We stayed with the kids at both the Holiday Inn Baruna in 2016 and Holiday Inn Benoa in 2015 and 2019. Hotels in Bali are so common but finding a hotel that suits both the budget and kids can be a little bit harder! We enjoyed both of our stays and my biggest tip would be to join the IHG rewards program for free. This can benefit your family by taking 15-20% of food and drink bill in certain restaurants.

Perhaps one of the best parts of our stays with regards to budget was that kids stay and eat free under 12. Both stays we did book the kids their own beds but if it suits your family they can stay for free in existing bedding. The eating free was great and even though there was a couple of restrictions we saved money during our stays. We found it more useful at Benoa as all their restaurants participated in the program compared to Baruna. It doesn’t apply for room service unfortunately but their prices are still quite reasonable.

FOOD OPTIONS

Something I always check before we stay is what time does breakfast start! If anyone has early risers out there you know how hard the mornings can be if you can’t get the kids fed early enough. Both hotels have kids menus and the kids always found something they would like to eat. I found the kids area and breakfast overall better at Benoa but perhaps that was the lattes made for me and delivered to my table! At Baruna it was just the coffee machine which didn’t quite cut it with 2 young kids.

Holiday Inn Baruna

• Breakfast starts 6:30am
• Dinner at Envy goes until Midnight
• Room Service is 24 hours
• Kids under 12 eat free in Palms Restaurant only when an adult purchases a main meal which is a shame as the Envy restaurant was our favourite as the kids could run around on the grass area while we watched the sunset
• Restaurants include Envy, with great Mediterranean food and sunset views and also Palms Restaurant for yummy Asian food
• Flavaz was a cafe on site that could do a coffee, ice cream and finger sandwiches. The pool bar had a great menu too and don’t forget happy hour from 4pm-5pm

Holiday Inn Benoa

• Breakfast start 6:30am
• Dinner at Nudi Beach Club until Midnight
• Room Service is 24 hours
• Restaurants included Pasar Market Cafe, Nudi Beach Club and Duke’s Pool bar and lounge with the kids under 12 able to eat free when a main meal is purchased by an adult

KIDS CLUB

Our kids love going to kids clubs and they were very impressed with both hotels. Benoa has a great set up right next to Pasar Market and the pool was close by so easy to check that they were happy. At both hotels if you happened to want to go for a walk or not be close by they would give you a local phone they could contact you on. Great piece of mind!

Holiday Inn Baruna

• Kids club open 9am-9pm
• Kids under 4 are welcome but must be accompanied either by an adult or a nanny
• The hotel can provide a babysitter for under 4’s for about $5aud per hour but most be booked
• In the new kids club there is a cost for guests to join in except for guests staying in the suite rooms. Check out the prices in our review of Holiday Inn Baruna.
• A couple of activities like cooking classes were an extra cost but quite cheap

Holiday Inn Benoa

• Kids club open 9am-9pm with it closed from 5pm-6pm
• Kids under 4 are welcome but most be accompanied either by an adult
• The hotel can provide a babysitter for under 4’s for about $5aud per hour but most be booked
• In a fantastic position close to the Pasar Market Restaurant and pool which the kids could enjoy while waiting for meals

ACCOMMODATION

We loved all the rooms that we stayed in at both hotels. At Baruna we stayed in the Kids Suites which is 2 rooms interconnecting with a themed kids room. At Benoa the rooms were newer and we were able to enjoy both the Ocean View Suite, for the first night with just the kids and I, and the interconnecting rooms overlooking the inner pool. The aspect that I particularly liked about both hotels was that they were Mason proof!! Both hotels had high security latches on the doors which gave us great piece of mind.

Holiday Inn Baruna

• Kids suites were great with the kids and lots of room. Bath in the kids bathroom and even though our bathroom was a bit small with only a shower it was perfect for our family. Outside sitting area and garden was great for drying wet bathers but we didn’t really use it has they had just commenced renovations when we stayed
• Other great room options available with the rooms overlooking the pool in a great position and the ones overlooking the garden a touch quieter and would be great to have space for kids to run around on the grass without wanting to jump straight in the pool!

 Holiday Inn Benoa

• The interconnecting rooms were so spacious for our family and we loved staying here. I also had a look through the 2 bedroom Family Adventure Suite and they looked great! So much space and a living area too. A friend that stayed in this suite said it was great but they also stayed in the Kids Adventure suite, due to a cancelled flight, and said next time they would probably save their money and stay the whole time in the smaller suite
• The Ocean View rooms were great to watch the sunrise and a portacot easily fit in the room

SOMETHING FOR THE PARENTS

We all know the secret to a great family holiday is happy kids but having something for Mum and Dad too can make a holiday perfect. The Tea Tree Spa at Holiday Inn Baruna was amazing!! We had a 1 hour couples massage and we both agreed that it was one of the best ones we have had. I also visited the spa with Charlotte and she loved being pampered. The prices were surpringlsy good for a hotel spa and the surroundings worth the extra dollars. We didn’t visit the spa at Holiday Inn Benoa as we ran out of time! We did manage to enjoy happy hour by the pool while the kids were in the kids club. Was so much fun to sit back and relax knowing the kids weren’t far away.

HOLIDAY INN BARUNA

• Tea Tree Spa can not be missed! Make sure you book once you arrive and organise a nanny for the kids or send the older ones to the kids club
• Happy Hour by the pool from 4-5pm was a lot of fun and a great time of day so we could also enjoy an early dinner straight after

HOLIDAY INN BENOA

• Happy Hour by the inner pool bar was  a lot of fun as is having drinks at Nudi Beach Bar. Happy hour or Happy Hours are from 12-2pm and 5pm-7pm at Dukes and 3pm-5pm at Nudi’s. So that’s 6 hours of fun!
• We didn’t try the Tea Tree Spa here but have heard it was fantastic too

THE VERDICT

So where would we choose to stay if we had to pick a favourite? That’s really tricky as both resorts have a lot to offer. For us it would come down to what we were wanting out of our stay and the perfect scenario would be to stay at both!! There was lots to do outside of both hotels with a great beach path perfect for prams in front of each hotel. The proximity to Waterbom when we stayed at Baruna was excellent as was having access to the many shopping centres of Kuta. Close to Benoa were the usual things like Circle K, restaurants and massage places to keep you happy if you wanted to have a look around.

HOLIDAY INN BARUNA

• For a relaxing holiday this would be our pick. The grounds and sunset views were beautiful and the food at Envy really good. Hubby especially loved how the resort felt spread out but you didn’t have to walk miles to get anywhere
• This is the hotel for amazing sunsets

HOLIDAY INN BENOA

• For an activity filled holiday this would be our pick. The younger kids loved the slide into the pool and the water activites on the beach great for older kids and adults. Hubby mentioned that he felt like this hotel was busier due to the layout but said the kids set up was fantastic
• This is the hotel for amazing sunrises

If you would love to stay at Holiday Inn Baruna check out more prices and info here. If Holiday Inn Benoa is sounding more suitable then check their prices and info here. You will still get the same great price possible but we will recieve a percentage of the booking for helping you make your decision. We always write openly and honestly about our experiences and would never link to something that we wouldn’t stay at again.

Would love to hear of your experiences if you have stayed at both or either Holiday Inn. Feel free to comment below or on Facebook/Instagram about your favourite things or room for improvement at either hotel. Also if you would love to have your review with photos featured on our blog contact me on email.

Kate xx

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