Nightlife: Kuta vs. Seminyak

Bali has a ton of nightlife, its a tourist island with a large expat population. These people like to party and there is a lot of choice. Up until the bombing in October 2002 the Kuta area was really the place that drew the big numbers. Paddys, Bounty, Sari Club and other places were packing them in. Even expats would make the trip down to Kuta to go to the Sari Club. Out in Seminyak you had Double Six, which had been around for a while, Santa Fe and Gado Gado (which used to be a nightclub). After the bombing Jl. Dhyana Pura grew rapidly with Spy Bar, Liquid, Space and other places. As one magazine put it, drinkers and nightlife professionals moved up to Seminyak. Conventional wisdom says Seminyak in a newer, trendier area, with higher spending tourists and residents. Its the obvious place for nightlife development. In a recent copy of The Yak they talk about The Strip (Jl. Dhyana Pura ) catching its breath after the last 2 years of crazy success and now drifting in the doldrums. (Photo by The Beat Magazine)

Taking a walk down The Strip you will notice Space has gone out of business, Bali Globe has changed hands 3 times in the last year and the Mykonos restaurant has been torn down. What is behind all this?

A big part of the semi-slump is that Kuta is fighting back. No longer just bamboo reggae bars and jungle-juice drinking competitions, there have been some flashy new places that draw the crowds. These include Fuel, EmBarGo, The Wave, KamaSutra, Venom and the new Bounty. Expect more. Kuta does get more tourists than Seminyak and momentum is starting to shift back. Will be interesting to follow how things go. One thing I know is, I do not want to be a bar owner.