from 1 (worst) to 5 (best).
When they return to the office, they vote on a final grade in each category (as shown below).
One member of the team then writes up the review based on the discussion around the votes.
Once a review goes live, it stays on our site for a minimum of one year before we visit the club again.
You can find all of our best beach clubs in Bali with all current reviews here.
Pre-Club Advertising
We’ve seen adverts for the Courtyard by Marriott Bali but never any ads for The Beach Club itself.
We understand why these big chains operate this way but we still think they’re missing a trick.
Beach club days are best when you are surrounded by other people and that means advertising your beach club.
Rating: 1/5
Location
Nusa Dua Beach is often considered to be the nicest beach in Bali and the soft white sands and beautiful water certainly make this an attractive location.
However, you will find that Nusa Dua Beach is also not that easy to get to from the rest of the island and most people who frequent The Beach Club are going to be staying either in the Courtyard by Marriott Bali or in another expensive resort nearby.
You don’t have to stay in the hotel to check out The Beach Club but you may have to undertake a long drive if you’re not staying in Nusa Dua.
Rating: 3/5
Booking Process & Seating Options
We couldn’t find any way to book online. The Beach Club appears to once have allowed you to book via the Chope app but has cancelled this service.
That means you have to turn up on the day and hope for the best. This is probably OK if you get there early in the morning but this isn’t a big place and if you arrive too late, you may be out of luck for the day.
You can enjoy other restaurants and bars inside the Courtyard by Marriott Bali while you wait, but it seems like a wasted day to us.
Rating: 1/5
Entry Fee
One nice thing about The Beach Club at the Courtyard by Marriott Bali is that there’s no entrance fee.
This is a truly “free entry” beach club as there are seats without any minimum spend requirement.
So, you can rock up and check out the sun loungers, eat and drink to your heart’s content without being obliged to do anything more than pay for what you order.
Rating: 5/5
Minimum Spend
There is no minimum spend at The Beach Club and this is both good and bad news.
The good news is that if you can get there early enough, you’re pretty much guaranteed one of their 40-day beds.
The bad news is that if you don’t like to get to your beach clubs at the crack of dawn – you have no means of reserving a day bed here.
So, be honest with yourself about who you are – The Beach Club is not likely to have a lot of seating if you rock up 10 minutes before sunset.
This beach club qualifies as one of the best beach clubs on the island without a minimum spend requirement.
Rating: 3/5
Welcome And Security
The Beach Club is accessible through the main hotel. You will be subject to a light security check as you enter the resort (and we like that) and warmly welcomed.
You can then choose to jump on the resort shuttle to get to The Beach Club itself or take a stroll and check out the resort as you go.
It wasn’t the most memorable welcome we’ve ever had but it was, as you’d expect, a solid 5-star hotel welcome.
Rating: 4/5
Inclusions
You get free towels and free Wi-Fi at The Beach Club and we have to say, that’s pretty generous given there’s no entrance fee and no minimum spend.
But there’s also no premium or VIP tier where you can pay a little extra and get a bunch of other perks.
Rating: 3/5
Service
The service is very good at The Beach Club and again, exactly what we’d expect in a property that’s part of a 5-star hotel.
It’s not the most amazing service in history but you will find that your needs are well attended to and that you’re served promptly and efficiently.
We think service is an area that all beach clubs should excel in, so congrats to The Beach Club for making sure that they haven’t neglected this.
Rating: 4/5
Entertainment
This is not a beach club based on entertainment and apart from gentle piped music, the only time you’re likely to hear a DJ is if another place further down the coast is playing music way too loud.
Rating: 1/5
Pool Quality
The pool area is nice and we like that they have a children’s section alongside the main pool – this means your kids can have fun in safety while you swim.
As you’d expect from this chain, the pool area is kept very clean and it’s well-maintained.
Rating: 4/5
Menu/Drinks Pricing
Curiously, despite the lack of an entrance fee, the free towels, and no requirement for a minimum spend – the food and drinks at The Beach Club are very reasonably priced.
We were impressed with the prices particularly given that the Nusa Dua Beach area tends to be expensive.
Rating: 4/5
Food And Drink Quality
However, we found the food to be fairly bland international dishes of a 5-star standard but without really distinguishing itself.
