Peppers Seminyak With Kids | One of the Best Family Resorts in Bali
Private pool villa, resort facilities, incredible food and some of the loveliest staff we’ve met. Here’s why Peppers Seminyak completely changed our plans to tick Bali off the travel list.
If I’m being completely honest, we went into this Bali trip thinking it might be our last one for a while.
Not because we don’t love Bali, but because there are SO many places we want to see, and we kind of thought this trip would be our chance to tick Bali off the list with the kids and start planning somewhere new. Well… that didn’t exactly go to plan.
We were invited to spend three nights at Peppers Seminyak, staying in one of their incredible private villas, so we packed our bags and headed over for a quick four day Bali getaway. And Peppers ended up being exactly the kind of stay we didn’t know we were looking for. We had the space and privacy of our own villa, our own private pool, but still had all the perks of staying at a resort right at our fingertips.
By the time we left, we’d completely changed our minds about ticking Bali off the list. We’re now planning to come back next year, hopefully with friends in tow, and Peppers had a LOT to do with that. So, if you’re planning a Bali holiday with kids, travelling with another family, or just love the idea of having your own private villa without giving up resort life, let me show you why we loved this place so much.
Arriving at Peppers Seminyak
We booked the airport transfer directly through Peppers, which made arriving in Bali SO easy. Our driver was waiting for us when we walked out of the airport, helped us with all our bags and then it was around a 30 to 35 minute drive to the resort.
From the minute we arrived, the staff were incredible. We were greeted by the friendliest team, check in was super quick and easy, and this was really our first taste of something that ended up being one of our favourite things about Peppers... the people. More on them later, because there are definitely a couple of people who deserve a special mention!
And this is where we got a bit of a surprise… We had originally been booked into a 3 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa, but at check in we found out we’d been upgraded to the 5 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa. Safe to say, we were pretty excited to see what was waiting for us.
Our 5 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa
I don’t think we were quite prepared for just how BIG this villa was.
As soon as we walked through the entrance, there were huge stepping stones leading us across a pond filled with koi fish and into the villa. It was such a beautiful first impression, with tropical gardens and frangipani trees everywhere, and then you walk through and see the massive private pool right in the middle of it all. Safe to say, the kids were sold immediately.
The whole villa is built around the pool, with each room completely separate and wrapping around the outside. There’s a large living area with a kitchen, dining table and lounge, plus five separate bedrooms, so there is SO much space to spread out. Two of the bedrooms are huge main suites, each with their own ensuite complete with a massive bathtub, indoor shower AND an outdoor shower. The gardens continue throughout the bathrooms too, which made the whole place feel so tropical and very Bali.
Outside, the pool was definitely the star of the show. It was HUGE, with plenty of sun lounges and umbrellas around it, as well as an outdoor dining and lounge area. Mason and Havana basically lived in the pool whenever we were back at the villa, and honestly, having our own private space where they could swim, splash and be as loud as they wanted was one of my favourite things about staying here.
For just the four of us, five bedrooms was obviously WAY more space than we needed, but it immediately got us thinking about how amazing this villa would be with another family or a group of friends. Everyone could have their own space, but you’ve still got that huge central pool and outdoor area to all hang out together. I saved our first walk through of the villa, and our very genuine reactions, to our Instagram Bali highlight, so you can have a proper look through the villa there too.
The Best of Both Worlds: Private Villa + Resort
As incredible as our villa was, I think THIS is what really sold us on Peppers. We absolutely loved having our own private space, especially with the kids. They could swim, splash around and be as loud as they wanted without us having to worry about disturbing anyone else. We could hang around the pool in our swimmers, order room service and basically just make ourselves at home. But the second we wanted to leave our little bubble, we still had an entire resort waiting for us. There’s a main resort pool, restaurant and bar, kids club, spa and gym, plus all the usual resort services. So we could spend the morning hanging around our own pool, then head down to the resort pool for cocktails and lunch, drop the kids into the kids club or go out and explore Seminyak.
It really did feel like we had the best parts of renting a private villa, without giving up everything we love about staying at a resort.
And I think this is a HUGE reason we left already talking about coming back with friends next year. Having multiple families together in one big villa, while still having all of the resort facilities right there, sounds like such an easy way to do Bali with kids.
Around the Resort
While it would have been VERY easy to spend our entire stay hanging around our villa, there’s plenty to do around the resort too.
