The following venues are all the busiest party spots in Bali at the time of writing. Please feel free to comment!
I recommend you to choose a hotel near a nightclub. You'll avoid 4 things: Drunk motorbike accidents, bag snatchers, traffic jams and crooked taxi drivers. Read my article 10 Best Girl-Friendly Hotels Near Bali Nightlife.
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| Photo source: Jenja Bali |
Who goes there? Expats 60%, tourists 20%, Indonesians 20% (among which some prostitutes)
Why should I go? Jenja is popular for having the right dosage between chic and underground. Good resident and guest DJs. European-style electronic music.
Why should I avoid it? You might feel claustrophobic on the dancefloor as the ceiling is pretty low and the club packed at peak hours.
When is the best time to go? Every night from Wednesday to Saturday, after 1AM. Read more: Jenja.
2) La Favela $$: Best bar in Bali
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| Photo credit: http://jberginc.com/ |
Who goes there? 50% tourists, 30% expats, 20% Indonesians.
Why should I go? The interior design of La Favela is really amazing, a real work of art. The place is rather big, with a nice, quieter outdoor area. Trendy, hippie kind of crowd.
Why should I avoid it? The music is a hit or miss, usually old-school with popular pop and disco songs. Not a sleek, modern place as it is made almost entirely from recycled materials and antiques. Popular with Westerners, much less with Indonesians. They give you plastic cups instead of real glasses.
When is the best time to go? La Favela is open all day as it is also a restaurant. The place becomes lively only after 11pm, almost any night of the week. Complete review here: La Favela Seminyak.
Update October 2016: La Favela is as hot and busy as ever, and you often need to queue to get in. They have introduced a policy forbidding Indonesians under 25 to enter. Strange and racist.
An alternative to La Favela is the restaurant/lounge/club Shanghai Baby (the hotspot for expats, deep house and cantonese cuisine) or to the Mexican open air café Mexicola.
3) Sky Garden $$: Best nightlife spot in Kuta
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| Photo credit: Club Sky Garden |
Who goes there? Australians (50% Bogans), teenagers and backpackers from all over the world, Javanese prostitutes, 20-something Jakartans on their first trip to Bali, some younger expats.
Why should I go? The biggest club in Bali with a fun, mixed crowd in terms of age and nationalities. Different music on every floors and rooms (electro, old school, rnb, live) including a rooftop and a huge main dancefloor with the best sound system in Bali (SkyDome). Some great shows including sexy dancers. Girls can get free selected cocktails on ladies nights. Every day, cheap 5$ all-you-can-eat barbecue. Drinks are very reasonably priced.
Why should I avoid it? If you don't like college style parties, then you will hate it. There are also quite many prostitutes operating in the club but they are rather discreet. You may also not feel too safe as it is just a few hundred meters away from Ground Zero where the first Bali bomb went off. Many expats hate it because it is too mainstream and because it attracts quite many singlet-wearing Australians.
When is the best time to visit? Because it is always packed early in the night, SkyGarden is recommended any day of the week, after 9pm. Complete review: Sky Garden Kuta.
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| Photo source: Mint |
Who goes there? Single male expats above 30 (from Bali and Jakarta), Javanese girls (among which many working girls), some gays, some Western girls, some tourists.
Why should I go? Intimate club with many regulars. Great electronic music. Drinks not too expensive. A relatively easy pick-up place for guys and girls.
Why should I avoid it? You won't like Mint if you are too young. It is a closed air-conditioned club that has no "Balinese" feel. Western girls might not be comfortable with the number of prostitutes.
When is the best time to go? I would only advise going to Mint on weekends or when they have special DJs. 1AM is the perfect hour. More on Mint on Jakarta100bars.com: Mint Nightlife Bali.
UPDATE 2018: Mint has changed ownership. It is now called Red Ruby and it is similar to what it used to be.
5) Mirror $$$: Best nightclub for Jakartans
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| Photo source: Mirror |
Who goes there? The latest trendy club in Bali, Mirror attracts mostly people from the Seminyak expat community. Since the owner of the club is also behind the popular Fable in Jakarta, you also have a lot of Jakartans.
Why should I go? Unique décor, good crowd, full on weekends. They have also been bringing some famous DJs. People tend to dress up more than usual in Mirror.
Why should I avoid it? Mainstream electronic dance music. The club is made to look like a church. Personally, I don't like it, it feels creepy. Others say it's a Harry Potter theme, which is even worse.
When is the best time to go? There are events from Wednesday to Saturday. You can go starting midnight. More info: Mirror Bali.
6) Boshe VVIP $$$: Best club for Asian party-goers
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| Photo source: Boshe VVIP |
Who goes there? Asians, mostly Indonesians (Javanese, Indo-Chinese, some Balinese), Malaysians and Singaporeans
Why should I go? Most people go to Boshe for the girls. They have some sexy lady companions and a popular karaoke. The events are usually quite fun: They have rather good local live bands and an excellent sound system. After the live music, you usually have a DJ playing electronic music. There is a really cool dressing code for the staff: All of them have dyed hair, tattoos and a rock attitude.
Why should I avoid it? Boshe is almost 100% Asian. Guys usually book a table or a sofa, pay for some girls to accompany them, and get drunk. There is not much interactions in the crowd. It is harder to meet a "normal" girl too. The live bands play a lot of Indonesian songs which can be boring if you are not familiar with them.
