Here are my hot tips after taking the kids to Bali for the first time. It’s an extremely different kind of holiday to when we’ve been before.

We would have loved to come with family to have a second pair of hands to help. Also so we could relax and enjoy massages or a dinner out. Lots of you highly recommended getting a nanny with success. We just didn’t feel comfortable. We still had an amazing time, but as usual travelling with young kids, makes things a little different ha!

Where We Ate With Kids

Sea Circus
– Waffles big enough to share
– Giant coffeeGreen juice

Sister Fields
– Sticky pork belly salad
– Pulled pork burger
– Watermelon martini

Coffee Cartel
– Healthy foods
– Pink Smoothie bowl
– Good coffee

Revolver Espresso
– Good coffee
– Delicious toast for kids
– French toast

Motel Mexicola
– If going for dinner make sure you book as gets super rowdy at night
– Going before 7pm they only do starters but they are super delicious and $4 for each taco
– Pork belly & chicken tacos to die for

Water Bomb Park
– Book online
– Book a cabana early online, look at their map to see where you can sit & people watch
– Cabanas have a safe
– Hire towels there

The Board Walk
– After water bomb walk accross the road through Bali Gardens hotel to Board Walk for dinner on the beach
– Chicken Satay is delicious

Soul On The beach
– Based in Sanur spend the day here and watch the kids play on the beach

Accomodation With Kids

If looking to stay at a villa, make sure you you ask for the layout of the place to make sure the rooms are near each other. Where we stayed the rooms are on opposite sides of the pool so we all had to bunk up in one room. We wouldn’t have been able to hear the kids cry out. You can hire pool fencing but we left it too late to book and there was none available.

If we come next time we would like to stay at a more family friendly resort like Padma or Dynasty (literally hundreds of you suggested and raves about both of these resorts. We looked into them but they were booked out). We would prefer to be in a family room with a large communal pool for the kids to run a mock. So we can order pool or room service and people watch around the pool. We were definitely missing that buzzing resort holiday vibe at our private villa. But some people crave quite, so a villa is perfect for that. Villas are also generally traditional open Balinese style living. So we were super conscious of the mozzies and had to stay in our room at night instead of sitting in the main area where we were more likely to get bitten!

Look up Bali on a map and suss out where you’re looking to stay. Ideally you want to be walking distance the restaurants/ cafe strips.

Hire Everything

Instead of stressing about taking the essentials with you, you can now hire everything and arrive to it already set up in your Villa, hotel rooms! You can hire cots, bedding, strollers, high chairs, pool fencing, absolutely anything.

These are some of the places people suggested using:
Bali Baby Hire
Bali Bubs
Baby Service Bali

What To Wear

It’s super cool in the mornings and at night at this time of year. There’s a deliciously cool breeze that makes strolling the streets and sitting at cafes really pleasant and enjoyable.

During the day however you will certainly sweat balls if you go exploring, so wear comfortable and light clothes.

Pack long PJs for you and the kids. Helps keep mozzies away but with the air con you will need them.

Our Hot Tips

1. Plan your stay and make sure you know where you’re going if you have kids. Look up cafes and restaurants and plan any activities in advance. Just makes it less stressful if it’s hot and you have restless kids.

2. The stroller was a life saver. We walked it through Kuta, Seminyak and Nusa Dua and never had any issues. The footpaths were surprisingly in ok condition and we only had to lift it up over high curbs a hand full of times when crossing roads. It helped us stroll through streets with a baby and Alaska would walk. People would always move out of the way for us if the footpath was crowded. If you’re hesitant to take a stroller you can always hire one here. But I’d suggest taking one that compacts down well to take in and out of taxis. You won’t regret taking one if you have small kids.

3. Only catch the Blue Bird taxis. They are pretty much all blue but the light blue ones are the safest and have a meter. Don’t need to negotiate prices with these taxis. We always gave them more because it was only ever a few dollars each way.

4. Bring your own baby bedding. Light blanket, sleep suit, cot sheet. I did this for peace of mind but I’m glad I did anyway because there wasn’t any provided at both places we stayed at.

5. Get your washing done here before you fly back home. Saves you doing it when you get back to the hustle and bustle that is reality. They always do such an amazing job and it always comes back smelling incredible.

6. You can buy nappies, mozzie repelant, suncream all the essentials at the supermarkets here. Don’t stress if you forget anything.

