You can always grab a fantastic streetside or market meal in Bali, or duck into a restaurant with a babi guling sign and be sure of a pretty decent feed. But if you'd like to delve into traditional Balinese cuisine in restaurant surrounds, where should you head?

Spices. Get ready for some.

Restaurants are not big historically in Bali, with people generally eating at home or in large groups as part of major festivals or ceremonies. Heinz von Holzen, of Bumbu Bali restaurant and cooking school fame, can take a lot of the credit for stoking interest in Balinese food among foreigners as tourism has grown over the past few decades here, and when he opened his first restaurant on the island it was pretty much the only formal eatery you could head to for a typical Balinese meal. These days a few more restaurants focusing mostly on Balinese food have opened, but they're still rather thin on the ground.

Here are restaurants for three budgets: cheap, mid-range, and splurge-a-rama.

Pregina's

Cosy and comfortable.

This unassuming but comfortable spot in Sanur is located on the main Danau Tamblingan drag and is open to the street, where a barbecue gets fired up for cooking sate (yes, traditionally Javanese, but still popular here) and seafood. The interior is all moody dark woods and red cushions on bench furniture, with blown up photos of Balinese scenes from decades ago gracing the walls.

The menu boasts a selection of Indonesian dishes, with the emphasis very much on the Balinese. Prices are higher than what you'll find at markets, but the quality rises commensurately. Expect to pay 15,000 to 25,000 rupiah for starters such as urap pakis and deep fried calamari, while mains are around the 30,000 rupiah to 50,000 rupiah mark. For mains, think siap sisit mebase barak, or shredded chicken in a Balinese sauce served with a crunchy coconut-sprinkled urap on the side (30,000 rupiah) or betutu siap, Balinese roast chicken with yum leaf (30,000 rupiah). Or choose from a fairly decent selection of seafood, such as pepes be pasih, a whole fish in banana leaf (50,000 rupiah). Leave room for dessert -- and go the palm-sugar sweet Balinese pancake (20,000 rupiah).

Bumbu Bali

A little of this, a little of that.

Bumbu Bali in Tanjung Benoa does the real deal when it comes to Balinese food, with a huge selection of delectable dishes. You can browse their menu ahead of going to the restaurant (and actually there are two main ones, located a lengthy walk apart). Go a la carte if you like, or the Rijsttafel (rice table) represents great value as well, priced at 295,000 rupiah for dishes including sate, ayam betutu (roast chicken in banana leaf), be celeng base manis (pork in sweet soy sauce), be sampi mebase Bali (braised beef in coconut milk) and bubuh injin (black rice pudding).

The service is great, there's always a crowd, the atmosphere's convivial, and you'll have a great time -- trust us.

The Warung at Alila Uluwatu

The Alila spice train.

You'll need a healthy wallet for a meal at The Warung at Alila Uluwatu, but you'll have a superb meal in a truly breath-taking setting overlooking the Indian Ocean on Bali's Bukit. You can really make a special occasion of a visit to this isolated, ultra-modern, environmentally friendly and clean-lined resort -- arrive at sunset and enjoy drinks in the bale jutting out over the sea.

You can then go a la carte or banquet style. A delectable a la carte selection might be their lawar bebek, which is a young jackfruit salad with duck (110,000++ rupiah ++), soup wong dadah (Balinese creamy mushroom soup, 95,000++ rupiah), sate campur (mixed beef, chicken and fish sate, 115,000++) and ikan bakar Jimbaran (grilled whole or filleted fish, 190,00++ rupiah). They also have a short menu of items from Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi if you'd like a culinary trip around the Indonesian archipelago.

On our two visits here we've gone for the "Ubud" chef's selection, a set menu at 330,000++ per person (of a total of four differently priced set menus -- ranking as the second least expensive). Ours included, among other dishes, lawar ayam (green bean salad with chicken), sate campur, gedang mekuah udang (green papaya soup with prawn), babi kecap (pork in sweet soy) and tum bebek, minced duck in banana leaf.

