Latest news with #nightlife
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The best bars and nightlife in Bali
There was a time when Kuta Beach was the island's party central, but the tectonic plate of Balinese nightlife has been on a westward drift for several decades. These days, Bali's nocturnal happenings have their epicentre in Seminyak and neighbouring Canggu. The Bukit Peninsula (Bali's far south) has also seen rapid development, with new beach clubs and bars opening almost every week. Nightlife here tends to focus on the beach areas and vibrant Ubud town, but with more than 400 miles of coastline, there are enough spots to appeal to everyone, whether you're looking for a party zone or a chilled sunset cocktail venue. Here are some of the finest. All our recommendations below have been hand-selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best beaches in Bali. Find out more below, or for more Bali inspiration, see our guides to the island's best hotels, restaurants, things to do and beaches. Best beach-front venues Rock Bar Named more for the geological setup than the style of music, this incredibly exciting nightspot at Ayana Resort and Spa is the setting for a night out that you'll talk about long after your holiday has ended. The evening begins with the funicular ride (expect queues) down to the waveside grotto – and it just gets wilder and more exciting. The Round Deck, a private VIP island high above the crashing waves, is the centre point of this incredible 880-seat venue. FINNS Beach Club Much more than a mere nightlife venue, FINNS is a Bali institution. It's often described as the world's best beach club and some people come to the Island of the Gods specifically to visit. Dedicated party-goers sometimes arrive before lunch and keep going until closing time at midnight. This adults-only venue is vast and, while the music varies, the background beat is cleverly maintained across the three pools, 11 bars and two 'party restaurants'. La Plancha Styled on a Spanish chiringuito (beach bar), this spot is perhaps the best-value nightlife venue on the island. La Plancha, meaning grill in Spanish, serves great meals – from Cajun chicken skewers to snapper ceviche – and tapas-style snacks. Most visitors are drawn for sundowner cocktails and live music, but all enjoy the beanbags that sit beneath a kaleidoscope of parasols. This wide section of beach is great for people-watching, with beach volleyball, football and surfing coming to a climax around sunset. Return to index Best bars for a laid-back vibe Pinstripe Bar It's like stepping back in time to the roaring '20s when you walk into Bali's most glamorous and romantic speakeasy-style venue. This soulful, atmospheric and supremely cool bar often serves as a nightcap spot for those who have just enjoyed a seven-course degustation menu at neighbouring Apéritif restaurant – part of Viceroy Bali. Yet Pinstripes should be considered a destination in its own right. Order from a tantalising menu or ask head mixologist Panji to rustle up something bespoke. Single Fin Bali A super-cool retro beach hangout where you can gaze down on the surfers challenging Uluwatu's famous waves. Single Fin Sundays are a regular fixture for many islanders and expats who come for the laid-back vibe and comfort food; fish and chips, tacos and well-stacked burgers. The Guinness beef stew is a firm favourite and the Last Wave cocktail, a fruity mix of spiced rums and absinthe, serves as the finest possible accompaniment to an Uluwatu sunset. Return to index Best for music The Iron Fairies Bali Award-winning designer Ashley Sutton has created this magical nightspot by transforming a 500-capacity venue in the heart of Seminyak into a stylised Australian mine. It's tooled in hand-hewn timber, leather and – you guessed it – iron. A mind-bending combination of industrial steampunk and avant-garde chic, this incredible venue (open until 3am) is considered by many to be the place to be seen in Bali. The live music and sophisticated cocktail menu are added incentives to visit. Area: Seminyak Website: Price: £££ Getting in: Strictly no beach wear or vests Motel Mexicola If it's margaritas that rock your boat, then this place, offering six different recipes, is unmissable. If you're a fan of mezcal, even more so – there are almost a dozen varieties on the menu. Looking for great dance music from celebrated DJs? You'll find that too. This is almost certainly Bali's most colourful nightspot; full of typically flamboyant Mexican flair and excellent Mexican cuisine. Motel Mexicola celebrates everything from Mexican Independence Day to Day of the Dead and International Margarita Day. Savaya Uluwatu's trendiest nightspot is the venue for some of Bali's hottest DJs. The cliff top location, high over Uluwatu's crashing waves, is absolutely sublime – especially at sunset when the ocean seems to turn to fire. Savaya is often rated as Asia's premier spot for clubbing and is focused around a sinuous infinity