BALI - March 2025 - Part 1

 We are lucky enough to go away often in our caravan and it is something I will never take for granted. Besides the odd 1 night stay we have never been on holiday as a family of 5 that isn't in the caravan and Kayleigh & Nash have never been on a plane.   

After working multiple jobs for the last couple of years we decided now was the time to splurge on our first overseas holiday together. Back in September last year we booked a holiday to Bali and gave it to the kids for Christmas.

Thursday 6th March - Friday 14th March 2025 (8 nights)
Jetstar Airlines
Bali Dynasty Hotel, South Kuta 

Jetstar Holiday Package

$5,461 - 5 People, flights, transfers & accommodation

$582 - Travel insurance with covermore

$132 - Airport (Value) Parking

Conversion rate at the time: 100,000 IRD = approx $10 AUD

Airport Parking

Melbourne Airport - Value Parking 

$108.00 plus an extra $16 for overstay guarantee 

This was such a simple and relatively cheap process. I pre booked a couple of months ahead of time and added on the overstay guarantee meaning that if our flight was delayed on the way back our car could remain there for no extra charge. 

We were emailed very clear instructions on what to do on the day and how to get to the car park, then we just scanned the QR code to get in and found a park. 

We parked in carpark E13, They have a shuttle bus running every 10-15 minutes or so that drops you at your terminal 

Paperwork

I completed all our paperwork and paid for everything before we left which made it very easy to get through the airport once we arrived.

Visa - https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/web/application_bvk . Visa can be applied for up to 90 days before your date of entry but I did it a week or 2 out. We selected the B1 tourist visa on arrival as we were staying less than 60 days. It cost around $50 each.

Useful information:

Airport = Bandara Internasional Ngurah Rai.

City = KAB BADUNG (Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu, Uluwatu, Nusa Dua), KOTA DENPASAR (Sanur), KAB GIANYAR (Ubud).

Customs Declaration & Health Pass - These are now combined into 1 form, this can be done 3 days before arrival https://allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id/ (No cost)

Tourist Levy - https://lovebali.baliprov.go.id/ This can be done 180 days prior to arriving and costs about $15 per person.

The only thing was we were unable to go through the immigration e gates as Nash was under 5 years old so we (Nash & I) had to go to the desk but the line wasn't long anyway & didn't make too much of a difference.

Flights 

Thursday 6^th March DEPART
Melbourne to Denpasar – Flight Jetstar JQ43
9:15am – 12:15pm
 
Friday 14^th March RETURN
Denpasar to Melbourne – Flight Jetstar JQ44
13:50 – 22:30pm

To be honest I was a little bit nervous flying with Jetstar so had fairly low expectations but overall everything turned out pretty well. We were prepared with downloaded shows on each of the kids iPads and chargers on board. I packed a lunch box each for the kids and also pre ordered an on board meal each and had some extra lollies and treats.

We arrived at the airport with the required 3 hours before our flight time, it has been so long since we have flown everything had changed with the self check ins and self  baggage drops but with some help from the friendly staff we were able to manage everything pretty stress free. We had some McDonalds for breakfast and a look around the airport and then it was time to board our flight 

After we had boarded, our flight was delayed approx 2 hours, so we had to sit on the tarmac in our seats as they fixed a mechanical issue with the plane. The iPads came out ALOT earlier than planned but the kids were actually so good that I fell asleep and had a little nap. Nash became a little bit restless with about 1.5 hours to go but we had a cuddle and he fell asleep pretty easily. Pre ordering meals was helpful as it meant we were served first which was good especially after we had the 2 hour delay (the food was not the best) 

On the way home we left our accommodation about 3 hours before our flight, we had a smooth run and it only takes about 15 minutes from where we were staying. We dropped off our bags and checked in and then found somewhere to have some lunch and our last photos in bali.

 

The flight home was smooth and we arrived at about 10:30pm, we cleared customs without a problem and they didn't ask to look in our luggage which was a bonus and a benefit of having kids as it seemed they were letting those with kids pass through. We collected our luggage and caught the shuttle bus back to our car. The road home was closed with a detour in place but apart from that all in all it was a very smooth trip home. 

I am happy with the flight times we chose as it meant although we were up early to catch our flight, it wasn't too  early that we needed to go straight to bed when we arrived in the middle of the afternoon we were able to push though until bedtime bali time making it easier to adjust to the time difference. 

On the way home we were able to get up at normal time and have breakfast, a quick swim and pack up before heading to the airport and we arrived back late Australian time but it wasn't too late Bali time allowing us to be able to drive home before being too tired.

