For families Villas are definitely better IMO and TBH I prefer them for just couples too.
A decent Villa should have ample bedrooms and plenty of activity areas and of course a private pool. We have had Villas with large lounge areas with PlayStations, Pool table, etc and of course a good villa will have private cleaners and cooks.
Some hotels and resorts may have water slides and more activities but they are generally for house guests. Most hotels and resorts will have a kids club with daily activities and other entertainment such as live bands, outdoor cinemas etc. I wouldnāt be too concerned that the Villas arenāt beachfront as itās often only a short walk and the beachfront can be noisy at night depending where to stay. I do think Villas are better value and with so much to do in Bali you probably wonāt be lounging around at your Villa all day every day
Thanks Ace, really appreciate the advice. Villa seems to be the way to go I think.
Make sure you book in Water Bomb Park, the kids will love it. I agree with Ace regarding accommodation, I preferred my family stay in Bali at a villa and would go that way in future. However one thing that was cool at the resorts were the buffet breakfasts (kids love them). Have fun.
Iāve been to Bali 7 times with my family from when they 5 and under when we were sneaking out to bars to when they were over 18 and they started sneaking out.
Where are you thinking of staying? What area?
My kids absolutely prefer resorts. The villas are big and beautiful and for adults its the way to go but kids do find it a bit boring. A few resorts have 2 bedroom family rooms but most places youāll need to look at interconnected rooms. You can get 1 room with a king bed and another with 3 singles. I would recommend the Dynasty, Hard Rock, or Padma depending on your budget. I donāt believe these places have day passes but if you do go villa, Waterbom park is an awesome waterpark for slides and the kids will love it. Also make sure you take them to Transworld studio. Its a surprisingly good indoor theme park.
Another option is try both (depending on how long you are there) is spend a few nights in a villa and then try a different location in a resort.
If you are interested I can forward you a contact for my friend who is our driver and tour guide. Bali is a sensory overload when you 1st arrive and having a local contact to help you get settled is a definite recommendation for 1st timers. Let me know if you need any advice on anything. Weāve been there 20+ times.
Thank you! Yep already have sussed out Waterbom (looks amazing) and will definitely book that in for a day. Any other tips on a great day activity to do with kids? Was thinking a day trip out of the city to check out some local nature/ wildlife, but havenāt researched too much as yet.
Haha classic circle of life there!
I ended up booking a really nice Villa in Legian, seemed like a nice central area and close to everything.
Iāve been to Bali three times with the kids and every time I feel guilty we donāt get out enough and see the country side. But to be honest Iād rather just stay at the Villa and use the pool with the kids, the drives to see wildlife parks and volcanoes you need to get through a lot of traffic and itās so hot itās actually quite draining. Thatās just my experience anyway. My advice, just relax and donāt try and do to much.
Thanks so much mate, really appreciate that offer. Sure, shoot me a PM with their details and would love to get in contact.
I ended up booking a really nice 3 bedroom Villa in Legian which seemed central to everything. Weāre only there for 6 nights, so I thought one settled location to use as a base for exploring was the way to go. I figure between a day of beach, a day of exploring / shopping, Waterbom and maybe another day tour somewhere + eating out for lunch and dinners then our schedule will fill up pretty quickly and the kids shouldnāt get bored! I am interested in a day tour out of the city to see some local wildlife / nature, so if you have any recommendations, that would be much appreciated 
Dropped the news to the kids a couple of days ago and they are all so excited - theyāve hardly been on an interstate holiday, let alone an international one, so they are all super pumpedā¦just need to wait 10 months now haha.
Cool, thanks for the advice. Yep, I want to make it as stress free and relaxing (as it can be with 4 kids) as possible, so I wonāt rush into any day trips out of the city.
If you can at Waterbom, book one of the Cabanas. Shade plus lockable storage area.
Highly recommend Bali safari park for kids, not too far out of the way and has plenty of activities they will love. We have averaged about 3 trips per year for near on 20 years and still find plenty to do but are cutting back to probably just once or twice per year now
Does anyone have any experience buying wine duty free at the airport then taking it on board as duty free?
How much can you get away with and does it have to be under 7kilos?
(Can you buy additional luggage space if you need)
Ie Iād like to buy a half dozen bottle of wine and take them with me through Sydney International.
Pretty sure there is a 2.25 litre maximum.
Going out?
Iāve checked for my destination and I think 6 bottles is ok.
Oh, no, that would be arriving.
Yeah not arriving. I think my problem would more be the weight of half a dozen bottle of wines.
(Can take 12 litres at destination but I donāt know how that would go in terms of luggage/out of Oz)
Maybe call duty free and ask? Iām guessing purchases of half a dozen bottles of wine is pretty common, so theyād likely know the best way to approach it.
Donāt do it.
- You are restricted with the amount you can bring in according to the law of the country you visit
- It is probably more expensive than what you can buy non-duty free. IDK why that is
But if you must, and are going to a country that allows it eg Croatia, 6 bottles would only weigh about 5kg so could fit that into your cabin bag if you take it through immigration mostly empty
massive airport retail penalty. I didnāt know how much that was until I went to Langkawi which is a duty free island. The airport is charging a fat premium.
Heading to Brazil. They allow 12 litres.
I checked and purchasing additional luggage makes it very marginal.(I think itās maybe 240 bucks for an extra bag). Maybe spread over two people.
From memory the prices for wine arenāt that great at the airport. Iād probably buy a case pack it properly and check it in.