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ANGELA WALKER

ISLAND OF THE GODS: What to do if you're planning a getaway to the colour and chaos that is Bali?

With direct flights from New Zealand starting next month, Bali has never been easier to get to.

Where to stay

If you really must stay at Kuta Beach, home of beer, massages, Bintang singlets, tawdry bars and that singular breed of Aussie tourist known as the Bali bogan, head for the oasis of peace and calm that is the Pullman Bali Legian Nirwana. This nearly new hotel, right across the road from the famous beach, is set among beautifully landscaped lawns, gardens and pools and, indeed, is so relaxing it's hardly surprising to discover there's no alarm clock in the cool and airy rooms. The day spa is sensational and the rooftop pool divine, especially at 6am when the rest of Kuta is just waking up.

The Novotel Bali Benoa in Nusa Dua is about a 25-minute (on a good day) drive from Kuta and only 15km from the airport. It's one of the older hotels, but it's lovely - a big open-air lobby in traditional Balinese style, well- established tropical gardens and direct access on to Tanjung Benoa beach. There's regular hotel style accommodation but it's the private villas that are the stand- out - each with its own pool, garden, partly open-air bathroom and outdoor living area, where you can stay hydrated with the complimentary soft drinks, beer and water that are restocked daily. And all for less than NZ$330 a night, breakfast included. You can pay a lot more for villa accommodation in Bali so this is a great deal and it's perfect for a romantic getaway. If you're travelling with children, bad luck, but the hotel also offers a kids' club.

WHAT TO DO

Chef Heinz von Holzen runs endurance marathons, cycles across deserts and scares the be- jesus out of the guests attending his justifiably famous Bumbu Bali cooking school. He is, it seems, fearless and fearsome in equal parts. But this Swiss chef with a classical French background and Heston Blumenthal obsession is a hero in these parts for his work in recording and promoting Balinese cuisine and ingredients. During the day-long cooking classes you'll visit the somewhat confronting Jimbaran village market and nearby fish market then spend several hours in the open-air kitchen in the serene garden compound of Bumbu Bali. We all took turns in preparing scores of dishes, including basic spice pastes, grilled chicken in banana leaf, satays, a green papaya salad, pork in sweet soy sauce and the unexpectedly luscious snack of sweet corn with grated coconut. Then we all sat down to eat them. A great - and fascinating - day's work. Prices are $US85 with the market visit and $US75 without.

Dating back to the 11th century and sitting on sheer cliffs 70 metres above the pounding waves of the Indian Ocean, Uluwatu temple lives up to its reputation as one of Bali's most spectacular sites. To visit, you need to pay a small entry fee (about $2.60) and, for religious reasons, don sarongs and sashes (the colours are quite dashing). The temple proper is open only to Hindu worshippers, but a walk through the gardens and along the clifftop paths will more than satisfy. Watch out for the resident monkeys though - they'll happily strip you of jewellery, sunglasses and eyeglasses so hide them away before you go in. From Kuta it's about a one-hour drive, which you can do on a bus tour or you can take a taxi - just make sure you arrange with your driver for a return journey or it could turn out to be a long day. The return trip shouldn't cost more than $40-$50.

WHERE TO EAT/DRINK

Read the original here:
The beginners guide to Bali