Bali, February 2017 — A Family Holiday Together

In February 2017, we travelled to Bali for a short family holiday. It was my wife, our young son, my parents, my brother and me.

The trip was actually my wife’s idea. She wanted to take my parents somewhere for a holiday, and Bali seemed like a good choice. As a Hindu family, we were interested in Bali’s cultural and religious traditions, including its connections to stories such as the Ramayana. We thought it would be an interesting place for my mother to visit.

My wife had been to Bali before, but for the rest of us, it was our first time.

Our Villa in Dreamland

We stayed at the three-bedroom Amertha Villa Dreamland from 23 to 26 February. Instead of booking separate hotel rooms, we wanted somewhere the whole family could stay together. My wife particularly wanted the experience of staying in a private villa, and my brother and I were equally enthusiastic.

Looking out from the villa’s living and dining area through tall glass sliding doors to a long turquoise pool, loungers with orange cushions, a thatched pavilion and dense palms beyond, with a striped towel over a chair in the foreground. — The villa opened straight onto the pool.

It turned out to be one of the best parts of the holiday.

We had our own swimming pool, plenty of space and the freedom to spend our time however we liked. I still remember swimming in the pool, sipping a beer and enjoying the privacy. No strangers around, no interruptions, just our family. That was probably my favourite feeling from the whole trip.

We spent an entire day mostly around the villa, swimming and relaxing.

A spacious living room with a dark slate feature wall, a long white cabinet with a television, and a white corner sofa where someone lies asleep, with glass doors opening onto a tropical garden. — An afternoon rest in the villa's living room.

Having a kitchen was useful too. My mother was quite particular about food and had some dietary restrictions, so we cooked once or twice during our stay.

My brother and I also rented motorbikes through the villa. We rode around the nearby area, including trips to the supermarket. For longer outings with the family, we had a private driver whom we could call whenever we wanted to go somewhere.

There wasn’t much pressure to follow a fixed itinerary.

An Evening at the Beach

One evening, we made a trip to a beach to watch the sunset.

I can no longer remember the name of the beach, but I remember spending some time there towards the evening. The photographs show the shoreline, the fading sunlight and people walking along the water.

It was one of those simple outings that became part of the holiday, even though many of the details have faded with time.

Uluwatu Temple

We also visited Uluwatu Temple, perched high above the sea.

I wasn’t particularly fond of the monkeys around the temple, but the views were gorgeous. Looking down from the cliffs towards the blue sea was easily one of the highlights of the trip.

Looking down from a high clifftop over a deep blue sea, with lines of white surf breaking towards the foot of a layered limestone cliff topped by green scrub and a railed path. — Looking down from the cliffs at Uluwatu.

The religious statues and traditions were interesting too. Although we share the Hindu religion, the Balinese representations of deities and ways of worshipping were quite different from what we were familiar with back home. My mother found those differences interesting.

A white stone statue of a fierce many-armed giant grappling with monkeys, standing on a tall white arch over a turquoise pond with a dark monkey figure in the middle, surrounded by lawn, hedges and trees. — The statue of Kumbakarna, from the Ramayana, in the temple grounds.

My parents couldn’t walk for very long, so we had to stop and rest several times while exploring the temple grounds. We took things at their pace.

Visitors wearing purple sarongs stand along a carved stone balustrade at the cliff edge, some taking photographs of the sea, one holding an umbrella, with a wooded headland at left. — Visitors along the clifftop walk.

Food was another consideration throughout the trip. Because of my parents’ preferences, we looked for Indian restaurants and ended up eating at a place called Indian Dhaba. It was nice to have something familiar available.

A lime-green brick restaurant with a red-tiled Balinese roof and hanging globe lanterns, an Indian Dhaba banner by the door, wooden tables in the courtyard, and an adult bending towards a small child at the entrance. — Indian Dhaba.

A Difficult Night

Not everything went smoothly.

During the trip, our son became quite ill with vomiting and diarrhoea. I cannot remember exactly what caused it, but I do remember how difficult that night was.

We looked after him at the villa, and thankfully he recovered fairly quickly, as far as I remember, after about a night.

What I particularly remember is how understanding and helpful the villa staff were. They did whatever they could to assist us, and I have not forgotten their kindness.

Travelling with a young child can be unpredictable, and that night was certainly one of the less pleasant memories of the holiday.

Looking Back

What stays with me most about Bali isn’t just the places we visited.

It was the chance to have my parents, brother, wife and son together on a holiday. My parents enjoyed the experience, even if some of the walking was tiring and the places were unfamiliar to them.

The villa pool in late golden light, edged by palms and dense tropical planting, with a pavilion of orange cushions at the far end and a bather’s toes just breaking the surface in the foreground. — The villa pool in the evening light.

And whenever I think about that trip, I still picture the villa pool, the family nearby and myself enjoying a cold beer in the water without anyone disturbing us.

Sometimes, that’s all you really need from a holiday.