Fiji or bali holiday with one year old

[random111]

Hey all

need some help

looking for a one week holiday for the wife and I with our 1 year old girl.

Happy to stay on property for 80% of time sitting by pool & close to room so baby can nap

I've been to bali, stayed in seminyak on a boys trip when younger, not sure i'd be very relaxed with a 1 year old there, but have heard nusa dua and other places have bigger & more kid friendly resorts.

Fiji looks great, places like intercontinental, shangri la, radisson etc all look very nice and big.

Have heard food prices are crazy, so will maybe look at a meal plan if possible.

What & where would you recommend?

Baby will still be napping 1-2 times a day so excursions etc are not really a likelihood for us, hence the resort itself will need to be spectacular so we really enjoy ourselves.

We're more than happy to sit by pool reading, playing with bub etc.

Also, concerned re return leg from Fiji to Mel being over 6 hours, so thinking buying Y tickets and upgrading to J via point redemption

Any advise you can provide will be appreciated.

 

[GarrettM]

From Melbourne I guess you're looking at similar flight times either way?
Although Fiji would be two sectors I think?

Do you have any experience of bub on a flight? We have a 15 month old who's done a couple cross country trips now, but wouldn't be too keen on testing her further just yet. Next year we will.

Personally I'd go Fiji.

 

[yohy?!]

i would rule bali out altogether (even nusa dua), too much hassle for a 1 year old. fiji is your go-to for a young family holiday

 

[random111]

From Melbourne I guess you're looking at similar flight times either way?
Although Fiji would be two sectors I think?

Do you have any experience of bub on a flight? We have a 15 month old who's done a couple cross country trips now, but wouldn't be too keen on testing her further just yet. Next year we will.

Personally I'd go Fiji.

Thanks for response, she's never been on a plane before - we are very nervous about it, especially as she is crawling and standing up where she can

We would be flying VA: MEL - NAD - MEL

both flights are direct, 4.5 hours there and 6.5 hours back - must be some serious headwinds / tailwinds or a completely different routes that create such a difference in flight times?

Fiji was my choice too but so many people rave about Bali with kids that we were considering heading to the more remote areas.

Having been to bali, albeit a while ago and when I wasn't looking at it from a parents perspective I had a great time. However I was not entirely comfortable of the idea of having a 1 year old there, with the smoking, bogan factor etc and i can see myself not having a good time

 

[random111]

i would rule bali out altogether (even nusa dua), too much hassle for a 1 year old. fiji is your go-to for a young family holiday

Thanks!

Seems that way from my own experience and from the majority of opinions

 

[Steelo]

I certainly would not rule out Bali with young children - from my experience it can be great. I would check out the resort available at Bali versus Fiji - both have pros and cons - with issues like direct flights available - fare costs and travel on ground - and access to a comfortable and accessible area outside of the resort. Fiji resooorts can be a bit isolated - so depends whether you want to try and get out for the night.

There are places in Bali which are more suitable than others - and it all comes down to the accommodation and location. You can often get a reasonable priced fare in JQ business class to Bali - and a young child could travel well on you lap if you choose the right seat. Don't be put off by the bogan reputation of Bali - there are some very family friendly places.

 

[docjames]

We took minidoc to Fiji at ~10 months old. So crawling but not walking.

Fijians love children, and the flights weren't too bad if you can keep the little one entertained - food, sleep, reading books etc.

We spent 99% of the time at the resort, and did one "cultural outing" for want of a better description.

We're repeating the trip in October with minidoc1 (now 5 1/2) and minidoc2 (now 2.5). No hesitation to return to fiji.

As a tip, AusPost (on behalf of the passportoffice) can be really pedantic and the stardard timelines are 3 weeks turnaround so make sure you leave time for that prior to going.

 

[random111]

We took minidoc to Fiji at ~10 months old. So crawling but not walking.

Fijians love children, and the flights weren't too bad if you can keep the little one entertained - food, sleep, reading books etc.

We spent 99% of the time at the resort, and did one "cultural outing" for want of a better description.

We're repeating the trip in October with minidoc1 (now 5 1/2) and minidoc2 (now 2.5). No hesitation to return to fiji.

As a tip, AusPost (on behalf of the passportoffice) can be really pedantic and the stardard timelines are 3 weeks turnaround so make sure you leave time for that prior to going.

Awesome, thanks for the tip!!

Where did you stay if you don't mind sharing

We will be much the same, spending most of the time in the resort.

Looking at Radisson blu - 1 bed suit with washing machine & dryer - they I believe will come in handy with bub

Also looking at intercontinental, outrigger, shangri-la, sheraton etc but non seem to have 1 bed suites available

 

[Pushka]

Either would be great, Nusa Dua is an enclave, very protected and with the new road, quick to get there. Fijian's love kids, Fiji would also be great. Can't go wrong really.