But one of the highlights each time has been the fantastic array of krupuk or rice crackers and various yummy condiments such as mouth-puckering pickles and eye-watering sauces served complimentary ahead of the meal. The staff will explain everything and are happy to answer any culinary questions, too, so test them out!

A platter of low light lovelies.

The Warung has a refined feel completely removed from an ordinary Indonesian warung, so it's not the spot for a big group meal, but for a couple of people really into Balinese food wanting to celebrate something special, it should hit the spot.

Pregina's
106 Jalan Danau Tamblingan (two doors from The Porch)
T: (0361) 7862397

Bumbu Bali
Jalan Pratama, Tanjung Benoa
T: (0361) 772299
www.balifoods.com

The Warung
Alila Villas Uluwatu
Jalan Belimbing Sari
Banjar Tambiyak, Desa Pecatu
T: (0361) 848 2166
www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/culinary

Tags: Alila Uluwatu, balinese food, bumbu bali, Pregina's, the Warung

If it's August, it's high season in Bali. Parties are cranking into gear and though for some that means running for the hills, for others it's time to glam up and get out of the hotel.

Travelfish.org knows all the coolest party venues that nobody else has ever heard of.

Seminyak is party central with the main spots for grooving being sunset institution KuDeTa, old-hand Hu'u and audacious newcomers Potato Head and Cocoon. The season tends to be called "summer", though in actual fact it's winter in Bali -- we're in the southern hemisphere, folks.

Here's the August calendar for some of the larger venues:

Thursday August 11 (postponed from yesterday due to a plane diversion): Ed Banger Party at Potato Head Beach Club. French electronic music label Ed Banger presents DJs Mehdi, Busy P and BreakBot.

Friday August 12: F Vodka Launch Party at Hu'u. Fashion TV presents the official F Vodka launch with a Casino Royale party.
AND
Wild Party at Cocoon, with DJ Mr V flying from the USA to spin the night away with entertainers.

Cocoon or Cocooo? Look again.

Saturday August 13:  Ku De Ta's 11th birthday party. Japanese-inspired cuisine will be served before a backdrop of red lanterns, Zen fountains, kimono-clad entertainers and Sumo wrestlers. Dance music legend Todd “The God” Terry spins house music and Ku De Ta's DonniOne and Supercozi will round out the musical offerings. A share of the proceeds going towards the survivors of Japan's recent disasters.

Slumming it at Ku De Ta.

Friday August 19: Summer Syndrome's Strictly Costume Party at Potato Head Beach Club. Come in your most elaborate or simple costume -- they don't give any suggestion to a theme beyond that -- to see Empire of the Sun perform at Potato Head's main summer event.
AND
Hu'u's Red Party, celebrating Independence Day.
AND
Vegas Showtime at Cocoon, XPRESS @ is spinning the beats with Vegas showgirls on hand as well.

I promise this is the last time that I use this photo from Potato Head.

Saturday August 20: Ku De Ta's Hello Sailor-themed White party. Indonesia's 22-piece Pitelas Big Band will perform plus Djs Spen and Karizma.

Friday August 26: Hu'u's 24 karat Super Solid Gold party with DJ Golddigger.

It's also worth checking out whether anything is on at Nammos during your Bali holiday -- they have some great parties and often provide a shuttle service down to their beautiful beach on the Bukit. Their emails were bouncing in the leadup to writing this post.

