Tropicola provides for long lazy days and fun, balmy nights. It’s a mansion and playground for the new jet set that deliberately evokes nostalgia from another era, bringing a Slim Aarons picture to life for friends to relax and party by the beach from 11 am to midnight every day.
It’s an 80’s leaning pool club with clean lines, bright colours, cascading plants and an amphitheatre-shaped towards the beach that showcases views of the ‘golden mile” of Seminyak beach (and beyond) from every vantage point. Memories of Miami, Acapulco, Palm Springs, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen are woven into a drink and dine beach club unique to Bali.
The team enlisted good friend James Brown, who designed both Mexicola, Africola and Bucket List in Bondi, to take reference from the team’s travels and create something uniquely their own. As creative director of the project, his vision was to create an oasis laden with Bougainvillea where you can shade from the Bali sun and watch it work its natural charms over the sea while the gentle smoke of shellfish on the wood-fired grill wafts over the turquoise pool and the staff, in crisp red and white, chase back and forth with trays of drinks – a paradise by the sea.
Tropicola Beach Club features three bars that sprawl over multiple levels surrounding two pools. Beverage director, Denny Deluca Del Paso has delivered an inspired drinks list showcasing the breadth of his travels and expertise. In 2012 he won the coveted World Fair Bartending Tour and has travelled the world performing in master classes and trade shows, balancing the art of entertainment and balanced, good looking drinks.
“The challenge to create a cocktail list for Tropicola was to have something in each drink that would make people curious. The drinks at Tropicola are fruity, refreshing and colourful. I’ve got to play with ingredients that are only available in Indonesia. All these spices, herbs and fruits provided a huge opportunity to get creative and come up with local twists on the modern classic”, says Denny Deluca Del Paso
The heroes of the list are the Tropicolada, which uses jackfruit instead of pineapple; the Arak N Roll with the finest Bali Arak infused with Kintamani coffee beans and mandarin peels instead of traditional vodka to create Tropicola’s take on an espresso martini; the Tulum Bliss, a super refreshing poolside classic with Tequila, grapefruit, pimento and lime; and The Jungle Bird, a delicious mix of dark rum, Campari, pineapple and lime. Denny’s menu also explores a myriad of other delights, including house-made Tropisodas, freshly squeezed juices and elixirs, coolades, freezies, shakes, cocktail jugs and ‘lageritas’.
“If you ever watched ‘Cocktail’, the movie with Tom Cruise… That’s how I feel. Mixing drinks at Tropicola on the beach in Bali…. A bartender couldn’t dream of anything better”, points out Denny Deluca Del Paso.
Tropicola’s open kitchen is centred on wood-fired cooking. British born Chef Steve Skelly, responsible for the award-winning food at Mexicola, Da Maria and Luigi’s Hot Pizza (ex Urchin Bali, Pier Sydney), is bringing the fruits of his travels to bear on a menu anchored by wood-fired grills and ovens. Steve has used his vast experience on the island and the inspiration of his travels to cover all the bases for the Bali traveller.
“The menu is full of fresh seafood, grilled meats and simply handled vegetables. Nothing too heavy or overdone, just great produce handled simply in an environment purpose-built for lounging and grazing day and night”, says Executive Chef Steve Skelly
The menu is fresh, clean, light and colourful, with dishes such as raw salmon salad; tuna tartare; a super green salad with cos, pistachio, zucchini, edamame and spicy leaves; a refreshing take on the classic Prawn Cocktail with young coconut, cucumber, avocado, chilli, lime and tajin; and baked squash with burrata, zucchini flowers and macadamia.
Vegetables come in the form of grilled king brown mushrooms with lemon and thyme; aubergine with lime yoghurt; and street corn with black pepper from the wood-fired grill.
For indulgent holidaymakers, poolside fun is delivered by way of the Tropicola “3 cut” Burger; an Al Pastor pork taco, spit roasted from a traditional el trompo spit roast with fresh pineapple, onion, coriander and jalapeno salsa; and a hot dog with raw and fried onion, mustard, ketchup and organic pickles on a freshly baked brioche bun from local Caangu bakery, Farin.
For the festive who want to celebrate life over a long lazy lunch or dinner, the Tropicola menu delivers the fruits of the team’s travels to Tulum, Miami and the many other places that know how to fish and grill over the wood fire. Guests can share fresh grilled prawns with chilli and herb dressing; a selection of wood-grilled whole market fish or lobster with parsley and lemon; or a dry-aged one-kilo Tomahawk steak with fermented chilli butter and watercress salad. Finish with a banana split with milk chocolate ice cream, toasted peanut praline, whipped cream and toffee sauce; a passionfruit pavlova; or simply a selection of alcoholic or non-alcoholic ‘paletas’ (icey-poles).
Finally, Tropicola is about creating a mood and a memory transported from other times and places to the shores of Bali. A big part of this is music, so we have flown an old friend Juan Ego from the Yutacan peninsula in Mexico. He is an Argentinian who has lived in Playa Del Carmen for almost 20 years, playing all of the biggest beach, villa and hotel parties since the 80’s. His Tropical sound system will transport every Tropicola sunset into a pandemonium of celebratory good times. When the sun drops into the ocean and Juan turns up the treble on Coconut Woman by Lloyd Price and staff in crisp red and white weave through the crowd with trays of complimentary drinks you will know you have found your Bali home. This will become a signature memory of your stay at Tropicola and a sunset ritual you might dream about for decades.
“I first met Juan at the Hotel Deseo and Hotel Basico in Playa Del Carmen playing private parties for the New York jet set in the early 90’s. We are close friends and I’ve seen him play NYC clubs, tour on the Big Day Out as the after-party DJ for all the big acts and play sunset after sunset in Tulum for many years. I’m so excited he accepted my invitation to move to Bali and make this island his new home. I can only describe his music as the sound of paradise. No house left of field tropicalia and 100 per cent fun!”, says Nicolaza Que Pasa, business partner of Tropicola.
Tropicola is a big, beautiful place from another time. Guests will feel the sunshine on their back, smell the coconut oil in the air and see the kaleidoscope of colour as they enjoy the sunset and reach for another Tropicolada. It’s a paradise by the sea for everyone – the perfect day, the perfect night.
Tropicola is what it felt like.
