Where to Party in Bali? A Complete Nightlife Guide (2023)
By
Tibs
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Partying is one of the best things to do during a trip to Bali. Bars and nightclubs can be found in every major city, especially in the southern part of the island. I already wrote an article about the best nightclubs in Bali , but here I will focus on the nightlife areas and their specificities. I hope it will help you decide where to party, what kind of atmosphere to expect and how much you will spend. I will also recommend the best hotels in each area. As usual, you can ask any question by leaving a comment at the end of the page and I will do my best to answer them.
COVID-19 is (hopefully) behind us and Jakarta nightlife is as vibrant as ever. Dozens of exciting new clubs and bars have opened this year, including H SCBD , the largest nightclub in Asia. I wrote this article to give you a concise overview of Jakarta nightlife. I'll answer all the questions you may have about the best areas for partying, the most recommended hotels, the best venues, as well as plenty of tips to help you have a great time. If you still have some questions, don't hesitate to leave me a comment below. Want to know more about Jakarta nightlife? Read Jakarta's Best Bars and Jakarta's Best Nightclubs . If you are a first-time visitor, you might also be interested in my Jakarta Travel Guide . Nightlife Areas There are so many nightlife areas in Jakarta that it can be confusing even for residents.
Even if you live in Thailand, you may not be familiar with Nong Khai. This town of 50,000 inhabitants is near the border with Laos, and it is often a stopover for people heading to Vientiane by land. This is exactly the reason I was there, for only 1 night. Naturally, I tried to find out if there was any nightlife. The city gets very quiet in the evening and you'll barely hear any noise apart from dogs barking and motorbikes. Even finding street food after 10PM can be challenging. Some areas are more busy though, with restaurants, bars, live music and even nightclubs. Below are my top recommendations for drinking and partying in Nong Khai: Where to Stay in Nong Khai Near the Nightlife? For party purposes, I recommend you to stay in Soi Nitapat even though it is not exactly by the Mekong River. My hotel offered great value for money (13$ per night for a double room with AC) and it was just 5 meters from the bars. You can check it out on Agoda: Nong Khai City Hotel .
I just spent two weeks in Hanoi and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the nightlife. When I was living in Saigon , people kept telling me that Hanoi was a conservative town with unfriendly people, a curfew at midnight and a suffocating weather. In fact, I found barely any differences between the two cities, and particularly at night. Saigon is in my Top 3 party destination in Southeast Asia, and Hanoi is not far behind. The hundreds of bars, clubs, lounges, spas and karaokes in Hanoi range from extremely basic (4 walls and a stool) to world-class sophisticated venues. You'll rarely pay an entrance fee for any nightclubs and the drinks are usually cheap, even in the more upmarket spots. The crowd is young, with many travelers and backpackers on a budget. They are in the city to have fun, and you'll meet people very easily even if you come by yourself. This review is a summary of my findings during my stay: The best bars, the best clubs, the best places to
Note from Jakarta100bars: This article about Cebu City's best bars and nightclubs was written by my friend Seb who has been living there since 2013. Cebu's nightlife is pretty straight-forward and you'll only need a couple of nights out to be familiar with the best venues. The major nightclubs and bars are almost all located in central Cebu City with a few more in the suburban towns of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue. In this article, I will give you a list of my current favorite party spots as well as plenty of tips to help you make your stay more fun. Don't hesitate to leave me a comment if you have any questions or if you feel I missed something.
Many Asian girls won't admit it but they are primarily looking for foreigners when using online dating apps and websites (if they weren't, why would they write their profiles in English?). As a European or as an American, this means you will get much interest from girls and all that will translate into an incredible number of dating opportunities. If you have 1 or 2 matches per day on Tinder in your home country, you can expect to get at least 20 or 30 per day upon landing in Asia. All guys have a different reaction to their newfound success. Some will go on a banging spree to compensate for years of sex drought. Others will become insanely picky, rejecting girls they would have dreamed of dating just a few months back. What is certain is that all of them feel much happier with this situation.