Ku De Ta
Jalan Kayu Aya 9
T: (0361) 736 969
www.kudeta.net
info@kudeta.net

Potato Head Beach Club
Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak
T: (0361) 473 79 79
reservations@ptthead.com

Hu'u
Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak
T: (0361) 736 443
www.huubali.com
info@huubali.com

Cocoon
Jalan Double Six, Blue Ocean Boulevard, Seminyak
T: (0361) 731 266
www.cocoon-beach.com
info@cocoon-beach.com

Nammos at Karma Kandara
Jalan Villa Kandara, Banjar Wijaya Kusuma, Ungasan
T: (0361) 848 2200
www.karmaresorts.com/

The Bukit peninsula at the southernmost tip of Bali is home to some of the most stunning beaches on the entire island. We've already written at length about some of the best beaches on the west coast of the Bukit, from Dreamland down to Nyang Nyang, but the Bukit is a big place and there's lots more sand to share.
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It's a common complaint from first-time visitors to Bali (we were guilty of this ourselves) that Balinese beaches are just ordinary. I remember the first time I stepped onto a Balinese Beach -- staying at Villa Kresna in Seminyak, I strolled down to check out the surf I'd heard so much about and found a dirty gun-metal grey beach, littered with rubbish and waste water — it was less than magnificent to say the least.

A world away from Seminyak. But... where's the pool butler?

Thankfully Bali has far more to offer on the beach front than the sands of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak and as we're in the final throes of preparing our Bali iPhone app, I've been lucky enough to have just spent the last fews days taking a good poke around some of the more glorious beaches of the Bukit peninsula.

Nyang Nyang

Set at the base of a towering escarpment just to the east of Bali's famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu, Nyang Nyang is simply tremendous.

It is further than it looks.

To get there, follow a rough and rocky dirt trail from the main Uluwatu road (look out for the small blue sign reading "Nyang Nyang surfing beach") to where it finishes at the cliff edge. You'll see a small shack of a shop and a house and from there it's a 15-minute walk down the 500+ steps that climb the Nyang Nyamg escarpment. Once at the base you'll see more cows than people and you can set up camp wherever you want. Note you will need to bring your own food and water as there is nowhere to buy anything at beach level -- a rarity in Bali, believe us.

It's a coarse sand, and as the tide was well out when I visited, a swim would have involved being pummeled on the rocks, so I settled for a paddle in the rock pools. As a surf beach Nyang Nyang is popular, but this most certainly isn't a novice wave. Uncrowded rides of up to 150m can be had when conditions are good.

Not a dodgy tailor shop in sight.

This is an ideal spot for a Robinson Crusoe day out, when you really just want to have a lot of time to yourself. Plenty of secluded spots are hidden amid the scrub and shade can be had up on the grassy plateau (which you'll share with the cows). Bring lots of water and food, or be prepared to buy from the old crones at the top.

A word these vendors: if you say you'll buy one of their crummy bracelets on the way back, they'll remember you return — and you will honour your words.

Uluwatu

This is, without doubt, one of Bali's most spectacular beaches. Cliff backed, the multiple surf breaks make this one of the most famous of Bali's waves, but with a multitude of bars and warungs built into the cliff, this is also one of the best for just taking in the scene.

The lifeguards can climb down real fast.

The beach can be reached by two separate spurs of Jalan Pantai Suluban, each of which terminates at one end or the other of the staircases that weave their way down, rabbit-warren like, eventually doubling back on themselves, threading under an enormous rock ledge and opening out into an amphitheatre of luminescent turquoise waters and gleaming white cliffs. This is an incredible and magically beautiful place.

Pete decided to surf while Deborah looked for a vanilla latte.

Near the cliffs are a series of deep ponds where people swim or frolic, actually, and I found it peculiarly reminiscent of the pools at Pamukkale in Turkey. They're incredibly photogenic.

Sunset from one of the many Uluwatu bars.

Depending on the tide and how wet you're willing to get, you can rock hop in both directions from the main entry point to find other, more private slithers of sand to relax on.

Uluwatu Minor

I don't know what the real name of this beach is, but if you're happy to rough it and don't mind climbing up and down pole ladders to get to the base (I wasn't to be honest!) it looks like a cracker. To get here, follow the signs from Jalan Pantai Suluban for Rocky Bungalows, but ride past and you'll eventually reach the very soon-to-be-completed-as-at-June-2011 Surga Bali. Keep going to the very end of the road and you'll reach a locked gate.

