You're talking about your upcoming trip to Bali with your children, and you notice an uncomfortable look from your listener that says: "What kind of parents take their kids to such distant, underdeveloped places?" Rest assured, travelling to Bali with young children isn't more dangerous than any other destination. Contrary to popular belief, you'll find a welcome and experiences there that are second to none for them.

In Bali, children are cherished

Bali is, far more than other destinations, a family-friendly destination. Why is this the case? First and foremost because in Bali children are cherished, they are the object of all attention, all smiles; and the younger they are, the more they receive (you'll find this same attention in Thailand). For the Balinese, children are the reincarnation of ancestors and have just left the Gods: they are respected and indulged, sometimes, by our standards, to an extraordinary degree.

Activities suited to children...

In Bali, children fit in everywhere, they're never a problem. For them, the island is full of fascinating things to do and see:

• The beach and its waves
• Watching artisans at work
• The forests and rice paddies
• Flowers and stunning roads with their troops of monkeys
• Shopping, with all those colourful and figurative objects they adore
• Waterbom
• Ceremonies and temples filled with fantastical statues
• Gamelans, with which anyone can produce audible music

Your children will discover spirituality in Bali through visits to temples, encounters with processions, music, the harmony of man and nature, the beauty and peacefulness of the people.

...and peace for the parents

And for parents, what a joy to finish lunch peacefully, while a server has decided to look after an impatient child. Or how lovely it is to simply enter a shop or restaurant knowing that the pushchair, or little grabbing hands, won't cause an ugly frown on the shopkeeper's face. In fact, children often work as a sort of catalyst in relationships with the Balinese.

You can also easily and affordably find an English-speaking nanny to whom you can confidently leave your children for an evening, or a more adventurous activity.

A few stories from parents

• Made, the owner and chef at Warung Sobat, coming out of his kitchen to teach gamelan to our children at the end of his shift and listening to them with tenderness.
• One day in Double Six, while we were seated at Warung Asia, our children disappeared from view. We found them in a painting workshop. The painters had made little framed canvases for them, given them pots of paint and brushes, and our kids had settled in to paint in the middle of the workshop.
• The servers at Tekor Bali interrupting their tasks to patiently teach the children how to weave traditional vegetable decorations.
• Andy, a fun-loving beach boy who taught our 7-year-old son to surf (probably too young for it): the attention and patience he gave him were remarkable. He'd lift the board with his arms outstretched, the child lying on top, to spare him a mouthful of water, or simply the fear of waves that were too big.

A few simple safety rules to follow

Travelling with children to a place like Bali involves a number of rules that are simply common sense and respect for the child themselves.

The journey

The journey from Europe is long: it's almost 24 hours of flights and airports. You need to plan ways to keep them occupied. The younger they are, the more challenging it is, but it's manageable: books, games, drawing materials, portable DVD players...

Getting around locally

Road journeys can be long and sometimes tedious in Bali. Rest stops are absent in certain areas. You need to plan your departure and route with these constraints in mind.

Food

Restaurants are generally of far better quality than in Europe. You simply need to be wary of certain makeshift warungs that might serve unwashed fruit or vegetables. The Balinese are generally well aware of this kind of issue and incidents are rare. Check that the warung where you eat or get juice has running water.

Health and swimming

Remember to have children drink regularly, cover them with sunscreen, pack a first-aid kit with remedies for minor scrapes (which you can actually put together locally), and supervise them while they're swimming. Again, nothing you wouldn't do on the south coast of Europe.

In short, if you have children, don't let that stop you from travelling to Bali. Rent a villa or bungalow there and take time to live a little without rushing around too much: they'll love it and it will awaken them to a magnificent culture and a unique sense of harmony. Of course it has a cost, but for equivalent services, a month-long stay in Bali is two to three times cheaper than what you'd pay in Europe.