What did our kids love the most in Bali?
We spent one month in Bali with our 5 and 6-year-old girls and asked them to create their own list of 10 things they loved the most in Bali. I must say, I wouldn’t make this list much different myself.
1. Meeting Monkeys in The Monkey Forest in Ubud
One of the most memorable experiences for my kids was meeting monkeys in the monkey forest in Ubud. There you will meet over 700 long-tailed Macaque monkeys who seem to be having a lot of fun. The children loved getting up close to the monkeys and feeding them with bananas. Unlike in zoos, it was wonderful to see the animals living freely within the forest. Monkeys were everywhere; dancing, swinging and feeding their babies.
At first, the children were observing them from a close distance, but soon they were able to touch these wild creatures. Anyway, we advise you to be careful and watch your stuff because monkeys are very playful and they love to take hats, mobile phones, or sunglasses. So, it is good to keep such items in your bag. You can read our humorous story about a monkey who took my mobile phone. Also, a mother monkey can be kind of aggressive if she notices that someone is bothering her baby. If you want more tips on how to behave in the monkey forest, you can read them here.
2. Hair-Braiding
When we are on holidays, our hair is also on holidays! We don’t give it any particular style which of course is not always very photogenic, but in Bali, it was different. Our hair had an exotic make-over called ‘hair-braiding’ and the kids loved it.

Hair braiding in Kuta, Bali
Hair-braiding is one of the trademark services offered along Bali’s beaches. At every step, you can get hair-braidings as well as young coconut. You can choose between two options: go to the salon and probably pay more or let your hair be braided in the skilled hands of a local woman on the beach, as we did. The cost of hair-braiding in Bali depends on the length of hair because longer hair might take 2-3 hours to complete. We got a discount for two little heads. The best thing is that these braidings last for about 2-3 weeks and you can continue washing your hair, snorkeling and swimming whilst they are braided. My husband was jealous of us because he has short hair.
3. Massage Shops in Seminyak
Massages in Bali are very cheap and practically available at every step. You can’t really walk down a street in any tourist village in Bali without coming across a massage shop. Massages are not just for adults; the kids also loved trying traditional Balinese massage. It was very gentle and relaxing.

Having a massage in Seminyak, Bali
4. Drinking Fresh Young Coconut
The kids loved drinking fresh young coconuts the entire time we were in Bali. Since it was crazy hot, fresh coconuts were a tasty and healthy alternative to water. This pure liquid is packed with nutrients that strengthen the immune system. This ‘Mother Nature’s gift’ helps with dehydration, body cleansing, weight loss, and those who suffer from heavy fatigue. Often, there is more than one liter of liquid contained in the average coconut so we could all drink from one coconut. However, the sellers were not happy about seeing the whole family drinking for the price of one.

Sharing moments
5. Pool vs. Ocean
Bali is famous for its beaches and resorts, but the Indian Ocean didn’t delight the kids. Sometimes the waves were too strong, sometimes it was to shallow, too cold or too deep. In Seminyak during the ebb tide, the kids noticed some strange ocean creatures looking like snakes and got scared. The kids preferred to spend more time in the pools. To better understand why the pool had an advantage over the ocean, you can read our story about The island without the sea.

Relaxing in Amed, Bali
6. Being a Guest at a Wedding
Bali is the ultimate destination for a dream wedding. In only a brief moment, our kids were taking photos with the newlyweds. They were fascinated with the bride’s dress and all the wedding party decorations on the beach. It was exciting to be an uninvited guest at a romantic wedding at Sanur beach.

Wedding in Sanur, Bali
7. Eating Rice with Your Hands
The most unique dining experience in Bali was eating rice next to huge green rice fields. Most people who have visited Bali say that the real Bali can be found where the rice grows. The kids really loved to eat plain white rice with their fingers. We are all so used to eating with spoons and forks, not knowing that eating with your hands has a number of surprising health benefits.

Eating rice with fingers
Some parents complain that their children don’t like to eat, and others have a problem with binge eating. A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology showed that families who ate by hand were more in touch with eating concepts, such as eating only when hungry and paying attention to fullness cues. The study found that parents were able to help their 8 to 12-year-old overweight children cut down on binge eating episodes by training them to eat by hand. Eating with hands help kids and adults to control eating, make it slower and more balanced.
8. Riding Elephant Sculptures
The kids loved to ride the metal elephant sculptures. It was free and in their imagination, they were alive. Riding real elephants in Bali is very popular, but we noticed that this tourist attraction also has its dark side. Here you can read the main reasons why we have removed riding elephants from our bucket list. Besides, it is pretty expensive.

Riding metal elephants sculptures in Bali
9. Pirates Bay in Nusa Dui
.This place had quite a unique atmosphere. The Pirates Bay is a pirate-themed open-air cafe and restaurant in the middle of the luxurious Nusa Dua area. We spent hours here overlooking the ocean and feeling like a kid again sitting up in a bamboo treehouse. A few squirrels joined us at lunch. The kids loved climbing and exploring the ship and playing on the swings and ropes.

Bali Pirates Bay
10. Batur Natural Hot Spring
Hot springs with a view of a lake and volcano; what else do you need to relax? The kids will definitely remember Bali for its natural hot springs. There are mineral pools here with temperatures of up to 40 degrees centigrade in a natural environment, so it was an impossible mission to get the kids out of the hot water. They actually got out after a few hours only because they were hungry.

Hot spring with a view at a volcano