Bali with a Toddler: Planning, Kuta and Our Northern Detour

Kuta & the northUbud & islandsBeach days

An anniversary holiday, summer break and a two-year-old coming along: our Bali plan had to keep all three in mind. We wanted the beaches, of course, but also the temples, the inland views and a little time to simply enjoy where we were staying. Bali gave us plenty to look forward to. The thing I had not calculated properly was how much carrying a toddler would be involved in some of those lovely outings. Holiday planning mein that column was missing! This is our week, beginning with Kuta and the northern detour.

We travelled in June 2016. This is the seven-day route and our first two days around Kuta and northern Bali; Ubud, Lembongan and Seminyak follow in separate parts.

Bali with a toddler: the carrying part

Bali with a two-year-old meant quite a bit of carrying. Sing Sing waterfall made that very clear. The stairs were narrow and we were already tired; getting down to a pretty waterfall was not as simple as putting it on the itinerary.

GitGit was easier for us to reach. We still enjoyed the day, but I had definitely underestimated the effort at Sing Sing.

Next time I would ask about the steps and the walk back, not just how long it takes to drive there. Also, fewer demanding stops in one day.

Our seven-day Bali family itinerary. AI-illustrated overview of the full trip described in this series, not a photograph or a current transport timetable.

A note on this archive story

From the travel archive, first published 4 Mar 2017. This is our experience at the time, not a current price or booking guide. Check opening hours, access, fares and services before making your own plans.

Our seven days, before the day-by-day story

Bali was our anniversary trip in June 2016, with a two-year-old setting the real pace. The route mixed a busy north-Bali outing with Ubud, an island day and time around Seminyak and the south. It was a week of variety, not seven uninterrupted days on a beach.

Days 1-2: Kuta and the north

The story below starts with our planning and northern stops around Lovina, the waterfalls and Ulun Danu. The stairs at Sing Sing were a reminder that a short sightseeing stop can become a substantial family undertaking.

Days 3-4: Ubud and Lembongan

The middle chapter shifts inland towards Ubud and Kintamani before the Lembongan outing. Read it when deciding whether to add that change of scene rather than spending the whole week around the southern beaches.

Days 5-7: Seminyak, South Bali and home

The last part brings beaches, villa time and the slower moments that helped balance the drives. This is the part to read if you are wondering how much downtime a toddler-friendly itinerary really needs.

What I would keep in mind: My main takeaway: plan for the drives, meals and stairs as well as the attractions. A happy child and a manageable afternoon mattered more than completing every stop.

Our week in Bali

Chapters in this journey

1. Bali with a Toddler: Planning, Kuta and Our Northern Detour
2. Ubud and Lembongan: The Middle of Our Bali Family Trip
3. Seminyak and South Bali: Beaches, Villa Days and Toddler Pace

Is Bali manageable with a toddler?

It worked for our family, but we had to allow for heat, stairs and changes of plan. Our June 2016 trip lasted seven days; I would keep flexible afternoons rather than assume every sightseeing day will run to schedule.

Date of Travel: 17^th June 2016

The summer break was coming and so was my anniversary so was trying to find a place to go. After much deliberation zeroed in on Bali the most prominent island gateway in Asia. The place whose beauty lies in the proud fact that it has everything you can ask for. Hills, Volcano, still water beaches and off course the famous surfing joints with awesome high tides. It has emerged as one of the most favoured destinations for adrenaline junkies looking to ride some awesome waves at fraction of cost involved in spending at similar places all over the world.

So the place decided the work began for finalising the itinerary. As all the itinerary which the travel website like Makemytrip, Thomas cook were giving were leaving some place or other we were hoping for so I started looking for a customised package. As it was going to be our first ever trip with my 2 years old we wanted it to be a kid-friendly holiday.

Word of advice if you have just started the planning you should be aware that Bali is a place for which you need at least 2 weeks to cover all the point of interests. As we didn't have that luxury with a reluctant Boss giving us only 1 week off, so the travel plan we wanted to have the following points in our mind –

• No Long and strenuous travel
• Covering places that have something for Kid
• Food (My wife being vegetarian)
• Near to civilisation stays in case of any emergencies.

To narrow it down I created a list of all place of attraction usually suggested by Travel website. This normally involves the following itinerary Kuta-Dolphin Tour-Ubud market-Kinta Mani-Dipansar city tour coupled with Rice fields’ tour. For someone looking for more beach like holiday, Nusa Dua is one place that comes recommended as it is frequented by who's who of World. But when I started exploring the articles on Bali I found many of these to be overrated places. So then started the work of building a tailor-made holiday. My 7 day 6 nights itinerary came to following plan –

• Day 1: Kuta
• Day 2: Kuta
• Day 3: Ubud
• Day 4: Lembongan Island
• Day 5: Seminyak
• Day 6: Seminyak
• Day 7: Airport Departure

Day 1: Rama Beach Resort Kuta

Our trip started from Bangalore and after one connecting flight, we landed in Bali Dipansar Airport using Air Asia which was a pleasant experience for us primarily because of having Row 1 pre-booked seats. This was a good option because even with all pre-bookings of luggage and seat the overall cost of the flight was way lesser than any other carrier.

