Azure Beach Restaurant is rich with the promise of fresh catch of the day prepared by one of Bali’s best-known seafood chefs, Frederic Boulay.
It’s also a very popular spot for people to kill some time before they catch a flight from nearby Denpasar Airport.
But, the big question is, even though it often appears on lists of best beach clubs in Bali, is it really a beach club? Our team wanted to know, so we sent them to Azure Beach Restaurant, and this is what they discovered there.
Introduction – Getting To Azure Beach Restaurant
Azure Beach Restaurant is in Bali. And Bali is very easy to get to from Australia or Southeast Asia, but it’s a longer journey from both North America and Europe.
We don’t think that’s all downside, mind you. While it might be a long flight to Bali, it’s also much cheaper in Bali than it is in Ibiza or Miami.
That means many visitors find that they can save the costs of the flight (or save the cost of an upgrade to business class) once they factor in accommodation, food, drink, etc.
Once you’re in Bali, Jimbaran is super easy to get to. It’s very close to the airport and a short drive from most of the major beach towns on the island.
If you’re driving yourself, you will find that there is onsite parking here and that parking is quite generous, particularly as many of their customers are part of organised coach tour parties.
You can also be dropped off at the door by the local ride-share services, Grab or Gojek.
Where Is Azure Beach Restaurant? 65V8+RP Kelan Beach, Jl. Segara Madu, Tuban, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Online: Azure Beach Restaurant
Opening Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence
What’s Available At Azure Beach Restaurant?
Azure Restaurant has several different types of seating to choose from, bar and restaurant facilities, beach access and a pleasant pool area, which is a real attraction for many visitors.
However, it’s not a party-oriented beach club, and there are no DJs, live music, entertainment, etc.
Our Detailed Review Of Azure Beach Restaurant
We consistently review each beach club with a standardised process to ensure fair assessment of owners, management, and staff, and to offer reviews in a uniform format that aids in comparing different venues.
The review process unfolds as follows:
- A team is tasked with evaluating the venue.
- Each member must visit the beach club, with the option to do so independently and on different days.
- During their visit, every reviewer completes a scorecard, rating the club from 1 (least impressive) to 5 (most impressive) across outlined categories, while also noting their observations.
- Once all team members have submitted their scorecards, they meet to discuss their experiences and establish final scores for each category.
- A selected team member then writes the review, incorporating the team’s discussions and final scores, before it is uploaded to our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
You can usually spot a decent restaurant in Bali because they use Chope for their booking system. Chope is an app that runs in several countries and makes booking easy.
You choose the type of seating, the number of people and the date you want to book, and then you get instant confirmation.
You won’t have to pay a deposit, but you won’t get a choice of which seat you want to book (leaving you at the mercies of the staff on the day), and they won’t hold your seat for very long if you turn up late, which is always an unfortunate possibility in Bali’s traffic.
We have to be honest, while we know Chope and trust it, we always feel that there’s a drop-off in trust for consumers when they have to leave the main website of a business to book through a third party.
Ambience and Atmosphere
You can feel that this is a popular spot for people looking to kill a few hours between checking out of their hotel and flying out of Bali.
It’s not unfriendly per se, but there’s a marked lack of interest among the guests for socialising and making new friends, after all, they’re going home, what’s the point?
You’ll also find that at times when a coach party arrives, the room can be dominated by a particular social group, and that can mean everyone dining in silence or non-stop high volume noise.
Overall, there’s nothing wrong with the ambience here, but it’s not somewhere you’re going to remember for very long after you leave, either.
Location And Accessibility
Jimbaran is one of the most easily accessible areas of Bali, and it’s very near to the airport, which is what makes this restaurant very popular with people who are heading home at the end of the day.
It’s a short drive from the major beach towns and not that far from Denpasar, Ubud, etc., too and given that most people are only coming one way to this restaurant, that’s just fine even if the traffic’s not the best on the way.
The beach here is clean, and the sand is soft and pleasant underfoot. If you’re around at sunset, you’ll find that you get an excellent view of the sun over the ocean as it bows below the horizon for the last time that day.
And sure, you can’t swim safely on the beach, but they do have a nice pool which you can use, so you’re not missing out on anything.
