Bali with kids under 10, written by parents who host them

We have hosted families with toddlers, school-age siblings, and tired parents who just needed someone to handle breakfast for a week. Here's what we have learned from the families who keep coming back, and the practical things that make a Bali trip with under-10s easier than you think.

What works at Villa Leaf

• The Family Suite is the cheat code. Two connected rooms, the door closes between them. Kids nap in the bunk room, you read on the upper terrace, everyone wins.
• Pool depth is staged. The shallow end is 90 cm, the deep end is 1.6 m. We add a fenced-off setup on request and float rings are always in the storeroom.
• Kadek is your friend. Banana pancakes, pasta with butter, fruit plates cut into shapes. She has done this often enough that picky eaters are not a concern.
• Cot, high chair, stroller. All on request, included. Bring your own only if you have a strong preference.

Seven things to pack

1. Reef-safe sunscreen, the cheap stuff at the local shop is not great.
2. A long-sleeve UV swim top per kid, the sun is stronger than you expect.
3. Mosquito patches for the ankles, they work and the local kids use them.
4. An iPad with offline content for the flight home, not the trip itself.
5. Calpol or paracetamol drops, the pharmacy carries them but the label is in Indonesian.
6. One favourite snack from home, for the night that nothing else works.
7. A swimsuit each, dried by morning, because the pool is right there.

"We did two weeks with a five-year-old and a two-year-old. Made and the team made it feel like home, the kids barely noticed they were abroad. We are already planning the next trip."

Day trips that actually work with kids

Skip the cultural day in Ubud until the kids are six or older, it is hot and the temples involve a lot of standing. Do go to Bali Reptile Park (two hours, well shaded, the snakes are a hit), Sanur beach (calm water, no waves), and the morning market in Canggu (twenty minutes, cheap snacks). Save Tegalalang rice terraces for a future trip.