Bali nightlife guide – Kuta nightlife
This post is about the Kuta nightlife experience in Bali. I came to Bali expecting relaxing beaches, but that’s apparently not why people go to the place I ended up, Kuta.
If you’re going to Bali, why Kuta? People go to Kuta to
- Surf
- Get drunk.
- Get laid.
Rinse, lather, repeat.
If that’s what you’re looking for – winner! If you’re looking for a relaxing beach, as I was, you’ve chosen wrong.
Kuta nightlife in Bali
Partying is far from being a primary goal of my travel, but meeting twenty and thirty-somethings from around the world is awesome.
Kuta is the Bali nightlife capital, and it might be the equivalent for Australians of Cancun for Americans. Bali nightlife for singles is in Kuta.
What do people like about Kuta?
It’s easy to get to (for Aussies), cheap once you’re there, and great parties with other travelers. Spring break is 24/7/365. If GTL is the motto on the Jersey shore, then Surf-party-surf might be the equivalent here. Surf, nightlife, surf, meet travelers, surf, get faced, get laid in Bali. Welcome to Kuta. It’s not the experience I was looking for but it was fun. Considering I didn’t know anybody upon arrival, it was a great transition to begin my trip.
Best Bali nightlife for singles – your Kuta nightlife guide
- Happy hour in Kuta includes unlimited vodka red bull drinks.
- “Bounty” has 6 bars, a live music area with cover bands, and 2 clubs.
- Two doors down is 61 Legian / Sky Garden Lounge/ ESC and it might be bigger.
- Another place I went to had 2 hours of free drinks with unlimited tapas.
You can see how this can be a crazy place. Bali nightlife, particularly Kuta nightlife, is crazy. Travelers come looking to surf and get laid in Bali – and they find plenty of both. The Kuta beach experience is mediocre (recommendations on where in Bali to actually go for beaches below), but if you’re looking for craziness, come to Bali, head to Kuta, and come ready to party.
While at times it seems like most people visit Kuta for drinking, partying, and sex with other travelers, Bali nightlife isn’t the only draw in Kuta. Many travelers go to Kuta for surfing. Surfing is popular all over Bali, and particularly in Kuta.
Who goes to Kuta?
The bars in Kuta in Bali are a filled with Australians, Germans, British, Russians, and more, up for crazy parties, meeting other young people, and post-game after-hours adventures.
After a crazy night of hedonism in Kuta, for many, the mornings often start with the “walk of shame” for a lot of travelers, before hitting the beach for surfing and starting the cycle over.
Top Bali nightlife bars/lounges
Other Kuta nightlife options that I heard good things about – District Club, Pyramid Club, Hypnotized Club, Centerstage at Hard Rock Cafe Bali.
Photos from Kuta nightlife
Below are some photos from one of the nights when my new friends from Russia met up with me. You’ll meet people from all over the world – these new friends below are from Siberia!
Kuta: the most popular beach in Bali
Kuta is also where nobody relaxes on the beach – this is the first place I’ve ever been to that’s known for their beach where nobody actually relaxes on the beach. Everybody’s surfing, and nursing their hangover, and there’s locals hassling nearly everybody on the beach to buy something. It isn’t the most beautiful of beaches, but that could just be my impression. I’m told it’s not overcast and raining every day (that’s just my trip) through Bali. I made the best of it – learned to surf and got SCUBA-certified!
Bali nightlife isn’t just about Kuta. Nightlife in Bali is also big in Semynak too.
Nearby in Semenyak, Bali, Indonesia, there’s bars and clubs just like in Kuta, perhaps a tad classier (and more pricey but it’s relative), and nicer restaurants. If I went back I’d consider staying in Semenyak instead. I actually tried to move to a hotel in Semenyak but upon arrival they acknowledged that I had a reservation but told me that they’re full and can’t accomodate. Whaaaaaat? This happened twice so I eventually gave up and stayed in Kuta. Ahhhh!
When the hotel in Semenyak Bali said they had my reservation but no rooms, it reminded me of the Seinfeld clip when he’s renting a car (below):
Where’s the best beach in Bali?
It’s not in Kuta! If you’re looking for the best beach in Bali, people said me that Dreamland is the class of Bali. And Ubud is Bali’s most chill area; I heard around two dozen reviews and every one of them was positive. One of my friends went to a yoga retreat there for the final week of her trip and loved it.
Drugs in Bali
Warning – The Bali Nine – if partying for you often includes pot or other more serious drugs, you should know that Indonesia takes drugs VERY seriously, especially when it comes to drug trafficking. Nine twenty-something Aussies (actually 18-28 years old) were caught smuggling illegal drugs (18 pounds of heroin) and were sentenced to the death penalty. The group ringleaders, Chan and Sukumaran, were sentenced to death via firing squad. Their story is ongoing and is infamous at this point – they’re known at the “Bali Nine” smuggling gang. The Australian Prime Minister asked they give clemency and was denied, and in July’11 they lost their appeal. They were sentenced to death by the Indonesian government for smuggling heroin into the country. Death by firing squad – I didn’t know countries still did that.
Full story in this article here, on the Bali Nine wikipedia page, as well as in the book, One-Way Ticket : The Untold Story of the Bali 9.
Also check out my post on the party scene in Panama
definitely a fun place to visit when in Southeast Asia, always have a good time there