Bali with Young Toddler?

S

Shenzhennifer

Registered User
We`re thinking of going on a holiday this summer, when I would be around 4-5 months pregnant and taking our then 18-20month old boy. Neither of us have been to Indonesia and it seems Bali is the most obvious and touristy choice.

I`m still not used to this new kind of traveling with babies thing, as we used to backpack and would go to places with little thought about food safety and the such.

So, just wondering if Bali would be a good choice for us, with a young toddler and pregnant mother.

We definitely cannot afford 5 star resorts and villas though, so if anyone has some other recommendations, that would be great. But moreover, I`m just looking to see what other family`s experiences were there with young children and how safe it was in terms of food. I`m not one to eat at the hotel for all my meals. I would rather enjoy a country than to stay locked up in its resorts.

Alternatively, any other nice and beachy recommendations for this summer (excluding Thailand as my hubbie doesn`t want to go there anymore).

Thanks~
 
I think when traveling throughout Asia in general with a baby/toddler food safety is a top priority for my family. We have a 2 year old son and I am also 6 months pregnant. We also always try and stay at the best resort/hotel/area we can afford for that very reason - food and safety. If you are pregnant and have a toddler who is picky etc...then I would try and stay at an established and large chain resort in Bali. Nusa Dua resorts are extremely child-friendly. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt last November (loved it!), but there are a ton of others that might have very good deals during the summer since it's low season there now.

I am pregnant now (24 weeks) and if I were traveling @ Asia now I would never eat outside the resort or recommended restaurants from the hotel for that very reason. Why would I risk my and my families health as I have no clue what the quality control is on food locally. Food poisoning and Hep A (if you are not vaccinated) are very serious when pregnant.
 
We just returned from Bali with our 3 year old, and I am 5 months pregnant. While I too am someone who really enjoys eating out, and I am not a resort person, I made the decision to stick to the resorts for food while in Bali. I saw many people eating outside the resorts, and had I not been pregnant I would have as well, but in my opinion it is really not worth the risk. There is a cleanliness issue with food prep, and the last thing one needs when pregnant is to get sick. We really liked Bali and did a lot of exploring while there. I would recommend it even while pregnant, just be cautious and leave the eating out for another time.
 
If you can deal with a change of flight, fly to Redang Island from K.L. in Malaysia. It's great with a toddler! All meals are inclusive along with flights and snorkelling. We took ours there when he was 2 and he loved it. He spent a lot of time in the water captivated by the fish and playing in the sand. It's a great place for pregnant mums as you don't have to do much.
You'd get two breaks in one - City Shopping in K.L. and a beach holiday in Redang.

We stayed two nights in K.L. and 3 nights in Redang Island. It was brilliant and it costs less than heading to Bali.
 
We went to Penang/Singapore when I was a few months pregnant and had a 14 month old - I ate aaallllll local food (and gave it to my 14 month old too) except for a couple of meals. I didn't even think about it not being safe. Maybe Bali is dirtier than those places, I don't know - but in general, I think that local food can be as good, or even better (depending on what you're eating) than "resort food". Definitely more authentic too. And cheaper as well!!
 
the difference btw. singapore and bali is that there are strict food standards in singapore. even the local hawker centres have to show their latest inspection certificates on their wall visible to the public - there's a strict grading system. Singapore is one of the cleanest countries! Bali local food does not have the same standards and it's not enforced by the gov't.
 
Spend a week in Bali just recently ate at the resort most of the time just, weren't very happy with the food outside, was served stale food a few times, which I neither ate nor paid for. It was more convenient also considering we had a 4 month old and 2.3 year old with us. Honestly going out in the heat is not worth the effort, and if you include taxi fare going outside the total cost won't be very different than eating in the resort.
Agree 100% with hbw10.
 
Thanks for all your opinions.
I`m still really stuck on Bali. This will probably be our only time to go, as sometime after the baby is born we`re probably moving back to Canada.
My idea is to spend a few days at a beach resort and then a few days in Ubud. I think both areas are so touristy that even if we`re not eating at the resort, we`d be able to find a tourist class restaurant, just from my experience traveling in other parts of Southeast Asia.
The hardest part will be finding a good package deal/hotels.... There are hundreds to choose from and I have NO IDEA where to start. BUT I do know that we won`t be able to stay at places for over $100USD a night, for sure. So those tempting large resorts on Nusa Dua are out, I think.
Has anyone traveled with their family on a budget to Bali? Are there any places or travel agents for packages that you can recommend?
 
We stayed Hotel Villa Sonia luxe rooms Ubud Bali in Ubud. Was really nice, not too expensive, breakfast was included.
The villas are about 1km from the main part of town though and you have to walk through a monkey forest to get there which could be interesting with a toddler!
We were there about 2 yrs ago and at that time there was no restaurant at the villas for lunch or dinner, don't know if this has changed. There was a couple of local restaurants on the same street and heaps in the main part of town.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top