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Browsing Category " Java Nightlife "

Solo Nightlife (Surakarta): Best Bars and Clubs [2023]

By Tibs →
Small in size but touristy, Solo (or Surakarta) is often considered the little sister of Yogyakarta. I was in the city to visit a French friend who lived there for 8 years. He showed me the nightlife on a Friday and a Saturday night. Here's what you need to know before partying in Solo: 

Semarang Nightlife: Bars and Clubs (Updated 2021)

By Tibs →
Updated in April 2021: I removed Babyface (+ several other venues) and I added Blackroom. Semarang is the 5th largest city in Indonesia with almost 2 millions inhabitants. Yet, its nightlife is not very developed apart from a few male-oriented bars and clubs. As a friend from Semarang told me, the problem is that most young people fall into one of these categories: - They are single but they still live with parents - They are conservative or not interested with clubbing - They married young and already have kids - They left Semarang for Jakarta, Surabaya or Bali - They cannot afford partying In the end, the few people you see in clubs are local businessmen/government employees, some Indonesians on business trips or traveling, very few expats and occasionally, students.

Surabaya Nightlife: Best Nightclubs, Bars and Spas (Updated 2021)

By Tibs →
I have always enjoyed Surabaya nightlife even though the options for nightclubs and bars are limited and somewhat provincial. 3 million people live there, making it the second largest city in Indonesia. Compared to Jakarta, it still feels laid-back and unsophisticated. The streets are rather clean, you can walk on the sidewalks and the traffic is not horrible. There are several modern malls, but none of them as chic as Plaza Indonesia or even Grand Indonesia. Few expats live in Surabaya and even fewer tourists visit it. As a result, you may get more attention than usual from locals. I remember being at McDonald's and people were pointing at me as if I was some sort of curiosity. Since COVID happened, a lot of places have closed down in the city and the opening times may be shorter now. It can be a good idea to make a phone call to the venue you want to visit beforehand. If you are completely new to Surabaya, the best way to start your night out is to go to a mall li

Malang Nightlife: Best Bars, Clubs and Spas (Updated 2021)

By Tibs →
Malang is one of the nicest cities I've been to in Java. It is a mid-sized mountain town just 2 hours from Surabaya, relatively clean (for Indonesia standards) and with pleasant weather (though it can be rainy). As you would expect, Malang nightlife is not the most happening. The current hotspot is actually the brand-new Starbucks, in front of which you may surprisingly see a couple of Ferraris. If you want to party, you have a few good bars and nightclubs though, enough to keep you busy for a weekend. Most bars are laid-back beer houses or live music cafés that are popular with students. These venues are not so sophisticated and their prices are as low as they can get. There are some reputed universities in the city (Universitas Negeri Malang in particular), so the crowd is rather educated and you can easily make friends if you are not shy to socialize. Clubs are more diversified. The best ones are modern, with a rich crowd, sexy girls and decent entertainment (DJs

Yogyakarta Nightlife: Bars, Clubs, Karaokes and Spas

By Tibs →
I was disappointed with Yogyakarta nightlife. As a city famous for attracting students and tourists, I was expecting a fun party atmosphere with busy bars and nightclubs. On the contrary, Yogyakarta is quite conservative: Most girls wear the jilbab and you can see all over the city some aggressive banners against gays or Shia Muslims. I've read also about some incidents against a feminist group  just a few days ago. This gave me the impression to be in Saudi Arabia more than in "tolerant" Indonesia. In spite of this, I still had fun but I had to try quite many venues before figuring out which ones were crowded and which ones were boring. The objective of this guide is to save you some time and give you the best tips to enjoy Yogyakarta nightlife if you are a single traveler there. If new bars and clubs open, please mention them in the comments to help me keep this review up-to-date. Hotels in Yogyakarta Near the Nightlife: I guess you are not going to

Tangerang Nightlife: Exploring BSD and Serpong

By Tibs →
I've been living in Tangerang for over a month now and I've had a few occasions to visit the bars and nightclubs there. This review will give you a short overview of the nightlife in Tangerang and more precisely in the new cities Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) and Gading Serpong. Note : If you need a hotel, please check Serpong Hotel Deals and Tangerang Hotel Deals  (I make a small commission on every booking but the price does not change for you and it helps me maintain Jakarta100bars). Overview of Tangerang Enigma Nightclub in Gading Serpong