With creative cocktails, beckoning infinity pools, and DJs spinning to a backdrop of Indian Ocean waves, these five spots pack a punch when it comes to island entertainment.
A bird’s-eye view of Savaya Bali. (Photo: Savaya Bali)
Savaya Bali
Formerly known as Omnia Dayclub, this Uluwatu standout is an adults-only aerie perched 100 meters above the ocean. It’s not just the dramatic setting that makes it an Instagram favorite; Savaya impresses from the moment you arrive and parade along a catwalk overshadowed by a giant crystal cube. Additional design drama comes in the form of infinity pools and swim-up bars, ringed by daybeds and cabanas in terraces resembling Bali’s rice fields. There’s live music daily, including a roster of international DJs who take over the decks for special events — the famed Guatemalan-American artist Gordo recently played here, as did Dutch sensation Sam Feldt.
One of Roosterfish Beach Club’s cocktails. (Photo: Roosterfish Beach Club)
Roosterfish Beach Club
Located on Pandawa Beach just a short shuttle ride from the Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa, Roosterfish is a true destination beach club that delivers a quirky, playful day (or night) out. As the name suggests, the club fuses elements of land and sea in both its ambience and surf-and-turf menu, which is highlighted by seafood from an outdoor sunken barbecue pit. Oversize cocktails and buckets of ice-cold beer add to the fun, as do games of beach volleyball.
Overlooking the main pavilion at Sundays Beach Club. (Photo: Sundays Beach Club)
Sundays Beach Club
Accessed via a small funicular from The Ungasan — a boutique all-villa resort just down the coast from Savaya — Sundays Beach Club is centered on an impressive thatch-roofed bamboo pavilion with a stage and breezy restaurant/bar. Patrons here can feast on Jimbaran-style grilled whole snapper, pizzas from a wood-fired oven, and healthy salad bowls, or simply kick back with summery cocktails like Another Kiss (a refreshing blend of gin, cucumber, rosemary, bitters, apple, lemon, and sparkling wine). Complimentary kayaks and paddleboards are provided too; stick around till sunset and you’ll get the chance to toast marshmallows over Sundays’ nightly beach bonfires.
Left to right: Peruvian fare at Ulu Cliffhouse; the day club’s restaurant. (Photos: Ulu Cliffhouse)
Ulu Cliffhouse
This cliff-top playground unites everything that’s great about oceanside bars in Bali: an infinity pool, alfresco space for lounging, a DJ booth, and a knockout Peruvian restaurant serving small plates and creative cocktails (try the Twisting My Melon Man, a vodka or rum concoction that’s served in a whole watermelon). More off-piste is the recording studio, art space, and resident surfboard shaper — the waves of Uluwatu are only a short drive away, after all.
Beachside seating at Manarai Beach Club in Nusa Dua. (Photo: Manarai Beach Club)
Manarai Beach House
Best known for organizing the annual Djakarta Warehouse Project, Southeast Asia’s largest electronic dance music festival, the Jakarta-based Ismaya Group branched out to Bali’s shores in late 2018 with the debut of Manarai Beach House at the Sofitel Nusa Dua. Taking charge of its kitchen is French chef Stefan Poyet, who began his career in Michelin-starred restaurants at the Shangri-La in Paris, while a roster of visiting big-name DJs add a dash of spice to Nusa Dua’s otherwise subdued nightlife scene. Two dazzling swimming pools surrounded by inviting daybeds round out the picture.
