Bali Travel with Kids - 10 tips

BK… before kids.

We travelled a lot. We lived in various parts of the world. We penny-saved our way around Europe. We had adventures. We did an around the world trip in 6 weeks. We hiked. We home stayed.

And then kids came.

Having kids halts many, but it didn't stop us. Before our daughter turned one, she had been to Bali. Before our son turned one, we took them both to Phuket. And now, at three and five, they have returned to Bali. We've also had plenty of camper trailer holidays, interstate trips and holiday home getaways. Yes, the travel has tamed down, and surely nowhere near as adventurous as our travels before, but we are doing it.

Here are some tips to get you to Asia...

1. Don't call it a holiday. It's travel. With kids. These are two very different types of 'getting away', do not get confused.

2. Resorts. Pay for the luxury. The pools, the other adults, the restaurants and room service. It all comes in handy when you need to hang around for sleeps and early nights (before restaurant opening time in Asia).

3. Don't expect to tour much. Can you imagine going on an organised day tour with two little ones? Crying, toilet stops, noise, long day... Instead, hire a car and driver, and go at your own pace. You can see what you want, stop for nappy changes, not worry so much about screaming kids and go home when you have had enough.

4. Meet the locals. The locals love to get to know kids, and it is so much fun for everyone. Sit and play with local kids then laugh as restaurant staff fight over who looks after baby while you eat. You are spoken to more, and not just to sell.

5. Take nappy wipes and antibacterial spray. You will need it. Use everywhere, all the time.

6. Strollers are handy in the heat, even if they have outgrown them at home. Whiney kids are kept quiet when they don't have to walk. And soon enough, you will be used to sharing the road with the cars, tuk-tuks and motorbikes. I believe they know what they are doing, so trust in them, and just walk straight.

7. Take snacks and known food from home. Packet fruit, crackers etc are handy when you have fussy eaters.

8. Make sure your room has dark curtains for sleeping during the day - and doors that completely close to keep mosquitos and bugs out.

9. Get a nanny. We got Holiday Nanny Berta, and LOVE her. The kids took to her within minutes, whisking her away to show off our resort.

10. Take a trip without the kids.

It is worth it - no matter how hard.

Bonython Park, SA. A bit of fun...

These kinds of parks are awesome. Bike safety parks. Get into learning in a safe environment while having fun.  

Bali - but different.

[gallery] So, Bali is boganville. Right? Well, if you go to Kuta area, yes. But go just thirty minutes north to Canggu, and it's completely different. Sitting at Echo Beach, watching the sun set, we see one hawker, a handful of locals, a few handfuls of surfers, a bunch of expats and some more tourists. All calm, all chilled, all getting on with the relaxed life. No smutty stickers, no drunk obnoxious grots. I find myself saying many times that I can see why people fall in love with the place, and live here. Expats sit at beachside cafes, tapping away at their laptop while swigging a beer. Everyone(well, nearly) rides a motorbike down, except for me and hubby, on our bicycles. Everyone knows them though too, branded with The Chillhouse, an accommodation in the area. It's like one big, happy family. Even further north is The Menjangan. It's the quietest part of Bali I've set foot on. Well, that is, until , we, and particularly, my kids, get there. The squeals of excitement that echo through the forest as we bump along the dirt rocky tracks in a double decker open minivan surely scare the monkeys back a step or two. The deer grazing at the beach don't seem to mind the curious kids sneaking up on them either. And the calm bay, bordered with white sand beach, framed by mangroves, is perfect to burn energy. After coming back from a canoe exploration, we wander the boardwalks through the mangrove, chancing upon a Monitor Lizard. The huge lizard watches us as we scuttle past, then slowly moves on.

