Families

You know the drill, it’s time to book your hotel stays in Bali but as a family the process can be daunting.

You want to save money but you don’t all want to be sharing a bed. You want to have a pool for the kids but you don’t want to pay $80-$100+ per night for the privilege.

Many blogs and travel guidebooks, including my beloved Lonely Planet, recommend places like the Hard Rock Hotel or the Westin Resort as “great family friendly hotels in Bali”. Hell yeah, they are great for the family, who wouldn’t want a resort with water slides, man-made beaches, and babysitting? But, unless you have just won the lottery you may be like ourselves: looking for Westin comfort at hard rock bottom prices.

Finding budget-friendly, and family-friendly accommodations doesn’t always go hand-in-hand.

Below are the exact locations and accommodations we booked during our 30 day stay in Bali.  Keep in mind, prices will fluctuate by 2-3x during the high season!

Budget Accommodations for Families in Bali


We found each of the places below to be wonderful, family and budget friendly options that will provide maximum comfort at median/minimal cost.

Jimbaran

Hotel Puri Bambu Bali

Poolside at The Hotel Puri Bambu in Bali

Where we stayed: The Hotel Puri Bambu (Bookings) Hotel Puri Bambu (Agoda) ****  Spectacular budget friendly hotel accommodation in Jimbaran that will make it hard to leave your hotel.

WIFI STRONGWiFi – very good

Jimbaran is not a “must see” location by any means on a Bali itinerary. It is made very nice by the well priced and well located Hotel Puri Bambu which really sells it in my mind as an airport stopping point. The breakfast is one of the best we have had and they have a convenient and free shuttle into Kuta.


 

Kuta Beach

Where we stayed: Satriya Cottages (bookings) Satriya Cottages (Agoda) – Nice, well priced, central location – pull some cushions from the poolside lounge chairs at night and save money on the extra bed for your kids.

WIFI STRONGWiFi – Very Good


 

Sanur

Where we stayedPrima Cottages (Bookings) Prima Cottages (Agoda) – Great budget family friendly hotel in the heart of Sanur with lots of decent eats nearby.

WIFI WeakWiFi – spotty


 

Balian Beach

Where we stayed: Pondok Pitaya (Bookings) on Pondok Pitaya (Agoda) Balian Beach. * One of the best places we have ever stayed!

WIFI WeakWiFi – Spotty and not accessible from the houses at the far end.

Balian has a combination of surf and exotic accommodations that will blow your mind. Pondok Pitaya is the glue the brings it all together!We came to stay for a few days and spent a week. The surf can be hit and miss but if you want surf, yoga, sun, swimming and a mansion for a week for less than it costs to fill up your car back home, Balian is for you!


 

Pemuteran

Where we stayedAmertha Bali Villas (Bookings)  Amertha Bali Villas (Agoda) When it comes to finding the perfect place in Bali for kids, snorkeling, beach and relaxation, it is hard to beat the Amertha Bali Villas.

WIFI STRONGWiFi – Very Good

The Amertha Bali Villas were heaven on earth. Although we were housed near the entrance in a group arrangement, we ended up pretty much having our own pool, with a pool slide, a shared outdoor kitchen a wonderful sitting area and lots of frogs for the kids. You walk one way and you get the beach, you walk 3 minutes the other way and you are on the main drag. This is a real advantage when you are toting around little ones. Breakfast was heavenly, we ate right on the beach and although our accommodations set us back at almost $100 per night, we stayed within budget, as the huge breakfast and plenitude of free daytime activities meant we had very little extra out of pocket expenses.


 

Ubud

Where we stayed: Gayatri Bungalows (Agoda)  – The Gayatri Bungalows are simple, clean and conveniently located hotel right in the center of Ubud. It’s a family run business with a traditional feel. If you can’t find an apartment to rent in Bali this is a great alternative and gets big points in my book for its prime Bali real estate and great pricing.

WIFI WeakWiFi – It’s spotty and can be slow at times but is free.

 

Don’t miss our family friendly Bali destination guide.

I am writing this post because safari’s in South Africa are a big reason most people go to South Africa and this was a huge source of confusion for us while planning our trip.

Adding two small children to the mix makes this seem even more difficult as many safari’s will not take children younger than 6, sometimes older, on safari tours.

I am going to simplify this for you.

Booking a safari in South Africa with kids is not nearly as confusing as it may seem.

Self Drive Addo Elephant Park

There are two types of safari’s in South Africa:

  1. Those offered by private game reserves
  2. Game reserves that are owned and operated by the National Park System.

They are both on large areas of land that are usually surrounded by an electric fence.

The private game reserves are of varying sizes and the Nationally owned parks like Kruger or Hluhluwe-iMolozi are huge land masses.

Most National South African game reserves offer you the option of paying an admission (entrance) fee and then simply self driving the game reserve in your private vehicle.

Contrary to popular belief you do not have to have a big car to self-drive a safari, we did it in a Chevy Spark.

If you want there are various companies that you can pay to take you on a “safari drive” through the National Park. This is advantageous as the guides are experts at spotting game and  are very knowledgeable.

