Bali
Bar Guide

Bali's enduring benchmark for sunset drinking. The open-air terrace faces due west across the Indian Ocean, and the bar team's tropical cocktail menu is quietly one of the most technically accomplished on the island. Arrive by 5:30pm to claim a daybed.

Perched on the cliffs above Suluban Beach, Single Fin draws the surf crowd and the cocktail crowd in equal measure. Sunday sessions run until the small hours. The Bintang flows freely, but the passion fruit margarita is the order.

Tucked into the rice field edge on Jl. Batu Mejan, Nook is the Canggu bar that regulars have been keeping to themselves for years. Low-slung rattan seating, proper arak-based cocktails, and an absence of the beach-club energy that dominates the area.

The amphitheatre-style rooftop frames the ocean perfectly for a date. Come for cocktails at the main bar, then move to the upper terrace as the sun drops. The signature Bali-inspired sours are worth the price point.

Ubud's most thoughtful beer list in a setting that suits the jungle town's pace. The owner sources from small Indonesian craft breweries most tourists never encounter. The back deck overhangs a rice terrace and is best at dusk.

Seven rooms crammed with antiques, vintage photographs, and repurposed colonial furniture. The live DJ sets start at 10pm and the dance floor fills quickly. La Favela is Seminyak nightlife at its most characterful, well away from the beach-club template.

The expansive beach-level lawn fills with Canggu's digital nomad community from 4pm onward. Frozen cocktails, hammocks, and a DJ set that builds gradually make this the ideal decompression spot after a long working day near your laptop.

The cocktail programme at Sundara rivals anything in Singapore or Tokyo. The menu rotates with the seasons, drawing on Balinese botanicals and local spices. It is the most technically serious bar on the island and worth every rupiah of the cover.

Berawa's answer to the Canggu overflow, Shelter is a raw concrete and rattan room that takes its cocktails seriously without taking itself too seriously. The house negroni uses local gin and fermented tamarind, and costs a fraction of what Seminyak charges.