Accommodation

 Bali Dynasty
South Kuta, Kuta 80361, Indonesia
t:+62-361-752403

We had deluxe interconnecting rooms on the 2nd floor, on the right of the hotel towards the back and it was perfect. (North Pool DXK) We choose the interconnecting rooms as opposed to the family room as they weren't that much different in price (maybe around $50 for the whole stay) and it allowed us to have more space plus 2 bathrooms. We were very happy with our choice.

 

The first room had a king size bed, which was fairly comfortable and a wide range of pillows to choose from

    

and the interconnecting room had 2 x twin beds and a single rollerway, which was of decent size and almost as comfortable as the standard beds

As there was a huge gastro outbreak in Bali at the time, Upon arriving at the rooms I was a little over the top and as a precaution I sanitised all surfaces and and sprayed disinfectant air freshener all through the rooms.  Our interconnecting room was actually set up wrong with a king bed instead of the 2 singles but a quick call to reception and there was someone up straight away to fix it.

There were not many hotels that I could find that ticked all our boxes, We needed an option that slept 5 people, I wanted either a family room that had 2 separate sleeping spaces (not all beds in the same room), or interconnecting hotel rooms, I also wanted beds that were bigger than double size and the kids to not share beds and without a huge price tag. Most places you have to pay for the cost of 2 rooms if you want interconnecting rooms, only spelt 4 people, or were 1 sleeping area, there were only a few other places that had family rooms. I also wanted a great kids swimming area and lots of activities. Bali Dynasty was perfect. 

Service & Activities

The Bali Dynasty Resort prides itself on being a complete resort by providing a wide range of in-house activities and facilities to suit both the active and the not so active.

Recreation Facilities

• 4 Swimming Pools
  •    Main pool with swim up pool bar and activities
  •    Lazy Pool - 'No Kids Zone'
  •    Dedicated Kids' pool with '56-metre waterslide and Kids Water Fun Zone
  •    Lagoon Pool 109-meter-long (Private Pool for Guests staying in the Lagoon Pool Access) 
• The beach
• Spa
• Poolside Foot Reflexology
• Gym
• Complementary Kids Club  with daily organised programmes
• Kids Play Ground
• Table Tennis
• Hair Braiding
• Tour & Information Centre for tours and excursions
• Daily organised adult recreational and social activities

Other Facilities and Services

• 6 Restaurants and 5 Bars
• Premier Departure Lounge ideal for those late departures
• 24-hour room service
• Toddler room open daily
• Gamers room
• Baby-sitting service
• Stroller Rental
• Bicycle (free usage)
• Same-day laundry and valet service
• Minimart
• Doctor on call 24 hours
• Disabled Rooms
• 2 Guest Elevators
• Meeting & Banquet Facilities for up to 400 people
• Transport Desk
• Money Changer
• Free Wi-Fi available in lobby area and all restaurants and bars
• High Speed Internet Service in Room (Wi-Fi - Chargeable)

They had heaps of organised activities throughout the day and there was a list stuck in the hotel room for what was on each day. They ranged from pool volleyball, craft activities, bingo, Balinese dancing, limbo, music lessons, movie nights there was something for everyone.

The pool area wasn't as big as some other hotels and there were a lot of people  but at the same time it never felt too cramped and we were always able to get a lounge chair. There was food and drinks service around the pool areas that you could raise a flag or catch the staff eye and they will come and take your order and deliver your food and drinks and they had happy hour twice a day. There is also a life guard on duty at the main pool and staff running the waterslide.

The gardens were beautiful to walk around especially at night 

Over all we were really happy with the choice of hotel and it was in a good location, not right in the business of Kuta but still near shopping & restaurants & mini marts so you didn't have to walk to far to get anything you needed.  

Water

As you can not drink the water in Bali, I had seen on Facebook a service that delivers drinks to your hotel called Bali Drinks Service. I contacted them and we had a very large water with a pump and a slab of coke delivered to our hotel the day we arrived so we didn't have to worry about going straight out to buy water. You could also order beer & spirits

Money

Wise Card - We ordered a wisecard before we left and used that for purchases anywhere cards were accepted which was most places except for the little shops on the sides of the road. All restaurants, hotels, minimarts etc had card facilities. 

We liked the card because it is linked to an app, you can use your money in AUD without converting it and you receive the exchange rate at the time or you can watch the exchange rate on the app and if it reaches a good amount you can exchange some funds at anytime. You can also lock the card via the app, so when you are not using the card it can be locked so if it is stolen or lost the person cant access your money and then when you want to use it you just unlock it from the app. It can also be used at ATM's and was easy to transfer money into.