Wheelie bags not welcome.

Beside the locked gate is a rock crevice you need to jump across and then you'll see the single bamboo pole ladder that begins the downwards climb. Now to be clear, I didn't climb down this, but a guy on the building site for Surga Bali insisted that if you take the ladder there is then a very steep path down to the beach.

I call it Uluwatu Minor as in you need minor mental issues to climb down there.

Do report back on how you go!

Recommended Uluwatu accommodation
Budget: Jacko House
Flashpacker: Rocky Bungalows
Midrange: Bali Reef Villa
Highend: Uluwatu Surf Villas

Discounted hotels around Uluwatu with Agoda.com

Padang Padang

Popular Padang Padang has two main stretches, one long, flat and little developed, the other compact, a bit rocky in parts, and a little developed. Oddly, most only go to the latter as that is the one that you can see from the bridge that passes it by. We've written previously about the latter but you want to go to the former.

Offshore parking is available.

To get there, if coming from Uluwatu, keep an eye out for the signs for the very long-running Thomas Homestay. A cheap guesthouse perched on the cliff, the main asset here (aside from the lovely views) are the stairs down to their beachside restaurant. From there the beach is long, the swimming good, there's ample sand and, well, next to nobody.

Ugly. Plain and simple.

Once you're done here, by all means continue to the more popular stretch where there is both on-the-cliff budget shacks and more comfortable hotels up above. Padang Padang also has the best range of eateries in the area.

Recommended Padang Padang accommodation
Budget: Thomas Homestay
Flashpacker: Padang Padang Inn

Discounted hotels around Padang Padang with Agoda.com

Impossibles

Once you've been up and down a few of the access points here, you'll come to understand why it is called Impossibles. Situated midway between Padang Padang and Bingin, Impossibles is mostly cliff and boulders, broken up by the occasional slice of soft yellow sand. It's a lovely area, but incredibly isolated and at night we'd warrant some of the staircases are seriously hazardous.

Beachfront at Impossibles.

Wandering through here I stumbled upon a particularly attractive resort literally built onto the cliff face. Work was underway putting in a few extra lumbung villas but it appeared to be otherwise completely shut and I couldn't find anyone to answer questions about it. Subsequently some web research brought me to RockNReef, which looks to be about the same joint.

The only other lodgings I could find were salubrious private residences that appear to have permitted beach access through gritted teeth around their corpulent land holdings -- the least they could have done was provided footways that satisfied some base level of safety. Thanks, fat cats.

Bingin

Bingin follows on immediately from Impossibles, but unlike Impossibles is absolutely awash in accommodation. It's almost as if the cliff face is built out, with everything from $2 shanties to quite fancy looking air-con villas, and it's all interconnected by a dog's breakfast of trails and staircases, all very slippery when wet. There are bars, warungs and even an internet cafe, all overlooking the water enjoying simply fabulous views over Bingin's terrific surf breaks.

Bingin from the clifftop.

Atop the cliff you've got a selection of salubrious spots to choose from, along with some downright great value family-run homestays. Bingin doesn't have the good eating that say Padang Padang does, but a variety of cheap local eateries can be found.

Bingin from the cliff base.

When the tide is out the beach is a massive rock shelf covered with water pools. Let me clarify, a massive tremendously slippery rock shelf — watch your step! When the tide is in, much of the beach vanishes and you'll have to retreat to a warung or resort balcony of your choosing. Sigh.

Recommended Bingin accommodation
Budget: Leggies
Flashpacker: Pondok Indah
Highend: The Temple Lodge

Balangan

The last beach we'll cover along this stretch is wonderful Balangan beach. Like Padang Padang, we've written about this one before. The grains of sand here are perfectly spherical and the waters deep and crystal clear.

Surf is up at our favourite beach in Bali.

