Spending hours in the air, transiting at the airport and luggage groaning with different clothes changes leaving little room for shopping, doesn’t really sound like a great holiday does it?
For none of the above, the answer lies in a trip within the region.
And Bali is a great choice for those who want a little of everything! Travel planners eOasia, who also happen to be travel enthusiasts, offer some great options for a holiday that’s different in Bali.
Three Family Picks
Bali is known for its wonderful beaches, but it doesn’t mean days on end building sand castles or chasing the surf.
Battle different waveswith great nature views to add, with an outing to Ubud that's just right for the tweens, teens and kids at heart.
The Telaga Waja River is one of Bali’s main rivers, rushing down the slopes of Mount Abang and creating white water rafting. Expect a bumpy but exhilarating ride during this 14km rafting tour.
The eOasia Telaga Waja River option comes with helmets, life jackets, insurance, safety-approved rafting equipment and professional river guide. So there really isn’t much to worry about, except maybe, just how wet you will get during the 2-hour ride.
Now specially priced at under US$50, the tour includes hotel transfers and a buffet lunch.
Get dirty. Perfect for older kids is a few hours spent off-road Quad-biking.
The fun starts from Payangan, a rural area in the central part of Bali, not too far from Ubud.
No driving license or experience is needed, just a love for fun as the teams head out for an unusual 2-hour adventure after some test track practices.
Those with kids aged 5-15 years, need not sit out. With helmets and insurance provided, all that’s needed is a set of strong arms to hold tight to the main rider of the Quad-bike that can seat two.
Follow the experienced guides on the easy-to-handle four-wheelers as you zoom the off-road vehicle down dirt tracks between homes, along beautiful rice fields, passing the rainforest and heading up the mountain.
The US$102.98 tour (US$49.58 for children) includes hotel transfers and lunch (halal and vegetarian requests available on request 48 hours ahead).
Atreetop adventure awaits those with children who are between 4-years-old and 12.
Have a day of fun and thrills at the European safety standards certified (EN 15567-1) set of open-air circuits set high in the trees of the Botanical Garden in Bedugul.
There are seven circuits linked from one tree to another, with varying height ranges between two and 20 meters. These add up to 72 challenges from suspended bridges, to Spider Nets and Flying Swings, that cater to all level and ages.
There are also a dozen options for the ever-popular Flying-Fox.
Tree-huggers will appreciate the innovative compression system on all circuit platforms that protect trees from damage, while concerned parents will approve of the attached life-line support at all times and patrol guides along the circuit ready to advise and assist from above and below.
At US$200 for a group of two adults and two children, this is a great deal that allows you to stay as long as you like and includes hotel transfers, entrance tickets to Bedugul Botanical Gardens and Ulun Danu Bratan Temple, as well as lunch.
Just for us
If planning a trip that's either with the girls, only for the guys or the couple’s escape, Bali can be pretty magical and out of the ordinary.
Here are three eOasia deals to add to the must-do list.
Have a jumbo-sized, awesomely different breakfast. That means, breakfast with elephants!
Just hop out of bed and brush your teeth (comb your hair if you must), to keep a huge date with a new friend who won’t judge (even if you didn’t brush your teeth) and will be big on hugs.
Enjoy an incredible experience with the elephants in their bathing lake as they take you on their morning bath.
This is an exclusive and rare experience to be part of one of the elephants' favorite rituals of the day. The US$106 (US$74 for children) deal allows you to bathe the elephants as well as play and feed them.
Your new friend will also happily take you for a ride through the lush jungle of Taro. That means you're highly likely to have forgotten about breakfast, which is a gourmet spread in a restaurant overlooking a lake where the elephants romp, splash and play.
If you can pull yourself away from the gentle giants with wet noses and soulful eyes, you’ll also get to enjoy a little show put up by your new BFF and friends.
Silver-edged memories are assured with this great day trip to Ubud.
Why buy a souvenir trinket when you can make your own in silver keepsake? That’s the treat in this very affordable (US$26) fun few hours at the workshop of a local jewelry maker who learnt from the age of nine, the intricacies of the craft from her silversmith parents.
Afternoon tea and transport from Ubud is included for this outing that will see you take home a certificate and your own creation.
And if you want to spend the rest of the day in Ubud giving release to your creative side, the eOasia team can help organise other workshops in the area – from batik painting to mask carving and Balinese dancing.
Food, food and more food. No trip is complete without a local dining experience like no other, and what fits the bill is the Grand Rijsttafel.
This under US$50 dinner promises an amazing night around an Indonesian feast with all the flavors that Indonesia has to offer.
The feast of 20 Indonesian dishes with a serving of traditional chicken soup (Soto Ayam) to start, dessert and mineral water, is available in Kuta.
Try to plan for dinner on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 6.30 pm and 7pm so as to catch the dance performance that’s staged.
This article was produced in association with eOasia.