A family-friendly villa in Uluwatu, and how to tell if any villa really is one
Most Bali villas get called family-friendly because they have more than one bedroom and a pool. We built Endless Summer for our own children first. This page sets out what that meant, with the numbers, so you can compare it with anything else you're looking at.
The pool
5 × 3 metres, 1 metre deep, with a seating ledge at 0.5 metres. A four-year-old can stand in it with their head above water, and toddlers sit on the ledge. It's small on purpose: one adult can watch the whole pool from the kitchen. If you want it fenced, we install a removable fence for IDR 250,000 a day plus IDR 150,000 delivery.
Somewhere to burn energy indoors
The play area sits between the kitchen and dining table, so you can cook and still see them. There's a 2.4-metre climbing wall for children three and up, a wall bar with rings and a climbing rope, an easel, jigsaws and a shelf of toys. On wet-season afternoons this is where the day happens.
Bedrooms
The kids' room is upstairs next to the main bedroom, with two single beds, a pull-out that becomes a king, and its own bathroom. The main bedroom has a king bed, an ensuite and an in-room bathtub, useful at bath time. Downstairs are a king guest room beside the pool and a lounge with a sofa bed, a TV for movie nights, and a door you can close when the play area gets loud. The villa sleeps up to 8 guests.
Baby and toddler kit, free
Cot (babies up to six months), bed rails, baby bathtub, steriliser, playpen, high chair and stair gate. Tell us before you arrive and they'll be set up. A full-size cot can be rented for older babies.
Breakfast at the villa
Ohana, five minutes away, delivers breakfast to the villa. Order a day ahead and they send someone to plate it here, on our own plates; same-day orders work too, and our team plates them. The minimum order is two adult sets (about IDR 400,000 plus tax and service) and there is no delivery charge. Our favourites are the Turkish breakfast and the Ohana big breakfast. For a birthday or your first morning, ask for it as a floating breakfast in the pool, served on our heart-shaped tray. Bu Audrie, our host, takes the order.
Arriving and leaving
Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 11am. Send Bu Audrie your arrival time and the baby kit you need, and the cot, bed rails and stair gate will be set up before you walk in. Airport pick-up isn’t included, but we can arrange a driver at your own cost.
Water and power
Every tap, shower and the pool runs through a multi-media filtration system, and 7,000 litres of storage tanks cover supply cuts. A 6.6 kW solar array with lithium battery keeps the villa running through the area's power outages. With small children, those two matter more than a view.
Five minutes from the villa
Ohana Kids Paradise: a short walk from the villa. A restaurant with a supervised playground, trampoline, sandpit and toddler area, so you can eat while the children play. Our 4pm fix, and our guests get 10% off.
Tarabelle: a café with an indoor kids’ club from six months, a few minutes’ drive. Our wet-day plan, with good coffee, and 10% off for our guests.
Fresh Mart: the best-stocked international supermarket on the Bukit, about five minutes on foot.
Melasti Beach: about ten minutes by car, with the easiest beach access in the area. Go at low tide, when the rock pools open up; our tide forecast shows the best times for kids each day.
Further afield: Gunung Payung, Suluban and Pandawa beaches, GWK Cultural Park, pony rides at Royal Sporthorse and Waterbom are all on our Uluwatu with Kids page, with prices, opening hours and tide tips.
Before you book any Bali villa with kids, ask
1. How deep is the pool, in metres, at the shallowest point?
2. Can you reach the children's bedroom without going outside?
3. Is the water filtered, or only the drinking water?
4. Which baby items are included, and which cost extra?
5. What happens during a power cut?
6. How far is the nearest beach a toddler can actually use?
If a listing can't answer these, it was designed for couples and adapted for families afterwards.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
It suits families with babies to around ten, and two families travelling together. It doesn't suit groups looking for an ocean view or a party villa. We're on a village lane in Ungasan: you'll hear roosters and a neighbour's dog, and the children will probably spend some time watching the cow next door.
Questions parents ask us
Is the pool safe for toddlers?
It's 1 metre deep throughout with a ledge at 0.5 metres, so small children can stand on the ledge and most four-year-olds can stand in the main pool. It isn't fenced by default. A removable pool fence costs IDR 250,000 a day plus IDR 150,000 delivery; tell us before you arrive and it will be up when you walk in.
What baby gear do you have?
A cot for babies up to six months, bed rails, a baby bathtub, a steriliser, a playpen, a high chair and a stair gate, all free. Tell us what you need before check-in and we'll set it up. For older babies we can arrange a full-size cot to rent.
How are the bedrooms laid out?
Upstairs: the main bedroom (king bed, ensuite, in-room bathtub) and the kids' room (two singles and a pull-out, ensuite). Downstairs: a guest room by the pool (king, ensuite) and the lounge, which has a sofa bed that opens to a king.
Is it close to a beach?
Melasti is about ten minutes by car. You can drive right down to the sand, and it's the easiest beach on the Bukit with small children. Suluban, through the sea caves below the Uluwatu surf break, is best at low tide for rock pools. Gunung Payung is quieter and unspoilt, with a tram down the cliff.
When's the best time to go to the beach with kids?
At low tide, in daylight. That's when the rock pools open up at Melasti and Suluban, and the current at Melasti is gentler than at mid and high tide. Low tide comes at a different time each day, and some low tides stay too high for rock pools, so check our tide forecast.
Can we walk anywhere?
Yes, though not to a tourist strip. We're on a quiet village lane with cows, a local temple and family homes, and children often end up joining the neighbourhood kids flying kites or riding bikes. SODA and Fresh Mart, the international grocer, are a five-minute walk. Ohana Kids Paradise and Ola Socials padel are about ten minutes on foot.
How do we avoid Bali belly?
At the villa, every tap, shower and the pool runs through a multi-media filtration system, so bath time, teeth-brushing and a mouthful of pool water are less of a worry. Out and about, stick to bottled or filtered water, choose busy places where food turns over quickly, and wash hands before snacks after the beach. If someone does get sick, UNICARE Medical Clinic does villa visits.
What if a child gets sick?
We use UNICARE Medical Clinic for our own children. They do villa visits and have clinics in Uluwatu and Nusa Dua; we'll give you their number at check-in.