Surfers congregate at the eastern end of the beach (where there are also some basic beachfront guesthouses) while swimmers often go for the western end where the water can be a bit calmer. Like Bingin, the beach gets a large rock shelf at low tide and isn't so good for swimming, but as high tide, especially at the western end, the swimming is good — watch for the currents though!

Play That Funky Music!

While there are some cheap guesthouses right on the beach at its eastern end, the better options are above the cliff's edge, where you'll find both boutique resorts like La Joya and budget guesthouses as well. Eating here is restricted mainly to the beachside warungs and the homestay restaurants, and La Joya's poolside restaurant is excellent.

Recommended Balangan accommodation
Budget: Balangan Beach Bungalows
Flashpacker: Flower Bud Bungalows
Midrange: Balangan Sea View Bungalows
Highend: Hotel La Joya

Discounted hotels around Balangan with Agoda.com

Balangan is basically the next beach of any size between what used to be known as Dreamland (now fittingly referred to as “New Kuta”) and the Ayana Resort (and Jimbaran after it). The beach is down a steep staircase (easy to climb when not carrying two small, wet children) and an assortment of warungs and cheap homestay/shacks are set up along the eastern end of the beach.

Western end of Balangan beach, Bali

Balangan Beach is very well regarded for its surf break (a reef break not all that far offshore) and it saw a considerable influx of visitors when the regulars fled Dreamland. At high tide some good swimming can be had — though bear in mind, as a surf beach, you’ll need to keep a close eye on kids as the currents here can be very swift. At low tide a rocky base breaks the surface, making much of it crummy for swimming but ideal for pond watching, shell collecting and sandcastle building.

Also of note is the actual sand here. Like at nearby Bingin, the grains of sand are, by and large, perfectly spherical -- they'll make you think of couscous, I guarantee it. Balangan beach is a very good length and will take about an hour to walk end to end.

Accommodation at Balangan basically falls into two categories — cheap and basic backpacker digs down on the beach, and more flashpacker to mid-range stuff up above the beach on the cliff.

This remains one of our favourite beaches on Bali, and if you have time to visit just one of the seven beaches we're writing about, this should be the one. Depending on traffic it is about an hour's drive from Kuta and easily done by car or motorbike.

Many first-time visitors to Bali find themselves a little underwhelmed by the beaches. It's a response easy to imagine considering all the beautiful beaches featured on Bali brochures and the reality of crowded Kuta. Luckily, Bali is a big island with pretty beaches enough for everyone, and over the next seven days we’ll show you one a day to help you fill out a week’s beach holiday in Bali.

Tags: 7 days 7 beaches, Balangan Beach

This little beach on the Bukit peninsula is a favourite with families due to its calm waters by the sand, and with surfers for the break on the offshore reef. It's reached via a narrow staircase that passes under an overhang (watch your head!) and the compact beach has plenty of unbrellas for rent and simple beach food (nasi goreng and, oddly, cheese jaffles) is available.

Padang Padang beach, Bali

The beach attracts a mixed crowd of domestic and foreign tourists along with a bunch of expats -- if things get too busy for your liking on the main beach (which is quite compact), take a wander to your right (when looking at the water) and you'll find some sandy little nooks and crannies away from the crowds. You won't have to walk too far to see the horror that is Dreamland in the distance.

If you have kids in tow, we'd suggest going in the morning as you won't have the sun totally beating down on you and it is less crowded. In the afternoon it gets quite busy and very hot -- luckily cold Bintangs are in plentiful supply.

There is accommodation at Padang Padang, but if you're coming from elsewhere, it is best reached by your own transport, (there's a large carpark nearby) and it's about halfway between Dreamland and Uluwatu.

Many first-time visitors to Bali find themselves a little underwhelmed by the beaches. It's a response easy to imagine considering all the beautiful beaches featured on Bali brochures and the reality of crowded Kuta. Luckily, Bali is a big island with pretty beaches enough for everyone, and over the next seven days we’ll show you one a day to help you fill out a week’s beach holiday in Bali.

Tags: 7 days 7 beaches, padang padang