pool. Since it opens at 1pm, it's also an ideal daytime pool hangout. Return to index Best for cocktails Sundara Just 20 minutes after leaving Bali's international airport, you can find yourself sitting in front of a 57m infinity pool overlooking Jimbaran's white sand, sipping a zero-waste tropical cocktail: try the Mangrove Revival, an irresistibly zesty, fruity and fresh gin and absinthe combo topped with a mangrove flower. Sundara is part of Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay and the Day At The Bay package includes a Sundara lunch. The Shady Pig Vintage bootleg Bali, with all the intrigue and mystery of the 1920s prohibition era, comes alive at this secret spot in Canggu. The password that gains you access changes daily. Find it by contacting them via WhatsApp or Instagram, although you'll still have to use some detective work to find the exact location – unless the queue outside gives you a clue. It's a tiny, cosy venue with a great vibe and even better cocktails. Try the barrel-aged Negroni or the Sexy Colada. Return to index How we choose Every bar in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of areas and styles, from popular city beaches to lesser-known corners, to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations. About our expert Mark Eveleigh I first fell in love with West Bali during a surf trip 25 years ago. Since then, I've returned at every opportunity and, whenever I'm not on assignment, I write from a bamboo and thatch house in the West Balinese village of Pekutatan.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Wakefield pavement cafes allowed outdoor seating until midnight
Businesses in Wakefield will be able to serve outdoor food and drink later at night in a move which would help the city "feel alive after dark".Wakefield Council has approved extended opening hours for pavement cafes across the district, allowing them to open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays instead of 22: new opening hours will be in place until June next year when they could be made permanent, the licensing meeting was Hemingway, the council's cabinet member for regeneration and economic growth, said it was a "welcome move" and something hospitality venues had been asking for. The committee voted unanimously in favour of the changes at a meeting on Wednesday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting move was supported by the council's city centre management group Wakefield Business Improvement District (BID) and Daniel Wilton, the council's cabinet member for were told a consultation, to involve the public, police and environmental health officers, would be carried out over the to figures in February this year, there were 51 active pavement cafe licences recorded in the district, including 37 in Wakefield, seven in Pontefract and two in Wales, chief executive of Wakefield BID, said: "This is a really positive step forward for Wakefield."Extending outdoor trading hours gives our hospitality businesses the flexibility they've been asking for and helps create a more sociable, welcoming city centre in the evenings."It's a small change with a big impact - supporting jobs, boosting business, and helping Wakefield feel alive after dark." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Family-operated strip club on sale for first time since 2008
A family-operated strip club in Oxfordshire is on sale for the first time in nearly two decades. Mirage on Broad Street in Banbury is one of the only late night venues in the town. It was put on the property market earlier this month for £75,000. The 'warehouse style' property, which is being marketed by Fleurets, has two floors and a glazed entrance onto Broad Street. The main trading area is on the first floor and it is designed to provide a two room operation. READ MORE: Mechanic dies after being found 'unresponsive' at home Mirage also owns a club in Aylesbury. According to property website Rightmove, it is fitted out to a 'good' standard and benefits from an enclosed smoking area to the back. The listing on Rightmove states the business has been family-operated since 2008 and is one of only two late night venues in Banbury. It has a 4.30am licence, as well as a Sexual Entertainment Venue licence, which is renewed annually. READ MORE: Nurse found dead in bath at Travelodge The venue is well proportioned as a two room operation and is only traded two days a week on a Friday and a Saturday, offering the operator the potential to extend trading days further. There are two other nightclubs in Banbury. Zinc on High Street, formerly Moo Moos, is open until 3am and 3.30am on Fridays and Saturdays respectively. Fever, an associated nightclub with free entry next door, is open until 3am on Thursdays and Fridays and 3.30am on Saturdays.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Byron Bay night-precinct plan sparks fears of alcohol-fuelled violence
