All-you-can-drink Bali resort kids will go gaga over

Bali opened its biggest new resort in February, the Paradisus by Melia Bali, a colossal new 494-room, five-star mega-resort in Nusa Dua on the island’s lower east coast. A Spanish hotel brand with a big focus on food — the Melia has eight sophisticated restaurants — it also offers an all-inclusive package with unlimited alcohol. “Are you sure?” I ask Tasya Aulia, the marketing manager, during a visit. “I can drink as much as I like?” “As much as you like for regular drinks like cocktails, beer, spirits and wine. But if you want premium alcohol, like a bottle of expensive champagne, that’s extra,” Tasya replies. “Are you aware that Australians are going to be reading this?” “Yes.” I steady my gaze.

“And are you aware that many of the Australians who come to Bali work all day, all night, all year, non-stop, and the only time they really relax is when they come to Bali on holidays?” “Yes.” I look at her again.

“And are you aware that they like to drink? And they like to take the p...? And that if you put those things together in Bali with an open bar, they’re going to rack up a serious tab?” “Yes, we know all of that. We look forward to welcoming them to Melia.” “OK,” I say, calling a waiter over and ordering a glass of French wine.

Tasya doesn’t blink. When our meeting wraps up, I go for a stroll around Melia’s vast 10.6ha grounds.

Picture tropical gardens and lush green lawns speckled with coconut trees where not a blade of grass is out of place, and where geese and peacocks run around with abandon.

Picture big lagoon pools, ponds with lily pads and water fountains, restaurant after restaurant, bar after bar and, at the end, the blinding blue ocean and Mt Agung hovering in the distance.

The Melia occupies pole position on the southern side of the lagoon on Nusa Dua Beach, right next to a rocky headland where perfect sets of waves run along a reef. On the edge of this golden arc of sand, the Melia has set up rows of daybeds and cabanas with luxury bedding and drapes, and little buttons with wi-fi signal to get the attention of waiters.

I grab a chair and order another drink, a sneaky afternoon Bitang. I’m only halfway through it when the waiter returns to offer me another. With all this booze, I half-expected to see people rolling around the lawns blind drunk at the Melia. But that wasn’t the case at all.

Most of the guests are families with young children, and they haven’t come here to drink. They’ve come for all the fun things they have for kids at this hotel.

A teen club with table tennis, a pool table, and — get this — a bowling alley. A water park — not just a kids’ pool with a regular slide and a fountain, but a real water park with long waterslides, fountains galore, and colourful play areas. Remember those ball pits with thousands of coloured balls you used to play in at IKEA? They have one here.

There’s a bunch of bicycles and tricycles kids can race around on and, after dark, a moonlight cinema for children with bean bags on a lawn and a fire pit for roasting marshmallows. Some of the family rooms even have bunk beds shaped like wooden boats.

“We are very, very dedicated to the kids who stay here,” Tasya tells me. I can’t argue with that. I’m not, however, a fan of the rooms at the Melia. They’re long and narrow with double sliding doors at the far end. It’s a bit claustrophobic and the floor plan is cookie-cutter: squeeze a bathroom in this corner, put built-in wardrobes along the wall, and install two big flat screen TVs, which makes no sense at all.

My terrace looks on to a pool with direct water access. But as it’s side-by-side with my neighbours’ terraces, there’s no privacy. That’s not to say the rooms at the Melia aren’t luxurious. From the oversized pillows to the self-flushing toilets, everything is top-end. And truth be told, this isn’t the kind of hotel you stay at if you want to stay inside your room.

There’s just too much to see and do.

Eating at eight different restaurants. Lounging around pools. Yoga. Gym. Massages in the spa. Cultural performances and live music. Cruising around on stand-up paddleboards or going for a surf in the lagoon. Sunset cocktails on the beach.

You could spend a week here and not run out of new things to do. The Melia isn’t cheap for Bali. The least expensive bed and breakfast package for a family of four is $475 per night, or $978 for an all-inclusive stay. And that’s the rate for April and May, the low season in Bali. Expect rates to jump during the school holidays, in July and August, and during the end-of-year holiday period.

But if you’ve got the cash, or you just want to spoil the family, the Melia, I think, will not disappoint.

+ Dave Smith was a guest of the Paradisus by Melia Bali. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.

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For a couple, Paradisus by Melia Bali currently has an offer for a Premium Room Garden View, with a room upgrade discount to Family Concierge — The Reserve Rooms, spa discount and imported beverage discount from $285 a night. melia.com