The Maldives is not the best place in the world to experience a crazy nightlife, mainly because tourists are spread on hundreds of different islands. It also doesn't help that most inhabitants are strict Muslims and that alcohol is prohibited in all local areas. On the country's 200 "local" islands, you cannot drink or buy any alcohol, even a simple beer. Doing so is only permitted on the "resort" islands, on which the luxury hotels are built. As a result, the Maldives has never been considered a party destination. Its atmosphere is relaxed and quiet, and a popular choice for couples on honeymoon. If the thought of going to bed by 8 PM every night during your stay sounds too boring, don't despair. All the luxury resorts in the Maldives have at least a restaurant, a beach club or a bar where you can drink, listen to music, sometimes dance, and possibly meet other travelers. The following nightlife review will give you a quick overview
If you are into beach bars, cheap drinks and hooking-up with drunk tourists, you might find that Nha Trang nightlife is the best in Vietnam. I spent about a week there on holiday, during low season, and that gave me plenty of time to party in every single bar and nightclub in town. The best thing about Nha Trang is that compared to other cities in Vietnam like Saigon or Hanoi, the rules are more relaxed. Venues stay open late, dress codes are rarely enforced, and the general vibe is definitely more friendly. Prices are also very cheap, especially during low season. With a $50 budget, you should have enough to book at least a 3-star hotel, eat in nice beachfront restaurants and drink plenty at night. SeekingArrangement is the #1 Sugar Baby Dating Site in the World - Click to Join Free! The drawback of Nha Trang, as you've probably read elsewhere, is the huge proportion of Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese tourists compared to other nationalities. I really don't have
Vang Vieng is a small town in Laos, half-way between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. It is a great spot to relax for a few days and try outdoor activities like trekking, rock climbing, and of course tubing in the Nam Song river. For years, Vang Vieng had the reputation of having some of the wildest parties in Asia. It was an essential stop on the 2000's backpacker party trail just like Koh Phangan, Kuta , Goa or Koh Rong. (Un)fortunately, those days of unrestricted fun are almost over. In 2011, at least 27 travelers died , often from the combination of drinking + tubing. Facing international scrutiny and complaints from residents, the Lao government decided to crack down on the craziest aspects of the nightlife. It limited the number of bars on the riverside, imposed curfews and made a few drug-related arrests. Vang Vieng nightlife today is certainly not the debauchery it used to be, but it has not completely died yet. Along the river, the two bars allegedly owned by
This article was entirely re-written with the latest updates on Doha Nightlife during the World Cup 2022. At first sight, Doha, the capital of Qatar, may not seem like the best place for nightlife: Alcohol is hard to buy and ridiculously expensive. There is a strong gender imbalance in bars, with much more guys than girls. Pre-marital sex and adultery are both punishable offenses, and you are not even allowed to speak or to hang out with Qatari women. Despite all these restrictions, it is still possible to have fun, as long as you have enough money. Bottle service is often required in the best venues, so it is easy to spend USD500 in one evening. If you are on a backpacker budget, forget about partying and save your dollars for elsewhere. If you are on a business trip, an expat living in Qatar, or visiting for the World Cup, read this guide and you will know everything there is to know about Doha nightlife.
Udon Thani is located in the North of Thailand (Isaan Region), near the border with Laos. Even though it is the 4th most populous city in the country (150,000 people), it is very laid-back and provincial. I was there for 5 days as a stopover before heading to Laos and I was not really expecting there would be any nightlife. As it turns out, I was wrong. You can find bars and nightclubs that are open and busy every night, but for that, you'll need to go outside of the tourist areas. This short review will guide you through the best venues I went to during my stay. If you think I forgot one, please leave me a note in the comment section below.
Yangon's nightlife is better than what I expected, even though it will need a few more years before it becomes travel-worthy. For now, it is still a bit rough around the edges and somewhat repetitive. I counted over 15 nightclubs, but only 3-4 that I really enjoyed. The others are either too loud, too quiet or they simply have too many prostitutes. On the plus side, I was happy to find out that they are usually open every night of the week, sometimes until late, and that Burmese are enthusiastic party-goers. Update 2021 : Since this review was written before the 2021 Military Coup d'état in Myanmar and before COVID-19, I deleted most of the venues that were previously listed below. Please let me know if some new bars or clubs have opened by leaving a comment at the end of the article. Thanks in advance! For the latest information in English about what's happening in Yangon, I recommend checking the Instagram page of Myanmar Mix . It's up-to-date and it covers anythin
I would not recommend going to KL specifically for partying, but if you happen to be in town, there are enough good venues to have fun. The following review will guide you to the best bars and nightclubs in the city as of 2019. Comments, criticism and questions are much welcome, just write them below at the end of the article. If you don't have time to read the whole review, here is a summary in 50 words: - If you are a backpacker, party on the street Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang (near Havana Bar). - For something more sophisticated, try the TREC complex and especially the mega-club Zouk. - If you are an expat, try Kyo in Mandarin Oriental. - Recommended good value hotel for nightlife: MOV (50$ per night) Note: This article was last updated in January 2019. KL Nightlife Nightlife in Kuala Lumpur has a poor reputation as Malaysia is considered one of the most conservative countries in Asia. Authorities often cancel high-profile concerts due to religious and cu
Note: This Hong Kong nightlife review was written by a reader who has lived over 7 years in the city. One of the richest cities in the world, Hong Kong hosts a crowded 7 million people. Among them, you will find a diverse party-loving crowd of businessmen, expats (and their grown-up kids), students, and a fair number of tourists. This makes for an extremely dynamic, sophisticated and intense nightlife that I consider to be one of the best in Asia. I wrote this detailed review of Hong Kong nightlife to make sure you'll have a great time partying in the city. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them at the end of the article and I'll do my best to answer you!
