Kuta Nightlife in Less Than 500 Words

Kuta is the main tourist destination in Bali. Originally a small beach town, it is now an urban area with 400 hotels, 5 modern malls and hundreds of clubs, restaurants, massage parlors and shops. It also has its fair share of pollution, noise and crime.

To get around, it is best to have your own scooter (but you must have a travel insurance to drive one) as the taxis will invariably try to rip you off (except Blue Bird). Apps like Uber and Gojek are a good option as well. Walk when possible to avoid getting stuck in Kuta's notorious traffic jams.

Kuta is popular with every age groups and every nationalities (especially Indonesians, Australians and Chinese). While some luxury hotels have opened recently, it is still considered a budget-friendly city: You can find a decent room for less than US$50$ and eat for less than US$8. If you don't have a place to stay, you can read: Bali Hotels Near the Nightlife. Alcohol is always quite expensive in Indonesia (Muslim country): A beer costs at least US$2 and a cocktail at least $US8.

Compared to Seminyak nightlife, Kuta is not as stylish or sophisticated but it can be a lot of fun as well.

Nightclubs start to get busy quite early, around 10pm, and by midnight you already have people throwing up in the toilets. Most of them are located on Jalan Legian, near the Ground Zero:

Skygarden is the most famous of all. It is inside a 5-floor building that can accommodate hundreds of clubbers in at least 4 rooms with each a different music genre (oldies, techno, EDM, Rn'B or Top 40). It is a cheap place to get drunk and to meet girls.

Next to it are dozens of other venues, each with their own specificities: Vi Ai Pi for live music, Apache for reggae, Eikon for cool Australians, Bounty and Paddy's for Bogans (low-class Australians). There is a fair amount of prostitutes, either inside the clubs or in the street. If a girl is making intense eye-contact with you, you can assume that she is after your money.

Venues near the beach front (10 minutes walk from Jalan Legian) are more sophisticated: Velvet/Hypnotized nightclub, inside BeachWalk mall, is crowded with young and trendy Indonesians. They have commercial music, hip-hop, house or EDM depending on the night. Nearby, the Hard Rock Café is also busy with locals and Asians.

Kuta does not have sex tourism like in Phuket or Pattaya. Nonetheless, there are some hostess bars, "plus plus" spas, executive KTVs and underground nightclubs. Bosche VVIP, near the airport, caters to an Asian male audience that enjoys bottle service, lady companions and sexy dancers. Jalan Dewi Sri has several naughty massage parlours, including Delta and Star Bugar Jaya.

The infamous DJ café on Jalan Kartika Plaza is the only after-hour nightclub in Bali: It is filled with prostitutes, ladyboys and drugs, but the music is often quite good (techno). On weekends, it stays open after 10am.