The last part of our recent Bali holiday with my family had us moving to Villa Kawan Sanur. The first 7 nights had been really busy staying at hotels including Holiday Inn Baruna Bali, Courtyard Marriott Seminyak and Mara River Safari Lodge Bali. We had previously stayed at Villa Kawan in 2013 with my sister in laws family and had a wonderful time. Both Jed and I love Sanur with Jed voting Villa Kawan as his favourite Bali accommodation. Check out our previous posts on the first week of our holiday for Mara River Safari Lodge here, Courtyard Seminyak here and Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali here. Feel free to message me through Facebook or Instagram if you have any questions, I love to help out!

Happy reading 🙂

Wednesday 7th September

I had organised with Villa Kawan for Bobo, their driver, to pick us up and he arrived 15 minutes early. He had a busy morning celebrating Galungan and it was great seeing all the families travelling dressed up in ceremony dress and their cars also had amazing offerings attached to their number plates! Only took us 30 minutes from the Bali Marine and Safari Park to Villa Kawan which is located on Jalan Kesari II. When you first arrive it can be a bit tricky to get your bearings but after a few walks through the local streets you find the quickest way to get to places. The kids were very excited to arrive at the villa and it was fantastic to see Komang and Kadek again. Charlotte was especially excited as she had seen so many photos of her time there with her cousins when she 2.5yrs. Villa Kawan is so well set up with 3 bedrooms, 2 with ensuites and the 3rd with a seperate toilet. There is a huge lounge room, kitchen and playroom.

The villa is completely enclosed with AC and an extra bonus of high security chains on the doors leading outside so very safe with young kids. I had once again organised through Bali Pool Fence Hire for them to erect a temporary pool fence which gave an extra piece of mind especially with Mason running about! The cost of the pool fence for the 4 nights was $120aud and they have an Australian bank account that you can transfer the money to. Emily was great to deal with and the pool fence was set up ready to go when we arrived. There are also 2 push bikes that come with the villa and a lock up garage if you need somewhere secure for a scooter. One of my favourite things was the phone that came with the villa. So easy to call a Blue Bird taxi as you just quote the villas telephone number and they knew exactly where to come.

Charlotte with Komang and Kadek

Master bedroom at Villa Kawan

Master ensuite

Master ensuite shower

2nd bedroom

2nd bedroom ensuite

Villa Kawan lounge room

Lounge room

She has grown a lot since our last visit!!

Charlotte very excited to be back!

Villa Kawan pool with pool fence

View from the outside lounge

Gorgeous surrounding gardens

Side garden at Villa Kawan

Outside of Villa Kawan

Obligatory toe shot 😉

Kadek arrived to watch the kids while Jed and I walked to Hardy’s supermarket for supplies. It only takes 5 minutes to walk to Hardy’s and the ATMs out the front are good to get money from too. You will find most things in Hardy’s, apart from the supermarket there’s also clothes, souvenirs, books and lots more. I find the prices are good and it saves me haggling with the market ladies!

Walking to Hardy’s along Jl Kesari II

Entrance to Hardy’s Sanur

Milk approx $2aud per litre at Hardy’s

Weetbix is available too

Many different types of nappies available

Back to the villa to order the kids dinner. Alot of the restaurants and cafes deliver but we found a few that we tried were closed because it was Galungan. It was mainly the local Warung’s but we then managed to order from Grocer and Grind. Jed and I then headed out for the night as it was his birthday. We drove to the Four Seasons resort at Jimbaran which took about 35 minutes via the bypass from the villa. Such a gorgeous resort we wandered down the steps to Sundara Beach Club watching the sunset as we walked. We were going to stop for a drink but decided we would keep walking along the beach enjoying the view.

We stopped at the Intercontinental Jimbaran and decided it would be better for a sunset cocktail. We scored a seat and our cocktails were delicious, not cheap costing $38aud all up for 2 cocktails but worth it for a special occasion. We had a booking at 7pm at Cuca restaurant so we continued walking along the beach where we spotted fireworks in the distance! Such a lovely walk and after not visiting Jimbaran since 2004 I think next time we will stay a few nights. We found the Jalan that is next to Belmond Jimbaran Puri hotel which led us to Cuca.

