We have come across some interesting features in beach clubs over the years, but this was the first place we’d found boasting a pool dancefloor, and we had to admit we were intrigued.
Phuket is also home to the first floating beach club, so it’s definitely making some inroads to creating unique experiences for beach club goers.
Our team quickly packed their bags, grabbed their notebooks and scorecards and headed to Barra Cuda to learn more about this beach club. And this is what they learned there.
Introduction – Getting To Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket
You’ll need to fly to Phuket first, which, depending on the season, may mean a direct flight from near your home or a longer indirect flight via Bangkok.
It’s not the worst place to get to, though it can be a pretty long haul from Europe or America, and it’s not as close to Australia as Bali is, either.
Once you’re in Phuket, you will find it’s pretty easy to get to this beach club, and you can easily jump in a ride-share or tuk-tuk and be there within 30-60 minutes, even in the worst traffic.
You should be aware that there’s no parking at this beach club, so if you opt to drive, you’re going to have to park elsewhere and walk. We would skip the hassle and get a ride which can drop you off at the door.
Where Is Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket? 43 Thaweewong Road, Amphoe Kathu, Pa Tong, Patong, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Online: Barra Cuda
Opening Hours: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. every day, though this club may be required to close or amend hours on public holidays and elections. It’s best to call in advance to find out if it’s open.
What’s Available At Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket?
There are several seating areas, a restaurant, a bar and a pool with a built-in pool dance floor. They also have live entertainment later in the day with DJs.
Our Detailed Review Of Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket
We utilise a uniform evaluation process for each beach club to ensure fair assessment of owners, management, and staff, and to offer reviews in a standardised structure that aids in venue comparisons.
The evaluation procedure is as follows:
- A review team is appointed to assess the venue.
- All members are required to visit the beach club, though they may do so separately and on different days.
- At the venue, each reviewer completes a scorecard, rating the club from 1 (lowest mark) to 5 (highest mark) across specified categories, while also noting their observations.
- Once all scorecards are completed, the team gathers to discuss their findings and settle on final category scores.
- A chosen team member then drafts the review, reflecting the team’s conclusions and scores, before it is uploaded to our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
We’re not big fans of using external booking sites to manage your bookings. There’s something deeply concerning to customers who click on your website and suddenly find themselves landing on some random site (Seven Rooms in Barra Cuda’s case).
Now, Seven Rooms is legit; we’re not casting aspersions on their business, but it’s not Barra Cuda and a panel along the top pretending it is won’t really help.
However, it’s a reasonably straightforward booking process. Once you get over that, you can pick a date and the type of bed you want (though not the exact bed) and then agree to a minimum spend, which you must pay a 50% deposit on.
We think this club can do better than this, though. They clearly have real aspirations as a beach club, and the booking experience is your first point of contact with your customers.
Ambience and Atmosphere
The first thing you notice about Barra Cuda is that it’s kind of small and pokey. They seem to be drawing their inspiration from much bigger beach clubs in their promotional materials, but not quite living up to that promise in real life.
Having said that, there’s a definite buzz about the place as long as it’s reasonably busy inside, and we felt that it was a good place to develop some social connections.
We also like that they gently escalate towards the party in the evening rather than trying to maintain a single frenetic pace all day long.
Location And Accessibility
Phuket’s OK to get to, and this beach club is easy enough to reach from most of the island. You will find it’s about a 30-60 minute drive in good traffic conditions in either a tuk-tuk or a ride-share.
Watch out for the taxi mafia and tuk-tuk mafia in this town, though; they can ruin your journey to anywhere. It’s best to use an app to book if you want a fair price.
When you arrive at this beach club, there’s no onsite parking, so if you’re driving yourself, you will need to sort out somewhere else to park.
So, you probably want to stick to a ride-share or a taxi if you want an easy day of things.
Aesthetic And Design
They’ve got ambition for sure, but we’re not sure that they meet that ambition most of the time.
There’s a definite style to this beach club, but we don’t find that it’s particularly visually impactful. You can get some decent Insta snaps, for sure, but there’s nothing that’s going to blow you away either.
It’s a bit better at night, when the lights are all on and the party’s going, there’s a more distinct identity to this place, but it’s still not all that memorable.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
We thought that the staff in this club were exemplary for their friendliness and professionalism. There’s clearly a strong management and development structure in place to focus on this aspect of the customer experience.