Aesthetic And Design
This is an attractive setting with a nice pool, sun loungers, umbrellas, etc., and there’s a clear brand identity to the place too.
However, it’s also not that memorable, and while you will get some nice Instagram snaps here, if you’re a regular visitor of beach clubs, you won’t be able to pick Azure Beach Restaurant out of a lineup in a year’s time.
That’s not the end of the world, not every beach club needs to break new ground, pleasant is often good enough, particularly when you’ve only got three hours until your flight.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
This is Bali, and the island has a culture of welcoming hospitality that sets the standard for the rest of the world, and the staff here do Master Chef, Fredric Boulay, credit in their attitude.
They’re not quite at the standard of the very best beach clubs in Bali or the 5-star hotels, but they are attentive and kind.
Most of all, they actually know what they’re talking about and can help to clarify things about the menu or offer advice on the local area.
Service Speed and Efficiency
While we did occasionally find ourselves struggling for attention in this place, a lot of that had to do with the ebb and flow of customers, particularly when coach parties arrive.
Overall, though, we found that they were pretty quick to come and talk to us and take our orders and once the order was taken, the food and drinks were produced promptly.
One of our team found themselves waiting a bit long for some change after paying the check, but otherwise, we felt that the speed and efficiency of service here were of a decent standard.
Food Quality and Variety
There’s plenty of variety on the menu here, and Frederic Boulay and his team definitely seem to delight in creating innovative dishes.
However, we also thought that the food was a bit on the pricey side, and while we understand folks are happy to pay a premium given that it’s still cheaper than the airport, we’d like to see more of an uplift in the ingredients to match that premium.
Overall, the food was tasty and none of us left unsatisfied with what we’d eaten, but we do feel that it wasn’t quite as good as it should have been, particularly with the chef’s reputation.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
The drink selection is OK, but nothing to write home about. We also found it, as with the food, a touch on the expensive side for what it was.
The presentation was OK too, the cocktails are Instagrammable, but nothing that really stands out, particularly on an island where cocktails are a big thing.
The overall strength of the drinks was more than good enough, though, and we guess that’s the most important thing.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
We are pleased to report that even during the busiest periods, this restaurant takes cleanliness and hygiene seriously.
The pool area is always clean and well-maintained, which ensures you’ll feel good about your family enjoying a swim.
Most of all, the bathroom areas and changing rooms are clean and sparkling, and that’s a really good thing. It gives you confidence that the kitchens will be treated with the same level of respect.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
The seating is just fine at this beach restaurant, but we couldn’t find anything exceptional about it either.
It’s not meant for all-day relaxing; most people come here for 2-3 hours, and then, they’re gone for good, as they head to a plane off the island. And for that, it’s just fine.
Music and Entertainment
It’s nothing but piped music at the Azure Beach Restaurant, and frankly, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
It’s not a party place, it’s a time sink before your flight, and that’s just fine, but it means you don’t really need a soundtrack to remember, either.
Seasonality
Bali doesn’t really suffer from seasonality. There are two seasons in this part of the tropics – the wet season and the dry season.
The wet season doesn’t see endless monsoon rains like Goa or Thailand, where it can rain for weeks on end, but rather a couple of hours of rain every other day or so. It’s still warm and sunny (8 hours of sunshine a day on average, in fact).
The dry season is also warm and sunny, but less wet.
That leaves the only compulsory holiday in Bali as the Balinese Day of Silence, known as Nyepi. This is a single day that falls in either March or April each year.
Pricing and Value for Money
The Azure Beach Restaurant surely knows what it’s about. It’s not great value for money, but it’s also not bad value for money.
If you compare it to the brand-name restaurants at the airport, it’s cheaper and there’s a pool and sunbeds.
For most people, that’s all it will really take to spend a few hours here.
Beach Access and Quality
The beach here in Jimbaran is attractive, and the sand here is pleasant underfoot. It’s also kept clean and tidy.
You shouldn’t swim in the ocean here but the pool at the Azure Beach Restaurant is more than adequate compensation for that.
This is also a great spot for watching that world famous Bali sunset.
Sustainability Practices
Sustainability is becoming a big deal in Bali, but sadly, the Azure Beach Restaurant doesn’t appear to have got the memo about that just yet.
