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Note: Sanctoo Suites & Villas Bali hosted us during our stay, but all thoughts and photos are our own.
If you are planning to visit Bali Zoo with kids, staying next door at Sanctoo Suites & Villas is definitely worth considering.
This isn’t a huge family resort packed with waterslides and kids’ clubs. Sanctoo is much smaller and quieter, with a lagoon pool, on-site dining options, a beautiful spa and, most importantly, incredibly easy access to Bali Zoo.
We stayed at Sanctoo during our July 2026 Bali trip in the Family Suite Aviary with our two kids. I also had the chance to look through the Pool Access Suite and One Bedroom Riverside Pool Villa, so in this review I’ll compare all three.
Where is Sanctoo Suites & Villas?
Sanctoo Suites & Villas is located in Gianyar, right beside Bali Zoo and around 20 to 30 minutes south of central Ubud, depending on traffic.
I wouldn’t choose Sanctoo if your idea of an Ubud stay is being able to walk out of your hotel and straight to cafes, shops and the Ubud Market. This is a much quieter area, and you’ll need transport if you want to head into central Ubud. A couple of options are close by, including Tlaga Singha Bali River Club and Jungle Club Ubud.
We chose Sanctoo because we wanted to spend time at Bali Zoo without turning it into one huge day trip. Being right next door meant we could enjoy the zoo at a much slower pace, head back to the resort for a swim or something to eat and then return again later. It also works well as a base if you want to explore more of the Gianyar and Ubud area, rather than staying in the busier centre of Ubud.
Rooms at Sanctoo Suite & Villas
One thing I really like about Sanctoo is that the accommodation isn’t all the same. There are suites around the main lagoon pool, family suites with extra space, and private villas with their own pools, so the best room really depends on who you are travelling with and what matters most to your family.
Family Suite Aviary
This was a great setup for our family of four. The Family Suite Aviary spans two levels, with two bedrooms instead of everyone squeezed into one hotel room. One fun part of staying here was waking up and seeing wildlife outside the windows. It definitely gives this room something a little different from a normal Bali hotel room. An exterior staircase next to the entrance door links to the 2 rooms.
The ground-floor room is the master bedroom with a King bed, a Smart TV, a bathroom with a bathtub and a mini bar.
Upstairs is the second room featuring a loft-style bedroom. A huge lounge area with a smart TV, dining table and kitchenette, with a bathroom with a bathtub. The king bed is located at the top of the circular staircase.
Who would I book this room for?
Best for: Families with kids, particularly older children or teens.
Things to know: The bedrooms are completely separate and are joined by a staircase outside the rooms’ entrance doors. An outside door secures the suite, but it isn’t lockable. The upstairs bedroom is split-level, with the king-sized bed up a set of narrow stairs. I would think carefully about booking this room with toddlers or anyone with mobility issues.
Pool Access Suite
The Pool Access Suite sits on the ground floor with a terrace opening directly onto the Sanctoo swimming pool. It has one large bed rather than separate bedrooms, so it is a completely different setup to the Family Suite Aviary.
The big selling point is obvious: You can walk straight from your terrace into the pool. I can see this working really well for a couple or smaller family who spends a lot of time swimming.
Who would I book this room for?
Best for: Couples, one-child families or families who value pool access more than separate sleeping areas.
Things to know: With young children, remember the swimming pool is immediately outside the room. Personally, with toddlers or non-swimmers, I would prefer a room without direct pool access.
One Bedroom Riverside Pool Villa
If you want more privacy, look at the One Bedroom Riverside Pool Villa.
These villas are huge, with a private outdoor area and swimming pool, and have one bedroom with a huge bathroom. The villa I saw felt completely different from the Suites area. It was much more private and had that classic Bali private-villa feel.
Who would I book this room for?
Best for: Couples, parents travelling with one younger child, or anyone wanting a private pool and lots of outdoor space.
For our family of four with older kids, I would still choose the Family Suite Aviary because separate sleeping spaces are more useful to us than a private pool.
Swimming Pool at Sanctoo Suites & Villas
The main Suites area is built around a lagoon-style swimming pool, surrounded by tropical gardens and the accommodation buildings. It isn’t a huge resort pool with waterslides and kids’ activities, but that’s not really what Sanctoo is about. For us, it was the perfect place to come back to after spending a few hours at Bali Zoo.
Honestly, one of my favourite things about staying here was being able to do: Zoo → swim → lunch → rest → back to the zoo.
Rather than feeling like we had to spend eight straight hours at Bali Zoo because we had driven all the way there for the day, we could just leave when everyone needed a break. That flexibility makes such a difference with kids.
Sanctoo has a couple of dining options, plus room service, so we didn’t feel like we needed to leave the resort every time someone was hungry.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at Cassowary Restaurant from 7 am until 10 am. We had breakfast here during our stay and found it relaxed and easy with the kids. There was a buffet with a mix of Western and Indonesian breakfast options, and because Sanctoo is a smaller resort, it didn’t have that huge, slightly chaotic breakfast-buffet feel you sometimes get at the larger Bali resorts.
Cassowary overlooks the lagoon pool and, very appropriately, you can also see the resident cassowaries nearby. It certainly makes breakfast a little different to your average hotel buffet.
Lunch and Dinner at Cassowary Restaurant
Cassowary Restaurant is open until 11 pm, so it’s also the main option for lunch, dinner and drinks. This was handy for us because there were definitely times after Bali Zoo when nobody wanted to get back into a car and head somewhere else to eat.
Cassowary Restaurant is also open to non-staying guests, which is handy to know if you’re visiting Bali Zoo but not staying at Sanctoo.
