Bali here we come!

Booked tickets on Friday 23 May 2014. Decided to go during Deepavali...

Japan... Not this time but will keep in mind ;-)

Bali. When I was not married, I heard it's a great place to go for honeymoon. People say it's romantic. I guess so....

Now that I'm married, Bali never crossed my mind as a destination to bring kids for a holiday due to the general label of Bali. When Japan was not possible this year, I was looking for something outside Malaysia, other than Thailand (because I've brought them to Krabi), kids friendly and within this year's budget.

Bali. OK, let's look at the fare...Hmmm, divide by two..Not so bad, I can afford that. But what's in Bali that suitable for kids? The bombing tragedy, is Bali safe? What are going to do in Bali if everyone are on their honeymoon? (imagining I would have to close my kids eye from whatever honeymooners do)....

Those were my primitive thoughts before I googled information of Bali and here are things which have switched my thinking:

Now everyone can fly. Bali is not a destination for honeymooners anymore. The fare is so affordable that you can bring your whole family there.
IT gives access to information specific to your needs. Thanks to blogs and forums, you'll find Bali is not just a place for newly weds. It's a travel destination for people who want to see and experience different things from home except for Indonesians, I guess. Because Bali is part of Indonesia so the culture, place may be similar.

Suddenly I have this interest to go and experience Bali although with 4 kids!

I found Bali has a variety of accommodation and the most popular is the affordable 'luxurious' villa compared to other destination like Phuket, Koh Samui etc (not that I've been there). It was hard for me to choose but I have finally chosen.

Accommodation
1st I approached Agoda & Booking.com looking for hotels. Included in the list were also these places with word 'villa' attached to it and 'private swimming pool'. I thought I could not afford them because the list always put recommended and popular listing first. Yeah, some villas can go up to  >RM1,000 per night.
This is when some research and perseverance will definitely help you and it pays to plan than to book at the last minute. Unless, the unknown excites you, of course....As for me, I don't want to get dissappointed after paying so much and travelling with kids, I have to be prepared to avoid chaos...

Using Krabi as a yardstick, I estimated the cost should be around the same about RM1,200 for 3 nights. Now this is why I agree when people say Bali is affordable.... With additional RM200 to that RM1,200, I can get a private swimming pool! Yes, Somkiet Buri Krabi was really good but Bali villas seems so.... luxurious!

But I still reserve some excitement because the problem with Bali, the pictures sometimes don't really show the truth. This is when TripAdvisor is a very good reference because it has pictures taken by people who have really gone to the place. Yet, you still have to use own judgement and rationale because your travel needs or goals may not be same as others.