This one is a bit different, because we are not in Dubai. We are at the top of Mount Batur in Bali, and the view is absolutely stunning.
We are here for the boys' summer holidays, doing a four week stay across three different places. Ubud is part one.
Before you ask what a Bali trip is doing on a Dubai channel, here is Adam's reasoning, and we think it holds up:
"If you relocate and move your family to Dubai, accessing this part of the world for your holidays is something we are only doing because we live in Dubai. So it feels like an actual extension to the channel."
Where we stayed
We booked a villa in Ubud through Airbnb and it set a high bar for the rest of the trip. Two double bedrooms either side of the main living space, a pool, a sunken seating area, and rice fields as the view.
Things that stood out:
- An outdoor bath, which we tried after the sunrise hike and would recommend to anyone with jelly legs
- An outdoor shower in the boys' room, which we did not try and now slightly regret
- Daily cleaning, so the place was spotless every time we came back
- Toiletries included for the whole stay, not just a token bottle
Worth knowing: the main living area has fans rather than air conditioning, so you tend to keep the doors open. That does mean the occasional visitor. We had a lizard in one night and Sara could not relax.
First impressions of Ubud
Green. Relentlessly green. Scooters everywhere and not much in the way of pavement for walking.
What struck both of us most was the people. Similar to Thailand, everyone seems happy and smiling, with a feel good attitude that is genuinely infectious.
Riley, aged eleven, put it better than either of us:
"They have nothing to show on the roads. They are just trying to get where they need to go, without any ego. Which is very different to Dubai."
What we did
White water rafting: the winner
If you do one thing, do this. Both boys named it their favourite activity of the week and Adam agreed.
The whole thing takes around two and a half hours. You go out in the raft for about an hour, stop for a drink (you do not need cash, they give you a receipt and you settle up back at base), then carry on. Lunch at base was included in the price.
Big shout out to Ben, our guide, who stayed with us the whole way, had the banter, and made us feel completely safe. We saw an otter and a snake in a tree, black with yellow rings, which the boys absolutely loved.
Buggies at Green Bali Adventure
You get kitted out with wellies, socks, helmets and headbands. Reggie was put in charge of the GoPro, so most of that footage is his.
Adam would narrowly pick the rafting over the buggies, but it is tight. If you have time, do both, because they are completely different experiences.
Mount Batur at sunrise
A 2am pick up, about an hour to the base, then the climb in the dark.
Roughly an hour and 45 minutes up and an hour to an hour and ten back down, so about four hours on the mountain in total. It is harder in the dark, and it is slippery in places.
Footwear was our fail. We all went up in new white trainers, which was optimistic at best.
The sun broke, then clouds rolled over and we thought we had missed it. But round the corner, because it is an active volcano, there is steam coming off the ground, and there is a trick where you blow onto it with a stick to get the steam going. The boys loved that. By the time we came back round, the sun was visible again and we got the view.
It was on Sara's bucket list and the guides were fantastic. If you are coming to Bali, do it.
Titi Batu
Five to ten minutes' walk from where we stayed. You buy a day pass and get a pool, basketball court, skate park, play area, gym, sauna, steam room and cold plunge, plus a cafe.
Upstairs is adults only, which makes a decent co-working space. We had been up at 2:30am watching the football, so this became our recovery day.
The Monkey Forest
Sara was not keen. Sara was, in fact, extremely not keen, and it did not help that Adam announced to the boys on the way in that he would be protecting her before them.
She made it through with no monkeys jumping on her, and was glad she went. Practical tip: keep your phone away, because they are known snatchers.
The waterfall
We picked one waterfall rather than trying to do them all, on the recommendation of another travel channel that had ranked the seven best in Ubud. Tickets were 25,000 rupiah per person, and we deliberately chose one with a short walk down rather than 500 steps.
Ubud Art Market
Part indoor, part open air. The boys bought a suitcase each and did their own bartering, which was good for them.
Do not accept the first price. Nobody was pushy about it, and the starting price definitely comes down.
Food and value
Coming from Dubai prices, the value in Bali is startling.
Breakfast on our first morning: three iced coffees, a milkshake, a frappuccino, two smoothie bowls and two main meals for the boys, all in for about 24 pounds.
Sara also declared the sushi at one spot the best she has ever had, which is a bold claim in a household where Nobu is the reigning favourite.
What the family said
Reggie: go to the waterfall. You can get into the river part, but the current is strong, so be careful.
Riley: the waterfall and the villa. He also said the trip brought him and Reggie closer together, which is not the sort of thing you expect an eleven year old to volunteer.
Sara: the villa, the people, and how safe she felt. That last point mattered more than she expected, having felt genuinely unsafe on a trip to Paris the summer before. The rafting and the buggies were her highlights.
Adam: the lack of ego on the roads, and a personal reminder. He was in two minds about coming away at all, with a new business starting.
"I have four to six summers left with my boys. It is an absolute privilege to be making memories with them like this."
His actual highlight was Sara welling up while watching some footage back, saying how lucky and privileged we were to be able to build this life for the boys.
Coming up
Next we head to Sanur, then on to Nusa Lembongan. Different pace, fewer activities. We will do a video for each stay and recap all the costings then.
And if you are reading this from the UK wondering whether Dubai is worth it, this is part of the answer that does not show up on a spreadsheet. Have a look at our guide to moving to Dubai with family and the cost of living breakdown, then factor in that this part of the world becomes a normal school holiday rather than a once in a lifetime trip.
Thinking about the move? Take our neighbourhood quiz to find the right area for your family, or have a look at the relocation package if you would like help with schools, housing and the whole process.