Wantilan by Sanctoo
There is also Wantilan by Sanctoo, located closer to the Sanctoo Spa and the Elephant Mud Fun area. Wantilan is open from 9 am until 7 pm and gives you another place to grab something to eat or drink away from the main Suites area. It’s particularly convenient if you’re spending time around the spa or doing one of the Bali Zoo elephant mud fun experiences.
Room Service
We also ordered room service during our stay and you choose your food off the Cassowary Restauarant Menu. This is one of those little things that matters more to me when travelling with kids than it probably did before I had them. After a full day at Bali Zoo, sometimes nobody wants to get dressed and go back out for dinner. Being able to eat in the room made things easy.
Kate’s Tip: Try the Scramcakes! They are delicious 😉
Don’t skip the spa. My daughter and I had treatments here, and this was one of the unexpected highlights of our stay. The Sanctoo Spa is in a wooden pavilion surrounded by greenery with treatment rooms overlooking a waterfall. The setting is beautiful, and our treatments were excellent. The spa offers reasonably priced massages, body treatments, reflexology and facials.
And parents take note: Sanctoo can organise a nanny for the kids, so a massage, couples treatment or even a quiet dinner without the kids is absolutely possible. Another useful thing to know: you don’t need to stay at Sanctoo to use the spa. Non-staying guests can book treatments subject to availability.
If you are visiting Bali Zoo, you could easily send one parent to the spa while the other takes the kids back into the zoo. I’m just saying 😂
Bali Zoo Access From Sanctoo
This is really the main reason Sanctoo is so different from other accommodation in the area. Bali Zoo is right next door. Depending on the rate or package you book at Sanctoo Suites & Villas, Bali Zoo entry may also be included.
For us, staying next door completely changed the way we experienced Bali Zoo. We didn’t need to arrive first thing in the morning and stay until everyone was exhausted just because we had travelled all the way there. We could explore for a while, walk back to Sanctoo, cool down in the swimming pool, have lunch or rest in the room, then head back again later if we wanted to.
For families with younger children, or neurodiverse kids who might need time away from the noise and stimulation of a big attraction, I think that flexibility is a huge advantage. If you want all the information about Bali Zoo itself, including Elephant Explorer, Breakfast with Orangutans, general admission, animal experiences, accessibility and our thoughts about returning to the zoo after avoiding elephant tourism experiences for many years, have a read of our Complete Bali Zoo Review for Families.
Can You Visit Sanctoo Without Staying There?
Yes, and I specifically checked with Sanctoo because I think this is really useful for families visiting Bali Zoo. Non-staying guests can dine at Cassowary Restaurant or Wantilan by Sanctoo. You can also book treatments at the Sanctoo Spa, subject to availability, and Sanctoo offers pool packages for outside guests.
I actually think this could work really well if you are visiting Bali Zoo but staying somewhere else. For example, you could do Breakfast with Orangutans, spend the morning exploring Bali Zoo and then head next door to Sanctoo for a late lunch, a swim or a spa treatment rather than immediately getting back in the car and heading to your hotel.
If you want to use the pool or spa, I would contact Sanctoo ahead of time rather than just turning up, particularly during busy periods.
Things to Know Before Staying at Sanctoo Suites & Villas
A few practical things are worth knowing before you stay.
Check-in is from 2 pm, and check-out is until 12 pm. One thing I love about Bali resorts is a midday check-out. It gives you time for a relaxed breakfast and even another swim before packing up and moving on.
The main swimming pool is open from 7 am to 7 pm. All accommodation rooms are non-smoking. A designated smoking area is available at Cassowary Restaurant.
Sanctoo can organise a nanny for your kids. If you have younger children or kids who need extra support, I recommend contacting the resort before your stay and arranging this in advance rather than waiting until you arrive. You can also have your own private nanny help out while staying at Sanctoo.
Sanctoo also runs some complimentary activities for staying guests. They’re worth checking when you arrive because they’re an easy little extra to add to your stay without having to leave the resort. If you want to make Sanctoo more than simply somewhere to sleep beside Bali Zoo, there are actually quite a few extra experiences that can be organised.
Options include a Balinese Birthday Celebration, Balinese Blessing or Cleansing Ceremony, romantic dinner, Indonesian cooking class, cycling, trekking, white water rafting, and yoga.
There are also plenty of other tours and experiences available, so I’d look at what is on offer before your stay if you want Sanctoo to organise some of your activities. I particularly like that there are non-zoo options. This means you can easily stay a few nights and use Sanctoo as your base, rather than treating it purely as accommodation for visiting Bali Zoo.
If Bali Zoo is the main reason for your visit, I think two to three nights is a good amount of time. That gives you enough time to actually enjoy Sanctoo as well, rather than checking in, rushing around Bali Zoo and checking straight back out again. If you also wanted to do some of Sanctoo’s activities, visit more of Gianyar or explore Ubud, you could easily stay longer.
Would We Stay at Sanctoo Suites & Villas Again?
Yes, particularly if Bali Zoo was part of our plans again. The Family Suite Aviary worked really well for the four of us. I loved having separate sleeping spaces with teenagers and the ability to walk back and forth from Bali Zoo made the whole experience much easier.
The swimming pool was perfect for cooling off during the day; having restaurants and room service onsite made meals easy, and the spa was a definite highlight. I also liked that Sanctoo wasn’t trying to be another huge Bali family resort. You aren’t coming here for massive waterslides, an enormous kids club or entertainment running all day.
Instead, you have a smaller, quieter resort with wildlife on your doorstep, a beautiful pool, plenty of optional activities and Bali Zoo right next door. For this part of our Bali trip, that suited us perfectly. If you are planning a Bali Zoo visit with kids, I would definitely price a night or two at Sanctoo rather than automatically doing the zoo as a day trip.
Read next: Our Complete Bali Zoo Review for Families
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Kate xx
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