Byron Bay residents are worried a plan to boost the tourism hotspot's nightlife will lead to an increase in alcohol-fuelled violence. The NSW government announced in April that Byron Bay would be the first town outside of Sydney to trial a special entertainment precinct (SEP), as part of a strategy to boost its night-time economy. The move would allow the local council to designate an area in the CBD where trading hours and sound conditions could be relaxed for hospitality venues, live music, and special events. Enmore Road in Sydney became the first permanent SEP in December 2023, and other trials have started around the Chinatown Night Markets in Burwood and Fairfield. But the plan has drawn strong criticism from some residents, with about 150 people attending a community meeting on Tuesday night to raise their concerns. Among them was emergency medicine specialist Blake Eddington, who said extended nightlife trading could put lives at risk. "Seeing teenagers and young people mindlessly assaulted, some of them with life-threatening conditions, that are completely preventable by drinking less alcohol and not having venues stay open until 3, 4, 5 o'clock in the morning." Other medical professionals who spoke at the meeting said local health services, paramedics and police were at capacity, and not equipped to handle an increase in cases. Some speakers at the meeting raised two recent incidents which had shaken the Byron Bay community, including a fight outside a busy cafe last week, and an assault in which a 25-year-old suffered serious head injuries after he was reportedly attacked in a car park by six young men. Data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) showed there were 251 non-domestic-violence-related assaults in the Byron Shire in the 12 months to March — a ratio 1.6 times the statewide rate per 100,000 residents. The BOCSAR website warns crime rates could appear distorted in areas with high visitor populations because the resident population is smaller than the total number of people in the area. It also notes many assaults are not reported to police and are therefore not captured in BOCSAR data. Byron Bay Chamber of Commerce president Matt Williamson said businesses were not necessarily looking to extend their late-night trading, but were keen to try initiatives that could boost the town's "vibrancy". In April, Byron Shire Council received a grant of $162,800 to kickstart community consultation and begin planning the trial. Mr Williamson said consultation so far had been lacking. Concerns about alcohol-related violence prompted a community-led campaign in 2013 called Last Drinks at 12. Byron resident Chris Hanley was part of that initiative, and told ABC North Coast Breakfast the same fears had surfaced again. "Nothing will stop new operators and different people going into the future who do want to … open their venues to the wee small hours and disturb our community," he said. "To have more culture and vibrancy in a town … is easy to do — get council out of the way. "Get council to make it easy for businesses to have outside dining and street festivals." In a statement, NSW Police — which had officers at the community meeting — said Tweed/Byron Police were working alongside government, council, and community stakeholders in ongoing discussions about the SEP. The Byron Shire Council is set to hold information sessions for residents and businesses in August.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Turkey's Islamist-leaning government risks putting off Western tourists
A recent crackdown on booze-fuelled nightlife in the popular Turkish resort of Marmaris, and sensationalist reports that it has subsequently turned into a 'ghost town', have led to speculation that the country's conservative, Islamist-leaning government is reducing Turkey's appeal to Western tourists. This is a worry not only for the tourists concerned, many of whom return to this beautiful country time and again (not least Britons, 4.43 million of whom came in 2024), but for everyone in Turkey employed by tourism. Any significant drop in visitor numbers would be a major headache for the government too, with the industry accounting for 12 per cent of the country's GDP. But before looking at the likelihood of Turkey turning into another Dubai, where drinking is strictly regulated for visitors and forbidden for Muslims, it's worth looking at what happened in Marmaris at the beginning of the summer. Far from a curfew or slew of new, stricter rules on the closing times of bars and clubs, the local authorities simply started enforcing regulations which had been in existence over a decade. This means most bars must close at midnight, with a half-hour grace period. And the many premises on one 'zoned' street, Barlar Sokak (Street of the Bars), are permitted to stay open until 4am. A primary motivation for the local municipality, led by mayor Acar Unlü, to clamp down on bars in the town is that many were flouting existing regulations. At least 28 establishments were temporarily closed for