So, for somewhere different, but still easy and cheap - Bali can deliver. Think outside the square - or from the stretch of  hectic tourism that is Kuta, Legian and Seminyak - and head up. Canggu, Medewi, and Menjangan. Treat yourself. We met a few travellers from Australia, travelling up around the North West of Bali, and all of them were very impressed, and so glad they made the effort. Even the girl that wobbled around like a walking bandage after coming of her motorbike on the way up.

www.themenjangan.com

www.thechillhouse.com

A weekend away at Seawall Apartments Glenelg

After hanging out with the good folk at Seawall so much over the last year, updating their gallery of pics, I finally manage to stay. Purely my fault for taking so long.

A weekend of working ON the business, coffees and a wine or two. What an awesome place to hang and create. The beachfront room, with private balcony just adds to the awe factor. With The Glenelg precinct just minutes away (by foot) it would be easy to spend all day out, but I am so comfy watching the world go by, rugged up with glass of wine in hand on the balcony or comfy sofas inside. Oh, it's a hard life. Thanks to my cousin Shaya from The Family Law Project for laying the hard q's on me, and getting a different train of thought started.

Www.thefamilylawproject.com.au And of course, www.seawallapartments.com.au

A girly weekend out... with just the iPhone.

'I love it here. I just love it here.' I hear myself repeating my words, as the warm night breeze blows my hair. I could be on a beach, in a little ranty shack in Brazil. Or anywhere that oozes eclectic, eccentric, ramshackle. But no, I'm in Adelaide. Grenfell Street, Adelaide. Little Miss Mexico.

I'd heard about it for ages, and have never been. Mainly because I haven't been out in town for ages. Having two small children does that. And it wasn't til I asked a mate about where to go, and he says 'come here, no age bias, chilled tunes and great atmosphere' I get there. The description is not wrong. There's turtles in a tank. Fairy light tangled crates as lighting. Rickety makeshift bars. Old lounges. Uneven concrete. Galvanised island. Painted murals.

Having walked the breadth of Adelaide CBD from Benjamin on Franklin, I feel worlds apart. I've come from old world charm - muskiness stained in the sagging leather seating of the Library dining room, slick coffee cocktails and mirrored walls, to having margaritas in recycled jars and sangria by the bottle in an alley.

I feel like I'm on holiday. Gingers Cafe on Goodwood Road for lunch, surrounded by all the cool people. Checking into a two bedroom apartment at Mantra on Frome Road. Swirling wine in Benjamin on Franklin charm, and now chilling out with good vibes and relaxed crowd at Little Miss Mexico.

Do I have to go home tomorrow? Not before breakky at Colins and Co on King William Road.

Casting the net

Sometimes we have to take our chances to expand our catch. Take risks to grow. Sometimes we will miss. But we can always try again.

Social holiday or seclusion?

'Crowne Plaza Changi Airport'

One of my excuses as to why I like holidays in caravan parks is that they are social. One step out your bedroom door, whether it's the tent, camper trailer or caravan, and you have a crowd to people watch, say hello and get to know. I associate the caravan park with getting to know people, leaving valuable belongings secured by just a tent zipper, and watching kids zoom up and down the roads on their bikes and scooters, screaming and laughing. No privacy. No quiet times. But fun.

I do really like to travel in style too, and love to stay in resorts where I am pampered with fluffy bed and crisp linen, buffet breakfast and my own little haven behind my suite door. One thing I have noticed though, in many hotel and resort lobbies, there is no ambience. And no people. Sure, they are nice and beautiful to look at when you arrive, but how many of you have said 'hey, let's go hang out in the lobby' while on holidays. Particularly if you are staying in a hotel.

Luxury and boutique hotels have mastered it, drawing free-spending crowds to their lobbies. But now, large traditional hotels are spending billions in renovations to lure their guests down into the lobby. Upgraded wine lists, semi private nooks, communal tables, free Wi-Fi and comfy seats are just a few of the changes.

It will be a nice change, walking into a city hotel and finding people lingering. As opposed to the sound of elevator music playing and receptionist with their head down at the desk.

Souvenirs for family and friends - or not?

