I love planning my yearly Bali Holidays and looking for new places and regions to explore.  I love the unique rich cultural heritage this island offers with its exquisite temples and palaces, the friendly Balinese people and their love of dance and music.

In the past I have based myself at Legian and South Kuta, however this time I am going to try something a little different and stay at Ubud.  Ubud is surrounded by scenic rice terraces, ancient temples, art and craft communities and small villages and is located in the centre of Bali. 

Although Ubud offers alot of luxury, high end accommodation, I am going to choose one of the more budget style options that is also available in this region.  This way, I can use this saved money towards picking up some amazing bargains at the very popular Ubud markets.  I will also allocate time to visit the Monkey Forest.

 Bali is one of the world’s favourite holiday destinations.  This beautiful island is a fascinating place to visit with so many interesting things to see and do.  You can try climbing a volcano, walk through terraced rice fields and jungles, experience white water rafting, swim or surf at some of the world’s most famous beaches, shop until your heart is content (great bargains can be picked up at the many market stalls that line the streets) and visit magnificent temples and traditional villages.

There are many popular Bali Hotels located throughout the different regions of Bali.  For a quick overview, Kuta is Bali’s largest tourist destination and is well known for its nightlife.  South Kuta is a queiter area and popular with families.  Legian is laid back and popular for swimming and surfing.  The higher end accommodation can be found at Seminyak, just north of Kuta.  Nusa Dua is home to luxury resorts and Ubud is a unique town in the centre of Bali’s culture, surrounded by temples and rice terraces.  There are many more areas to stay, but these are the most popular tourist regions.

I have travelled to Bali twice so will give you some insight into my Bali Holidays.  On my first holiday to Bali I stayed at the Legian Beach Hotel and would highly recommend this resort.  The rooms are lovely and have a really traditional Balinese feel about them.  The resort features a lovely swimming pool and is situated right on the beach, where you can get cheap beach massages, your hair braided and buy cheap jewellery.   The location of Legian is perfect as it is slightly quieter than Kuta, but still within walking distance to all the shops, restaurants and bars.  

On my second holiday to Bali I stayed at the Ramada Bintang in Tuban.  Tuban is located south of Kuta but still within walking distance of the shopping mall, restaurants of this region.  Tuban is a much quieter area and I found it really nice to be able to escape the hustle and bustle of Kuta and retreat to my resort.  The Ramada Bintang is a large resort with a nice swimming pool, swim up pool bar and restaurants.  They also have theme night dinners which are a lot of fun.   The rooms are comfortable and set amongst lush tropical gardens. 

I would recommend on your holiday to Bali a visit to the markets at Ubud and the monkey farm, a white water rafting tour is good fun and Tanah Lot is not to be missed.  This is absolutely spectacular.  The resorts have tour desks where you will be able to book any day trips you choose to do.  Eating out in Bali is very cheap.  If you choose the right places, you can have a gourmet meal and drinks for not much more than AUD$10.  One restaurant in Kuta that you must try is Poppies.  The food is divine and offers a nice peaceful setting.