When I should visit it? Boshe is decently crowded during the week, and it is busy from Wednesday to Saturday night. If you want to hear the live music, come from 8am to midnight. For their latest events: Boshe Bali.
7) Pyramid $$$: Best club for late-night expat clubbers
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| Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/bali.tonight |
Who goes there? People usually go to Pyramid after all the other places (Jenja, Mirror, Mint, SkyGarden, etc) have closed. It is a mix of different crowds, but mostly you will find male expats and prostitutes.
Why should I go? The electronic music is usually excellent. Past a certain hour, it is the only decent place opened apart from DeeJay Cafe (see below).
Why should I avoid it? You may not like the 80% male crowd, 15% prostitutes, 5% normal girls.
When is the best time to go? I would only advise Pyramid on weekends as most of their events are on Friday and Saturday nights. 4AM is a normal time. Complete review here: Pyramid Bali.
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| Photo source: Hu'u Bar |
Who goes there? Mostly Indonesians from Jakarta and Indonesian residents of Bali. The rest is 25% expats and 15% tourists.
Why should I go? Hu'u has a Bali vibe with its large garden and swimming pool. Good crowd and one of the best pick up places on the island.
Why should I avoid it? The music is mainstream unless they have events. Since the opening of Mirror, it is not as happening as it used to be.
When is the best time to go? Weekends only, midnight. For a complete review: Hu'u Bar.
Update 2016: Hu'u has closed and it has been replaced by Gatsby (which is not so crowded). Jakartans now go to Mirror.
9) Hypnotized $$: Best club for under 25
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| Photo Credit: VH Kuta |
Who goes there? The picture is misleading as most clients of Hypnotized are Indonesians living in Bali (but not Balinese). You also have some tourists from Jakarta and other countries.
Why should I go? Hypnotized is a rather clean club with less prostitution compared to other venues mentioned in this review. Guys looking to meet normal Indonesian girls could try it.
Why I should avoid it? Mainstream music. Younger crowd.
What is the best time to go? Weekends only unless they have special events or guest DJs. It starts to fill up around midnight. More information: Velvet Hypnotized Bali.
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| Photo Credit: A-Club Bali |
Who goes there? Mostly Indonesians, Balinese and Javanese living in Bali. There are also some long term expats who are used to Jakarta nightclubs. 95% of the girls in Akasaka are prostitutes, freelance or not.
Why should I go? Akasaka is the most popular nightclub in Bali with Indonesians. It is also one of the craziest and at the centre of Bali prostitution scene: It's the only place in Bali where I have seen nude striptease. They have some good events with DJs from Jakarta and even international ones.
Why should I avoid it?: As a typical underground place, you have a lot of drugs including ecstasy. Very limited chances of meeting a normal girl. The techno music played in the largest room can only be understood by Indonesian ears.
When is the best time to go?: Read more: Akasaka Bali.
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| Photo Credit: Paradiso Hotel |
Who goes there? Though not a gay club, I would say that most of the crowd is made of gays or ladyboys. The guys to girls ration is terrible, probably 10 to 1, and most girls are prostitutes. There are always some foreigners, usually expats, but most people are Indonesians.
Why should I go? DeeJay Café is one of the only two after-hour club in Bali (with Pyramid) so you don't have much choice. The music is rather good, in general hits by famous Jakarta DJs (Bobby in particular).
Why should I avoid it? You should always avoid DeeJay café unless you are too drunk or too high to make smart decisions. You may also not want to pay the entrance fee (from Rp100,000 to Rp200,000). A lot of drug inside.
When is the best time to go? Saturday and Sunday morning after 5AM until 10AM. More information: Bali DeeJay Club.
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| Photo credit: Umalagon |
Who goes there? Expats and Bali residents 70%, tourists 30%.
Why should I go? The main reason to go to Koh is for the music, which promises to be on par with nightclubs in Europe.
Why should I avoid it? Underground clubs in Europe are popular because you can take ecstasy safely. I'm not sure the safe concept would work in Bali if people are just drunk on beer.
When should you go there: For now, weekends only, 1AM. Check if they have special events for the other nights of the week: Koh Bali.
Update 2016 on Koh: It's good only if you go during events, if a famous DJs is visiting. Check their schedule before visiting to avoid being in an empty club.
Update 2017: Koh has closed down since March. It might reopen later but it is not sure.
UPDATE BALI NIGHTLIFE 2019
These bars/clubs are currently happening and worth checking out.
Old Man's in Canggu is a laid-back bar where young long term residents and expats of Seminyak and Canggu hang out. It's more hippy/new age than the rest of the places mentioned here.
La Laguna (a beach club) and La Sicilia (bar club restaurant) were opened by the people behind la Favela. It's very popular and trendy with expats.
Conclusion: The Best Clubs in Bali
Clubs, bars and restaurants are sprouting like mushrooms but only a few manage to be busy and successful. Just two years ago, Townhouse was the hottest party place in Seminyak. Today? It is closed down and forgotten.
For this reason, I would really be grateful if you could comment below in case a new clubs open or one gets shut down. Thanks in advance!
Photo credit main picture: Bali Tonight
Are you traveling in Asia? Check also my review about Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City Nightlife.