Bali business trip nightlife: evenings after work

On a business trip to Bali, the evenings are short and the mornings come early, so the best nights out are the ones that start at sunset and need no planning on the day. A cliffside bar like Rock Bar, a dinner at a grill or a sharing table, then, on the night you can stay late, Savaya, Zumana or Desa Kitsuné with a table booked ahead. Ask the concierge to arrange it while you are in meetings.

Three kinds of evening

Most business evenings fall into one of three shapes, depending on the next morning.

• An early evening: a sunset drink, dinner, back at the hotel at a reasonable hour.
• A dinner that runs on: a long meal with colleagues, a bar afterwards.
• One big night: usually the last evening, or a night with no meeting the next morning.

If you are entertaining clients rather than going out yourself, our corporate dinner guide and incentive trip guide are written for that.

Sunset after the last meeting

Rock Bar, AYANA Bali's cliffside bar in Jimbaran, is reached by inclinator. Guests watch the sun set over the sea and stay as the DJs play on, with cocktails inspired by the colours of the sea and Mediterranean tapas built on Jimbaran Bay seafood. Non-resident visitors can reserve; payment is by card or QR only.

At The Apurva Kempinski in Nusa Dua, often a base for conferences, L'Atelier by Cyril Kongo is a lounge with ocean views and Mediterranean tapas, and Izakaya by OKU is a sister to OKU in Jakarta.

Rock Bar

Bars · Jimbaran

Rock Bar is AYANA Bali's cliffside bar in Jimbaran, stretching some 270 metres along the rocks above the ocean, with 880 seats spread over 22 areas. Guests reach it by inclinator, watch the sun set over the sea, then stay as the DJs play on. The bar pours cocktails inspired by the colours of the sea alongside Mediterranean tapas built on Jimbaran Bay seafood. Non-resident visitors can reserve; the Round Deck is kept for villa guests and the Top Bar for hotel guests. Payment by card or QR only.

The Apurva Kempinski

Restaurants · Nusa Dua

The Apurva Kempinski Bali is a five-star resort on the cliffs of Nusa Dua, facing the Indian Ocean, and its dining spreads across several venues. Koral, which the hotel presents as Bali's first aquarium restaurant, serves set and tasting menus beside the tanks, adults only at dinner. Izakaya by OKU is a sister to OKU in Jakarta; Reef Beach Club sits on the sand beside a 42-metre infinity pool; Bai Yun serves hot pot and dim sum; L'Atelier by Cyril Kongo is a lounge with ocean views and Mediterranean tapas.

Dinner that does the talking

Aged & Butchered, inside The Komu hotel in Berawa, is the Bali branch of the Jakarta dry-aged steakhouse, with a meat library, coffee-wood charcoal and yakiniku-style grills where the chefs cook at the table. MîA, also in Berawa, is a modern Asian restaurant built for sharing. In Canggu, Ina Ré at Desa Kitsuné has private dining rooms for groups. For a cocktail afterwards, The Shady Pig in Berawa is a speakeasy behind an unmarked door, where you need the password.

Aged & Butchered

Restaurants · Berawa

Aged & Butchered Bali is the island branch of the Jakarta dry-aged steakhouse of the same name, run by MDA Restaurants inside The Komu hotel in Berawa. The draw is its meat library of dry-aged cuts, grilled over coffee-wood charcoal, with Japanese yakiniku-style grills at the table where the chefs cook in front of guests. The moody, stylish room adds a sake fountain, an extensive wine collection and an outdoor bar area. An address built around the grill, for an evening of serious steak.

MiA

Restaurants · Berawa

MîA is a modern Asian restaurant and bar on Jalan Raya Semat in Tibubeneng, in the Berawa part of Canggu. The menu is built for sharing, pairing Asian heritage with contemporary technique: Wagyu gyoza with karashi, soft-shell crab with amazu ponzu, Chilean sea bass tempura and Thai green curry. Carefully crafted drinks are made to match the food, and the setting blends modern style with traditional touches under the open Bali sky. A table here is made for gathering friends.

Ina Ré

Restaurants · Canggu

Ina Ré is the restaurant of Desa Kitsuné, the lifestyle village on Jalan Munduk Catu in Canggu. Chilean executive chef Cristian Encina brings together Mediterranean flavours and Latin American street food: paellas to share, ceviches, tacos, empanadas and wood-fired meats such as the Stockyard tomahawk. The space draws on Balinese arts and crafts, with handmade materials, weavings and traditional motifs, and includes private dining rooms for groups. Sunday brunch has its own menu, and so do Courtyard Saturdays.

The Shady Pig

Bars · Berawa

The Shady Pig is a speakeasy on Jalan Pantai Berawa and the original bar of The Shady Family, the group behind The Shady Fox, The Shady Flamingo and The Shady Bunny. The theme is 1920s Birmingham bootleggers: the bar hides behind an unmarked door, and you need the password to get in. Cocktails lean experimental, using distillation, barrel ageing and fermentation, from the Shelby to a barrel-aged Negroni. Small plates, pinchos and sandwiches come with the drinks, and DJs take over later in the night.

The one big night

If your schedule allows a late night, these three Savaya Group venues are where to spend it.

1. Savaya, on the Uluwatu clifftop, which DJ Mag named the number-one club in Asia three years running and fifth in the world in its Top 100 Clubs. Monday's "Last Light" is a sunset set from The Cube, a good fit if you only have an early evening; weekends bring international headliners.
2. Zumana, at Sunset Bay in Kuta, a beach club with daybeds, poolside spaces and an open-air dance floor, whose restaurant is Manuza. It runs every day, with Ritual of the Sun on Saturdays and a weeknight rotation that includes "Made in Kuta".
3. Desa Kitsuné in Canggu, whose garden becomes the party every Tuesday and Friday, rain or shine. Ina Ré is on the same grounds, so dinner and the party share one address.

All three are 21+ with a valid photo ID (passport or driver's licence) and smart casual. At Savaya, payment is cashless, bags are searched and lockers are limited, so leave the laptop bag at the hotel.

ELVIS GUETTA

Savaya Bali

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ZUMANA SUNDAY

Zumana

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ZUMANA MONDAY

Zumana

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LAST LIGHT

Savaya Bali

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BARON

Desa Kitsuné

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ZUMANA TUESDAY

Zumana

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Make the logistics invisible

• Book the table ahead: a table is the only reserved space at these venues, its minimum spend is set by the venue for each night, and it is yours once the venue confirms it.
• Or register yourself: on nights with a guestlist, each guest signs up individually on the night's page. Registration does not guarantee complimentary entry, and the venues say mixed groups and couples are strongly preferred, which matters if you go alone. See solo nightlife in Bali.
• Keep a driver: one car waiting outside means you leave when your morning requires. A Toyota Alphard with driver suits colleagues travelling together; see a private driver in Bali.

How FirstBali helps

Send the concierge your free evenings, where you are staying and how late you can go. FirstBali checks the terms for each night, books with the venue and checks what can be arranged for the car. Nothing is confirmed until the venue confirms it, and any deposit follows the venue's terms. An assistant answers at any hour, the team through the Bali day and evening.

Read next: the team offsite guide, Bali midweek nightlife, the night before a flight and Bali cocktail bars.