7. Shops don’t open until 10am-10pm so if you’re planning to walk around after breakfast, then go later in the morning. We always got to breakfast for 7:30am so it was quiet and would stroll back to the hotel.

8. We used little mozzie repellers that we could attach to the kids clothes or turn on in the rooms. It’s a chemical free way to stop getting bitten and THEY WORK!!! We took bug spray but didn’t need to use it on our bodies, we came home with NOT ONE MOZZIE BITE. So yes I feel these 100% worked.

9. Go Jek is a delivery service like UberEats 

10. Massage at your villa – Spa2You comes to you like Ubereats but a massage!!!

11. Pack an emergency pack full of first aid essentials. Hydralite tablets, gastro stop tablets, buscopan tablets, kids and adults panadol, bandaids, nail clippers, after sunburn gel, thermometer, red cordial (keeps tummy bugs away google the magic).

On The Plane With Kids

Pack everything into packing cells. Pull each cell out before you sit down makes it easier and less stressful to find everything.

• Snacks
• Change of kids clothes with nappy
• Entertainment
• iPad / headphones

Entertainment On The Plane & In Bali

We used the Very Busy Bags and love them! The kids got a bag full of age appropriate entertainment each and it lasted them the whole time away. Each day we would pull one thing new out of the bags so the kids could play or use in the cafes to keep them occupied. These bags are bursting with amazing fun and I highly recommend them. They save you bringing any of your existing toys from home. (pssst for my avid followers, they will be available in my christmas gift guide with a discount code 1st Nov excitinggggg). At the end of the holiday, we donated most of the toys to one of the workers at our villa.

Coming Home

Make sure you come home to a clean house. Do all your washing, dishes, change the sheets on your bed, so when you come home from your holiday, you come home to a clean and tidy space. This will save you coming home to overwhelming amount of chores and stress!

My gorgeous online friend Ashlee Greene, mother of two, sent me this list from her recent three week stay in Bali. You will find this list extremely helpful if going with kids.

SEMINYAK Shopping kids 

• Indigo kids
• Little Jepe (adorable!!!!) 
• Rose Avenue (cute store, upstairs nursery) 
• Jelly fish kids
• Kidsagogo
• Atilla Co (down road from Coffee Cartel) 
• Zuttion

Eat 

• Revolver – amazing coffee, got coffee here every morning✔️
• Shelter✔️ A MUST (down a lane way off Legian Rd) 
• Coffee cartel✔️ 
• Sisterfields ✔️
• Boss man (burgers next door Sisterfields)✔️
• Sea Circus ✔️ 
  
• Motel Mexicola✔️ (space for kiddies to move)
• Botanica 4-7pm kids eat free
• @lacalongtime – Mex, kid eat free 5-7pm
• Basil kitchen (nearly all meals $5)✔️
• La Plancha Bali – colorful beanbags on beach (been previous years) 
  
• Da Maria – kids make own pizza ✔️
• The bistrot ✔️
• Neon palms Bali 
• Botanik cafe 
• @batik_resturant_bali – Vietnamese, thia & indo
• @manobeachhouse 
• La Lucciola – can take kids but they prefer no kids and ask kids don’t run around ✔️

Kids activities & Sweets

• @kudetabali✔️ (family day on Sundays 11-3pm) 
• @mrssippybali – not overcrowded fine to take kids 
• @shooters.bali – mini golf little theme park 2pm open✔️
• @candyliciousbali – Seminyak village also in Kuta✔️
• @madpopsbali – Canggu & Seminyak(weird)✔️
• @lellolellogelato – 21 Jalan Kayu Aya, Seminyak
• @pitayafrozenyoghurt_bali – Jl Kayu Jati 3A, Seminyak

For mum / dad 

• Blow Bar. (Nails, hair, cocktails MUM TREAT)✔️
• Wellbeing spa (great massages, their website doesn’t show all their options) ✔️
• Body works Spa (opp Motel Mexicola) ✔️

PETITENGETEat

• Sea vu play✔️ (space for kiddies to move)
• Shooters (open 2pm, early dinner and games for kids)✔️
• @kyndcommunity – vegan plant based ✔️
• @kyndcommunity creamery – next door✔️ 
• @balibo.la – veg 
• Ling lings – sushi & bao (robot our front, next door to Shooters) 
• @thefatturtlebali ✔️ (very small)
• @bikubali – (high tea, done previous years)
• Strawberry fields (opp Coco & Ginger)✔️
• Watercress✔️
• @creamerybali – Jl. Pantai Berawa 8 Denpasar

