Bali is a great place to take the kids. Most hotels cater to young families and a number of resorts are explicitly child friendly. As ever, kids are primarily their parents’ responsibility and few hotel pools and none of the public beaches offer any kind of lifeguard supervision.

The Balinese simply adore children and locals will happily offer to hold your babies while you shop or swim. Even local children are very friendly with foreign children and will happily include them in games and sports. Certain hotels like the Hard Rock or any of the resorts in Nusa Dua have exceptional child care facilities and even dedicated shallow water pools and playgrounds.

Hiking or surfing in Bali can be done with children and it is up to the visiting parent to decide what they may like to do in this case. There are few locations or places in Bali that are prohibitive for people visiting with their young ones and the Monkey Forest in Ubud is one of the most enduring kid-friendly attractions in all of Southeast Asia.

24 hour emergency health care clinics operate in Kuta and the main hospital in Denpasar is well-equipped to cater to any health problems encountered by parents or their children. Care should be taken is doubling kids on the back of a motorbike and visitors should use their discretion regarding seat and safety belts in taxi cabs and mini buses.

Nude or topless bathing is sure to be frowned on and at best will attract unwanted attention. Be sure to be mindful of the fact that topless bathing is offensive and upsetting to locals who have otherwise seen it all. One piece swimsuits or bikinis are accepted but away from the beach t-shirts or scarves are expected.

Otherwise, women travel fairly easily in Bali. The influx of western tourists since the 1930s means that Bali is relatively modern and tolerant. Single women of all ages travel to Bali and in Ubud, where a number of solo women operate art galleries and museums. Many Australian women and girls travel to Bali alone or in groups. All relevant toiletries and medical supplies are readily available in all chemists in places like Kuta and Ubud as well as in Legian and in Seminyak.

Bali is very hot and humid all through the year and though this makes for a tropical island party paradise it also brings substantial health risks. Sunscreen, hats and protective clothing need to be worn by all visitors to avoid sunburn which can happen only after a few minutes unprotected exposure to the hot, tropical sun.

Sunstroke is a real possibility too and the symptoms of this are headache, lethargy and fatigue. Dehydration can also result from excessive perspiration or alcohol consumption and cooling down in a swimming pool or the surf can be deceptive and waiting until thirst occurs is usually an indication that dehydration is already underway. Salts and plenty of water will help both sunstroke and dehydration but in severe cases medical attention should definitely be sought.

The notorious Bali Belly is encountered by many visitors due to spicy food or food that has been reheated improperly and as a result filled with bacteria. Anti-diarrohea medication should be carried by most visitors but it is available for purchase in all chemists in Bali.

Motorbike rental is popular all over Bali and many visitors enjoy putting around the island for a day or two. Accidents are very common and abrasions resulting from gravel rash or impact with dirt roads should be treated with antiseptic wipes and of course serious injuries or broken bones need medical attention.

There is a 24 hour emergency clinic in Kuta, at 100 Ngurah Rai 100 at the Kalan Bypass. Staff here speak English but the treatment is not free – travel insurance will need to cover things like motorbike accidents (most policies will not) and other such accidents.

Bali enjoys a sub-equatorial climate and is hot and wet most of the year. Cold weather is never experienced in Bali and temperatures usually exceed 30 degrees Celsius every day of the year.

There are two seasons in Bali, the Dry Season and the Wet Season. The Dry Season runs from May to September and the Wet Season runs from October through April. In the Wet Season rain can be expected daily and during the peak months of December to February torrential downpours are not uncommon.

In the hills of Bali cooler weather is encountered. Fogs and mists keep the very high Dry Season highs at bay but visitors should still expect very hot weather no matter which part of Bali they are staying in or travelling to. Mornings and evenings in the hills are cooled by breezes but midday temperatures soar.

Closer to the coast very hot weather is encountered and sea breezes are rare. Dipping into the water is one way to cool off while on the beach in Bali. The island of Bali enjoys a very similar climate to the rest of the Indonesian archipelago. Visitors to Bali should take care with their skin and wear sunscreen, hats and protective clothing.

New arrivals need to be especially careful of the weather in Bali since heat and sun related health problems are bound to occur especially for visitors arriving from winter in other parts of the world who will be shocked by the heat and humidity. Prickly heat and sunburn are common ailments.

As a result of these battles, Dutch authority in Bali was never as concrete as it was in other parts of Indonesia. In the 1930s Bali became famous as an artist colony and many painters, writers and sculptors from the United States and Europe settled in Bali for creative residencies.

Japan occupied Bali during the Second World War and after the Japanese surrender forces from The Netherlands re-occupied the island. In December 1949 Dutch authorities recognised Indonesian independence and Bali became part of the Federated Union of Indonesia at this time.

In 1963 Mount Agung exploded and killed thousands and in 1965-66 independence wars across Indonesia saw around 80,000 Balinese killed in various protests, fights and scuffles both within Bali and elsewhere across the Indonesian archipelago.

Bali’s tourist industry grew quickly from the 1970s with the island’s surf breaks, laid back Hindu lifestyle and belief systems and very low costs to visit drawing backpackers from all over the world. Tourism boomed in the 1980s and 1990s when Bali became the most popular overseas tourist destination for Australian holiday-makers after New Zealand.

Trouble returned to Bali in the 21st century with a series of deadly tourist attacks shrouding the island in gloom and fire. The Sari Club bombings of 2002 killed over 200 people and it was followed by another deadly attack in 2005. Tourist numbers to Bali shrank drastically after these events, and economic woes ensued.