White Rock Beach Club is in Ungasan near Uluwatu on the Southernmost edge of Bali. That means it’s a long drive to get there from most of the island.
But is it worth the trip or would we better off looking for something a little closer to home? Our intrepid team went to investigate and this is what they learned.
Introduction – Getting To White Rock Beach Club
White Rock Beach Club is on the Indian Ocean at Melasti Beach in Ungasan, South Bali on the Bukit Peninsula.
That means it’s often a very long drive, thanks mainly to the traffic here in Bali, to this area and you should set off early if you have a day bed booked to ensure you get there on time.
Where Is White Rock Beach Clu? Pantai Melasti, Ungasan, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Website: White Rock
Opening Hours: Open daily, every day except for Nyepi, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
What’s Inside White Rock Beach Club?
White Rock Beach Club has two infinity pools, a private pool, a children’s pool, a bar, a restaurant and various seating options.
Our Review Breakdown For White Rock Beach Club
All our reviews are conducted on the same basis. We send a team to the beach club (in this case White Rock Beach Club) and they spend a day there.
They grade the club out of 5 (from 1 to 5) in 20 different categories. Once they return to the office, they vote on the final scores to ensure that our ratings are truly representative of the beach club experience.
Then, a review is written and once published, it remains in place for, at least, 1 year before being updated.
Pre-Club Advertising
White Rock Beach Club is probably the only beach club in Ungasan that does invest in pre-club advertising.
It’s not as invested as places like FINNS and Potatohead but you will see adverts for it online as well as displayed around the island.
This is important because we feel that part of the beach club experience is the people around you and advertising ensures that there are “bums on seats”.
White Rock could certainly do more in this respect, but it’s a good effort, particularly from a part of the island where most clubs don’t bother.
Location
Ungasan is a lovely part of South Bali with white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean and Melasti Beach is a very popular spot to start a beach club.
But there’s no getting around the fact that it’s a poor location to get to. You will find that it’s a long drive in Bali traffic (much longer than it appears on hte map) and when you get there, there are other frustrations to be faced.
You can’t go directly to the beach club, you have to park on the top of a hill and then pay 10,000 IDR to get down to the club – this is a fee that can only be paid in cash to make things even more frustrating.
There are a lot of nice things in the area when you do get to the beach club but it’s such a hassle at the start of your day to get there.
You can also find Palmilla Beach Club in the Ungasan area.
Booking Process & Seating Options
You can book a seat or table easily enough through their website with the proviso that you’re very patient as the load times on their site were among the worst we’ve encountered here in Bali – this is a beach club that could really use upgrading its hosting.
Once the booking engine finally loads, your first job is to pick a day which has been helpfully colour-coded and labelled with the names of the DJs who will be playing that day.
Unfortunately, as we had no idea who any of them were, this didn’t really aid us in making a choice – instead, it left us a bit confused.
Once we chose our day, we, once again, endured a painfully slow loading screen that revealed a venue map that was easy to navigate.
It was also simple to select our exact seat at White Rock Beach Club but it was then painfully slow to get to the checkout to pay for it.
This is a decent system that still needs a bit of work to be truly fit for purpose.
Entry Fee
There is no entrance fee at White Rock Beach Club and that’s something we think is really important.
You shouldn’t have to agree to pay for a private room, a lagoon sofa, a single bed, a double bed, a lagoon bed or any other kind of bed to walk into a venue and see if it suits your needs.
We were also encouraged by the fact that White Rock Beach Club has a seating area with no minimum spend attached to it – it’s not really free entry if you have to commit to paying x amount just to sit down.
Minimum Spend
The area around the bar at White Rock Beach Club has no minimum spend associated with it, so if you just want to check out this majestic cliff-top location and the infinity pool and rooftop lounge, this is the way forward.
However, there is a variety of other seating options including lagoon bed, double bed, single bed, lagoon sofa, private room, etc. and these are available if you agree to a minimum spend with the venue.
This can range from 1,500,000 IDR for a two-seater bed to 6 million IDR for the biggest beds. Melasti Beach is often considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali and you get a lovely view of the beach from these seats.
The minimum spend is fair and is typical for beach clubs across Bali but there’s no premium or VIP offering for those looking for more than just complimentary towels with their bed.
Welcome And Security
The welcome was friendly enough at White Rock Beach Club but it wasn’t “best in class”. It was enough to set the tone though and that’s always a good thing.
We also approve of the fact that they have a security check at White Rock Beach Club because even though they’re annoying, they help to ensure the venue is a safe place to be.
Inclusions
If you agree to a minimum spend you get complimentary towels for the whole party.
This is fairly standard for any luxury beachfront venue in Bali and we do fee that clubs could offer more inclusions even if they had to create a more premium class to do so.
How hard would it be to have sunscreen, for example, on hand when people need it?
Service
Apart from natural beauty Bali is famous for its service culture and the island’s hospitality is world-renowned.
With that in mind, the service at White Rock Beach Club is good, but it’s not exceptional.