We also were up for a surprise when the Air Host turned Singer for all of us in flight. A wonderful omen for a great trip. The entire airport it seems has been designed local architecture in mind and has a temple-like feel to it. Once you will leave the airport you will be greeted by beautiful Indonesian girls and flowers much like Hawaiian tradition.

My Kid was specially pampered with lots of love by them and she exited happily. Our driver was already waiting for us at the airport and after saying Namaste (like India) he guided us to parking. Our first stop was going to be Rama Beach Hotel in Kuta which is situated next to the world famous Kuta beach. The beach is loaded with shops ready to rent you surfing items if you are up for it.

The rest of the day was spent roaming around the place getting pampered by Spas.

Day 2: Lovina Beach and Git Git Waterfall

This is the day we started early to catch the famous Dolphin Tour. Adding on to the variety of Bali there is a beach up north called Lovina Beach which is famous for dolphin sighting. It’s a long ride from Kuta as most of the roads of Bali are two lanes only. But it’s a beautiful ride. The good thing is normally for each family they will have a dedicated boat.

And so once settled the hunt for dolphin began with the sun rising in the background it was a wonderful feeling. We actually ended up seeing many of them moving along our boats. The place has some beautiful traditional building turned into the restaurant where in they will serve you authentic foods like ‘Nasi Goreng (fried rice)’.

Once done with the place the next destination was SingSing Waterfall. The place is not known to many as there is a bigger and more famous GitGit waterfall nearby. But if you are up for a bit of adventure and have the stamina to walk down a narrow staircase you are finally going to have a gorgeous waterfall all for yourself.

For us, the narrow stairs and carrying our toddler made Sing Sing harder than expected. Tired, we continued to GitGit, which felt better maintained and easier to reach on our visit. That was our experience with a two-year-old, not a rule that every family must avoid Sing Sing.

The way is thronged by small handicraft shops selling all kind of items ranging from wooden carvings to colourful clothes and what not. Be ready to bargain hard here though or else you could get almost all of these in the main town. I will recommend still to buy from here as it seemed these were maintained and run by an entire family for their livelihood.

Handicraft work of Bali is actually very beautiful and you should definitely ensure to take home some of them. After having a dip in the cold waters of GitGit we gorged on local restaurant food which was very tasty if you are ok with a basic setup. The Bali people are normally very welcoming and would go an extra mile to serve you.

Our restaurant hostess knowing that we were travelling with Kid got us cut fruits grown in her backyard. A small gesture but great feeling overall.

Our next destination was Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. Indonesians, in general, are very religious and in spite of accepting new world rules still have kept their old world tradition. The balance between the two could be experienced in every aspect of the Balinese life. This temple has an entry fee of 35000 IDR and only accepts cash. One word of caution regarding the Forex.

That is the only thing not great about this place, you will see lots of forex agents on roadside advertising an exchange rate much higher than banks. But don’t fall for them as what they save you in exchange rate they will fleece you in counting the money.

They have a simple modus operandi they will deliberately give you exchange in lower denomination notes which means even for a 100 USD you will have a bagful of the Indonesian currency. So stick to your hotel or ask the driver to take you to main market exchange shops, the one where they give you printed receipts and higher denomination notes.

Anyways coming back to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, or Pura Bratan is a major Shivaite and water temple on Bali, Indonesia. Built by the King of Mengwi in 1633 (who later built another water temple, Pura Taman Ayun) this picture-postcard temple is dedicated to the lake goddess, Dewi Danu, to ensure plentiful water and bountiful crops. Set in the Bedugul Highlands, 1,239 meters (feet) above sea level, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is one of Bali’s most photographed and iconic temples. Its thatched multi-roofed shrines (meru) are surrounded and reflected by the lake, and its misty mountain backdrop highlights its serene beauty.

The main temple is disconnected for normal public entry and only the priests enter to do worshipping. You can pose outside though for beautiful postcards to send home. The place is normally very crowded but because of open space, you will not notice them. The campus also has a small performing stage which luckily was hosting one of the traditional dance show that day. Indonesian girls dressed in full traditional attire were performing dances to please Gods. 

Once you are coming out of the ground at the extreme corner you can see a handful of bats at one corner. Asking them about the detail we came face to face with a dark side of the place. It seems here captivity of animals and birds are not illegal. Hence you can have bats in your captivity amongst other exquisite animals and pay to get yourself clicked with them.

By now we were all tired so we headed for our final destination for the day and that is Banjara hot water springs. It is a must go place to have a dip in naturally occurring hot water springs and is believed to have medicinal value by the locals.­ This was real bliss after the long day we had and we spent quite some time here before starting back towards Kuta.

The place has changing rooms and shower place so you can go ahead and take a dip without any concerns.

Next: Ubud and Lembongan: The Middle of Our Bali Family Trip

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