We’re sure they do something eco-friendly, but what that might be, we have no idea. Their corporate communication makes no mention of sustainability, and there is no published sustainability report.
We feel that the Azure Beach Restaurant needs to do better in this area and that they need to do better, fast.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
There aren’t any perks for guests except for access to a seat. If you want to swim here, you’ll need to rent a towel from the beach club (which is reasonably priced) or buy one from their gift shop (these towels are stupidly expensive, but designed to get you to spend the last of your Indonesian cash before you leave the country, which is smart enough).
We don’t think that this is particularly unfair, given that there’s no entrance fee or minimum spend requirement, but we also don’t think that we can offer this beach club any points in this category either.
Safety and Security
They do have a security team on duty at this club who are likely to make you feel safe and sound in case of any trouble.
However, they don’t carry out a bag check on the door, and we find that a bit disappointing. We feel that security checks help to ensure that Bali stays safe and welcoming for everyone.
Event Hosting Capabilities
They can hold events at Azure Beach Restaurant, but overall, we didn’t find their pitch for this particularly convincing, and we don’t think that they have the experience that many of the other big beach clubs do.
We’d suggest that this is fine for small corporate events or similar functions, but if you want to host a pre-wedding event or other really important event, you might want to shop around here in Bali.
Consistency of Experience
We’ve been to this place a few times, as have many of our review team’s friends and acquaintances, and they all agree that the experience here is remarkably consistent.
However, they don’t seem to be putting much effort in to try and reinvent themselves and improve the guest experience either.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
This is a very basic beach club, but if you want to find other facilities, then a short drive from here to Kuta, Denpasar or the rest of Jimbaran should see you find what you need.
Summary
This is a nice place to stop on the way to the airport on your way out of Bali or for a quick meal if you’re in the Jimbaran area.
There’s no doubt that there are better beach clubs in Bali, but really, this is more of a restaurant with a pool facility, and it does a pretty good job of that.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Azure Beach Restaurant?
Yes, there’s a nice swimming pool area at this beach restaurant. The facility will provide you with a towel for your swim, and you cannot bring in a towel from outside to use at the club.
The pool is clean and well-maintained, and you won’t have any doubts about your safety in this pool. There is also a lifeguard on duty at all times here.
This property is also on the beachfront and, in theory, you could opt to swim in the Indian Ocean here, but we wouldn’t recommend it.
The current can be markedly variable in Bali on this coast, and even the strongest swimmers have been known to be pulled out to sea from the shore here. It’s best to stick to swimming in the beach club’s pool.
What Is There To Do At Azure Beach Restaurant?
As you might expect from the name, the main activities at this beach club are eating and drinking. You can also enjoy a swim in the pool here and enjoy a walk along the beach, which is a pleasant sandy beach.
This is not a party-style beach club facility, and there’s no dance floor, entertainment or similar offering. You go for food and drinks and to kill some time before flying out of the country at the end of a holiday.
We should note that their Master Chef, Frederic Boulay, is a bit of a celebrity chef locally, and he’s famous for working with seafood in Jimbaran, so you may find that dining here is a real treat for your taste buds.
Is Azure Beach Restaurant A Child-Friendly Venue?
Yes, children are welcome at the Azure Beach Restaurant. However, there are no special amenities for kids here, and they will have to make their own entertainment.
You should also know that as with nearly all beach clubs in Bali, parents are expected to mind their children and to ensure that they are kept safe and healthy (this is particularly important with respect to playing on the beach and near the ocean – there are no lifeguards apart from those in the pool area) and to prevent them from annoying any other guests.
The makeup of people in this beach club can be very fluid and vary from families waiting before a flight, to large coach parties that have been brought to kill some time during the day.
Who Is The Owner Of Azure Beach Restaurant?
The Azure Beach Restaurant has not made its ownership structure public as we go to press, so it’s not something that we can report.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Azure Beach Restaurant
While they don’t claim to be a beach club, they are often featured on lists of beach clubs in Bali, but we’d say that the restaurant has the right of this.
Though there are a few facilities here that will remind you of beach clubs, mainly it’s a nice seafood restaurant with a pool attached to it.
We wouldn’t make a special trip to Jimbaran for this place except if we wanted to try the food, but it’s a great place to stop and kill some time before a flight.
