But where to find the best Bali travel / hotels / tours / recreations / holidays information is the problem!

Selamat Datang, I've been to Bali many times and it infuriates me how all the best Internet travel / hotels / tours information on Bali is submerged under listing after listing from the same Bali travel company, and entries for Herbalife, balibuntal and King Baliol (1283-1364 no less)!

So let me help you right now! I have found a Bali site that, because it was designed for humans, not search engines, often gets overlooked, but really shouldn't. Not only is it an active / fun travel forum on Bali, where you can actually get to get to ask seasoned visitors AND residents about hotels, tours etc. But it also has really excellent reference pages for finding out everything from Bali bus routes, to Balinese dance schedules and even how to help the Balinese people.

One refreshing Bali hotels reservations web-site I found though, is The Bali Hotels Company. They are not a regular Bali hotels travel / tours reservation site as the bookings actually go automatically and immediately to the Balinese hotels themselves. Not only does this mean that your booking is less likely to be muddled by a third party travel / tour company employee (I wonder how many times that happens). But you also benefit from the hotels own non-existent / low deposit / cancellation policy.

What is even more incredible, is that this Bali hotels service allows you to fax your credit card details under separate cover, direct to the hotel. "So what?" I hear you say. So, ask your bank what they think about sending credit card details over the Internet! Even with the supposedly "secure server" technology that exists. It's still possible you could unwittingly end up paying for someone else's Balinese hotel stay (or worse)! Although the potential problem may more likely come from "careless" Balinese travel / tour company staff. It has to be better faxing direct to the hotel, like you can with these people, or if you contact the hotels directly.

Now the thing is, as well as the Internet being flooded with the same or nearly same Bali hotels / travel information. The same applies to choice of Bali resorts. When you look on the Internet or in a travel brochure, you'd think there are only 2 or 3 resort areas in Bali. Well actually, there are I suppose. But you might be best advised to avoid them. For example, you have the original Bali coastal resort towns of Kuta - Legian - Tuban. Although the West / Indian Ocean facing beach is magnificent, you can hardly swim amongst those waves. There are a large number of shops and restaurants in this area though. But the town itself has a reputation for noise and aggressive hawkers. Hardly a tropical Balinese paradise!

And then there is Sanur. Billed as being the ex-patriot cultural center of Bali. It is merely an impressively long white sandy beach with a parallel high street that resembles a slightly more mellow and scaled down Kuta. The sea is much calmer here on the Eastern side of the Southern peninsula. All thanks to the coral which, unfortunately, died long ago under the strain of the tourist invasion.

Then there's Nusa Dua / Tajung Benoa. Which was once barren wasteland until a developer or two spotted the potential to turn it into a 4 / 5 star hotel tourist enclave. With the possible exception of a few fishing boats and food stalls that support them, that is basically what it is. Oh sure, you can jet-ski, para-sail and eat French / Chinese haute cuisine until your wallet's content, but you are far from the real Bali.

Moving out of the Southern tourist peninsula, you find a refreshing haven called Ubud (pronounced "oo-bud"). This, and the often charming "craft" towns that surround it, are truly the cultural center of Bali. Here you will find low cost and expensive hotels alike which will absolutely "Wow" you - especially those overlooking the impressive local river valleys. Here you can watch the haunting "Kecak" dance with their mesmerizing "checka, checka, checka" chanting, or the delightful "Legong" dance, where the girls will bowl you over with their eye movements alone; all for around US$2! Incredible huh?! And the restaurants in Ubud are equally terrific - you can even take lessons!

To the North, you pass through the beautiful mountain / lake regions (where there are some real Balinese hotel treasures), to the coastal area of Lovina and Singaraja. It really is worth stopping in the mountains / at the lakes, providing you find the right place and are aware, around the volcano area of Mt / Lake Batur, there are lots of hawkers and people who will tell you there is something wrong with your car (when there isn't), just so you will pay exorbitant prices to get it "fixed" at their relative's "garage"! So, unless you are going to do the memorable volcano climb, it's best to stick to the Lake Bratan / Lake Buyan (Munduk & the Bali Botanical Gardens are especially good) to enjoy a truly Balinese experience.

And of Lovina / Singaraja? Well! For one, the sea here is amazing - dolphins and live coral (not too much around the main tourist areas though). The pace of life is much slower here. You'll meet real Balinese people in their own backyard and be glad you did. Several national park treks, hot spring baths, diving / snorkeling delights and monumental waterfalls are within easy reach. Singaraja, the former capital city / port (under Dutch rule), still retains some European influence, and the night market is the best in Bali. Here, at last, you can enjoy sun, sea, sand and, yes, you've guessed it, sweet wine! Their own.

Of course, from the South / Ubud you could always head West, but there is remarkably little to distract and even detain you. The beach at Medewi is a surfer's haven, and the mountain communities like Pupuan and Tista are fleetingly interesting (really lovely people in these areas). But they offer very little for the mainstream or even adventurous tourist. Even Bali Barat National Park gets berated for its singularly uninteresting attractions (Menjanagan Island being the complete exception for divers & snorkellers).

So let us head East out of Ubud / "touristville" to Candi Dasa, Padang Bai and the green, green rice terraces inland that typify the Balinese postcard. Here you can find Bali as it was, and arguably as it should be. With Besakih the main tourist attraction (ok if you get there before 9:30 am), unfortunately visitors wiz past the real attractions in their air-conditioned coaches. For absolute serenity, the water palace in Tirtagangga has no equal. And the special cloth (double Ikat) woven in Tenganan is almost always missed. People go to Candi Dasa believing they have escaped commercialism, only to find the beach there has literally disappeared because they used the coral for concrete at the nearby petrol tanker terminal! But wait, there is hope.... Venture just a little further to the extreme East coast, to Amed, Jemeluk, Lipah and Selang. And guess what?! Here, at last is a little bit, a last remaining slice of coastal Bali. So don't tell everyone. Just get there before it's too late.

And finally, I am going to give you some gold for getting to the bottom of my page. I'm going to share with you the absolutely best hotels in Bali for US$50 or less (that's per room / 2 people). I kid you not, these are the real thing, and you will absolutely thank me for it. Bunga Permai and Taman Harum both near Ubud (although in opposite directions). Pacung Mountain Resort and Puri Lumbung Cottages near Lake Bratan. Pondok Sari near Menjangan Island. Alam Anda in Sambi Rentang (along the North coast road between Singaraja and Tulamben). Hidden Paradise in Selang (Amed). The Watergarden in Candi Dasa. Ayo Udayana in Jimbaran. And no, I'm not on commission!