Fantastic 5 in Bali

Bali. It’s cheaper than Queensland and just a little more exotic. Here are five great places to take the kids when you’re there.

Waterbom Park
If you’ve got kids you’re going to Waterbom. End of story. Located in Kuta, it offers good value for a day’s worth of fun. Word of warning, unless you’re looking for a DIY vasectomy, avoid the Twin Racers ride at all cost. It should’ve been called the Nutcracker. If anyone gets bored there’s plenty of shops nearby and some really good restaurants located just outside. Massages are available within the park itself.

Potato Head
It’s a great location but probably better for a snack and a drink rather than a full day. Limited beer options and the pissheads at the poolside bar seem to have incredible bladder control for people who’ve been drinking for four hours without getting out of the water.

Echo Beach
One of my favourite places. Nice beach that seems to grow every time we go there. Grab yourself some lounges in front of one of the bars and relax with cheap food and drinks all day. The kids can learn to surf for a couple of hours for about $30 and I think boogie board hire was about $5 for three hours. Watch the sun set and then head over to the famous Beach House for a pretty cheap and cheerful dinner.

…the pissheads at the poolside bar seem to have incredible bladder control for people who’ve been drinking for four hours without getting out of the water.

Finn’s Beach Club
Bit of a spanner here unfortunately. The Finn’s that I spent an awesome day at has just moved nearer to Seminyak. Will check out the new one in good time, I believe the old one is now called Sunday Club, an incredible destination with a cliff-side travelator down to the beach for snorkeling, dining and relaxing. Check the tides as it’s not super kid-friendly when the tide is high and you’ve only got a smallish window to enjoy the snorkeling before the water’s too shallow. BYO Masks and snorkels just to make things easier.

Free Wi-Fi
Let’s face it, no trip to paradise would be complete without a Gb worth of photos of the kids with their heads stuck in their iPads. Ku De Ta, Ubud, Finn’s Beach we’ve got iPad family memories in all of them that we’ll cherish forever. Anywhere with free Wi-Fi is bound to keep them happy for a good hour, or about as long as it takes to sling three ice-cold Bintangs.