I thought I knew Bali - but a trip to this town on the island proved me wrong

I recently travelled to Bali for the first time in about 25 years. I've changed and so has Bali.

The first time around, my friend Monika and I were footloose and fancy-free. No kids. We stayed in Kuta, hit the nightclubs, sunbaked hungover next to the hotel pool, shopped at the markets and got matching black leather (pleather?) skirts made. (I still have mine in the faint hope I might one day fit back into it ... no chance).

Fast-forward to 2026, and we're back. Well, Monika visits Bali at least once a year and is an expert on all things travelling there. This trip, I've come back with her, accompanied by my 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. I prefer coffee over alcohol these days. My nightclub days are long gone. And I don't want to go anywhere near Kuta. Luckily, Monika is a regular visitor to Sanur, a laidback beachside town south-east of Denpasar.

Sanur is often described as more family-friendly. There are no big nightclubs, so the people who want to party aren't here. It's so beautiful and leafy and relaxed. Laneways to the beach, cooled by a green canopy of tropical trees. Stunning sunrises over the ocean.

And, niche interest I know, but the coffee culture has exploded in Bali since I last visited. There are cute little cafes everywhere. And one of the things I loved most about Sanur was its seven-kilometre beachfront promenade, along which people walk, jog and cycle, usually early morning before it gets too hot. Coffee in hand, sunrise walk along a beautiful beachfront? So. Good.

There are lots of resorts in Sanur but we stayed in a villa, with Bali Emerald Villas. Monika is a regular. She has the same driver every time, Made, who is a dream. So friendly and knowledgeable.

Arriving at night, it was a little overwhelming walking into the villa. The place was huge. Massive garden. Big private pool. Huge open-air living area and kitchen, and each bedroom was housed in a separate guesthouse. I was a bit worried about my daughter who'd have one of the bedrooms to herself. But the guesthouses locked, the front gate to the villa locked and we were in a gated area.

When morning came, it was like that scene from The Wizard of Oz, turning everything from black-and-white to colour. The garden was a tropical paradise. Gorgeous flowers, soft lush grass, fish swimming in a fountain. And this big private pool, all for us. (Turns out this villa had recently been bought by someone who was going to live in it so we were the last guests. But Emerald has plenty of options on its books.)

So, we stayed in Bali for six days. And managed to do a bit of everything for everyone.

We did venture into Kuta to go to Waterbom Bali, an amazing waterpark. I was worried it was going to be old and dirty. It was incredible. So clean. So well run. So pretty, set among more tropical gardens. The best thing was putting all your belongings in a locker and wearing one of their supplied waterproof wrist-watch kind of things to which you could add money and just tap and go for drinks and food. So clever.

Back in Sanur, we shopped at the local markets (my son loved getting a heap of shorts and T-shirts) but more often we explored the multiple little boutiques and the big, new-ish Icon Bali Mall. My daughter loaded up on cosmetics and skincare from Sociolla and any chemist we could find, searching out exotic brands.

Made had a mate who took my son fishing in a traditional boat, with me lying next to him, seasick. But that's I am on any boat. Hopeless. We left from the Sanur beachfront before dawn and were treated to the most amazing sunrise. We were out on the water for four hours and it's an experience my son will always remember.

There were massages and facials and pedicures with my daughter and Monika. The Nest salon on the beachfront is lovely and fancy but we had just as good, if not better, at the cheaper places along the main drag of Sanur. Lots of swimming in the pool, reading books, talking, chilling.

We ate homemade gelato at the Massimo Italian restaurant in Sanur. Baked cheesecake flavour anyone? The street-front gelato bar is so popular it has its own traffic control warden to get people across the road.

We also dined at traditional, family-owned warungs or cafes for cheap and delicious meals. We tried some of the many beachfront restaurants, where you are literally sitting on the sand for anything from pizza to poached eggs.

My absolute favourite place of the trip was the Uma Anyar Waterfall in the village of Kemenuh, south of Ubud. It's a hidden gem, with only a couple of other people there when we visited. The walk to the waterfall was lovely. Past huge bird of paradise flowers. Up and down stairs next to moss-covered statues. One of the locals encouraged us to jump off a (very small) cliff into the water. There were monkeys upstream, not bothering anyone, jumping into the pools of water because it was so hot. Just a magical day.

So, Bali. It gets a bad rap as Boganland, infested with influencers, dickheads on scooters and drunks. In the 25 years since I've been there, I found it had actually become more sophisticated. Well, from what I saw in Sanur, which is just a lovely, easy, truly relaxing place to visit. Which, these days, is just my speed.

The writer travelled at her own expense. Virgin Australia has started three weekly return flights between Canberra and Bali (Denpasar). Read more here.