tralian surfers, young clubbers and backpackers.
The resort offers lots of budget accommodation, American diners, all-night discos and boutiques. There is also a new Hard Rock Hotel.
Just slightly further along the coast is the neighbouring and more relaxed resort of Legian which has a handful of hotels, including the Oberoi and the five-star all-suite Legian Hotel.
Sanur, to the east of Kuta, is also a quiet resort with several three to five-star hotels including the Grand Bali Beach, Segara Village and Bali Hyatt.
Even quieter still is Candidasa, a resort on the east coast featured by a handful of specialist operators.
There is not much of a beach here but it is a good base from which to visit the ancient Bali Aga village of Tengenan, the Kerta Gosa Hall of Justice and the Goa Lawah bat cave.
However, it would be a great shame to travel all the way to Bali and not venture inland.
Ubud is just a short drive from the coast and well worth the journey.
Surrounded by rice terraces and tropical rainforest, it is the cultural heart of Bali where visitors can visit royal temples and palaces and take in a performance of one of the islands’ many dance groups.
Nightly shows are held in the outer courtyard of the Puri Saren Palace.
It is fair to say that Ubud is no longer the sleepy backwater it once was.
There is now a wide range of shops, restaurants and plenty of accommodation ranging from backpacker hotels to the five-star Aman Resort and the Chedi Hotel, both of which are located in the hillside about a 20min drive away from the town centre.
Most visitors spend at least a couple of nights in Ubud which is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.
There are lots of walks between the rice terraces which take visitors through traditional hamlets and villages, and bikes can also be hired from the town centre.
For the more adventurous, white-water rafting expeditions can be arranged down the Agung River.
Several operators sell seven-night packages which combine two nights in Ubud with a five-night cruise to neighbouring islands or with five nights at a beach resort.
Between Ubud and the coast are several small towns such as Mas, famous for its wood carvings, and Celuk which is well known for its jewellery and silverware.
For both touring and beach holidays the best time to visit Bali is during the dry season, which, unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, is during the summer from April to October.
BALI is as different from the rest of Indonesia as Scotland is from the rest of Britain.
In fact Bali is so far removed from its neighbouring islands, both physically and politically, that it has remained completely untouched by the social problems currently affecting other parts of Indonesia.
The inhabitants, who are predominantly Hindu as opposed to Muslim, are mostly of a gentle nature and are very welcoming to overseas visitors.
Only in Kuta, the busiest of Bali’s tourist resorts, are foreigners likely to be harassed, and even then it is only by over-zealous hawkers.
Tourism development has been concentrated in the south of Bali where the best beaches are found.
Here there are numerous resorts catering to different types of clientele.
Nusa Dua is the most upmarket and boasts several five-star beach hotels including the Grand Hyatt, Melia Bali, Ritz Carlton and the all-inclusive Klub Bali Mirage.
The liveliest resort is Kuta which is heaving with Australian surfers, young clubbers and backpackers.
The resort offers lots of budget accommodation, American diners, all-night discos and boutiques. There is also a new Hard Rock Hotel.
Just slightly further along the coast is the neighbouring and more relaxed resort of Legian which has a handful of hotels, including the Oberoi and the five-star all-suite Legian Hotel.
Sanur, to the east of Kuta, is also a quiet resort with several three to five-star hotels including the Grand Bali Beach, Segara Village and Bali Hyatt.
Even quieter still is Candidasa, a resort on the east coast featured by a handful of specialist operators.
There is not much of a beach here but it is a good base from which to visit the ancient Bali Aga village of Tengenan, the Kerta Gosa Hall of Justice and the Goa Lawah bat cave.
However, it would be a great shame to travel all the way to Bali and not venture inland.
Ubud is just a short drive from the coast and well worth the journey.
Surrounded by rice terraces and tropical rainforest, it is the cultural heart of Bali where visitors can visit royal temples and palaces and take in a performance of one of the islands’ many dance groups.
Nightly shows are held in the outer courtyard of the Puri Saren Palace.
It is fair to say that Ubud is no longer the sleepy backwater it once was.
There is now a wide range of shops, restaurants and plenty of accommodation ranging from backpacker hotels to the five-star Aman Resort and the Chedi Hotel, both of which are located in the hillside about a 20min drive away from the town centre.
Most visitors spend at least a couple of nights in Ubud which is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.
There are lots of walks between the rice terraces which take visitors through traditional hamlets and villages, and bikes can also be hired from the town centre.
For the more adventurous, white-water rafting expeditions can be arranged down the Agung River.
Several operators sell seven-night packages which combine two nights in Ubud with a five-night cruise to neighbouring islands or with five nights at a beach resort.
Between Ubud and the coast are several small towns such as Mas, famous for its wood carvings, and Celuk which is well known for its jewellery and silverware.
For both touring and beach holidays the best time to visit Bali is during the dry season, which, unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, is during the summer from April to October.
Top five add-on tour ideas
n Spice Island cruise visiting nearby islands such as Komodo, Lombok, and Sumbawa. Prices start from about £400-£500 depending on cabin, length of cruise and itinerary.
n Overnight trip from Bali to Yogyakarta and the Buddhist shrines at Borobodur costs £219.
n Four-night cultural tour of Bali, bookable through a number of specialist operators, costs £199.
n Two-night trip to Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali, costs £65.
n Scuba diving off the Gili Islands close to the north coast of Lombok, available from several hotels on the island. An open-water Professional Association of Diving Instructors diving course off Bali costs about £220.