Mention Bali, and just about everyone will think it is most suitable for couples, newly-weds, back packers, party-goers, and people looking to get away from it all. Not only is it a destination for the young, this idyllic and peaceful paradise is also a good vacation choice for groups and families as well.
We chose Bali for our family vacation mainly because my sister had never been, plus all the three times my husband and I were there, we traveled sans kids. With that in mind, we booked a bungalow big enough to accommodate 5 adults and 4 children. Having our personal pool was a must, since this vacation was just to relax and chill, to refresh the soul, with absolutely nothing else to do.
Traveling in two families, with all four children under the ages of 8, we decided on somewhere relatively quiet. However, we did not want to be too far from civilization. With that in mind, we picked Ubud, the cultural centre of Bali. Slightly elevated, Ubud was also cooler than most parts of Bali. We wanted this particular villa too because it came complete with the use of a car with a driver, plus we had our personal cook, housekeeper and butler. What more could we ask for!
The moment we stepped out of Ngurah Rai, the international airport, our driver Ketut was waiting. Famished, we asked him to take us somewhere to have lunch. He whisked us off to a small restaurant en route to our villa. This restaurant, among many others in Bali, was situated in the middle of a paddy field. Here we had the local mee and nasi goreng while enjoying the serene surroundings.
The drive to Ubud from the airport took about 45-minutes. We arrived at the villa shortly before 4pm. Our choice of accommodation did not disappoint. We were greeted by the friendly staff the moment we drove through its imposing gates. Surrounded by greens, a sprawling bungalow on one level, then a flight of stairs leads down to the pool and a landscaped garden on the level below.
By the time we go
t to the villa, the kids managed to grab some pool time, while I spent a good deal of time catching up with my sister. Vacations like these allow us to exchange news about what’s new and happening with our lives since we now live in different countries. While we were chatting, the manager of the villa, Luanne, dropped in to say hi. After getting all the paperwork out of the way, she introduced us to Ibu Made, the head cook, who was to prepare all our meals during our stay at the villa.
Since we arrived late, Ibu Made did not have provisions or groceries to cook dinner for us that night. Instead we arranged with our driver, who took us to dinner at Café Wayan, a popular eatery, where we tucked in to a scrumptious meal. My kids had western while most of us preferred to order local. The kids were famished after all the swimming, and cleaned off their plates fairly quickly.
Upon returning to the villa, the kids got busy playing hide-and-seek, and before long it was time for bed. There wasn’t much to do after dinner; apart from hanging out at the central dining area and chatting until it was time to for us to call it a night.
While in Singapore, I had arranged for Balinese photographer to take some family portraits. The last time I had this done was back in 2006, and it was time to do it again, seeing how quickly the kids have grown. The photographer Dedot arrived sometime after lunch the following day, and one of the first things he did was to start taking photos of the kids playing in the garden. After about an hour, we proceeded to Tanah Lot, a very popular tourist attraction in Bali. The idea was to capture the sunset, so we had to head off earlier, since it would take more than an hour to get there. The children were getting irritable as the temperature started to soar. The sun in Bali appeared to be more intense, you could actually feel it prickling the skin while outdoors.
Once we got to Tanah Lot, we wer
e blown away with its spectacular view. The children had other ideas and were getting cranky from the car journey and weather. Still, we managed to get just about all the photos we wanted, and still had time to have a cold drink while watching the sunset.
We had earlier arranged for Ibu Made to cook most meals and for us to just eat in at the villa. This was probably the best thing to do since we could take our time to eat, and after the children were done with dinner, they could just run about and play while the adults have their long drawn-out coffee. Our meals were delightful, with a gastronomic spread of Ibu Made’s special honey chicken, mee goreng, satay lilit, and a selection of other local Balinese delicacies. It appeared like we were just eating non-stop!
The rest of our days were just spent lounging at the villa. We did get some shopping done one of those days, spending a great deal of time at the Ubud Market. The streets of Ubud are lined with little shops on both sides, and in one, I bought the most. The shop owner sews beautiful sun dresses for little girls and colourful Hawaiian shirts for little boys. Always eager to lend a hand to the local cottage industry!
After a day of shopping, the mommies were pampered with aromatherapy and traditional massages. We didn’t even leave the villa for this; we had called in 3 masseurs and had our hour-long pampering by the gazebo at the poolside. True bliss.
The kids spent most days playing in the pool, confirming that having our personal pool was indeed worthwhile. In fact, that was all that mattered to them. Not the shopping, nor the going out, nor sightseeing and walking around town. All they did was just play, without a care in the world.
Before we realized, it was time to go. We spent almost a week at the villa, yet we left with a heavy heart. My kids didn’t want to leave! We have been well-fed, were all well-rested and were completely rejuvenated. We will of course return to Bali one day, and it wouldn’t be soon enough!