We’d rather pay a little more and get better meals than we got at The Beach Club.
The drinks were good though and we found they delivered the kind of alcohol levels we expect when paying for drinks in a beach club.
Rating: 3/5
Sunset View
Nusa Dua Beach is on the wrong side of the island for the best sunset views.
You do get a little light show in the sky as the sun dips below the horizon but overall, it’s not even close to the spectacular sunsets of Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran and Uluwatu.
Rating: 2/5
Music And Ambiance
This is a great location on Nusa Dua Beach and it’s meant for people to come and chill out by the pool or the sea and just relax.
There’s some piped music and a gentle vibe going on and that’s clearly what they’re aiming for.
Rating: 3/5
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card throughout the Courtyard by Marriott Bali including at The Beach Club.
We didn’t see any notices regarding QRIS or e-wallet payments though/
Rating: 4/5
Exit Process
Leaving The Beach Club means a walk back or catching the free shuttle to the entrance of The Courtyard by Marriot Bali and that’s the same as you came in.
This club is simply too small for you to get lost on the way back.
Rating: 5/5
Transportation
Getting to the Courtyard by Marriott Bali should be easy enough and your Grab or Gojek can drop you at the front door.
You will also find that there’s plenty of parking at this resort site and you can leave your car or scooter with ease.
However, you may find that the Nusa Dua Beach area is a bit short on rides when you want to go home and you may need to wait for a Grab or Gojek.
The good news is that the Courtyard by Marriott Bali doesn’t let the taxi mafia onto its grounds and you won’t be hassled while you wait.
Rating: 3/5
Social Media Presence
The hotel has a social media presence but there’s no separate social media for The Beach Club.
We’d also note that it’s hard to get much understanding of what to expect a this club from their Instagram, etc. feeds.
Rating: 2/5
Other/General Comments
We feel that The Beach Club at Courtyard by Marriott Bali is targetted very much at resort guests and that’s just fine.
That they let in outside visitors is nice and you can’t complain too hard about a place with no entrance fee and no minimum spend, you can always check out the facilities before you decide if they’re what you’re looking for without any loss.
Rating: 3/5
Our Overall Opinion Of The Beach Club
The Beach Club is a great resource for those staying in the resort but we’re not sure that anyone would travel very far to see this beach club, either.
It’s in a great location on Nusa Dua Beach but the experience is quite average.
Rating: 57/100
Note: If you are a Marriott-Bonvoy points collector, you will be pleased to note that any spending that you do inside The Beach Club will earn you points, in the same way that you ear points on any consumption within the Courtyard by Marriott Bali.
FAQs
Can You Swim At The Beach Club?
Yes, there’s a decent swimming pool area at The Beach Club and guests are welcome to use this facility.
The area is as clean and well-maintained as you’d expect from the Courtyard by Marriott Bali.
What Can You Do At The Beach Club?
If you visit The Beach Club at Courtyard by Marriott Bali you can swim in the pool or the sea, walk down the beach, enjoy international dishes and drinks, and relax in the sun.
Is The Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, as you’d expect from a family-friendly resort like the Courtyard by Marriott Bali, The Beach Club is family-friendly.
There is even a small kid’s pool section as part of the main swimming pool, where the little ones can swim more safely.
The resort also has a kids club which you may be able to use if you book in advance, as you would expect, resort guests and their children get priority at this facility, so make sure to call ahead to see if they can take your little ones if you want to use it.
Who Owns The Beach Club?
The Beach Club is part of the Courtyard by Marriott Bali, which is part of the Marriott Group of hotels. This is a major international chain that can be found in nearly every country on Earth.
Final Thoughts On The Beach Club Review Courtyard Marriott
The Beach Club at the Courtyard by Marriott Bali is a small beach club and it’s clearly designed for chilling by the sea and not for partying and big occasions.
If you’re a resort guest, this place is a no-brainer, it’s pleasant and there’s no cost associated with using the facilities.
We’d also say that if were staying in the Nusa Dua Beach area, we’d be back to experience this place again.
However, we wouldn’t travel too far for The Beach Club, it’s good but it doesn’t really stand out as exceptional.
By the way if you enjoyed this review, why not check out our reviews for Karma Beach Club and Le Pirate Beach Club too?
