Note on February 2013 - This article about Bali nightlife is a little old now, you can read my 2013 update here: Bali Nightlife Update 2013.
A few people asked me how partying in Bali compared to Jakarta. They intended to spend some time in both and they wanted to know in which place they would have the best parties. I'm not a specialist of Bali nightlife, but I've been there enough times to have an opinion. If you think you know better, please comment.
Partying in Bali can be done almost exclusively in a tiny area that goes from Kuta-Legian to Seminyak.
In Kuta, the crowd is dominated by young Australians in T-shirt and shorts as well as tourists from all over the world. It is what I could call holiday partying: In any given nightclubs, you will find a whole bunch of people who just happen to be on holidays in the same spot; they aren't always regular clubbers and do not have a lot of expectations except getting drunks, hear music they know, find a girl/guy for the night, etc...
Kuta is laid-back but I don't really like it. One night is fine because it is a part of any trip to Bali, but after that, I get easily tired with the lack of "refinement".
Paddy’s and Bounty are two of the most famous places in this area: The entrance is free so you should at least try one of them.. Slightly better, you have the Sky Garden lounge which is similar to M Bar Go but more trendy these days: The crowd is more educated, the music not as predictable and you see more regular clients. Another popular venue in Kuta is the Hard Rock Café, where most patrons are locals or Asian people. I never tried it but I know they have some good rock bands.
Otherwise, you have a fairly good number of small bars with live music or DJs that are quiet most evenings. Actually, my favourite place in Kuta is the Deejay Café (update needed though because I went there 3 years ago) which is similar to a Jakarta's Kota nightclub, dark and populated by weirdos. It is a place for "afters" so you should go there only around 4-5 am... The music is tribal electro, the same you hear in Stadium.
Seminyak is only a few kilometers away from Kuta but it's far better. In Jalan Dhyana Pura, Bahiana is quite popular for latin music. Patrons are mostly expats or regular travellers, and you'll meet many french people (the owner is French). A little down the road, there are some bars with live music, and many gay spots actually. I think this part of Bali is the best place to start a night slowly in a relaxed atmosphere. Depending on the traffic, you can then choose to try Jalan Legian in Kuta (see above) or go directly to the Double Six area.
The Double Six area is where everyone who intend to stay up after 3am meets. The area has 4 main venues: Bacio, the best club in Bali at the time of writing, la Vida Loca, a popular hangout with live music and lots of Indo girls, the club 66 (Double Six), which can be great when they manage to fill it and Deja Vu, which is similar to Bacio. Doing the 4 of them in one evening is very easy and a fun thing to do! I forgot to mention Ku De Ta, very exclusive and perfect for a drink before sunset but way too expensive compared to other places (I paid 120 euros for a 2-persons meal with one mojito and a coke...).
Apart from Kuta/Legian/Seminyak, Bali is quiet. Ubud has a few bars with live music but it's definitely not a party place. Sanur is famous for having hundreds of "massage parlours" and karaokes but no good bars or clubs. Near Lovina Beach, i went to a really big club once with only Indonesian people inside but I forgot the name…
So how does all this compare with Jakarta?
To me, I think in terms of venues, Jakarta is much better than Bali. In Jakarta, you have at least 20 world-class venues that can host international DJ performances compared to 5-6 in Bali. This means that even after 3 years in Jakarta, i'm still discovering new places whereas in Bali one week is enough to try everything. This blog has almost 300 entries for bars and clubs in Jakarta, I’m sure I could never do the same thing in Bali. Jakarta 1 – Bali 0.
Also, Jakarta has a real clubbing culture when Bali is more focused on partying. Yes, partying and clubbing are different things. Clubs in Jakarta pay a growing attention to the music played and many residents DJ are starting to have a good knowledge of the worldwide electronic music scene. In Bali, music often comes second because the clubs have people from various backgrounds and to satisfy everyone, they choose to play mostly mainstream music. Unfortunately hearing all the latest radio hits one by one every night is not my thing at all. Jakarta 2 – Bali 0.
I also find the service (waiters, taxis, etc) to be worst in Bali, where people are always trying to over-charge you for everything you buy. This is probably due to the fact that most foreigners in Jakarta are expats, i.e. permanent residents of Indonesia, when most people in Bali are there for a short period of time. Clearly, I don't get the same respect in Bali than in Jakarta. I don't blame people for trying to make a living but surely I blame many westerners for behaving as people not worth respecting. Jakarta 3 – Bali 0.
Another thing I don't like about Bali, especially Kuta, is that it can be quite vulgar and cheap. In many clubs, you will find people getting really drunk, just like they would do in Dundee (Scotland, I was there and it was the same thing). When you have ten Aussies dancing without their T-shirts on next to you, you wonder why you had to fly 18,000 km to a paradise island to end up with the same idiots you have back home. Once again, one or two evening is fine, but too much of that would make me mad. Jakarta 4 – Bali 0.
Bali nightlife has one good point actually: It feels like holidays. And even though I don’t like it, I always spend a night partying in Kuta when I go to Bali. I drink an illusion in Bounty, go on the podium in Paddy’s, struggle to get a cab to Bahiana, then always end up too early in Double 6. I don’t know if it’s fun but I know that when I’m there I’m on holiday and nothing else really matters… Jakarta 4 – Bali 1.
In conclusion, if you are on holiday and you want to have fun, Bali is great. You will meet a lot of people from all over the world that are looking for the same thing as you. The music is not great, the venues are a little dirty and you might get ripped off by the taxi driver, but you will end up drunk in your hotel, probably with a girl if that’s what you are after. If you have more time to spend in Indonesia and if you are more serious about clubbing, come to Jakarta. Jakarta nightlife is completely different, but I'm sure you will enjoy it too. It’s not as laid-back, but maybe more “mature” and more diverse. To give you a more precise idea, you should read my guide "Jakarta Nightlife Tips" and "5 Things You Will Love About Nightlife In Jakarta".
I hope this blog article gave you a first idea of the main differences between partying in Bali in Jakarta. Please comment this article if you feel I've been unfair with Bali...
The second and third photos have been taken by Phillip Salzman, the first picture by me!
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