Not only were they friendly and professional, but they were also knowledgeable about the services the club offers, the menu and the local area.
There’s no doubt that they are a credit to Barra Cuda and a good reason to choose this beach club if you’re in Phuket.
Service Speed and Efficiency
Mostly, the speed and efficiency of the service at Bara Cuda match the friendliness and professionalism standards.
However, there were some moments later in the day when the party was in full flow that things seemed to slow down a bit. We get it, it’s much busier at this time of the night, but it’s still a little frustrating when you want a drink.
We were pleased to note that even late in the evening that the check and any change required arrived pretty promptly. It’s a nice way to end the day rather than standing around tapping your feet with frustration.
Score: 4/5
Food Quality and Variety
We like the huge array of choices on the menu at this beach club and the fact that they carefully label each dish, using icons, to let you know what’s in it, in case you have any food preferences or allergies.
However, we did feel that while most of the food was delicious, there were dishes that didn’t quite meet the overall standard of things, which was a little disappointing.
The ingredients appeared to be fresh and of a high-quality standard, which is what we’d expect when you consider the prices here, which are often much higher than the norm in Thailand.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
The drink selection is incredibly broad, and the presentation of the cocktails is excellent; you’ll be snapping away for your Instagram feed without a second thought here.
The wine list is very expensive, though, but this is partly due to the high levels of import taxes in Thailand, not just beach club pricing.
We also thought the non-alcoholic drinks were a bit pricey, though not so much that we felt ripped off.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
While we thought that overall the cleanliness was very good in this beach club, but there’s no doubt that the pool starts looking a little grubby once it starts being used as a dancefloor.
We’re not sure how the club would avoid this, mind you, but it’s worth watching out for, particularly if you have any cuts on your legs or feet.
The toilets, showers, changing rooms, etc. remained very clean throughout our time in this beach club, though.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
The seating was reasonably comfortable, and we didn’t have any complaints about any of it, but we also didn’t find it as comfortable as the furniture in other clubs, particularly those in five-star hotel complexes.
It looks great, though, and will be fabulous in your Instagram feed once you start taking some photos of you and your friends to share.
Music and Entertainment
The music’s very good at Barra Cuda, particularly when the DJs get started and we can see why people feel motivated to spend the evening dancing away in the pool.
It’s a bit slow getting started, though, and there feels like a bit of a disconnect between the early part of the day and the afternoon/evening.
Seasonality
While there’s no real seasonality in Phuket, when it comes to opening times or club facilities, we have to note that the monsoon season here can be pretty fierce.
While in somewhere like Bali, the rainy season tends to be a couple of hours of rain each day with lots of sunshine in between, in this part of Southern Thailand, it can rain non-stop for weeks at a time.
We’d avoid Phuket during the wet season for this reason and go somewhere else. You don’t want to spend your time at a beach club huddled together under an umbrella because of the torrential downpour; it’s just no fun.
Pricing and Value for Money
This beach club is definitely on the high side when it comes to the overall cost of the day for Southeast Asia. We did have a good time at Barra Cuda, for sure, but it certainly took its toll on our wallets.
It’s fine for a day out on holiday, but we doubt we’d become regulars at this beach club, value for money matters and in this part of the world, there are better deals available.
Beach Access and Quality
There is beach access at this club, and the beach itself is quite pleasant. The beach club staff are on hand to keep things tidy most of the time.
However, as with everywhere in this part of Thailand, the ocean water is seriously polluted and we wouldn’t recommend swimming in it.
Sustainability Practices
It appears that, for now, Barra Cuda has missed the green revolution and is doing absolutely nothing of substance for the environment or the planet.
We think this is a real shame, and not just because it means that a certain segment of the potential audience for the beach club will avoid this place like the plague because of it.
It’s a shame because Phuket’s environment is in a rocky place and a concerted effort by the beach clubs in the area to help improve things might encourage other businesses and locals to get involved.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
You will get access to a daybed and a towel, which is about standard in beach clubs around the world.
We do think that this is a missed opportunity for additional revenue on the club’s behalf, mind you, and for increased customer satisfaction too.
