What is there to do in Bali with teenagers?

Bali is an easy sell to teenagers and an easy place to get it wrong. The formula is activity plus wifi plus a base with something going on outside the hotel.

Where to stay

Canggu. The best base by a distance. Surf, skate parks, cafes, gyms, night markets, and other teenagers everywhere. Fast wifi and a social atmosphere that does not require parents.

Seminyak. Similar energy, more shopping and restaurants, a little older.

Uluwatu. Excellent if they surf seriously. Spread out and isolating if they do not.

Ubud. Good for a few days of activity — rafting, cycling, monkeys, waterfalls — and quiet at night.

Nusa Lembongan. Small, safe enough to let them roam, snorkelling and surf on a manageable scale.

Sanur and Nusa Dua. Calm, convenient and, for most teenagers, dull.

The activities that land

Surf lessons. The single best thing in Bali for this age group. Kuta, Canggu and Seminyak for beginners, with schools running daily.

White-water rafting on the Ayung or Telaga Waja, half a day, safe and genuinely fun.

Waterfall days, with jumps and slides at Aling-Aling under guides.

Mount Batur sunrise trek, which teenagers usually find much easier than their parents do.

Snorkelling and diving. A discover-scuba session or, for a longer trip, a full Open Water course over three to four days, which is cheaper here than almost anywhere.

ATV and mountain-bike tours, downhill rides from Kintamani through the rice fields.

Waterbom Bali in Kuta, which works well into the teens.

Canyoning near Ubud and Gitgit, with proper operators.

The things they will actually remember

Being allowed to ride a bicycle to a warung by themselves in Sanur. Sitting on the sand at Echo Beach at sunset. A night market. Getting up at 2am for a volcano. Standing up on a board for the first time.

The friction points

Scooters. They will want one. The legal position requires a licence they almost certainly do not have, the insurance position is worse, and the roads are the biggest risk in Bali. This is a straightforward no, and pillion on a Gojek bike is the compromise.

Alcohol. The legal drinking age in Indonesia is 21 and it is enforced inconsistently at the tourist end. The methanol risk in counterfeit spirits is real and disproportionately affects young travellers at cheap venues. Have the conversation before the trip.

Sun and heat. Teenagers burn on day one and then feel awful for three days.

Wifi. Check the villa's actual speed if remote schooling or gaming matters. "Fast wifi" in a listing means nothing.

Structuring the trip

Two bases, one active and one restful. Canggu or Uluwatu for the surf half, Ubud or an island for the adventure half. Give them one day where they choose what happens, which removes about 80 per cent of the friction.

A week that works

Nights 1 to 4: Canggu. Surf lessons every morning, skate park, night market, a beach club afternoon, and enough going on that they will happily disappear for an hour.

Nights 5 to 7: Ubud. Rafting, a waterfall day with jumps, the monkey forest, a cooking class, and a volcano sunrise if anyone is willing.

Alternatively swap Ubud for three nights on Nusa Lembongan, where snorkelling, cheap bike hire and a small safe island make it the easiest place in Bali to give teenagers some independence.

Money and independence

Give them their own cash in rupiah and let them pay for things. Prices are low enough that a teenager can buy lunch, hire a board and get a Gojek across town on a small daily budget, which is a large part of what makes a trip here memorable at that age.

Install Gojek or Grab on their phone with a topped-up wallet. It is safer than any alternative for getting home, and it costs a dollar or two.

Health notes for this age group

Sunburn on day one, dehydration on day two, and a scooter injury on day three is the classic sequence. Zinc, water, and no scooters. Reef cuts from surfing need cleaning immediately; in this climate they infect fast.