Bali

Bali is a lovely resort island with a plethora of inviting white-sand beaches, clean tropical weather and  a nice laid-back aura. The district of Seminyak has become one of the most internationalized and stylish areas in Asia, with great cuisine,  lots of art,  boutique resorts and swanky bars/restaurants/lounges.

WORLD-CLASS SURFING

It has some of the best surfing breaks in the world!  Chief among these is, arguably, Uluwatu, but there are at least 47 good to fabulous breaks - depending on your ability and preference. There are  a couple of surf shops in Kuta/Legian that have daily updates on tides and swell height, as well as general weather and wave conditions.

The Nusa Dua and Jimbaran areas are home to some seriously world-renowned  5-star hotels, resorts and spas. Two of the best are The Conrad Bali and the Bulgari Resort. 

Bali is a Hindu enclave in a largely Islamic country. It is, therefore, much less puritanical, seemingly much less oppressed and has great weather (read: none of the air pollution [or mosque noise pollution] that you'll find in the big cities like Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and others).

GOOD HOSTS, QUIRKY EXPATS

The hill town of Ubud seems a world away from the sometimes overly "touristy" beaches of Kuta and Legian. It claims to be the arts and culture hub of the island and is cooler (temperature-wise) than the coastal towns. 

The Balinese are generally decent hosts, who understand that your tourist dollars are essential to their economy. The economic migrants from other islands can be a bit annoying.

The Bali expat community is vibrant and eclectic, but some folks have a tendency to be somewhat haughty, with a slight touch of phoniness. (As one Norwegian friend, who has lived there for the past several years, put it: "Too many of these wannabe artists and pretentious types suffer from the big fish/little pond syndrome.")  For good or for ill, though, they do like good food and the market  (dozens of international restaurateurs have come in and set up shop) has supplied great restaurants in abundance to serve them as well as tourists and expats from other parts of Indonesia that frequent the island.

GETTING THERE

It's easy to get to Bali from any major airport in Indonesia, as well as direct flights between Singapore, Japan, Australia and Europe.

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