The Villa Sanur
This quirky, arty and whimsical looking pad is the much loved holiday house of a lovely Aussie family and their 3 kids. It is certainly a labour of love! It has 4+ bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and it can accommodate 8 guests. There is a fenced pool a super magical garden, a cot, car seats, bottle steriliser, a secure playpen, toys, bikes (with baby seats), and more!
From approx $290 + AUD per night *Please check the airbnb site for the prices and things change depending on the season.
4/5 on Airbnb with 6 reviews
Best For
The property is ideally suited to a couple of families or extended family, because it has with 2 separate accommodation wings.
The Lowdown
This Gaudi inspired whimsical and creative abode was designed and built by Dolf Versteegh, an inspiring and talented Dutch expat. He was well known by Sanur locals for his talents as a self-taught architect, a designer of urban furniture, a sculptor, gardener and landscape artist. He called the villa the Seven Eggs as there were originally seven domes. It was a reference to the story about the Egg of Columbus which refers to a brilliant idea or discovery that seems simple or easy after the fact. “Dolf was infused with an obsessive desire to create things that did not yet exist”.
Today this fanciful and unique home is the much-loved holiday house of Australians, Kristen and Richard with 3 youngsters (3, 5 and 7). Over the years they have lovingly and painstakingly remodeled the house specifically with their young family in mind. Luckily, it seems that the vision and magic of Dolf’s original house continues today, and is testament to Kristen and Richards’ passion and commitment to keeping his vision alive!
OK, perhaps, it’s a tad out of place in Bali, and more in keeping with the cliff tops dwellings on the Greek islands of Santorini. But, somehow it really looks like it just works. You may LOVE it, perhaps you may hate it. It’s not the Balinese aesthetic that I generally seek, but you have to agree its kind of amazing.
Why it Rocks for Families
Being a family holiday house the villa is set up with pretty much everything you need for families, So yippee you don’t have to lug it all with you. There is also a fully equipped kitchen and Richard tells me that the all the interiors are all fairly robust so you don't spend time stressing about things getting broken etc. I guess, they get what it’s like to travel with kids, and therefore, they aren't too precious.
I’m in no doubt that this enchanting retreat would be a hit with my little boys. The garden is huge and by day it looks like it’s the perfect place for little imaginations to run wild with winding paths to follow, countless nooks and crannies which beckon youngsters to play hide and seek, and there is fishing to be done in the fantastic fish ponds with lilies which dominate the garden.
I’ve read that at night it comes alive with all the garden lights. The pool is also a place your kids will no doubt spend hours. It has a shallow kiddy section and a custom made fence with double locks which can only be reached by someone with long arms. (tested by the Richard and Kirsten’s 4 year old). I can’t vouch for the safety of the fence as I haven’t seen it, but from what Richard has told me its sounds pretty sturdy.
“Our biggest asset for families is that our children's nanny, Sari will also babysit for our guests on request. Sari has worked for us for 5 years and is part of our family. She is a truly amazing person who we feel so blessed to have in our and our children's life”, Richard told me.
Kid Stuff they have there
Pool fence + pool shallow end for kids
Bikes with baby seats, bike helmets
Playpen (so littles can be contained if needed)
Bumbo seat (good super supportive squishy ground level seat for bubs learning to sit)
High chair
Car seats & booster seat
Cot with mosquito net
Interlocking foam floor matting
Bottle sterilizer
Kids DVDs, books and toys + more (just ask)
The Layout
The villa is spacious and has various places to sit and relax which is good if you are travelling with another family. Indoors, the villa has 4 bedrooms (plus a sitting room with two single beds if needed), three bathrooms, and a TV/office room, all of which are spacious and air conditioned. Outdoors, the villa includes a fully-equipped kitchen, dining room, and many different spaces for lounging and relaxing.
The Neighbourhood
The villa is located in a quiet lane in the residential part of Sanur and is super close to the beach. I'm told It's a little walk or short bike ride or taxi ride into the main part of Sanur. We love the long beach pathway for walks with a stroller (perhaps the only stroller friendly path in Bali) and for bike riding.
Other Important Stuff
Daily breakfast included
Airport transfers included
Aircon
Safe drinking water
Wifi Landline & mobile phone
Satellite TV
Daily house-keeping
Laundry can be arranged (extra)
Drivers etc can be organized
Mobile phone with local numbers
Need to know
The issues that I can see are that you would have to watch little ones around the ponds. They are very shallow (30cm deep), but still with littlies I personally would want to be vigilant. They do have a playpen though which would help. There are also open air living areas which is lovely, but can potentially mean mozzies. Saying that I haven’t read one review that mentions mozzies or issues with the layout.
For more inspiration on where to stay in Sanur with kids, you can also check out my Facebook Page. Just type in Sanur in the "search this page" section and it will bring up all my posts on Sanur.
GROWING UP TROPPO WISHLIST - This is on my wishlist i.e., I haven't stayed here. I've done my homework and read all the reviews and have been in contact with the owners. Please let me know if I've made any errors. It's important that the information and advice on Growing up Troppo is as accurate and honest as possible and useful for parents. I don't have any affiliation with the owners (and Im not getting any freebies). I would love any feedback if you have stayed here, the good and the not so good.
