Make the most of your stay in Bali and rent villa Emerentiana. This villa for 6 is located on the scenic Bukit Peninsula, near Kuta and the airport of Denpasar. Are you looking for comfort and privacy? Then Villa Emerentiana is the place for you.

By: Labodalih Sembiring

By the 1920s, the “civilized world” began to be intrigued by a beautiful, mysterious island called Bali. The following decade, films, books and photographs by Europeans and North Americans gave glimpses of “the last paradise.” Since then, Bali has hosted millions of travelers from all over the globe. Not long after the latest bombing in 2005 (first in 2002), Bali has reclaimed its place as one of Southeast Asia’s top tourist destinations.

One of Indonesia’s provinces, Bali is in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a string of islands known for their mesmerizing beaches and mountainous topography. Despite being one the group’s biggest islands, one can drive around Bali’s entire coast in a day. That, however, is not recommended. You should enjoy each of Bali’s different charms with leisure.

By: Prima Frambawati

Bali beaches are a playground for sunbathers, surfers and hawkers. Kuta beach offers quite the spectacle, but isn’t the most tranquil beach you’ll ever see. Massage ladies wait in the shadows for potential customers, people selling crossbows and other 'Balinese' souvenirs wander from one tourist to another. Pretending to sleep is a trick that only temporarily works. Open one eye and you will be covered in batik, bracelets, temporary tattoos and pineapples.

An escape into the water will surely cool you off, but watch out for the surfers of varying aptitude (Kuta beach is a favored spot for grommets trying to catch their first wave). Dodging surfers racing towards you is a sport in itself, but maybe not your cup of tea.

Luckily there are plenty of beaches on Bali. Beaches that are tranquil, offer spectacular vistas and have hardly any tourists on them. Here a list of Bali’s best hidden beaches:

By:Prima Ayu

Bali is not just a tropical getaway and a honeymoon hotspot, it’s also a paradise for surfers! Bali and the surrounding islands have some great surfing beaches, with beach breaks for beginners and huge barrels for the pro’s. You need to know the characteristics of the waves to find a surfing spot that fits your level so you don’t end up in a whirlpool of thundering waves. Here are the best five surfing spots in Bali based on their level of difficulty.

Surfing in Bali: From Uluwatu to Kuta Beach

Surfing Kuta Beach: Beginner-Intermediate

The easiest and most beginner friendly beach to try your surfing skills is Kuta beach. The beach is close to the nightlife and tourist center of Legian, hence the beach is always crowded. As a surfing spot, Kuta is very appropriate for beginners. The soft tide and average height of the waves make it a good first step for beginner to try out white water surfing (surfing the waves after they break and roll towards the beach). The good thing here is that there are plenty of lifeguards on the lookout, might you get into trouble (the undertow can get quite strong). Also, it might be a good idea to follow a surfing lesson (just ask one of the surfing dudes renting out boards at Kuta beach). For experts, Kuta beach's swell will be to easy to defeat.

By: Prima Frambawati

Kuta is where you most probably will end up when visiting Bali. The place is sprawling with cheap hostels, called losmen in Indonesian. There are also some pretty decent  mid-range options, while the swankier establishments prefer to set up camp in Seminyak, Nusa Dua or Sanur.

Kuta has several areas fit for backpackers: Poppies 1 and 2 are two lanes that run from Jalan Legian to the beach road, Jalan Pantai. This area is often called Legian and is your best bet if you want to stay close to the action: Most of the nightlife, internet cafes, eateries, surf- en bookshops center around Legian. Hostels vary from pleasant to dingy, so be sure to look around before settling in.

Some have pools, breakfast is usually included in the form of the obligatory banana pancake or nasi goreng and some coffee or tea.

By: Prima Frambawati

Kuta is widely known as Indonesia’s party capital. Clubs, pubs and beachside restaurants open til late (some never close) and usually have special offers and events planned to up the ante: ladies night, foam parties, happy hours, sport matches, live bands, you name it, Kuta has it!

You can’t say Bali nightlife without thinking about the Bali Bomb that devastated the area on 12 October 2002 and took the lifes of more than 200 people. Since then, the Ground Zero monument stands tall in the center of all the action. The area has been rebuild and once again young people flock to the nightclubs to celebrate Life on Bali.

The main buzz centers around Jalan Legian, near the backpackers area, but there are plenty more special places to discover. Here are some recommended night clubs around Kuta that are worth trying.

By: Maya Liem

Bali is one of the last remaining places in Indonesia with a living tradition of the mask dance and the wayang theatre. The largest collection consisting of 5900 Asian masks and wayang puppets is located in Bali in the new Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets. We are familiar with the idea that large collections of Asian art are housed anywhere in the world, except for Indonesia. Are we facing a new phenomenon here?

The Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets (Setia Darma Rumah Topeng & Wayang), is located in the village Kemenuh – Sukawati, south of Ubud, traditionally a center for Balinese mask makers and dancers. The decision to keep the collection in this area was thus a well thought out decision.

By: Prima Frambawati

Kuta is a place where you can fulfil any desire, featuring the perfect holiday combination of beach life and entertainment. Kuta is the hotspot of Bali, once a small fishing village, now grown into a full fling tourist resort, with all its vices.

Strings of budget hotels, watering holes for thirsty backpackers, internet cafés and…tattoo shops! Even though tattoos are not a part of traditional Balinese culture (as they are for the Dayak on Borneo), you will see more tattooed skin here than on any other island in the archipelago. Tattoos have become part of Balinese popculture and as a result some very talented tattoo artists set up shop in Kuta.

If you are visiting Bali, it is best if you book an appointment ahead of time towards the end of your holiday so as not to expose the fresh tattoo to sun, surf and chlorinated water, all of which can be detrimental to the healing process and can actually damage the skin (and tattoo) permanently.