Noise from club, café, bar, karaoke Jl Sekuta, Sanur

AuroraB

Active Member
Dec 17, 2021
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Short version:

Careful with short- or long-term villa rental in area near Bali BISA, Jl Sekuta, Sanur: A new club is playing very loud music all night until 5-6am. Search for “Black Mamba” in google map for Sanur to find exact location and look at the one-star reviews (none are written by me).

Long version:

We live in a villa close to Bali BISA, middle part of Jl Sekuta, Sanur. Soon after moving in end of last year we realized a live music and karaoke venue was operating from a villa in Gg Ratna between Jl Sekuta and Jl Bypass – less than 100 meters from our villa. The venue named “Katu Lebo” (or “Katulebo”) – was playing very loud music often until 1am – a real annoyance. I found a couple of posts from 2010 in this forum when searching google for “Katu Lebo”: Apparently this venue was a well-known source of noise complaints in this part of Sanur.

I obviously screwed up on my due diligence before the rental agreement was signed last year; trusting the villa agent assuring me that villa was located in a “quiet” residential area.

I visited the venue one night after losing my patience with the loud music. I walked up on the outdoor stage waving my arms high up in the air to stop the music. The owner came over and I (calmly) explained the issue we had with them playing loud music outside with speakers directed at our villa and asked for volume to be turned down. The local owner responded “I don’t care”. After a few more “pleasantries” coming my way I gave up and left.

The venue then took a three months break during the peak of rainy season. After it started operation again last spring, I reported the noise problem in person to “Dinas Lingkungan Hidup dan Kebersihan” (Bali Health and Environmental Agency) and “Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja Denpasar” (Satpol PP Denpasar).

These agencies responded fast and made field visits to see the owner, but the noise problem did not go away. Eventually “Katu Lebo” was permanently closed around last July. Sort of good news.

The bad news and reason for my post is that a new (night)club named “Black Mamba Eatery Cafe & Entertainment” open up for business 2-3 months ago in what appears to be the same location as “Katu Lebo”. Important feature of their business model is to play very loud techno / trance music all night until 5-6am. I can best describe this as incessant bass (120-150 beats per minute) all night. Not possible to sleep through this as the deep bass woofer vibrations will penetrate through villa walls and any type of ear plugs…

I submitted noise complaints (this time online via lapor.co.id) to different agencies adding in Kepala Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja Bali (Head of Satpol PP Bali). Satpol PP Bali reacted fast with field visit and calling in club owner for a couple of meetings at Satpol PP office.

Recently head of Satpol PP Bali arranged a meeting inviting Bali club owners, Polda Bali, Chief Satpol for Badung, Denpasar and Gianyar regencies in order to emphasize clubs to “maintain order and peace in their business environment in accordance with applicable regulations”. Suitably vague. They submitted photos to me via complaint portal (lapor.co.id) showing meetings in progress...

Again, all this good effort did not make the noise problem go away. They have even added in a very loud live music / karaoke session in the late afternoon and evening before commencing their nightly club session. We have therefore decided to move out and forfeit the remaining pre-paid rent as quite a few expats have done in the past in this area.

Lesson learned: This time we will visit short listed villas in the evening and after midnight to ensure we are not facing this type of noise problem again. We may also stick to monthly rental until we are sure location is suitable, or eventually limit pre-paid rent to six months.
 

Balifrog

Well-Known Member
Dec 30, 2017
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I can understand your misery.
We live in Jl Tanjung, not far away from Mertasari beach. Now, I have no problem with the (past) concerts there, the music was usually good, not too often, and stops around midnight.
Anyway, no concerts anymore since Covigedon.
But, I do hear faraway music coming obviously from the other side of the Bypass till early. It is weak as we are far away, but I always wondered how people living close by could bear this every night.

Best is indeed to move on.
 
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AuroraB

Active Member
Dec 17, 2021
285
207
43
I can understand your misery.
We live in Jl Tanjung, not far away from Mertasari beach. Now, I have no problem with the (past) concerts there, the music was usually good, not too often, and stops around midnight.
Anyway, no concerts anymore since Covigedon.
But, I do hear faraway music coming obviously from the other side of the Bypass till early. It is weak as we are far away, but I always wondered how people living close by could bear this every night.

Best is indeed to move on.
Thanks for the advice. Yes, I have informed agents that I'm not interested in villas near Mertasari beach due to the large scale outdoor concerts there. The concert business is shut-down for now. In my risk assessment I will consider that these may start again sometime next year...
 

AuroraB

Active Member
Dec 17, 2021
285
207
43
"Black Mamba" nightclub in Sanur Gg. Ratna was closed late last year due to numerous noise complaints from locals and foreigners alike in Jl Sekuta area. I had already left 9 months earlier due to unbearable noise until 5am.

The owner signed a mediation letter that "Black Mamba" was to move "elsewhere" and then he shut down "Black Mamba".

The owner re-open a few weeks later at the same location under the name "Katulebo" (which he apparently was running for years before "Black Mamba" appeared). Modus operandi is the same, unbearable loud music playing until 2-3pm almost everyday.

So how much is a signed agreement with Bali gangsters worth?

 

Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
1,109
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Karangasem, Bali
Those of us that live in the more "wild" areas of Bali can only smile wearily and shake our heads knowingly thinking back on all those of our southern brothers that laugh at us country bumpkins.

Enjoy the music.
 
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AuroraB

Active Member
Dec 17, 2021
285
207
43
Those of us that live in the more "wild" areas of Bali can only smile wearily and shake our heads knowingly thinking back on all those of our southern brothers that laugh at us country bumpkins.

Enjoy the music.
I'm good in my new South Denpasar location. The only "slight" annoyance is the motor knalpot brong which I suspect is a menace all over the Island...

 

Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
1,109
113
Karangasem, Bali