We spent one of our days down at the main resort pool for a bit of a change of scenery. It’s surrounded by tropical gardens and sun lounges, with a little waterfall at one end, and the restaurant opens out onto the pool area, so we could order a couple of cocktails by the pool and then wander over for lunch. There’s also a pool table near the restaurant which became a bit of a favourite for Mason. He really took a liking to it and we ended up playing quite a few games together during our stay.
The kids club is right near the main pool area too and is fully supervised, so you can actually drop the kids off and have a little kid free time. There were different activities running each day including movies, yoga, face painting, cupcake decorating and Balinese activities. Inside there were toys, books, arts and crafts and a gaming console, which obviously Mason found approximately 0.4 seconds after walking through the door.
There’s also a spa and gym at the resort. I can’t personally report back on the gym because apparently walking past it doesn’t count as exercise, but it’s there if you’re feeling more motivated than I was. The restaurant is also in this main area and this is where we had breakfast each morning, as well as a lunch and dinner during our stay. More on the food in a minute because there were definitely a few favourites!
Eating at Peppers Seminyak
We ate VERY well during our stay at Peppers.
Breakfast was included each morning and was a mix of a small buffet plus an à la carte menu you could order from. There was plenty for the kids at the buffet with cereal, fruit and pastries, although Havana mostly took the opportunity to eat a giant plate of bacon every morning. I found the dragon fruit smoothie bowl on the menu on our first morning and loved it so much I ordered it every single day, while Demo was very happy making his way through the Indonesian options, with the mie goreng being his breakfast of choice most mornings.
We also had lunch and dinner at the restaurant during our stay and everything we tried was SO good. The nasi goreng was definitely a favourite, along with the chicken club sandwich, which we may have ordered more than once! The restaurant itself opens out beside the main resort pool, so it’s a really nice spot to sit outside for lunch with a cocktail while the kids are swimming nearby.
But two of our favourite food experiences at Peppers actually happened away from the restaurant…
Our Private In Villa BBQ
On our first night we booked one of Peppers’ in villa BBQ experiences, and this was SUCH a good way to spend our first night without having to go anywhere.
While we were still swimming and enjoying the villa, the team came in and completely set everything up for us. They brought the BBQ, set the table in our outdoor dining area beside the pool, and our private chef cooked everything right there at the villa while we went and got ourselves ready for dinner.
There were a few different menus to choose from and we went with the Aussie BBQ, which came with fillet steak, king prawns, sausages, rissoles, salads, breads and then somehow still had room on the menu for dessert. We had chocolate fondant cakes, a fruit platter and sorbet, and by the end of it we were SO full.
We also had the lovely Purni looking after us for the evening, serving everything at the table while the chef cooked. We ended up seeing her again at the restaurant during our stay and she was just beautiful, so kind and always happy to see us.
And possibly one of the best parts… once dinner was finished, they cleaned everything up and took it all away. No cooking, no cleaning and we didn’t even have to leave our villa. I could VERY easily get used to that. If you’re staying at Peppers with kids or a group of friends, I’d definitely add the in villa BBQ to your list. It felt like a special dinner out, except we got to have it beside our own pool in our swimmers until five minutes before dinner.
Balinese Cooking Class
Another experience we booked during our stay was the Balinese cooking class, and we honestly had no idea what to expect from this one. We assumed we’d make one or two dishes, have a bit of fun with the kids and be done, but we were so surprised by how much we actually got to make. Over the 2 hour class, we made four different dishes PLUS dessert, all completely from scratch.
All four of us joined in and the chefs were amazing with Mason and Havana. They didn’t just have the kids standing there watching either, they genuinely included them in the cooking, helped them along the way and made sure they could get involved in everything. We started by making a traditional spice paste from scratch, which we then used throughout the different dishes. From there we cooked our way through the rest of the menu before sitting down together at the end to eat everything we had made. And there was A LOT of food.
We’d planned on having dinner later that night, but after eating our way through everything from the cooking class, that definitely wasn’t happening.
It ended up being one of those activities that was just as much fun for us as it was for the kids, and such a nice way to experience a little more of the Balinese culture while we were there.
Peppers Seminyak With Kids
Staying at Peppers Seminyak with kids was SUCH an easy experience, and I think a huge part of that came back to having our own space while still having plenty for them to do around the resort.
Mason and Havana spent some time at the kids club during our stay and also got to try a couple of the Balinese activities on offer, including Balinese dancing and traditional handicrafts. They loved getting involved, and it was nice having some activities that were a little different from the usual kids club stuff too.