Four Seasons reception

Four Seasons Jimbaran Resort

Jimbaran Beach

Sundara Beach Club

Jimbaran beach

Intercontinental Resort Jimbaran

Cocktail time!!

Beautiful sunset view

Such beautiful gardens to walk through to the main dinner area, I had booked a seat for us at the bar overlooking the kitchen. Was great fun watching them create our dishes and each one was explained by the chefs. We chose the Chef Tasting Meal which consisted of 10 dishes. Some of my favourites were the Honey Baked Pumpkin, Meat & Potatoes and the incredible Bali Breakfast Dessert. Presentation was excellent and flavours worked so well together. The cocktails were also so good and great fun to look at! All up for the tasting meal, 3 cocktails and still water the bill came to $160aud, such great value for what we had! Taxi back to the villa took 20 minutes and cost 130,000rp with a Bluebird taxi, such a great night 🙂

Cuca cocktail list

Chef tasting meal

Cocktail fun 😉

Moon-gria

Iced Rose cocktail

Complimentary fairy floss

Cuban Corn

Roasted Pork Bun

Smoked butterfish

Honey Baked Pumpkin Salad

BBQ Octopus

Rice crusted soft shell crab

Meat & Potatoes

Bali Breakfast

Cocoa 99

Dining Room

The Kitchen at work

Watching our dessert be made

Such a great fun night!

Thursday 8th September

Today was a relaxation day for us all!! We had been pretty busy so far so we didn’t have anything planned. I headed out at 8:30am for a walk and a takeaway coffee from The Porch Cafe. I love walking the streets of Sanur and exploring different areas. Was sad to see that our favourite local food place Warung Kesari had gone and a vacant block ready for villas to be built was all that was left!

This beautiful girl had the most lovely smile and was more than happy to show me the offerings

Beautiful doors of Sanur

Streets of Sanur

Vacant block where Warung Kesari used to be!

Jl Danau Tamblingan

Maya Resort

New Spice restaurant

Love the Bread Basket

Once Kadek arrived Jed and I headed out for brunch at Porch Cafe. We love the ‘Bons’ hash stack, it’s so good!! Back for a nap and then swims with the kids in the pool.

The Porch Cafe menu

Always love their hash stack at The Porch

Looking out to balcony area outside

Swim time!!

Decided to head to Sanur Beach Grove for dinner. It’s a gorgeous spot with food shacks overlooking Sanur beach. It’s located next to Gazebo hotel and you can also access it from Jl Danau Tamblingan. Such a great relaxing spot where the kids can run around while you order food from any of the great little food places. Jed had a curry, Charlotte chicken satay, Mason nasi goreng and I fajitas, so yummy!! An early night with the kids in bed and us relaxing watching a movie.

Checking out Villa Kawan’s resident turtles with Kadek

Charlotte loves walking the back streets and saying hi to the dogs

Sanur Beach Grove

Friday 9th September

I headed out for a coffee and breakfast at Grocer and Grind while the kids and Jed had weetbix at the villa. Always a good breakfast, avocado eggs was good and coffee nice with prices to match.

Grocer and Grind Sanur

Grocer and Grind Menu

Ready to start my day!!

Charlotte and I then headed in a taxi to Kerobokan to meet up with a driver to take us around inspecting Elite Havens Villas. I had been approached by the marketing team at Elite Haven to come and have a look around villas that I thought would be suitable for young families. All up we checked out 9 villas including Villa Asmara, Villa Ombak Laut, Villa Sabana, Villa Malaathina, Villa Joss, Villa Cendrawasih, Villa Windu Asri, The Orchard House and Villa LataLiana I. They were located in Canggu and Seminayk and we were provided with lunch and had a swim at Villa Malaathina. The food was so delicious and we didn’t want to leave!! I will do up a seperate more detailed post on our visits but for now here are a few photos.

