Fabulous Indonesia family vacation with teens and young adults
Indonesia
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Aug 11 - Aug 22, 2026
We loved our trip to Indonesia! We especially appreciated having a local agent to interact with on WhatsApp while we were in country. Ciella's check-ins and help were invaluable, especially when an earthquake occurred and our plans had to be adjusted. She and the guides/drivers took care of us, made sure we were safe, and rescheduled our plans to make it possible for us to do as many activities as we could after the event. We appreciated our guides--Arif, Edi, and Ibnu--and their knowledge. They were patient and understanding of our family's needs, and they made sure we ate well, even with some who are more picky, and saw all we wanted to see. It was so nice to be able to go where we wanted (with a family of six!) and not worry about logistics, fees, and parking! In addition, our hotel accommodations were amazing! We were very impressed.
One of our favorite parts of the trip was the day of island hopping on Komodo Island and Padar Island. All of the stops were incredible, and even though we couldn't do any scuba diving, we enjoyed the sights and snorkeling. Arif was very patient with us in our snorkeling and helped the kids enjoy it. Another favorite part was the stop at the Jatiluwih rice terraces. We would have liked to spend more time there, though the 2-3 hours at sunset we had was magical. We appreciate that Edi and Parlan were willing to stay late with us and let us enjoy it even after dark. The monkey forest was better than anticipated, as was our visit to Borobudur.
If we were to do this trip again, we would choose not to go to Nusa Penida (this is something we arranged on our own on a free day), or we would snorkel and see the island from the sea instead of from land. We would also tour more around Nusa Dua, as Jessica suggested. If we had more time (perhaps 14 days instead of 12), we would include the sunrise volcano visit and Java cave rappelling that Jessica recommended, or add another day in Labuan Bajo to do more snorkeling/diving/exploring.
Hotel Reviews
Beautiful resort with a great pool, beach, and restaurant. Rooms were separate villas. The private outdoor showers and toilets were a surprise, but not a bad one. The spa was great, as was the food on site. We enjoyed the resort's Indonesian buffet night. We especially loved the beautifully landscaped garden grounds.
We loved this fantastic villa! It was so beautiful and comfortable--perfect for a family of six. The pool and patio were gorgeous, and the rooms very comfortable. Our agent arranged for a chef to come each morning and provide breakfast, which was so nice! The only thing to know ahead of time is that the villa isn't near any businesses or restaurants. So you'll need to book rides or order delivery from Gojek for meals. If a clothes washing machine were also available on the property, that would be ideal. But the overall experience was top notch.
Great location near Malioboro Street, with wonderful character and decor. The pool was beautiful, and the breakfast buffet was amazing. Rooms were comfortable and worked well for our family.
Activity Reviews
The Padar Island views were incredible and very worth the climb. Komodo Island was incredible. We saw half a dozen komodo dragons up close. We enjoyed the beauty of Pink Beach and all the snorkeling stops. Some of us were lucky enough to see sharks, mantas, and turtles, though the reefs and fish were incredible on their own. Even though an earthquake meant we had to reschedule our initial plans (and skip scuba diving), this was the best day of our trip to Indonesia and satisfied all ages in our family of six (teens, young adults, adults).
The way this site is organized to manage the flow of many visitors was impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed the temple, learned a lot from our guide, and felt we were able to get great photos despite the crowds--especially toward the end of our allotted hour. It's an impressive site!
A beautiful site on the sea! Very picturesque.
Not as picturesque as expected, but still nice. It's a short walk, and it was neat to see the temple at the start. You can get glimpses of the ravines on each side, but jungle growth makes vista photos difficult. Overall, this isn't a must see, but it's nice if you have a little time or are staying nearby.
Beautiful waterfalls and a wonderful area. The hike down and back is steep, but doable. Most people only get in the water long enough to take a photo, and the site is wonderful even if you don't get wet. An excellent activity.
For personal reasons, we didn't have time to do as much as we would have liked. We only stopped at one place: pottery. We enjoyed it and the bike riding. My husband and I actually enjoyed it most, and we were surprised that our teens and young adults weren't as engaged with the hands-on activity. We might have been better off choosing something more adventurous with them.
Better than anticipated. A very fun activity, and great with kids.
Not as large as expected, though not bad. If you've visited cave systems in the United States or parts of Europe, you've probably seen much more impressive caves. Don't go out of your way to visit.
Public areas are smaller than expected, though elaborate and amazing. It's certainly worth a visit, but this site won't take a long time.
Very cool temple complex! There's more than just the elephant cave entrance. The ravine cascade was very nice. This won't be a long visit, but it's a nice one.
The grounds and gardens are much larger and more elaborate than expected. It makes for a longer, beautiful experience. There are a few smaller attractions within the grounds as well. The animals were a big hit with our young teens. It's best to visit on a day that's not cloudy, so you can see the mountains behind the lake.
Cool temple! This is large and ancient and a must see. Our guide gave us plenty of great information, which was helpful because there isn't any explanatory info otherwise.
The show is interesting, but very long. There are two 90-minute parts, with an intermission. It was too much for our teens and young adults, so we stayed only for the first half. Unless you pay for cushioned seating, you'll be sitting on the side on rough stone benches, which gets uncomfortable fast. That said, the artistry was nice, and there were some fun acrobatics and fireworks. The second half probably had more of this, but we did get a good amount in just the first half. We didn't regret leaving early.
Great views!
A nice souvenir shopping experience. I expected more unique offerings, but you can find mostly the same items store to store (and in other locations in Bali).
This is one of the best things you can do in Bali. It's much larger than you might expect. Plan to spend plenty of time. We were there for three hours at sunset and wished we had more time to explore farther. It's simply breathtaking.