But honestly, I don’t think you need a resort packed with waterslides and a million kids activities for them to have a good time. Most of the time, ours just wanted to be in the pool. Between our own private pool, the main resort pool, kids club, activities and all the little things they found to do around the resort, they were never bored. But Peppers also didn’t feel like a resort completely centred around kids, which we really liked. It gave us that really nice balance where Mason and Havana were having the BEST time, but it still felt like a holiday for us too.
The People Who Made Our Stay
I can’t talk about how much we loved Peppers without mentioning the staff, because they were honestly such a big part of our experience. Everyone we met was genuinely SO kind and welcoming, and it wasn’t just the usual friendly hello as you walked past. They remembered our names, they remembered the kids, and after only a few days it really did feel like we were seeing friends around the resort.
Ketut especially made such an impression on us. Every time he saw us he would greet us by name, Mason would get his fist pump and Havana would get her high five. They absolutely loved him, and it was those little interactions that made the resort feel so welcoming.
Purni, who looked after us during our private BBQ and who we also saw working in the restaurant, was another beautiful person we loved getting to know. She was always so warm and kind and genuinely seemed happy to see us whenever we crossed paths.
We were only at Peppers for three nights, but somehow the team managed to make it feel like somewhere familiar in such a short amount of time. The staff were honestly one of the biggest reasons we left wanting to come back.
Location and Exploring Seminyak
Another thing we really loved about Peppers was the location. The resort feels quiet and tucked away when you’re inside, but you’re still right in Seminyak with SO much close by.
Peppers has a complimentary shuttle that can take you down to Seminyak Village, which is only a few minutes away and puts you right in the middle of plenty of shopping, restaurants and places to explore.
Even though we were only in Bali for four days, we tried to head out most days for a little wander, some shopping and to explore more of Seminyak. There are so many amazing restaurants nearby, plenty of shops, and the beach is also only a short walk from the resort.
I loved that we could head out and get amongst everything when we wanted to, but then come back to Peppers and feel completely removed from all the busyness outside.
How Much Does It Cost to Stay at Peppers Seminyak?
Obviously prices are going to vary depending on when you travel, how many people you’re
travelling with and which villa you choose, but I always find it helpful to have a rough idea of what a trip like this actually costs.
Our three night stay at Peppers was hosted, along with some of the experiences we’ve shared in this blog, but I’ve included the prices based on our family of 4 for a stay in August below so you can get an idea of what you could expect to pay for a similar stay.
Flights: AU $2229 return for our family of four from Brisbane with Jetstar (including one checked bag)
3 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa: From approximately AU $545 p/night
5 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa: From approximately AU $751 p/night
Airport Transfer: AU $35 each way.
In Villa BBQ: From AU $45 per person
Balinese Cooking Class: AU $40 per person
We were originally booked into the 3 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa before being upgraded on arrival, so if it was just the four of us travelling again, the three bedroom would be more than enough space. The 5 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa, however, is absolutely the one I’d be looking at if we were travelling with friends or another family.
For the most accurate pricing, I’d recommend checking Peppers directly for your travel dates, as rates and packages can change throughout the year.
Would We Stay at Peppers Seminyak Again?
I think by this point you probably already know the answer to this one.
We went into this trip thinking we might finally be ticking Bali off our travel list for a while, and somehow came home already planning how we could do it all over again next year.
And I think one of the biggest compliments I can give Peppers actually came from Mason and Havana. These kids have been lucky enough to travel to some pretty incredible places. They’ve been to Japan and Singapore, explored London and Paris, and have done their fair share of Disneyland and Universal parks along the way. Yet BOTH of them came home saying they wanted to go back to Bali. I think that says a lot.
For us, Peppers just worked. We had the privacy and space of our own villa, the kids had a huge pool they could basically live in, but we could still head down for cocktails by the resort pool, go out for dinner, order room service, use the kids club or head into Seminyak whenever we felt like it.
Add in the experiences, incredible food and, most importantly, the beautiful people who made us feel so welcome, and it’s pretty easy to see why our plans changed.
We’re already talking about coming back next year with friends and staying at Peppers again, and honestly, I think experiencing that 5 Bedroom Presidential Pool Villa with a couple of families would be pretty hard to beat. So no, Bali definitely didn’t get ticked off the list after this trip.
If anything, we just added it straight back on.
Our stay at Peppers Seminyak was hosted. As always, all experiences and opinions shared are our own.
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