Villa Asmara

Villa Asmara

Villa Ombak Laut

Villa Ombak Laut

Villa Ombak Laut

Villa Ombak Laut

Villa Sabana

Villa Sabana

Villa Sabana

Villa Malaathina

Villa Malaathina

Villa Malaathina

Having fun!!

Charlotte enjoying a swim at Villa Malaathina

Villa Malaathina

Loving her salad at Villa Malaathina

We were very spoilt at Villa Malaathina!

Villa Joss

Villa Joss

Villa Joss

Villa Cendrawasih

Villa Cendrawasih

Villa Cendrawasih

Villa Cendrawasih

Villa Cendrawasih

Villa Windu Asri

Villa Windu Asri

Villa Windu Asri

Villa Windu Asri

The Orchard House

The Orchard House

The Orchard House

The Orchard House

LataLiana I

LataLiana I

LataLiana I

LataLiana I

Was a huge day with us leaving the villa at 8am and returning at 3:30pm! The traffic around Canggu and Seminyak was horrendous, they seem to keep building more and more villas/hotels but no infrastructure to get everyone around! My tip for around these areas is to choose where you want to stay carefully and don’t assume off the map that it doesn’t look far as travel times can be crazy! It was relaxation time at the villa before Jed and I headed for an early dinner at Soul in a Bowl. Food and drinks were so yummy and loved the decor and vibe of the place! Reasonable prices and they have music upstairs some nights, highly recommended! For dessert we headed to Dusk Blue where Jed declared the carrot cake one of the best he has eaten. Love this cafe for a great menu, AC inside and you can do a spot of shopping too 😉

Mason loved the massage table!

Soul in a Bowl

Chicken risotto

Opor Ayam

Dusk Blue

Affogato

Carrot Cake

Saturday 10th September

With Mason up at 4am I decided to make use of the early start and walk to the beach to watch the sunrise. Sanur sunrises are so beautiful and this one did not disappoint! From Jl Danau Tamblingan I walked through the Maya resort to the beach then headed north up the beach path. I checked out the Inna Grand Bali Resort. The garden wing rooms and cottages looked like a great option as the gardens were beautiful and so close to the beach. I stopped in at Luhtu’s cafe for a coffee and breakfast, they open at 7am so a great early option! Always such good value with my breakfast of latte, juice, fruit, toast, poached eggs and bacon costing $7aud. I walked back along Jl Pungutan and had a brief look into Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites. This looks like a great value hotel with kids but I was always worried about the position on the bypass. The back gate is open from 7am until 6pm which makes it only a short walk to the back of Hardy’s along a quiet, well paved street.

Maya Resort

Sanur Sunrise

Sanur Beach Grove

The beach path is so easy to walk along or ride a bike

One of my favourite photos from our trip

Sindhu markets with Tootsies fixed price store a favourite

Hmm interesting spot to be married!!

Inna Grand Garden wing

Luhtu’s Cafe

Back access gate to Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites

Sanur Paradise Suites gate info

Gang leading to Hardy’s from Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites

Back to the villa where Komang was lovely to let Charlotte and I watch her make the morning offerings around the villa and local temple. I love the rituals that the Balinese have each day, time seems to slow and each day not taken for granted. Charlotte was fascinated and was full of questions, made me feel better for taking her out of school to have experiences like that!

Komang showing Charlotte the morning offering ritual

I had made an appointment for a 90minute Nest signature massage at Nest Beachside spa after Jed had an excellent one there the day before. In a gorgeous spot on the beach next to Lilla Pantai cafe. The massage was excellent and I was also offered noise cancelling headphones with ipod which was a nice touch. I found I didn’t need them as it wasn’t overly noisy. A shower was available after the massage and all up it came to $32aud which I thought was great value for money.

Nest Beachside Spa menu

I then met up with Jed and we walked to Dusk Blue for a late brunch. My eggs benedict were delicious and Jed loved his corn fritters. They had a great kids menu so we ordered some take away noodles and pasta for the kids to have for dinner.

