Last month, we took a very last minute 3 day weekend in Bali. We had no time to plan anything and wanted an easy beach holiday so we decided to stay in Nusa Dua at the Grand Hyatt.
Nusa Dua is quite unexciting and its location is not strategic to explore other parts of Bali but it is only 35min away from the airport, has nice beaches and plenty of family-friendly resorts. We normally stay in a villa when going to Bali but with 2 small kids and only 3 days (more like 2 when you take out the traveling time), I must say staying in a big hotel made things very easy and our short break was as relaxing as can be with two small children.
The Grand Hyatt is a great hotel for families: the standard room could comfortably accommodate the 4 of us (the lounge sofa can be converted into a large single bed), lots of dining options (and the only mall of Nusa Dua, Bali Collection, is 5min walk away), great kid facilities (huge grounds with lots of green areas, friendly squirrels and wild animals, water slides, very nice kids club but note that parents are NOT allowed to stay). The beach is perfect: shallow water, no waves (there were actually waves but quite far away from shore, where we could see people surfing) and had a little bit of wildlife, which our kids love to explore.
We even managed to go out one evening for an amazing meal at Cuca restaurant in Jimbaran (20min drive). I was not overly enthused at the idea of bringing the kids to a fine dinning restaurant but Cuca is really kid friendly. The kids menu was delicious (how often do you actually want to eat your kid’s food?), and the restaurant was equipped with everything: highchairs, plastic dinnerware, crayons and coloring, balloons, and special treats (cotton candy, chocolate)…
All in all, an easy break from Jakarta and really worth it despite the hassle of traveling.
What to pack? Check my packing list here