Bali With Kids – A Simple Trip 2022

Since we’ve been able to travel to more places, my family decided to finally hold our long-postponed extended family reunion in Bali!

Due to a last-minute change of plans allowing me to travel, I quickly purchased seats on an SQ flight with my younger boy, taking advantage of a recent sale (and avoiding more expensive budget flights) that already included 25kg luggage each and in-flight meals.

Fun with kids: My boy and I created a list of things to pack, and he learnt how to curate the essential items from the ‘nice-to-have’. He also learnt how to navigate to the boarding gate and look out for key signs towards immigration.

Getting around Bali? Use Grab

Taking the earliest flight, we landed in Denpasar in the late morning. After clearing customs and collecting our luggage, the friendly airport staff showed us the way to the Grab lounge where we could sit and wait in comfort for our Grabcar to arrive.

@julesofsingapore SG to Bali in 20 secs, love the Grab lounge at Bali airport btw #singapore #indonesia #bali #sia #vacation #grab #villa #omelette ♬ Levels – Radio Edit – Avicii

Not enough cash? Use Revolut card

I had researched on all the fun things to do with kids in Bali and saved a series of places to check out, but all the little one wanted to do was to swim in the hotel pool and watch TV.

Fun with kids: Why drag them out to enjoy Bali when you can order services in? We treated ourselves to a room massage and Grabfood for our first meal. I used the Revolut card to top up my Indonesian GrabPay account (no fees during Foreign Exchange Market Hours*) and saved my cash for weekends.

*According to Revolut, a transaction will be considered as outside of exchange market hours if it is made between Friday 5pm (New York time) and Sunday 6pm (New York time).

We had dinner at the famous restaurant Made’s Warung. Being a large group, we ordered an assortment of dishes to share (skip the desserts).

The last time I was in Bali, I was in transit to Nusa Lembongan for a dive trip and I remembered the dive centre passed some anti-motion sickness (non-drowsy) pills to me. The brand (Antimo) can be found in minimarts at an affordable price.

Deciding when to visit a place? Use Google Maps’ Popular Times feature

The next day, we visited the new (and relatively quieter) Mari beach club to chill in their swimming pools and build sandcastles at the beach. There’s a minimum spend but no entry fee.

Fun with kids: Check out off-peak periods for beach clubs using Google Maps’ Popular Times feature. This allows you to identify quieter times when seats are more likely to be available, and staff more relaxed and attentive.

@julesofsingapore Beautiful beach club, no entry fee, friendly staff #fyp #indonesia #indotiktok #tiktok #beach #bali #beachclub #beachclubbali ♬ Play Hard (feat. Ne-Yo & Akon) [R3hab Remix] – David Guetta

Bali’s sidewalks may not be the most friendly place for walking, not to mention prams. Motorcyclists ride on narrow pavements to cut in front of cars that take up narrow lanes. With some caution, we walked to Monsieur Spoon Petinget which had a lovely view of the paddy fields in its backyard. The pastries were fluffy and tasty and we just kept on ordering more. (The pain au chocolat from Souma Seminyak was also pretty amazing.)

@julesofsingapore Pastries, coffee, paddy field view at Monsieur Spoon, Seminyak #fyp #tiktok #tiktokbali #coffee #chocolate #cafe ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic

Looking for kids’ activities? Check out major beach clubs for weekend activities

Parents can sign up their kids for various activities at several beach clubs on weekends. One afternoon, we headed to Potato Head for an art and craft activity by Sweet Potato Kids. During this session, my boy created a photo frame using recycled materials and dried flowers.

The weather in Bali was very hot, so we retreated to The Junction House, Seminyak for lunch and drinks. A double-storey restaurant, there are multiple themes for different instagrammable backdrops and moods.

@julesofsingapore A room for almost every mood #fyp #tiktok #indonesia #bali #balicafe #nasigoreng ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

We topped off the last evening of our trip with a sunset at The Sand Beach Bar. Drinks are ok (except coconut). Have your dinner somewhere else. The night music can be cacophonic with DJs from nearby bars competing with each other for your eardrums. Nevertheless, we loved the flat beach and slow descent of the sun as night fell.

@julesofsingapore Here we are, 2 years late #fyp #tiktok #bali #seminyak #beach #sunset ♬ Stay With Me – Calvin Harris, Justin Timberlake, Halsey & Pharrell Williams

No time for souvenir shopping? Buy from WHSmith at Bali airport

We spent so much time chilling, eating, and beaching that we only bought souvenirs at the airport. You can check out the WHSmith stores both outside and inside the transit area which stock a variety of handicrafts, foodstuffs and aromatherapy souvenirs (skip the Duty Free stores where prices are marked up). At our time of visit (September 2022), prices for souvenirs at WHSmith stores inside and outside transit were similar.

I wish we could have stayed longer in Bali, but as always, we needed to get back to work and school. Till the next post!