Bali: a family cultural holiday near Australia

HOPE YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GIVE SOME THOUGHTS ON A FAMILY HOLIDAY. WE ARE 10 ADULTS AND SEVEN CHILDREN FROM TWO TO 12, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN TO FIJI AND NEW ZEALAND AND WE WOULD LIKE SOMEWHERE NOT TOO FAR WITH SOME SORT OF CULTURAL EXPERIENCE. I LIKE BALI BUT THE OTHERS ARE WARY OF TAKING THE YOUNGER CHILDREN. WE THOUGHT OF LORD HOWE ISLAND OR ULURU.

J. KING, PALMERS ISLAND

Is Bali right off the table? Because there are not too many places that could satisfy your needs quite like the Island of the Gods. You could hire several villas within the same complex and have oodles of private space, swimming pools, cooks if you want and massages in-house, and it doesn't cost a bomb. Depending on your location you could have shopping, restaurants and cafes close at hand, and as for culture, there are not too many people who celebrate, dance, perform and pray quite like the Balinese.

Some of your extended family might have health concerns about those young children but for sensible and careful parents Bali is a low-risk destination.

Lord Howe Island is flagrantly gorgeous and it's well equipped for adventure despite its modest size, but it's hardly a cultural experience. I'm not certain that Uluru would offer the variety that you might want to please everyone.

Vanuatu is another possibility, and I'd be inclined to look at Espiritu Santo rather than Efate, although Melanesian culture is more subdued than that of Asia.