The important thing to note is that not all private companies offering tours on the National game reserves will take small children, but this does not mean that small children cannot enter the park, as I mentioned above you can self drive the park just fine.

You will still see a lot of animals on a self drive adventure through the park, and you can save a lot of money by doing this on your own.

A budget safari, therefore, would involve a paid entrance fee into one of the public National Game Reserves and a self drive tour in your own vehicle. 

The four big parks on a drive up the coast of S. Africa (in this order) are Addo Elephant National Park , Hluhluwe-iMolozi National Park the much less publicized St. Lucia wetland park  and the very famous Kruger

Kruger park is not a Malaria free park and thus more difficult with small children who cannot take malaria prophylaxis.

You do not need to pay a lot of money for accommodations in the park!

Avoca River CabinsThis was a huge source of confusion for us.

Often, when you visit the park websites, read information on a particular safari, or read Lonely Planet for that matter, they all make it sound like the only way to visit a park is to stay at the park. But this is not the case.

I will say it again for emphasis: You do not have to stay on the park to do a Safari at the park! All of these parks have lovely accommodations very nearby that are cheap, easy to book on the off-season, close to the park and have tons of amenities. This is my favorite.

You can read about more where we stayed on my posts covering Hluhluwe-iMolozi Park, the Addo Elephant Park and the St. Lucia iSimangaliso Wetland Parka. These were all wonderful safari’s that were cheap and had well priced accommodations outside of the game reserves.

Private Game Reserves that Take Small Children

There are so many private game reserves and most are quite expensive.

That being said, we did find one private game reserve (Schotia Safari’s) that is very close to The Addo Elephant park that takes small children, has a wonderful family friendly atmosphere and promises you will see the big cats. They have a great half day Safari that we would have done had we not been rained out.

Summary and Recommendations for Budget Safari’s with Kids

Here are some summary points if you are trying to plan your family safari trip to South Africa. 

  • You don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy an African safari with your family, although a lot of the advertising and literature will make it seem that way.
  • There are two type of game reserves, private and National game reserves, if you want to save money go for the public National game reserves.
  • If you are driving up the coast go to Addo Elephant Park for sure, you can self drive this, just go to the entrance and drive in through the gate. If you are continuing up the coast I would recommend staying in St. Lucia to see the hippos and then self drive or book a tour from St. Lucia with Heritage Tours to the Hluhluwe-iMolozi Park.  While you are there in St. Lucia book a day to self drive iSimangaliso Wetland Park and drive down to the beach.
  • You do not need to stay at a hotel on any of the National game parks. Book outside the park to save money.
  • Avoid the private game reserves as they are very expensive (unless you are independently wealthy then have at it). If you do chose a private game reserve I would choose the very family and kid friendly Schotia Safari’s.

You can do all of this for very little money, it will give your kids (and you) a wonderful safari experience and if you make it out of bed early enough you might even see some lions.

I have no affiliation with any of these game parks, but I do believe this is a good summary of recommendations for most families with small children. If you have any recommendations please leave a comment down below.

Happy travels!

– Stephen

Our favorite kid and family friendly Budget Accommodations in South Africa

Our South Africa itinerary consisted of 11 stops:

Cape Town → Hermanus  → Oudtshoorn →  Wilderness  → Plettenberg Bay  → Jeffrey’s Bay  → Addo Elephant Park → Chinsta → Coffee bay  → St. LuciaDurban

Hermanus

We stayed at the Hermanus Esplanade which was a good deal. At $55 US per night, we were given an entire fisherman’s cottage for our family.

Kind of dangerous but cool!We had a nice refrigerator, stove, family room and two bathrooms.

What we didn’t have was wi-fi or a swimming pool. Not biggies but the backpackers hostel may be worth the look and it seems to me it may be just a bit better for families.

Our kids had a special hideout upstairs as well which allowed them to sleep in and us parents to have a private room downstairs. The only downside is we are here in August and there is no heat whatsoever, it was quite cold in the evenings.  We improvised by firing up the hot plate and using it as a radiant heater, which I must say didn’t work that badly – just don’t tell the owners.

Oudtshoorn

The main house at Karoo SoulKaroo Soul – We stayed in the family “cottage” for US $60 per night. Nice and close to town, with a full kitchen and private bathroom.

This was a bit more than we wanted to spend for 3 nights but definitely comfortable and the staff was super friendly. On the plus side, we received discounts to activities probably worth about $20 on the first day alone.

Wilderness

??????????????Wilderness Beach House Backpackers – This place is so fun and friendly, the views are spectacular, it’s close to the beach and the owner of this lodge will make you feel right at home. It is cold in the winter and they don’t have heat, so be warned. You may want to ask for extra blankets.

Plettenberg Bay

welcome2-676x450Swallow’s Nest: We ended up at a B&B operated by a Dutch couple and their son. We talked them down to 700 Rand a night for a really nice 2 bedroom cottage overlooking the entire bay. They had a good internet connection a small pool (that was too cold for the kids unfortunately) and the best part… The most amazing breakfast I have ever had.

Honestly I would probably recommend the beachside backpackers just because their location is a bit better and it is probably a bit more budget-friendly for families but this breakfast was so good I may actually consider going back someday for that alone.

