Bali Hai menu and how to book

Two ways to book the same show

The restaurant takes table bookings through a form and phone lines on its own website, and its management confirms each reservation. The package is sold through GetYourGuide: dinner and the show, plus hotel pickup and drop-off. Either way you sit in the same room and watch the same stage. What changes is who arranges your ride, who you ask when something changes, and how cancellation works. We do not list prices here because they change, so compare the live price on the booking page with what the restaurant quotes you.

What the package covers

The package is built around one four-hour evening. The booking page lists a host or greeter who speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese, and it is marked as wheelchair accessible. You choose a date in the booking calendar, and the pickup details and starting times appear when you check availability. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later, so a date can be held while your plans settle.

• Dinner and the show at Bali Hai
• Pickup and drop-off at your hotel, Monday to Saturday
• Wine refills, or refills of juice or other drinks
• Tips for the guide and driver are optional and not included

What the restaurant's menu pages say

The restaurant publishes its own menus. They describe a three-course dinner of starter, main course and dessert, with alternatives for each, chosen at the restaurant. A welcome drink is included, along with half a bottle of wine, juice or a soft drink. The pages call these reference menus, so dishes can change. The package page describes an international menu with refills of wine, juice or other drinks, so the two descriptions differ. Your confirmation is the final word, and the restaurant can answer anything specific.

Vegetarian, vegan and allergies

The restaurant's website lists a separate vegetarian and vegan menu with its own three courses, so plant-based diets are planned for. If you book the package, raise any dietary need when you book and ask the restaurant to confirm it before the night, rather than assuming it will be passed on. For a serious allergy, speak to the restaurant directly. The restaurant's site has a reservation form and phone lines for this, and a note on a booking is not a substitute for a conversation.

Booking direct, groups and special dates

The restaurant's reservation page asks for a date, the number of people (from one up to fifteen or more) and your contact details, and says every reservation is confirmed by the management. It says you can sit near or far from the stage and still enjoy the show, and it asks you to enquire about prices by menu type and for special dates. Its show page lists special events such as Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Fiestas Patrias, Christmas and New Year. Companies have a separate booking page. For a large party or a special date, booking direct is usually the better first step.

Drinks: what is covered and what is not

The package includes wine refills, with refills of juice or other drinks if you would rather not drink wine. Two things sit outside the refill: the items in the snacks option, of which there is one per person, and bottled water. If you book direct, the restaurant's menu pages describe a welcome drink plus half a bottle of wine, juice or a soft drink per person instead. Whichever way you book, ask what extra drinks cost at the table before you order them.

The show you are booking

The restaurant opened in 1982 and describes itself as a show restaurant. Its site says the folklore show travels Chile from the far north to the islands of the south, that a resident group performs Rapa Nui dances in traditional dress, and that a host introduces the programme. It also says the show runs for two hours or more and ends with a dance floor. The package page adds an orchestra, and says the host greets the countries guests come from. Five moai stand at the entrance.

Read next: What is cueca? Chile's national dance

Getting there and back

Bali Hai is at Avenida Cristóbal Colón 5146, in the Las Condes district of Santiago. On the package, hotel pickup and drop-off are included Monday to Saturday, and the booking page shows the pickup details when you check availability, so look at them before you pay. If you book direct, there is no transport in the reservation as the restaurant describes it, so you need a taxi, a ride-hailing app or your own car for both legs, and you should plan the return before the evening starts.

Children, dress and language

The restaurant's menu pages say children are welcome and count children as those aged 4 to 12. The evening is about four hours long, so think about how well younger children manage a late finish. Neither the booking page nor the restaurant's pages publish a dress code, and smart casual is a safe choice for a dinner theatre. Most of the programme is music and dance, and the package lists a host who speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Which option to choose

Both routes put you at the same show, so the choice is about logistics, not quality. Ask yourself two things: do you want someone else to handle the ride, and do you need to talk to the restaurant before the night? If the first is yes, the package is the simpler route. If the second is yes, call or write to the restaurant, because it knows its own room and menus best.

• Package: you are staying in a hotel, you want one English booking, and you would rather not arrange a late ride
• Direct: you have your own transport, a large group, or a request the restaurant needs to confirm itself
• Either: check cancellation terms first, because they differ

Who this isn't for

If you want an early dinner, this is the wrong booking: it is a long evening, and the package runs Monday to Saturday only. If you want to order à la carte at your own pace, the restaurant's own menus are three-course menus with a show, not a standalone dinner. And if you are looking for a single dance such as the cueca, there is a much longer evening around it, with dinner, Polynesian dances and an orchestra.