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Medan Nightlife: Best Bars and Nightclubs [2024]

By Tibs →
I spent a few days in Medan and I had the opportunity to try its nightlife. As you would expect, Medan is far from being a party town. It is more conservative than many other Indonesian cities and there are also very few tourists. The few foreigners you might meet there are often Singaporean and Malaysian businessmen, or English teachers. In spite of being Indonesia's third-largest city, the number of decent clubs and bars in Medan is low. To write this review of Medan nightlife, I had to include some underground clubs that most people wouldn't feel comfortable visiting. For this reason, if you are a "normal" clubber, I would only recommend trying the first three venues listed below.

Jakarta Nightlife: Best Bars and Clubs (Updated 2024)

By Tibs →
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.

40 Best Bars in Jakarta (Updated 2024)

By Tibs →
This is my updated list of the best bars in Jakarta (2024). I wrote mostly about the most established venues that have existed for several years and are consistently crowded. I also focused mostly on South and Central Jakarta. At the end of the article, I've added some of the newest bars as well as some that are located in North and West Jakarta. Please leave a comment if I forgot one! For more information about where to party in Jakarta, you can also read: Best Nightclubs in Jakarta Jakarta Nightlife Guide Best Beer Garden and Beer Houses in Jakarta Best Expat Bars in Jakarta

Jakarta Nightlife: 15 Best Nightclubs (Updated 2024)

By Tibs →
The following is a ranking of the most happening nightclubs in Jakarta at the moment. Note: I updated this review of Jakarta's best nightclubs in January 2024. The line between a club and a bar can be thin. Some places are great for dancing and drinking but I didn't include them here because I considered them to be bars. Check my guide of the  Best Bars in Jakarta  for more party recommendations. If you think I forgot to mention a venue, please leave me a comment! Tips About Clubbing in Jakarta: Here are a few things you should know before heading for a night out: - If you are new to the city and you don't know where to start , I recommend going to the SCBD neighborhood where you can find several nightclubs and bars that are all within walking-distance from each other (H Club, Lucy in the Sky, Swillhouse, Embassy, Billions, etc). 5 minutes from there, you can also check all the venues in Senopati/Suryo street. - Clubbing in Jakarta is rather expensive. Expec

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: 

Where to Party in Bali? A Complete Nightlife Guide (2023)

By Tibs →
  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.

Best Nightclubs in Bali (Updated 2023)

By Tibs →
I just stayed in Bali for a month and I visited all the happening nightclubs and bars from  Kuta   to  Canggu . The venues I chose on this list are the busiest and most happening spots for partying. They are not ranked in a particular order as each of them targets a different crowd. You can also read 10 Best Nightclubs to Meet Girls in Bali  and Bali Nightlife: Where to Party? Please feel free to comment if I forgot an important nightclub! How to stay up to date on Bali nightlife? Bali nightlife evolves constantly. To stay up to date on the latest openings and events, I follow several Instagram accounts such as  Beat Magazine ,  The Canggupedia ,  Bali Radar ,  Bali Chronicles ,  What's New Bali  and  Bali Event Promoters . Check also  Bali Night Clubs  on Facebook. A benefit of these accounts is that they advertise promotions and deals, such as ladies' nights and happy hours. They might also be able to get you free entrances to clubs, especially if you are a woman.

Best Nightclubs and Bars to Meet Girls in Bali (2023)

By Tibs →
Bali is a fantastic destination for single guys who want to meet girls. As soon as you arrive, you can download some popular dating apps and you'll be surprised by the high number of matches you will get. Another great way to meet girls in Bali is to visit bars and nightclubs, especially if you are staying around Kuta, Seminyak, and Canggu. I wrote extensively about the nightlife in those areas, most recently here: Bali Nightlife . In the following article, I will focus on the most recommended spots to meet girls. I've made sure to mention a diversity of venues so you are certain to find exactly what you are looking for. Seeking.com Discover the World's number 1 sugar dating website. Free to register and to look at all the girls' profiles. Best Nightclubs to Meet Girls in Bali Shishi  (Seminyak) One of the busiest nightclubs in Bali at the moment. It has a restaurant and two floors of music (hip-hop, RnB, and EDM). Guest DJs weekly. The best night

