Seminyak Nightlife in Less Than 500 Words

This article will tell you everything you need to know about Seminyak Nightlife in less than 500 words.

Seminyak is a small coastal town in Southern Bali, one of the top destinations for party-goers in Asia. It is located between the villages of Kuta/Legian on one side and Canggu/Kerobokan on the other side. It is a 45-minute taxi ride from the airport.

The nightlife in Seminyak is upmarket compared to Kuta. One of the reasons is the high density of luxury accommodation, including resorts and villas. It is also where most expats in Bali live.

My selection of the best places to stay in Seminyak is available here: Best Bali Hotels Near the Nightlife. If you are on a budget, you have great hotel deals on Sunset Road just 10 minutes away from Seminyak but you'll need to get around with a scooter or a taxi. If you use a motorbike, make sure you have a travel insurance. Read my guide: Why You MUST have a Travel Insurance in Indonesia.

In Seminyak, I usually start my nights out by watching the sun set on the ocean from a beach club. The most stylish and happening venues for that are Potato Head, Double-Six Rooftop, Ku De Ta and Woo Bar. A cocktail there will cost you about US$12 and a meal at least 20US$. They normally have a DJ who plays chill-out tunes. The crowd is international and mixed, including kids.

To spend less money, you can go instead on Double 6 beach and visit one of the laid-back beach cafés. La Plancha is the best one.

Once the sunset is over, you can head to Jalan Oberoi. There are dozens of bars/restaurants, from expensive to cheap. You can just walk around and choose the one you like. For eating, the most popular is Ultimo (Italian food). The busiest bars on Jalan Oberoi are La Favela (also a club, great bohemian décor), Red Carpet Champagne Lounge (fun and chic with an older crowd), Rumours (busy with expats), Zappaz (crowd of regular, live music) and Mexicola (young crowd, Mexican theme).

An alternative to Jalan Oberoi for early-night drinks and food is Jalan Dyana Pura (also known as Jalan Camplung Tanduk). You can try the salsa bar Bahiana and the gay nightlife area around the Bali Joe pub.

Clubbing in Seminyak starts after 1am. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are normally quiet. On those days, it is better to party in Kuta.

Each nightclub has its own crowd and music (read my ranking 12 Best Nightclubs in Bali for more details):
- La Favela gets a trendy and young international crowd that enjoys Top 40 hits and retro songs.
- Jenja has mostly male expats and Indonesian girls (prostitutes or not). DJs play techno and electro in the basement room and hip hop in the upper room.
- Mirror is full of rich Indonesian Chinese from Jakarta. They have mostly Electronic Dance Music.
- Shanghai Baby is the newest hotspot. It's a restaurant with a small club and a lounge. Deep house music.

Occasionally, Potato Head, Woo Bar and Cocoon have interesting special events. You can pick up the free magazine The Beat for a detailed schedule.

Photo source: timotiusutji.

Kuta Nightlife in Less Than 500 Words

This article will tell you everything you need to know about 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. Boshe 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.

For a complete review of Bali nightlife, you can read 12 Best Nightclubs in Bali and Bali Nightlife.

Charlie (Bali): Bar, Club, Kitchen

 

  

Charlie is one of the happening nightlife spots in Seminyak (Bali) at the moment, together with Townhouse and Jenja. As defined by one of its (foreign) owners, it is not just a bar, restaurant or club, but a lifestyle venue. You go there to spend some good time with friends, meet people and experience new food, drinks, or music.

If you are looking for a place to start your evening in Seminyak, I'd recommend you to try it. The food is great and affordable, including the pastries. Depending on the night, it can then become very busy and lively, especially when they have events or during the weekend. The crowd is mostly made of young expatriates (30-40).

Interesting enough: They were voted the Best Bar in Bali in 2014 by the YAK (though I imagine they must all be friends...).

Also, they have Burlesque nights, with (light) striptease or effeuillage by foreign dancers (on Friday):

Update July 2014: They have opened a French restaurant which I did not try but seems to have a good reputation. Worth trying.

Opening Hours:
From Monday to Saturday from 8am to 1am, on Sunday from 7am to midnight

Charlie (Bali)

Bar, Restaurant, Club, Bakery, Gallery

Jl. Petitenget 5, Seminyak (near Jalan Kerobokan)

Phone number: +62 821 474 7332 or +62 821 47417332

BB Pin: 2ae9dd1c
Email: mail@charliebali.com

Website: www.charliebali.com
Facebook: Charlie Bali

Instagram: http://instagram.com/charliebalibbb#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Charlie_Bali
Foursquare: Charlie Bali
Youtube: Charlie Bar Restaurant Bali
Google+: Charlie

Please read my review Bali Nightlife Tips for more information about Seminyak Nightlife.