Best Bali Beach Bars

After two years working from our London office I have now returned to Brisbane. I will miss jet setting around Europe but I am determined to keep up my habit of frequent trips around Australia, with the occasional overseas escapade! And as luck would have it, work required me to take a trip to Bali. Somebody has to do it 😉

Where did this trip take you and why?
Now this is going to sound annoying but if you have been following my previous posts you will know that my amazing job at lastminute.com.au allows me to travel a fair bit. For this trip colleague Carolyn and I spent a week in Bali, where we made sure to have some fun outside of business hours!

What are the best things about Bali? Why should travellers go there?
Bali is definitely a very budget-friendly destination. The flight takes six hours from Brisbane, and there are lots of flight sales (check here to see if we have any right now!) so if you are lucky to grab a bargain there, the rest of the trip will be a breeze.

Hotels and resorts are so much cheaper than they are in Australia, which suits my ‘champagne taste on a beer budget’ just fine.

Hot tip: Funnily enough champagne (or any other wine) are actually super expensive in Bali, so it is definitely a LOT cheaper to drink beer, or… a cocktail. Yes, in most cases a Cosmopolitan is cheaper than a glass of ‘5 bucks at the bottle shop’ Aussie wine.

Where did you stay?
I stayed at the Royal Beach Seminyak Bali, an amazing resort right on the beach. Now as this was a work trip we did not have a lot of time to hang out by the stunning pool as much as we would have liked but most mornings we made an effort to get up extra early to go for a jog on the beach (okay, this happened once) or a little swim in the pool (every day).
It was very difficult to then tear ourselves away from the pool to go to work, when everyone around us was so clearly on holidays.

The hotel has that real tropical feel you would expect in Bali: an open air lobby, lush, very well maintained gardens all around the resort and of course a relaxing spa on the premises.

The location is great, close to all the Seminyak hot spots while still making you feel like you’re miles away from it all. It is very safe as well, which was comforting for the nervous traveller in our party (me). The room was large and modern, with a lot of little unexpected amenities which is great if, like me, you always forget to bring some key toiletry item on your trips.

Any insider tips on this destination?
There are so many tips I could share but I’m going to stick to one of my fave travel destination topics…

Best beach bars in Bali

1. Potato Head Beach Club in Seminyak

You might remember from my Amsterdam post that we actually have a pretty amazing beach culture in Holland. Potato Head Beach Club in Seminyak reminded my of that scene, just on a much larger scale. There was a very laidback vibe to the place, funky music played in the background, and the crowd was definitely dressed to impress. No Bintang singlets here!

The club (also recommended by lastminute lovely Sasha) is absolutely huge, and arriving here definitely feels like stepping into another world. You take the exit from the main shopping drag of Seminyak onto the long private driveway, flaned by water features. After security guards check the car (safety first in Bali!) you arrive at the main entrance. I would recommend booking a spot but we just winged it on the night, and were seated in the bar an hour before sunset. Now Bali does amazing sunsets, and they look even better while sipping a Millionaire’s Martini!

My new favourite cocktail consists of two drinks: a passion fruit martini and a glass of sparkling wine topped with passionfruit foam, served on a wooden board accompanied by half a fresh passionfruit dipped in sugar.

This will be your view as you sip it:

2. Rock Bar in Jimbaran
This place came highly recommended by friends and boy were we impressed. If you want the WOW factor, Rock Bar has it. You arrive through the gardens of the Ayana Resort which are stunning, and a suitable preparation for what comes next. You take a little elevator straight down the cliff top and arrive and the best looking bar I have ever seen.

We went ‘old-school’ here and ordered Cosmopolitans: just the thing to refresh yourself on a hot afternoon!

It does get quite hot before the sun sets but staff hand out sun umbrellas to those who prefer to be sun-smart. And then get ready for this view:

3. WooBar in Seminyak
This bar is part of the very cool W Hotel complex, located right on the beautiful beach of Seminyak. It is very easy to spend a whole day here, just slowly working your way through the extensive cocktail menu.

The tapas are divine, thinking about the rock lobster still makes me drool a little.

Late at night this bar turns into a cool club so there really is no need to ever leave. Perhaps book yourself into the W Bali Seminyak so you don’t have to travel very far!