Palembang Nightlife: Best Nightclubs and Bars (Updated 2021)

By Tibs →
Updated in April 2021. Palembang is the second largest city in Sumatra after Medan . It does not receive a lot of foreign visitors apart from Malaysians and Singaporeans. As with most provincial towns in Indonesia, its nightlife is limited. Most clubbers are guys, and the few girls who accompany them are often professional. There is usually no dance floor: Customers book tables and they just stay within the same group, without trying to mingle with other people. The DJs are pretty much always playing the same famous EDM or Rn'B tracks. Most often, they are women who are chosen mainly for their looks.

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

Indonesia Nightlife: 12 Best Cities for Partying

By Tibs →
I've partied in all the major cities in Indonesia (as well as in much smaller ones!) so I thought it could be useful to summarize everything I've learned in one article. Hopefully it will give you ideas for your next trip! Without further ado, please find below the 12 best cities/regions for nightlife in Indonesia: Jakarta Jakarta is without any doubt the best city for partying in Indonesia. There are at least 20 decent nightclubs, more than 100 bars, and thousands of restaurants. The mindset is also quite liberal (at least in the upper class) and you'll find some wild venues like no other in the country (strip clubs, luxury massage parlors, etc). Since most of the clubbers are expats or wealthy Indonesians, you'll need to dress up and to spend quite a lot to have fun. If you are looking forward meeting beautiful women , Jakarta is fantastic too. → Most recommended venues: Jenja , Immigrant , Dragonfly , X2 , Basque → Where to stay near the nightlife

Is Bali Becoming a Sex Tourism Destination?

By Tibs →
One of the biggest changes to Bali nightlife since the past 5 years is the seemingly growing number of prostitution or semi-prostitution venues in Bali. Those places were once discreetly located in Sanur or in some seedy streets in Denpasar, but they are now everywhere and they are certainly not trying to hide. In Kartika Plaza, you have the new District Club which features sexy dancers and karaoke rooms with Lady Companions. It is owned by Tommy Winata, famous for being behind naughty clubs like Golden Crown in Jakarta. Other naughty KTVs include EC Bali, Tang Chao (for Chinese) and Level One. In Denpasar, Akasaka was extended with a new room called A-Club, also with sexy dancers and prostitutes. The old room in Akasaka is packed on weekends and during my visit there, I saw fully naked women trying to sell tequila shots to customers in exchange for private lap dances. Considering the head-banging music that was played there, we can imagine most people inside were taki

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

Batam Nightlife Guide

By Tibs →
Nightlife in Batam - Overview: Batam is a small island in the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) located about 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry. With a population of 800,000 souls, it is the home to a small community of expatriates , most of them working in the Oil & Gas or in the High Tech manufacturing. Unlike in other parts of Indonesia, you'll find that Batam is rather well organized and clean. Close to Singapore and very little traffic. NEW REVIEW October 2016: 18 Best Hotels Near Batam Nightlife and Spas The Indonesian island of Batam has long been one the best kept secrets as a low cost getaway for Singaporean local and expats.  The island has seven golf courses, several resorts and the costs are a fraction compared to Singapore and Bali. There is also an expat entertainment area like Blok M / Kemang.

Gili Trawangan Nightlife - Best Bars and Nightclubs (Lombok)

By Tibs →
I wrote this summary of Gili Trawangan nightlife (Lombok) after spending 3 nights there in May 2017. I had not visited the island in almost 10 years, and yet it didn't change much. It is just a bit more crowded, more expensive and dirtier.  Most visitors are young Westerners between 20 and 30 years old. Among them, many are couples on their honeymoon or backpackers on a 6-month Southeast Asia tour. The latter aren't as numerous as in Bali or Thailand, probably because of the prices (overall you'll spend twice as much in the Gili's). They tend to stay for a short period of time only, on their way to other parts of Indonesia. The ones who stay longer usually work in diving centers and form the only real expat community on the island.