We like VIP and premium tier perks and don’t mind paying for them. When you’re on holiday, you want to push the boat out at times, and beach clubs should make this as easy as possible for their guests.
Safety and Security
They take safety and security seriously at this beach club, and Barra Cuda has proper bag searches at the front door as well as enough security personnel on duty to ensure that any trouble is dealt with before it becomes a problem for other guests.
One thing that has always surprised us in our time reviewing beach clubs around the world is how little trouble there is when you consider these venues serve a lot of alcohol.
We suspect that’s down to beach clubs taking this issue seriously and trying to head off trouble before it arises.
Event Hosting Capabilities
They do host events at this beach club, but it’s clearly not a priority for them. They don’t advertise the service, apart from a very small banner at the bottom of the booking page, and overall, we don’t think they have the space to hold the bigger events either.
Consistency of Experience
We’ve visited this beach club a few times, but we’ve also spoken to some of their regular guests and reviewed their online reviews, and everyone agrees that this is a remarkably consistent beach club and that you can pretty much guarantee that you will be treated in the manner that you would expect.
However, we didn’t really get the sense of constant evolution that might help propel them to their next level of greatness.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
They have all the basic amenities that you need for a day by the beach, and if you do need anything else, you can probably find it within a short distance, either walking or by ride-share.
The swimming pool dance floor is a gimmick; it’s fun for a bit, but we doubt that it will bring anyone back for a second time.
Phuket is a popular international tourist destination, and there are plenty of facilities on the island.
Summary
Overall, we had a good time at Barra Cuda, and if you’re in Phuket on holiday, it’s a good choice for a lively night of dancing, particularly if you fancy the whole swimming pool dance floor thing.
However, on the downside of things, it is expensive, and some of the little touches that could dramatically improve the overall experience are missing.
The lack of attention to sustainability is also poor form and something we really expect better on now that environmental issues are of global importance.
It’s not a big deal, but it’s enough to ensure that we wouldn’t cross Thailand just to visit this beach club.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket?
Yes, you can swim in some of the pool at Barra Cuda Beach Club. The pool is split into two sections down the centre. One section is ideal for swimming, though it can get a little busy later in the day, which might interfere with getting in some lengths.
However, there’s a second section, which is the famous “pool dance floor”. This section is designed for people to be able to dance in the pool during the evenings, and it’s much shallower than you might think from a quick glance.
You probably can’t swim in this section due to the simple practicalities of it, though you might be able to drag yourself along the pool floor on your day here if it’s not too busy, but we can’t imagine that would be much fun.
There is access to the beach at this location, but we don’t advise swimming in the ocean anywhere in Phuket; the pollution levels in the water make it a risky option, and this is something completely beyond the control of the beach clubs on the island.
What Is There To Do At Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket?
You can eat, drink and enjoy time in the pool at Barra Cuda. You can also relax on their furniture during the day.
At night, there’s a DJ, and the place becomes very much a party-oriented destination with dancing. This beach club’s pool’s front section doubles as a dance floor, so you can enjoy some cooling temperatures in the water as you party into the evening.
Is Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket, A Child-Friendly Venue?
No, Barra Cude Beach Club is not a family-friendly beach club. It has a strict 20+ age requirement, and it is backed by an ID policy on the door.
Behaviour inside the club is very much adult-oriented, particularly as the day draws to a close and the DJs come out for the evening.
We would also note that Barra Cuda has a range of other door restrictions, and even all adult parties can be refused entry if they infringe the club’s policies – it’s very important to read the terms and conditions on their website before you book your seats here.
Who Is The Owner Of Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket?
Barra Cuda’s direct ownership is not in the public domain. However, several sources indicate that this beach club might be part of the Phuket Ventures Group, which is owned by Yohan Cardinal (who also owns Yona Beach and Hype Boat Club).
This would make sense as there are affiliations between Barra Cuda and these other ventures.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Barra Cuda Beach Club, Phuket
The pool dance floor is definitely a gimmick, but it’s kind of fun for an evening. We can’t see ourselves rushing back to do it all over again, mind you
Overall, we can see that Barra Cuda is a place to watch; it’s clearly trying to be something out of the ordinary, and while for now, it’s not quite hitting that high bar, one day, it might.