Aussies apparently complain about the crummy gifts people bring back for them from their holidays. A recent Skyscanner survey reported that 18 per cent re-gift the items and 12 per cent throw the gift away. 50 per cent of Aussies keep the gift to avoid hurting the giver's feelings.

So think about that next time you feel the pressure to give someone a gift. Save yourself the time of shopping for every aunt, uncle, cousin, parent and sibling, go enjoy your holiday. They probably won't want the gift anyway. Just because the Bintang singlets are popular in Phuket, it doesn't mean that they are wanted, or even liked, back home. And those colourful bead necklaces, they will probably be lost at the bottom of the drawer with cracked wood features. And really, does anyone wear destination t-shirts anymore? No matter how cool the place is.

I've given some gifts that were probably not quite right. T-shirts that shrink when they are washed, cheap jewellery, cultural homewares, tacky girls bikinis - the list could go on. I do it to myself. I get engrossed in the culture and fashion of the place I am in, and try to bring it home. Normally, a few months goes by, and the hot bargain is forgotten about. The dress I'd wear forever is crumpled at the bottom of the wardrobe, and soon enough, in the Vinnies bag.

One souvenir we have seemed to get right though, is the more expensive, one of a kind sort. My husband started this. And now we have memories of our travel scattered around our house. Paintings from Cuzco, wooden carvings from Sabah and Bali, textiles from Fiji... we just couldn't find anything in Phuket so have a bright pink tuk-tuk sitting on our fridge. It's been there for a year, I wonder how long it will last?

What is the worst souvenir you have bought home?

On a plus side to travelling with kids...

I have been compiling a top 100 list about travelling with children for an eBook recently. Let me share one with you...

Tip: bless 'em.

Going on holiday doesn't stop the tantrums, the dirty nappies, the naps, the getting up in the middle of the night, the need to go to playgrounds. It does stop late night jaunts, long lazy meals, relaxing with a book, and lazing in the bed every morning before ambling to a mid morning breakfast.

It closes a number of doors, but where one door closes, another opens. Literally.

IN MOST CULTURES, CHILDREN ARE THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION.

You are invited in to families homes, people stop and chat, the children encourage conversation, you are looked after, and above all... you learn and experience more. You get out to the where the locals hang, venture to new frontiers (heck, go out the back gate!), meet many people in one day, and see a different way of life to your own back home. Whether you are travelling in your own state, or across the other side of the world.

In Phuket we were welcomed into a villagers home for the night. A woman on moped asked only families to come in. We were fed, offered a place on their lounge floor, and taken care of while a tsunami warning played out down below. Going up, locals even carried (yes, carried) our strollers up the hill in sections for us. Helping to get us away from the impending tsunami even faster. Thankfully, it never came, but we were safe indeed with locals.

In Bali we played on the beach and grass with local kids. None - adults or children - could verbally communicate with each other but so much fun was had.

Here in South Australia, we are constantly chatting to locals, finding the best coffee, playgrounds and places to go.

Have kids, will travel. Use it to your advantage to get more adventure and fun into your holiday. Get curious, and have it sated.

Dull and boring... not Canberra's Diamant Hotel.

OMG! There is black and white swirled wallpaper - not on my walls - but on the ceiling. I have a green apple on my bed with the hotels business card. There is a stump of wood as the side table.

I like this place.

And I haven't even ventured into the cosy bar yet, filled with books, cushions, retro chairs and glimpses of the garden taps acting as light fittings in the nearby dining room.

I tried hard to stay here, and must have got the last room. Most sites were 'sold out'. I came cross fingered that my booking wasn't a mistake. It wasn't.

Rewarded, I am. It is just across the road from where I am working at ANU. Every room is unique. It has a good 'warehouse store' coffee shop, and the funky fitted out restaurant and bar. I don't want to work, I want to stay here.

This hotel beats the drab, run of the mill hotels that you can find anywhere. Grab some character, and head for the Diamant Hotel!

http://www.8hotels.com/canberra-hotel/diamant-hotel/