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. Seminyak is party central with the main spots for grooving being sunset institution KuDeTa, old-hand Hu’u and audacious newcomers … read the full post

Sometimes you don’t want to go sightseeing, you don’t want to learn to surf, you don’t want to climb a volcano, but you do just want to have some down time. Here are a few of Travelfish.org picks for places to stay for some down time in Bali. These are mid-range to upper end places, … read the full post

As someone who usually avoids zoos in Southeast Asia, my expectations of Bali Zoo were not high. But the verdict: it makes for a good half-day out with 3- and 4-year-old kids in tow. For the most part, conditions for the animals seemed decent by (non-Singaporean) regional standards, and the experience was quite hands on. … read the full post

Having had a splurge dinner on Nusa Lembongan, what better way to follow up than a splurge spa visit? Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa is one of the island’s higher-end spots to stay or to go for a massage, so expectations for a visit here were high. I called in advance and couldn’t … read the full post

Maybe I’m just getting older, but while I used to find Thai and Cambodian traditional dance dull when I lived in the countries that produced the style, I find myself these days enjoying the slightly less staid Balinese dance. While Balinese dances can be incredibly intricate and slow moving, there’s an element of almost slapstick … read the full post

The Ubud Writers Festival takes place at an array of venues across Ubud, several of them overseen by Festival organiser Janet De Neefe: Indus, Casa Luna and Bar Luna, for instance. Being restaurants, however, these are venues that you can visit even when an author isn’t holding court. And at Bar Luna on Tuesdays and … read the full post

Nusa Lembongan is a beautiful little patch of an island just off the east coast of southern Bali. It’s famous for its surfing, sunsets and snorkelling, and is growing in popularity among those looking for a less crowded, unadulterated flavour of Bali. But the big question: how to get there? It’s an island, there’s no … read the full post

You’re thinking jewellery, ka-ching, can’t afford to buy jewellery in Bali, bananas, are you crazy? But this isn’t really about buying, necessarily. John Hardy jewellery is probably Bali’s most famous jewellery export, which isn’t a bad achievement considering how many silversmiths the island plays host to. You won’t however actually find John Hardy jewellery retailing … read the full post

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 … read the full post

UPDATE: Rainbow Road listed below has now closed. If you’ve travelled too light to Bali and you need a few more toys or books to keep your kids entertained while you’re here, a few excellent little toy and book shops have sprung up close to each other on Jalan Raya Kerobokan in recent years. You … read the full post