Jeffrey’s Bay

Friendly FunStay at Cristal Cove

For around $65 a night we had our own family apartment complete with two bedrooms, two baths, balcony with a view to the ocean, full kitchen, living room, TV, consistent WiFi, beer bottle candles, a friendly cat, a lively bar downstairs, a pool table, tennis courts a block away, a playground a block away, great people to talk to and to round it off, Supertubes right outside our bedroom window

Addo Elephant Park

Avoca River CabinsThe Avoca river cabins are about 15 minutes away from the Elephant Park. Hands down this is the very best place we have stayed in all of south Africa (and that is saying a lot!).

  • Free kayaks for use on the river
  • Amazing river front cabins with a heater during the winter months!
  • A beautiful pool with a slide
  • A full kitchen
  • Two playgrounds each equipped with a ground level trampoline, zipline, tire swing and a jungle gym.
  • Less than $65 US per night!

Let me say it one more time as well to make sure you get this down. There is a free and amazing kid size zipline! So cool.

Breakfast was 5 dollars for adults and free for children, and because the property is on an orange orchard you can help yourself to all the oranges you would like. Because of this we ate oranges and drank freshly squeezed orange juice for 3 days straight!

After 1 week in Bali our family was craving an ideal location for surf and fun with the kids.  We happened upon Balian Beach after changing plans to avoid the overpriced Gilis.

Here is What we Wanted

  • Great beginner/intermediate surfing right outside our door (check)
  • Surfboards to hire/rent (check)
  • A nice pool for the kids (check)
  • very close to the beach (check)
  • A spacious room (big check)

We found it all (and more) at Pondok Pitaya on Balian beach.

Although the surf was a bit bigger than I would have liked while were there, everything about Balian beach and Pondok Pitaya was perfect.

They had babysitting, yoga, message, wonderful surfing, surfing lessons, board rentals, good food, a great atmosphere and lots of vacationing families.

We stayed there for 5 days and 6 nights

The afternoon wind could be strong, but the morning and early evenings were perfect. The surf favors a 5-6 food swell with a mid to high tide. It can go from perfect to quite big overnight and is a bit fickle. There are strong rips and a rocky bottom so it is not great for surfing with small children.

The cost of a driver to Balian Beach from the East Coast of Sanur was 400,000 Indonesian Rupiah… About $35 US.

Surfboard rentals are right next to the hotel and should be no more than 50,000.  There were boards of all sizes in mediocre condition for rent.

You can get lessons from a great instructor for about $35 US.

The message and yoga options are large and varied, on-site they are more expensive than you will find in the bigger cities.

The accommodations are unique and very, I call them super bungalows.

You are right on the beach and you can see the surf from your bed.

Tide shifts are huge and there is a very strong rip so again be forewarned.

Prices on Bookings.com tend to be the best. Pondok Pitaya on Bookings.

You may also want to double check on Agoda to find the best price. Pondok Pitaya on Agoda

Strong, Healthy Families

From the early 1900’s, family studies focused mostly on the weaknesses within families.

Beginning in the 1960s, however, a few outlier scholars started trying to identify the traits healthy families have in common. Herbert Otto, of the University of Utah, made one of the first lists. It included: shared religious and moral values; consideration; common interests; love and happiness of children; working and playing together.

By 1989, there were enough of these lists that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invited a dozen researchers to a conference in Washington, DC, and asked them to find common ground on this issue. As the organizers stated on the eve of the conference,

“Researchers, policy makers, and the media have focused considerable attention on how some families are failing. Much less attention has been paid to strong, healthy families, and the characteristics that make them successful.”

Each scientist in attendance had already published a list of the qualities successful families share. For the first time, though, organizers closely reviewed two dozen of these lists to see if they could establish consensus. According to them, it was remarkably easy. The master list contained nine items.

The Nine Qualities of Successful Families

Download | PDF

1. Communication

Family members talk to one another often, in a manner that’s honest, clear, and open, even when they disagree.

2. Encouragement of individuals

Strong families appreciate each member’s uniqueness while cultivating a sense of belonging to the whole.

3. Commitment to the family

Members of successful families make it clear to one another,and to the world, that their allegiance to their family is strong.

4. Religious/ spiritual well-being

Researchers concluded that a shared value system and moral code were common among highly functioning families. But they said these values were not contingent on membership in any denomination or frequent attendance at worship services.

5. Social connectedness

Successful families are not isolated; they are connected to the wider society, and they reach out to friends and neighbors in crisis.

6. Adaptability

Strong families are structured yet flexible, and they adjust their structure in response to stress.

7. Appreciativeness

People in strong families care deeply for one another, and they express their feelings often. Even if some members are not naturally expressive, they communicate their emotions by doing meaningful things for others.

8. Clear roles

Members of successful families are aware of their responsibilities to the group.

9. Time together

Members of strong families spend time together doing things they enjoy.

The conference results were pubslished in a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called: Identifying Successful Families: An Overview of Constructs and Selected Measure

While nothing specific came out of the project, it did coincide with (and perhaps help legitimize) a much more popular effort in this space, written by Stephen Covey:

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families