Dusk Blue

Back to the villa to wait for Mason to wake from his nap then Charlotte, Mason, Kadek and I caught a taxi to Peekaboo playcentre. We have used Peekaboo quite a few times on previous trips and love it for kids to have play around while I enjoy the AC, free wifi and the coffee is surprisingly good at the cafe! It cost $19aud for the 2 kids so not particularly cheap by Bali standards. The kids loved it and Mason did not want to leave 😉

Peekaboo Play Centre

Check out the coffee art at Peekaboo!!

Kadek and Mason enjoying a rest

Back to the villa for fun in the pool!! The kids love jumping in and Mason at only 2 yrs certainly has no fear 😉 Jed and I headed out for dinner to Fire Station after recommendations from friends and it didn’t disappoint! Espresso martini was so good and our food was all fantastic. Highly recommend for great food, decor and of course cocktails!! We then caught a taxi to Art Cafe for dessert where Jed chose the Chocolate melted cake and I had the creme brulee. They were both yum but not amazing, we were very full so a slow walk back to the villa. Was sad saying goodbye to Kadek, she had been such a pleasure to be around for the past 10 days and was so amazing with the kids especially Mason who is very challenging at times! She was so patient and she made sure that both Jed and I enjoyed our holiday.

So much fun!! 

Fire Station

Pork scratchings

Tuna

Pork belly

Art Cafe Dessert menu

Art Cafe

Creme Brulee

Chocolate Cake

Last night!!

Sunday 11th September

Last morning blues!! We had another wonderful holiday and I was not keen to head back to the Victorian weather 🙁 I went for my last morning walk and had breakfast at The Owl. Such a cute cafe and the food and drinks were great. Coffee was strong just how I like it!

Charlotte loved filling in her holiday diary to show to her school friends when she returned 

Jl Danau Tamblingan

Casablanca, a great spot for music and drinks

Three Monkeys menu, ran out of time to get back here, always fantastic food and service

Entrance to Sanur Beach Grove from Jl Danau Tamblingan

Monte Cristo Plate

The Owl

Back to do the dreaded packing before saying goodbye to the girls at the villa. We left at 12pm and only took 25 minutes for Wisma to drive us to the airport. I always get a porter to help with the luggage as there’s a security check point where it all has to be scanned and with the kids running around it’s so much easier when they help out! Check in with Jetstar was very quick and I have learnt over the years to have the travel stroller in it’s bag over my shoulder while we do the check in. I have had multiple issues in Bali with check in staff about taking the strollers as hand luggage but that was when I had the stroller out. I find there is never an issue when it’s packed away so to save any issues I find this works best.

Unfortunately as we were walking through immigration Mason hurt his arm trying to run away from Jed. We then put him in the stroller but he continued to cry and was not using his arm. I knew it was more than likely a pulled elbow, I’m a radiographer in my day job, and they often reduce themselves. I found a fellow Australian mum who was lovely enough to lend me some baby panadol to give him as ours was packed away in the checked luggage! Within 20 minutes he was back to his normal self so much so that I looked away for 10 seconds and he ran off and down the escalator to a Garuda planes gate. So quick that boy and luckily I managed to grab him back! The flight left on time and Mason managed a 2 hour sleep. Charlotte unfortunately had a very sore ear so most of the flight was spent trying to keep her comfortable. Immigration was surprisingly quick in Melbourne and we were back to the car for the 3 hour drive home within 45 minutes from landing.

Saying goodbye to Komang and Kadek

Taking every last moment in

Before the security check area

Mason feeling better!

Our plane home

Movie time

Mason asleep!

Wine for Mum!!

Well what a fantastic family holiday!! If you loved the look of Villa Kawan here is a link that you can book through. We had such a great time and thoroughly enjoyed all of our accommodation choices. There’s never enough time to do everything on our list but there’s always next time 😉 Thank you so much for reading, I may not be the best writer in the world but I hope you get something out of our experiences to help you plan your next holiday to Bali. I would also love to include other families experiences in Bali on my blog so if you would like to share you holidays with us send me a email or message through Facebook or Instagram 🙂

Kate xx

 

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