Where to sit for sunset at Potato Head

From the shutters to the water

The first reason to pause is outside the club. Architect Andra Matin used thousands of reclaimed timber shutters to make the curved façade. You can see the patchwork of colours from a distance. Come closer and the individual frames stand out. It’s only beyond that curve that the view opens to the Indian Ocean, a good reason to arrive with daylight to spare.

Three ways to spend the afternoon

For a short stop

The club sets aside some seating for walk-in guests. If you stop on the spur of the moment, ask what’s available. The shaded seating beside the beach is a good choice if you want the ocean in view and a break from the sun. Entry arrangements vary with the time of day and special events, so check the club’s page before setting out.

For lunch with friends

On the lawn, green cushions gather around low tables. Food everyone can reach works particularly well here. The Plant Powered board gives the table a choice of dips, flatbreads and vegetables prepared several ways. For something from the oven, the Spice Boy pizza comes with pork belly, basa genep seasoning and sambal mbe. It’s a familiar format with a distinctly Balinese set of toppings.

For a day by the pool

If the daybed is the reason for the visit, open the booking page first. Choose the date and look at the spots offered for that day. Check the zone, how many guests it fits and what’s included. When a group wants to split up for a swim or lunch, an agreed place to meet again is worth having.

At the bar

The Kookaburra combines lemongrass gin, mint and passion fruit under a turmeric foam. The alcohol-free Desa Electrolyte pairs coconut water and strawberries with salt from Kusamba. There’s another detail worth looking for on the drinks list. In the Reimagined Classics, the bar finds a second use for citrus pulp and peel. It echoes, on a much smaller scale, what you saw in the shutters at the entrance.

If you’re staying for dinner, look through the food menu over your first drink. For a longer meal, the Seafood Feast sharing board includes lobster, prawns, octopus and smoked mackerel. On a shorter stop, a couple of small plates and a pizza to split may suit the table better. You can make that decision together once everyone has settled in.

For a group, it helps to do the shared lunch first, while everyone has time to gather round one table. After that you can split up between the pool, bar and beach. Pick a particular meeting point for sunset. At a complex the size of Desa Potato Head, one agreed table is easier to find than “somewhere by the sea”.

Staying after sunset

The club suggests coming a few hours before sunset. If the view matters to you, that’s a better plan than aiming for a particular minute on the horizon. In the afternoon there’s time to eat, try more than one vantage point and decide where you’d like to be when the light on the water changes. The music carries on after dark.

If you’d like to finish with a sit-down dinner at Kaum, the Indonesian restaurant in the same complex, check its reservations separately. When arranging a driver, choose a return time that leaves room for dinner. You can then enjoy the last part of the evening without having to sort out a lift from the table.

For your trip

The club profile links to seating reservations. If you also need a car, AMANI has the details of a private driver and you can complete the transport booking on GetYourGuide.

• Potato Head Beach Club
• How beach club day passes work
• Private car with a driver in Bali

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