You will be treated with kindness and respect throughout your visit but we doubt you will remember the service for much longer than 5 minutes after you step back into the world after your time on Melasti Beach.
Entertainment
The music at White Rock Beach Club during the day is piped in and that’s a little disappointing for a property that bills itself as a luxury beachfront venue.
When we think of “luxury” we think of live DJs. However, there is a DJ platform and once the sun goes down, the DJs start to crank up the vibe.
There’s a good dance floor available if you want to get your groove on and on the Southernmost tip of Bali island, there aren’t many other options for dancing the night away.
There’s none of the individualized entertainment of the leaders in this class though.
Pool Quality
The are two infinity pool options at White Rock Beach Club and they’re both long pools with a nice view of the majestic cliff top and beautiful beaches in the area.
There is also a small area with its own private pool.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
We found that White Rock Beach Club was expensive compared to other beach clubs and that does seem to be a bit of a trend in the “hidden paradise” of Ungasan.
The beach clubs here seem to charge a hefty premium for their panoramic views.
However, there are some reasonably priced items on the menu when it comes to food. The alcohol, on the other hand, is all heavily marked up.
Food And Drink Quality
We opted for tacos and tuna salad and we weren’t disappointed the food is very good and well-presented.
The drinks were good too and we thought the cocktails were properly mixed and that they were strong enough (which they ought to be at the price on the menu).
This wasn’t the “best beach club food ever” but it was very good and we enjoyed our meal and drinks.
Interested in Tiki Bar drinks at a Bali Beach Club? Check out Azul Beach Club.
Sunset View
You’re not really pointing in the right direction to enjoy the natural beauty of the Balinese sunset at its best at this spot and while the cliff face does get a bit of the light, it’s not on a par with the clubs in Canggu, Seminyak and Kuta.
So, while they don’t let video cameras in the club, guests aren’t missing a video of an amazing sunset.
Music And Ambiance
We came to White Rock Beach Club to relax and that’s exactly what we did, we left before things heated up in the evening but if you want a chill vibe, this is a good place for it.
The music we heard was OK. The usual bland blend of unmemorable beach club tunes that take no risks but won’t drive you mad, either.
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card at the White Rock Beach Club but we didn’t see any adverts for QRIS or e-wallet payments and there was nothing for crypto fans, either.
Exit Process
It’s easy enough to leave the beach club, it’s a big place but well laid out and finding the front door is easy enough.
The problem is that once you’re out of the door, you’re going to have to walk up a very big hill or pay a local moto driver to take you up there. Unless that is…
Transportation
… You want to deal with the local taxi mafia. White Rock Beach Club and every beach club in this part of South Bali near Melasti Beach is surrounded by these drivers.
Expect to be constantly cajoled to massively overpay for a ride home. If you want to use Grab or Gojek for a reasonably priced ride? Up that hill you go.
Oh and did we mention the motos only take cash? You have to walk if you haven’t been to an ATM recently.
We implore the beach clubs in this area to do better and come up with a better solution for all their customers.
Social Media Presence
White Rock Beach Club has the kind of social media presence that we expect and it is regularly updated.
However, the content of their Instagram and other socials isn’t hugely inspiring with such a pleasant location, they ought to showcase it much better than they do.
Other/General Comments
We always feel like when we come to Melasti Beach, we’re being nickel and dimed by the beach clubs and White Rock Beach Club is no exception to this rule.
We would like to see these clubs work harder to deliver an exceptional customer experience, particularly at the prices they charge for food and drinks.
Our Overall Opinion Of White Rock Beach Club
There’s no denying that this spot by the Indian Ocean is very attractive but it’s a long drive to get here and we want a truly memorable experience when we make that kind of effort to get to a beach club.
Sadly, what we got was another “canned” experience that could have been at nearly any other beach club in Bali. When you want your guests to spend hundreds of dollars on a day out, you’ve got to do better than this.
Want to know how White Rock compares to other beach clubs in Bali? We’ve got a complete round up of all the beach clubs in Bali for you to enjoy.
FAQs
Can You Swim At White Rock Beach Club?
Yes, you can swim at White Rock Beach Club, there are a pair of infinity pool options and they are both quite long and more importantly, on our visit, they’re both quite clean too.
What Can You Do At White Rock Beach Club?
White Rock Beach Club is a good place to relax during the day and enjoy food, drink and a swim in the infinity pools. At night it has a more party-focused vibe with live DJs.
Is White Rock Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, White Rock Beach Club has a small children’s pool available for children 2 to 5 to swim in and older kids can use the infinity pool.
Children must be under supervision at all times, however, and guests are reminded that if their children disturb other guests they may be asked to leave.
Who Owns White Rock Beach Club?
Robin Makmur a private citizen is the owner of White Rock Beach Club and it is his vision that drives the club forward.
Final Thoughts On White Rock Beach Club
We enjoyed our time at White Rock Beach Club well enough, but the location on Melasti Beach is seriously inconvenient and when combined with the terrible transport options here, it’s hard to say when we’ll be back.
The club didn’t do quite enough to motivate us to return either, it’s an OK experience which needs to be great to inspire an encore.