Cash - We used cash for all our shopping, taxi's, massages, hair braiding etc. I think I took over $1,000 cash as I was worried about having too much cash on me but in hindsight I actually wish I took more cash as using the ATM's was an annoying process. I swapped $500 at Melbourne airport ( I don't know why I did that) which was very stupid as the exchange rate is horrible. There was a money exchange at our hotel which had very slightly lower rates than on the street but I swapped the rest there to avoid being ripped off. They say money exchangers on the street with the glass front windows are safer than others. 

ATM's - getting money out of the ATM was harder than i expected it to me (maybe because I was over cautious) Some ATM's can scan you card details, or take money from your account when you are withdrawing. BNI & BCA ATM's are said to be safer, we located one near our hotel which was fine but when we were out and needed cash for shopping it was a bit harder to find one

You can also usually only withdraw 1,250,000 - 2,500,000 ($120-$250) at a time. I think the ones we used was only around $120 so we always had to do multiple withdrawals and it isn't as quick as it is in Australia.

Transport 

Airport Transfers - these were arranged by the hotel and included in our package. When we arrived at the airport there is an area where all the drivers are waiting with signs with your name on it and you just find your driver and on the way home we arranged with reception what time we would like to leave for the airport and they have a driver waiting. 

Short trips - We used bluebird taxi (you need to make sure they are the real bluebird as there are fake ones that rip you off) I downloaded the app and booked every trip from there, we never just jumped in a taxi on the roadside. 

On the app you put in the destination where you are and where you want to go and it comes up with options to either select a fixed price trip or to do your trip by the metre. We always chose the fixed price so we knew how much it was going to cost and we had an agreed price with no bargaining. It is slightly more expensive but it is maybe $1 at the most. All our taxis came very fast and we never had an issue.  You are given a taxi number and the driver so you can check it is the right taxi you are getting into.

We used a taxi from & to the hotel when we went shopping in Seminyak & Legian & when we went to Frankenstein's for dinner.

Driver - The driver we used for all our activities and day trips was Bintang Family Team Transport Tours and I couldn't recommend them highly enough. I spoke to another driver that was recommended to me from someone I know but they were unable to give me a fixed price until the day and while I do believe this particular person was trustworthy I just wanted to know everything in advance and not come up against any problems or hidden costs or things not included. I do think a drive like this would have worked out cheaper instead of using a company but i felt much more comfortable doing it the way we did.

The driver we had was called Junior, he was fantastic, very knowledgeable, spoke good English, was great with the kids and helpful and was fun. The transport was a van, similar to a Tarago, it had 3 rows of seating, air conditioning, a microphone and lights and they supplied  water for the day.

Everything was arranged on WhatsApp, the communication was clear and the costs set out and agreed to before we even left. We did have to pay a 50% deposit to book in the activities which I was hesitant to do at first but I also knew a friend who had used this company and assured me it was ok & it was. 

I would just go straight to this company to arrange everything if we went back again.

Medical

Immunisations - Before we left we had immunisations for Hepatitis A & Typhoid 

Probiotics -  We took probiotics in the month before leaving and attempted to continue taking them while we were away (it didn't last long) 

Kids had - Inner Health Plus baby & kids 

I had - Natures way restore probiotic 30 billion

Dad had - Healthy Care Colostrum tablets 

Prescription Medication - I arranged a letter from our GP for all of our prescription medication to take with us in case we were questioned entering Bali and I only took the amount that we needed and a couple of days extra in case of delays. We kept all this medication & the letter in our carry on baggage in case our luggage got lost.

I also got a prescription filled for Ondanzatron to use for travel sickness.

First Aid - I took over way more first aid products than I needed to, I don't think we really used any of it and the time we did use Panadol we were out for the day and purchased it from a pharmacy anyway. I took over a lot of supplies in case we got sick, everything from charcoal tablets, hydrolite, gastro stop, Imodium tablets etc etc and really if we needed it we could have purchased it there or called the doctor that comes to the hotel to help. Bali has a lot more products readily available now and there are pharmacies everywhere but I also felt a lot better being prepared 

Other essential items

Sunscreen - I thought I packed so much & we still ran out & it is super expensive over there

Insect repellent - Again I packed so much and we ran out but we were able to purchase "soffell" which is good, cheap and available everywhere 

Sanitiser - We attempted to use sanitiser before be ate, we started off pretty strict and as the time went on became less strict although we still used it every time we thought of it and always had it on us.

Glen20 - I disinfected the whole room when we arrived, probably over the top but with the gastro outbreak there I didn't want to risk the people before us being sick and the rooms not being properly disinfected. Apart from the first day we didn't use it at all. I also wanted to have it in case one of us was sick to try to stop the spread but it wasn't needed. 

Kids Backpacks

iPad with downloaded shows

Headphones

charger

travel pillow

Blanket

activity book

pencils

reading book

snack box

drink bottle