Help- best young family destination Indonesia?

[Mnk711]

Possibly have the opportunity of combining a work trip with a reunion with a friend and a family holiday in Indonesia next month. Has anyone been somewhere in Indonesia on a family holiday that they loved and didn't break the bank? If so where and where did you stay? Friend will be coming from Sumatra and work thing is in Bali (so Bali would be convenient) but could go elsewhere quite happily.

We are looking for a low stress trip which involves a relaxing environment (not in a city etc) ideally with lots of bits for a toddler to enjoy (swimming pools, relatively easily accessible wildlife etc) and not too much moving about so baby and toddler can get used to their new home from home. Would probably prefer a serviced villa but they are looking £££. We are ok all in one room but would ideally prefer 2.

Budget flexible but I'd say probably max £250pn for accommodation for 14 nights, ideally max £200, so £2800-3500. Flights look to be c.£2k on top.

Help, Google is not finding much at the moment!

We stayed at Captain Coconuts on Gili Air, beautiful island the children adored it. Later we went to Lombok but travelled about a bit there- a stunning island gorgeous beaches and plenty to see

Not Indonesia, but Malaysian Borneo. I loved Kuching, it’s a real hidden gem.

I haven’t been myself, but Kota Kinabalu gets a lot of love too.

I’ve also heard good things about the Gilis, but you need to chose your island. Some of them are party islands for young ‘uns and not family friendly.

You can also find pretty much anything you’re looking for in Bali, but it’s not as cheap as it used to be, and traffic is horrendous in the heavily touristed areas (mainly in the south). If you head north, it gets cheaper and less busy. But for a less busy, but still not too far from everything part, Sanur gets my vote.

I second Sanur, we used to stay in Seminyak but it has got crazy busy so we spent two months in Sanur last year and will do the same this. The problem with private villas is the fact that the pool is usually unfenced (unless you arrange for temporary fencing which is expensive). I wouldn’t do it with a toddler personally. The Prama hotel right on the beach walk is often recommended for families, if you did want to go the villa route check out Kejora or Emerald villas. A few days in Ubud would be nice, easier for day trips.
I love the Gillis but not the ferry trip. Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan would be easier (and you can get the ferry from Sanur).

Kota Kinabalu was a dump IMO. We travelled down towards the Southern tip of the island - the beaches were all a bit ordinary. Lots of rubbish and sandflies - OMG the sandflies.

Loved Sanur & Lembongan.

Hated Kuta, Seminyak.

Would love to try the Gilis but have heard the water is polluted and can be quite party focussed.

What time of year did you go?

The pool fences you can rent are a complete waste of money. When my son was two, we stayed in a shared villa and one of the other couples also had a two year old, so we split the cost of a 'safety' fence. The fence was about 1 metre high (so a determined toddler could easily climb over it) and it was only secured with a slide bolt that the kids could reach! Within about 5 minutes of being at the villa, DS had opened it.

We couldn't believe we'd paid hundreds of dollars for the thing that was completely useless. At best, it slowed the kids from getting in the pool, but it absolutely would not stop them. So we just had to make sure we had eyes on them at all times.

@ChiefEverythingOfficer last year we went Feb/March and all of August. Feb was wet season so we had a few days where it rained all day but usually just heavy showers and often overnight. High humidity but not unpleasant and the pool was lovely and warm. Seas were rough so we gave up on our idea of a trip to Lembongen as the ferries were cancelled a lot. I preferred August as with dry season the humidity was a lot less although it was windy (it’s not kite season for nothing) and the pool was much cooler. This Feb/Mar was weird, normal rainy season didn’t really happen in Sanur while we were there although it did in the rest of Bali. Rather strangely the only day it rained all day was Nyepi when you have to stay in your accommodation for 24 hours anyway and the Oogah Oogah parades the night before were a wash out. It was so hot and humid we ended up getting a Gojek (like Uber) for even short distances instead of walking, we have decided not to go again next Feb. We will spend August again there this year which I am really looking forward to. We have preciously been there in April and November, both nice, and a few times in January with variable weather.

I’ve been a few times in April because of the school holidays and it’s always been lovely. December is nearing the start of the rainy season, so there are occasional downpours, but mostly good weather.