breaking the rules, though one premise that persisted in staying open beyond the statuary time has been permanently shut. To find a raft of bars closed, and an increased police presence, when you're looking for a late-night beer in Marmaris, must have been annoying. But it's hardly evidence of a government plot to introduce ever-stricter rules around alcohol. Especially when you consider that both the municipality and the province of which it is a part are both strongholds of the staunchly secularist opposition CHP (Republican People's Party). Another much-touted reason for the clampdown is public ire about the number of bars where shirtless male waiters danced on the tables. Turkey may be a polarised country, with a sometimes-unbridgeable chasm between the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) and the CHP, but Turks of nearly every stripe are united in their relative conservatism. Fire-safety concerns also played their part in the 'crackdown', as part of the tabletop revelry often included sparklers and other fireworks as part of the impromptu 'show'. Both activities are now banned. I talked to long-term residents involved in the tourism trade in the pretty resort of Kaş, Turkey's outdoor adventure capital, and the resort city of Antalya, both in Antalya province. They told me that, as in Marmaris, bars in Kaş close at midnight, clubs at 1am. In Antalya, many bars remain open until 2am, though live music is required to cease at 1am. There have been no recent clampdowns or curfews in either of these major tourist centres. So what happened in Marmaris appears to have been an isolated event caused by specific circumstances. But there is little doubt that the current government, in power since 2002, have made Turkey harder for drinkers. Laws introduced in 2013 forbade alcohol to be sold within 100 metres of a mosque or school, and off licences and markets could only sell alcohol between 6am and 10pm. Alcohol advertising on TV became unlawful in the same year, with authorities even enforcing the blurring of alcoholic beverages on TV and cinema screens. Massive increases in the price of alcoholic beverages have crept in during the current government's reign too – up to 70 per cent of the retail price of many alcoholic drinks is now tax. Once considerably cheaper than the UK, a pint of beer in a cheap bar in Marmaris, Kaş or Antalya will now cost you around £4, but it's way more in more upmarket establishments. Hotel prices can be extremely high: £10 for a 33cl beer and £12 for a glass of wine are now common. The number of Turkish tourists holidaying in long-time rival Greece rather than their own country made the news in 2024. This trend shows no sign of abating – Aegean Airlines opened a new, twice-weekly route between Istanbul and Santorini at the end of May. One motivating factor for this exodus to Turkey's Aegean neighbour is that Greece is cheaper than Turkey for many things – including alcoholic drinks. A glass of wine in a modest Greek taverna is around £2.60; it's hard to find one for less than £5.50 in Turkey. But despite government-led moves to restrict opening hours, 'zone' drinking establishments and increase the price of alcoholic drinks well beyond the rate of inflation, Turkey is highly unlikely to become another Dubai. Although the number of Turks who admit to drinking is only 17 per cent, the true figures are probably much higher, and the government cannot afford to completely alienate too many of its own citizens. And tourism is far too valuable to the economy to risk putting off foreign visitors by introducing Dubai-style rules. Yet it remains impossible to gauge how much tourism in Turkey will be affected long-term by the spiralling costs of alcoholic drinks, or concerns that Turkey is becoming a less liberal destination. A friend who runs a travel agency in Antalya told me that, after a decent spring, numbers had dropped in June, and that Antalya's walled old quarter of Kaleiçi was quiet. She attributed the fall to the unrest in the wider Middle East, however. Official figures also show signs of falling demand – in late June, Hürriyet Daily News published figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showing a 1.8 per cent year-on-year drop in foreign visitors for May 2025 over the preceding year, and a more modest 1 per cent overall drop in the first five months of 2025. Yet in the same five-month period, the number of Britons coming to Turkey actually rose by 1.3 per cent. In recent decades, Turkey has weathered coups and wars, terrorist atrocities, hyper-inflation and many other setbacks. Yet tourism has grown exponentially. In 2003, 16.5 million tourists came to Turkey, by 2011 that had risen to 30 million, and 57 million tourists visited in 2024, making Turkey the fourth most visited country globally. The Turks are far too resilient and resourceful to let slip the appeal of the country of which they are so proud to foreign visitors, especially when it is so vital to the economy.
