Since we were in Bali when Ezmé was 4.5 months old, we discovered that her morning nap was non-negotiable. We would get up early (7:30-8:30) and drive the scooter into Canggu for brunch and make sure we were back to our home base in time for her snooze around 10 or 11. Then we would lounge by the Airbnb pool for an hour or so until she woke up. This allowed us to break the day up into two excursions. Most afternoons we would bike into town and relax on the beach until dinnertime. James even got to go surfing a couple of times and I got to lay out and relax in the sun.
We were super impressed with Canggu so spent almost our whole trip exploring, shopping, and eating our way through the town. Each cafe we went to had wonderful coffee, the restaurants had beautiful & delicious food with TONS of veggie options, and the boutique shopping was to die for (especially for two large Americans who have been living in Japan for a year). I'll leave a list of our favorites at the end of the post!
Two of the days however, we decided to throw caution to the wind and forego nap time in order to get out and explore a bit more of the island. One day we hired a wonderful driver for the day to take us on a tour of some of the lesser known temples and landmarks. We even got to take place in a buddhist blessing which was a fun experience. Driving through the countryside was also quite a treat (when Ezmé wasn't losing her shit) because we got to see all of the lush greenery outside the town limits. She did a decent job napping in the car as we drove from place to place but I was glad we got home by six in order to put her down for the night because she was definitely done sitting in a car. Also, as far as cars are concerned, we chose not to bring a car seat and simply held her the whole time. When we were on the motorbike, I rode behind James and wore her (we went like 15 mph, and saw other parents doing the same so please, no comments about child safety, in this part of the world everyone rides on a scooter and is fine.)
Another day we drove into Ubud for the day to see the Monkey Forest. It was well worth the drive even though we only stayed for a couple of hours and then headed home. Ubud was really touristy, but we still enjoyed it and would love to go back and explore a bit more. It had an almost mountain-y feel to it.
Overall, I'm really pleased that we chose Bali as our first post baby trip. The large differentiation of travelers, locals, and expats provided a very diverse cultural experience that we loved. The scenery, food, and shopping was great. And we enjoyed the slow, beachy pace of life there. We definitely feel like we only scratched the surface and plan on returning to Bali for at least one more trip before heading back to America!
So, if you have a small baby and feel like travel is out of the question, don't write it off just yet. Is it different than traveling alone? Yes. Are some things harder than before? Duh. But, your life doesn't have to stop after having a kid, and the sooner you get them used to traveling, the better they will be at it! So rip the band aid off and go for it!
Final Thoughts...
Favorite Restaurants:
The Betelnut Cafe (recommended by The Luxe Travelers)
The Lawn (swanky but still kid friendly)
Milk & Madu (super kid friendly with amazing coffee and food)
Parachute (they had chickens and a huge garden out back to explore)
Old Mans (great mahi burger, and right next to the beach)
Extra Tips:
Bring a stroller...we chose not to and got pretty tired of carrying/wearing the nugget
Bring a baby carrier...this was absolutely clutch for riding a motorbike, exploring temples etc
Bring a water bottle that you can refill and chug it all day
Liquor is expensive so be prepared for that
Grab (the car app) doesn't work everywhere, and sometimes taxis are few and far between
Make sure your Airbnb has baby amenities (we forgot to make sure it had a tub...)
Plan around baby's nap time/ bed time
Always bring extra diapers and a change of clothes in case of blow outs #yikes
Happy traveling!
We were super impressed with Canggu so spent almost our whole trip exploring, shopping, and eating our way through the town. Each cafe we went to had wonderful coffee, the restaurants had beautiful & delicious food with TONS of veggie options, and the boutique shopping was to die for (especially for two large Americans who have been living in Japan for a year). I'll leave a list of our favorites at the end of the post!
Two of the days however, we decided to throw caution to the wind and forego nap time in order to get out and explore a bit more of the island. One day we hired a wonderful driver for the day to take us on a tour of some of the lesser known temples and landmarks. We even got to take place in a buddhist blessing which was a fun experience. Driving through the countryside was also quite a treat (when Ezmé wasn't losing her shit) because we got to see all of the lush greenery outside the town limits. She did a decent job napping in the car as we drove from place to place but I was glad we got home by six in order to put her down for the night because she was definitely done sitting in a car. Also, as far as cars are concerned, we chose not to bring a car seat and simply held her the whole time. When we were on the motorbike, I rode behind James and wore her (we went like 15 mph, and saw other parents doing the same so please, no comments about child safety, in this part of the world everyone rides on a scooter and is fine.)
Another day we drove into Ubud for the day to see the Monkey Forest. It was well worth the drive even though we only stayed for a couple of hours and then headed home. Ubud was really touristy, but we still enjoyed it and would love to go back and explore a bit more. It had an almost mountain-y feel to it.
Overall, I'm really pleased that we chose Bali as our first post baby trip. The large differentiation of travelers, locals, and expats provided a very diverse cultural experience that we loved. The scenery, food, and shopping was great. And we enjoyed the slow, beachy pace of life there. We definitely feel like we only scratched the surface and plan on returning to Bali for at least one more trip before heading back to America!
So, if you have a small baby and feel like travel is out of the question, don't write it off just yet. Is it different than traveling alone? Yes. Are some things harder than before? Duh. But, your life doesn't have to stop after having a kid, and the sooner you get them used to traveling, the better they will be at it! So rip the band aid off and go for it!
Final Thoughts...
Favorite Restaurants:
The Betelnut Cafe (recommended by The Luxe Travelers)
The Lawn (swanky but still kid friendly)
Milk & Madu (super kid friendly with amazing coffee and food)
Parachute (they had chickens and a huge garden out back to explore)
Old Mans (great mahi burger, and right next to the beach)
Extra Tips:
Bring a stroller...we chose not to and got pretty tired of carrying/wearing the nugget
Bring a baby carrier...this was absolutely clutch for riding a motorbike, exploring temples etc
Bring a water bottle that you can refill and chug it all day
Liquor is expensive so be prepared for that
Grab (the car app) doesn't work everywhere, and sometimes taxis are few and far between
Make sure your Airbnb has baby amenities (we forgot to make sure it had a tub...)
Plan around baby's nap time/ bed time
Always bring extra diapers and a change of clothes in case of blow outs #yikes
Happy traveling!