With 1,8M inhabitants, Abu Dhabi is the second-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Dubai . Even though the country is officially Islamic, it has a decent nightlife that caters mostly to expats, tourists, and businessmen. There are around 10 lively bars and nightclubs, almost all of which are located in 4- or 5-star hotels. You can find a crowded event most days of the week, except during Ramadan when everything is closed. That said, not everything is perfect. The main problem is that very few women go clubbing in Abu Dhabi, so it is not rare to have a bar full of guys (minus the prostitutes). To avoid that, select your venues carefully and keep an eye out for ladies nights. Another issue is that prices are generally quite high. A cocktail in a high-end bar will easily reach US$20, and a beer US$10. To order bottle service, be ready to spend at least US$500 for one bottle. It is a good idea to check for happy hours, usually from 5PM to 8PM. If you want
Macau nightlife is not very interesting for the young traveler. If you are expecting to party like in Las Vegas, you will be disappointed: There are actually very few nightclubs and bars, and you rarely have famous guest DJs or performers. Macau is really focused on hardcore gambling, with a rather large high-end prostitution scene. That makes it a popular destination for sex tourists, mostly from mainland China, but it's not really my thing. Therefore, I was happy to spend only a couple of days there before heading back to Hong Kong, which is way more fun. During my two days, I had enough time to explore all the nightlife spots around, except the famous Macau saunas (a local friend told me everything about them for this review). The following article will give you a quick overview of what I learned during my trip. If you have more questions about partying in Macau, please just leave me a comment below. Where to Stay in Macau Near the Nightlife The NAPE Zon
As the most liberal state in an otherwise conservative country, Goa is easily the best party destination in India. Relatively small in size (Goa is only slightly larger than Hong-Kong or Luxembourg), it attracts millions of tourists every year with its beautiful beaches, a relaxed vibe, cheap booze and tons of crazy parties. There are also thousands of long term residents, including hippies who have been living there since the 1970s. The following review will give you an overview of Goa nightlife. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comment section below.
I stayed a week in the capital of Laos, Vientiane, to explore its nightlife. In this review, I will give you some tips about the best nightclubs, the best bars, where to stay near the nightlife and how to meet Laotian girls. If you expect Vientiane to be a boring town, you are only partially right. After night falls, it isn't long before all shops and restaurants close, and by 10PM most streets are desperately deserted. At this time, even finding street food can be challenging. If you go to the right places though, you'll discover some much more happening areas. As I realized, you can party every night in Vientiane until at least 3AM, well past the official midnight curfew. Nightlife Areas in Vientiane Click on the map to enlarge Most of the bars, restaurants and nightclubs recommended in this article are within a small area north of the Chao Anouvong Park (green rectangle on the map) and along the riverside. Almost every visitors will stay there and you shou
I've spent most of the past two years trying the nightlife of various Asian cities, from Indonesia to Kazakhstan. I've written individual reports for most of them (see the tag Asia Nightlife ), but I thought it could be useful to make a brief summary recapitulating everything I've learned. Based on my travels, these are my 20 favorite cities for partying in Asia (I ranked them by order of preference):
You shouldn't expect much from Muscat nightlife. There are very few bars, even fewer nightclubs, and you won't find a party atmosphere like in Dubai . That said, if you are living in the city, or if you are visiting for a few days, you can always find some decent venues to have fun, to meet people, and to drink alcohol. Just scroll down to learn more about the best party spots in the capital of Oman.