Playgrounds, kids' clubs, cooking lessons, spas and art classes are among the many appealing attributes of Bali’s family-friendly resorts.
The enjoyment of a holiday with children relies heavily on keeping them entertained and worn out by day’s end, as my wife and I have learnt across many trips with our energetic young son.
We went to Indonesia’s most popular island to road-test three resorts that cater to kids and parents alike.
Anantara Ubud Bali Resort
Family-friendly highlight: Guests can join staff in performing ancient Balinese rituals both on site and at nearby temples
Something to consider: This resort is quite isolated from Bali’s mainstream shopping, dining and nightlife areas
“I think I saw a monkey!” my six-year-old son yelled in delight, pointing into nearby, dense jungle. All I could see were trees swaying in the breeze. But never mind, because each day my wife, son and I enjoyed spotting flora and fauna while paddling in the private pool of our two-bedroom, 168-square-metre, forest-view pool villa at Anantara Ubud Bali Resort.
I was the same age as him when I first visited Bali with my parents in 1988. Ubud, then a tranquil town, is now a busy tourist hub. But, fortunately, Anantara’s location 30 minutes’ drive north is removed from those crowds, yet also close enough to let us easily enjoy Ubud’s markets and temples via the resort’s free minivan shuttle service.
Opened in late 2024, the Anantara resort has 85 rooms, suites and villas, each rich in dark timber, with views of rainforest or rice fields. Rates for our villa start at Dh5,400 per night, including buffet breakfast at Anantara’s Kirana restaurant, one of five dining venues. We ate three meals a day here, with the highlights being grilled lobster, beef rendang, and wood-fired pizzas designed by Italian executive chef Gianni Stargiotti.
On one occasion, my wife and I considered erasing these calories at Anantara’s well-equipped gym. But we quickly chose decadence in the form of a blissful hour-long couple's massage at Anantara spa. This was possible due to the diligent babysitting of staff at Anantara’s kids' club, where our son was busy playing games and doing arts and crafts.
The three of us were also able to absorb Balinese culture without leaving the grounds thanks to the resort’s nightly Sandikala ritual, a charming twilight prayer at its on-site Hindu shrine. An Anantara staff member also helped me perform an ancient Melukat water purification ceremony at 1,000-year-old Mengening Temple.
Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort
Family-friendly highlight: Direct access to a stretch of Nusa Dua Beach
Something to consider: As a family-oriented resort, it can be quite crowded and noisy
The list of children’s activities at Sofitel Nusa Dua Beach Resort was exhaustive – gardening, cheerleading, jewellery making, hat painting, hair braiding, kite decoration, puppet crafting, yoga, face painting, costume play, cooking classes and nail art. Such that, every day, I had to coax my son to leave what he described as the “best kids' club ever”.
During his allotted two hours per day of supervised time at the club, my wife and I savoured solo time. On one occasion, we relished a deep tissue massage, performed in open-air cabanas near the ocean, rather than inside the chic Sofitel Spa. Another time we wandered Sofitel’s sprawling gardens, dipped in its gigantic main pool, and then enjoyed free snacks and drinks at its sleek Club Millesime.
Our time together as a couple peaked with a sunset picnic dinner on scenic Nusa Dua Beach. We sat on pillows in the soft sand, before a low-slung table, and gorged on a charcuterie board, followed by beef sliders, a sharing barbecue platter of beef rib-eye, tiger prawns, chicken wings and barramundi, followed by a selection of desserts. This complemented our satisfying daily buffet breakfast at Kwee Zeen restaurant, and an outstanding dinner of pizza, seafood and steak at Cucina, helmed by chef Patrizia Battolu.
The 48-square-metre Luxury room with pool access (from Dh1,450 per night) we stayed in is tailor-made for families, due to being able to open a sliding door and walk down steps straight into a long pool, that curved more than 100 metres along our wing of the resort. The property has 413 rooms, including 22 suites and 17 villas.
Umana Bali, LXR Hotels and Resorts
Family-friendly highlight: The large villas give children ample space to play
Something to consider: The property's famed beach club isn’t connected to the resort, and requires a short drive to reach
Crashing waves provided the soundtrack, and jungled cliffs the backdrop, as my wife, son and I absorbed the spectacular Uma Beach House. We were eating a late lunch at this fashionable beach club, which fronts the photogenic Melasti Beach, and is part of the nearby five-star Umana Bali, LXR Hotels and Resorts. As we ate deep-fried calamari, Wagyu tacos, and Angus steak, a family was joyfully swimming in the infinity pool positioned between our table and the Indian Ocean.
Umana’s opulent resort, meanwhile, is perched high atop the cliffs. Families will appreciate the vast space of each of its 72 villas. Even its entry-level one-bedroom villas (from Dh2,900 a night) are a mammoth 403 square metres in size, while its two-bedroom villas (from Dh5,100) cover 562 square metres.
Children will adore that each villa has its own infinity pool, while parents will appreciate the private outdoor hot tub, and striking views of the ocean, cliffs and Umana’s manicured gardens.
Meanwhile, every ounce of tension was kneaded out during a couple's massage at the resort’s high-end Lohma Spa. At the same time, our boy was making friends with two children in Umana’s huge children's club, stocked with toys and handicraft supplies, equipped with a tall slide, and supervised by a friendly staff member.