Kids activities 
Pink nails (cute little pink chairs kids sit in)✔️
@unicorncafebali_bybri✔️

CANGGUIf you were only wanting to go to Canggu for a brief moment I’d go to Tamora Gallery – at the front is cafe called Missibu (also another nice cafe out the back) You then go for a walk down the lane, there are some cute little boutique shops, ice cream place Creamery Bali, playground, swings etc. kids had a ball running around. On Sunday’s they do ‘Kids Sunday’ – face painting etc
Shopping kids 

• Coco & Ginger – canggu ✔️
• Billies Bali – canggu (so cheap) ✔️
• Tamora Gallery – canggu (cute shops, cafe missibu, ice creamery & playground)✔️
• Old Mans – has a market on Sunday’s ✔️

Kids activities 

• Splash Waterpark Canggu✔️
• Park life Canggu (this was great!!!!)✔️
• Finns Recreation Club – splash waterpark, bounce, bowling✔️
• The garden kids club Jalan Raya Semat No. 18A, Canggu https://thegardenbali.com

Eat – Cafes

• @cafeorganicbali✔️ YUMMY
• @cratecafe – Breakfast all day✔️ MUST
• @missibu_bali – All day brunch and healthy smoothies ✔️ MUST
• @theshadyshack – didn’t make it but apparently🙌🏼
• @18gramscanggu
• @betelnutcafe – On way to Echo Beach look out for rustic wooden shake pink walls)
• @givecafe – vegan plant based
• @balibowlsandsmoothies
• @cocomocanggu – 8-10pm 
• @redsaltbali – boutique cafe
• @copenhagencanggu – open til 5pm
• @la_casita_bali – kid friendly, playground, rice fields views 
• @thecommon – healthy wholesome 
• @theaciashopbali – Acia bowls & juices
• @sproutbali – huge kids menu – didn’t make it but wanted to 
• Funky pancakes bali – vegan based

Eat – Lunches / Dinners

• @milkandmadu – playground ✔️
• @berawaskitchen – (open space food court, 24/7, kids playground) ✔️
• @labrisabali✔️
• The lawn Canggu – kid friendly✔️(Get there early!)
• @sunofpanama – cafe with backyard pool
• @watercressbali – didn’t make it but meant to be really yummy 
• @avenueabali – 12pm -late, rock&roll vibes, American modern menu
• @fatmermaid.bali – live music, double store jungle wall 
• @onacanggu – NEW 
• @oneeyesjack.bali – modern Japanese/ kids menu and kids eat free. Cocktail specials 5-7pm
• @sistacanggu – rice field views, modern chinese, lawn & slide, mocktails
• @lafincabali – Spanish, kids eat free everyday 
• @bangkokhustlebali – 3-10pm Thai street food 
• @echobeachhouse – for the beach sunsets✔️
• @thecompasscanggu – 11am -12am live music, rooftop, chill vibe, California eats (possibly no kids? Date night?)
• @punkysbali – open tues 11-5 wed/Sunday 11-9pm

For mum 
@mariacurau_bali – funky mani & pedi (Need to book) 

UBUD(first time we have been to Ubud and we loved it. Just day trip. Got a driver and her drove us to the three spots and we also stopped and had lunch at this great little Place but I didn’t get the name of it) 

• Telalalang Rice Terrace (20min from Ubud, MUST!)✔️
• Ubud market✔️
• Tegenungan Waterfall✔️
• @riverclubbali (at the top tegenungan waterfalls on the other side, can walk up from bottom of waterfalls or get your driver to drive you around, on my list but didn’t make it there)
• @barbapopabali – came across this after Ubud trip! 
• @folkubud – Folk pool & gardens Jalan Monkey Forest, Ubud https://www.folkubud.com
• Zoo & Monkey Forest 

ULUWTU

• @ulucliffhouse – dedicated kids menu
• Sunday’s beach club✔️

OTHER BEACH CLUBS

• @tropicolabali – yellow umbrellas 
• @theflamingobali – could be too far?? 
• @azulbeachclub – Legian 
• Finns – Canggu 
• Alternative Beach – Canggu

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