 

[dodgeyhack]

Can't comment on Bali, but Denaru in Fiji with a one year old works well. I think our daughter was more like 9 months. The resorts are obviously nice. The Bula bus travels around Denaru so you can visit other resorts and the port, and the bus will take a pram - we took our Bugaboo so she'd have somewhere nice to sleep, and they don't come much bigger. The locals are great with kids which means good baby sitters, and when you go to a restaurant the little one is welcomed (and taken on a tour of the kitchen to meet everyone if you're ok with that - which is nice for a few moments of breathing space). We mostly hung around the resort and the island, but we did a full day catamaran cruise and just took the pram on board. It was a couple of hours sailing each way with lunch and a swim and snorkel at a sand bank in the middle of the day. We did feel a little out of place since everyone else was just couples but none of them really cared, and the crew being Fijian enjoyed playing with our daughter and were generally really helpful. On the FJ A330, the front of Y is packed with babies so no one cares about crying and it's quite a nice atmosphere. I'd highly recommend the A330 for the space to walk around and get to the loos even when meal carts, etc are around.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Fiji all the way. Bali shouldn't be a consideration. They are in different categories for families.

Don't be fooled into thinking Bali is an option by those that have a blinkered view for the place. These people become rabid at the mere indication that someone doesn't love Bali like they do. Just watch them come out of the woodwork to defend the place. When someone tries to oversell a location it's rather obvious that there are problems with it.

 

[Boris spatsky]

I recommend Vanuatu - cheaper and shorter flight than Fiji, but excellent resorts. The Iririki has a kids pool that is very big and shallow. We spent days there with ours at that age, it was great.

 

[docjames]

We did Intercontinental 2011 and we are booked again later this year. Both times just a basic room (it's warm and you spend most time in bathers so forget about washing, just take it home with you - we hand washed a few things!). We've booked there again.

We also stayed at Iririki in Vanuatu back in 2003 (pre-kids). It's also good.

 

[dajop]

Fiji all the way. Bali shouldn't be a consideration. They are in different categories for families.

Not at all true. People think of Bali as Seminyak + Kuta and drug/alcohol fuelled parties, me too until I went there (I've been three times now, but never visited Kuta). It is more than that (for the non-bogan set, it's expensive dinners and coughtails by the pool at a resort instead )

We went to Bali with my brother and his family - at the time his boys were 3.5 and 14 months. We stayed at three different resorts (in Sanur, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua), and all were absolutely fine and the kids had a ball in and around the pools. In factbNusa Dua actually seems very similar to Denaru Island in Fiji - an isolated resort enclave.

IMHO, either would be fine for families, just depends on the weather and what bang you can get for your buck given the time of booking. I'd probably look to see if it is rainy season in one or the other during the time of year when you will be travelling, before deciding.

 

[Pushka]

Fiji all the way. Bali shouldn't be a consideration. They are in different categories for families.

Don't be fooled into thinking Bali is an option by those that have a blinkered view for the place.

And don't be fooled into thinking all of Bali is awful by people who think Bali is just about Kuta and bogans.

Jimbaran Bay and the more remote beaches are wonderful.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Jimbaran Bay and the more remote beaches are wonderful.

Having stayed at Jimbaran Bay I couldn't disagree more.

Bali has a place for holidayers, but in my view should not be a consideration for families who want a cheap, stress free, relaxing holiday.

Having been to both places multiple times with and without a family in each location, I stand by the views I have stated very clearly.

 

[Pushka]

Having stayed at Jimbaran Bay I couldn't disagree more.

Bali has a place for holidayers, but in my view should not be a consideration for families who want a cheap, stress free, relaxing holiday.

Feel free to have your opinion but no need to denounce those who find otherwise, and say we are fanbois.

I find the Intercontinental Bali rather stress free myself. Did the OP ask for cheap? No, just checked.

 

[dajop]

should not be a consideration for families who want a cheap, stress free, relaxing holiday.

Nusa Dua (Bali), Denaru Island (Fiji), Ao Nang Beach (Krabi, Thailand), Palm Cove (Qld), {insert resort enclave anywhere}, etc etc etc, they all seem the same to me, and ideal for stress free, relaxing holiday. Sometimes not always cheap. The most stressful part of staying in Nusa Dua was making sure you timed your breakfast right to avoid the crowds .....

But I would agree on Jimbaran, it did nothing for me.

 

[Simo]

We have done Fiji and stayed at the Westin on Denaru Island and been superb as a family holiday spot

 

[Cynicor]

Went to Bali with a 1 YO 2 years back. Stayed at Conrad Nusa Dua and it was easy and great. No hassles, fine on the plane. Best part was we could take a twin aisle plane (Garuda).