Bali’s happening gay scene is centred around the area of Seminyak and while it is no Bangkok, gay visitors to Bali will find a number of great bars and even a couple of discos along the club street of Jalan Dyana Puna. Most nights out start with sunset drinks on the beach and the bars and clubs have two peak periods – before dinner and after, where the fun goes on way into the night.

Kudeta and La Luciola are two of the beachfront gay bars in Seminyak and most guys end their day with a couple of beers or cocktails here. Within walking distance are some of Bali’s top gay-friendly restaurants such as the superb, upscale Kafe Warisan and the gay and budget friendly Rumours.

Bali’s gay central is QBar, on Jalan Dyana Puna. There are nightly drag shows here and late at night the dancefloor is packed. There’s a good mix of local guys and tourists here and the atmosphere is frantic but friendly. Across the road is Kudos which is more beer-themed and has a breezy outdoor terrace.

Further along the road are Mixwell club and the Kween which also do good business, especially on the weekends. These two clubs are more popular with local gay guys but anyone and everyone is welcome. Club 66 and the adjacent Papparazzi Club are mixed venues but both very gay-friendly.

Bali doesn’t have a dedicated gay beach and no nude beaches, but most gay tourists settle at Petitenget Beach, also known as Ganesh Beach, at Seminyak. All the clubs and restaurants listed above are within a sandy stroll from Ganesh Beach, hence its popularity.

Hindu Bali doesn’t really stigmatise gay and lesbian people but as with most of Southeast Asia, excessive displays of public affection between people of any gender is frowned on. Also like elsewhere in Asia, two men holding hands should not be misinterpreted as homosexuality, as it very often isn’t.

Bali abounds in health and wellness centres. There are luxurious massage and beauty spas in the upscale resorts, but many visitors swear by the skills of the nimble beach vendors who offer everything from massages to face masks and pedicures right on the sand for unbelievably reasonable prices.

Traditional Balinese spas specialise in local traditions like fragrant petal baths and hair cream treatments. More expensive outfits will operate courtesy shuttles between the spa and popular tourist destinations like Kuta, Legian, Denpasar and Nusa Dua. In most cases bookings are not required but the more upscale spas will usually take bookings several days in advance.

Full and half day treatments and wedding packages are available and these should be booked at least a day in advance. As with most everything in Bali, prices fluctuate wildly, with full day treatments at five star resorts in Nusa Dua and Ubud costing upwards of USD100. On the other end of the scale are the beach vendors who will give excellent full body and foot massages for just a few dollars.

This is a good option and a novelty for a lot of visitors to Bali since getting an expert scalp or foot massage, or both, while basking in the sun is both a real pleasure and an excellent photo opportunity. All the popular tourist beaches in Bali are over stocked with vendors and hawkers and most wear laminated identification cards that show their licenses and credentials.

Balinese massage is gentler than its Thai counterpart and uses oxygen flow and gentle stretching of muscles rather than pummeling and bending. There are numerous places that specialise in Swedish and Shiatsu massage too. The most renowned spa in Bali is the one at the Ritz Carlton in Nusa Dua and the cascading hill terraces of the resorts in Ubud are right on that venerable spa’s heels when it comes to range and quality of services.

There’s much more to Bali than drunken Aussies partying the night away at the pubs and bars of Kuta. Bali nightlife is quite diverse and there are plenty of quiet spots to hang out. There’s arts and sports clubs, film groups and even philosophical societies that hold regular meetings in various nooks and crannies of Bali so for every kind of visitor, nightlife in Bali has something to offer.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with whooping it up with the beach party crowd and indeed that is one of the main reasons that a lot of people travel to Bali in the first place. The A Bar in Kuta is named after its primary alcohol supplier, Absolut Vodka and the clear spirit flows freely here at the exemplary Kuta nightclub. Not all nightlife options in Kuta are raucous and crowded – places like the A Bar a very elegant and similar to cocktail bars in Europe, North America or Australia.

Quieter Ubud is happy with its restaurant scene and art gallery openings. These form the double backbone of nightlife in Ubud with very little noise and festivities carrying on here far after midnight. However, there are plenty of options for night owls such as Barandi, a lively club that specialises in lychee martinis. Other places around Ubud will feature people hunched over chess boards and the ubiquitous sight of people examining and discussing art.

Over in Sanur, nightlife takes on a very international flavour with the Pergola club’s Thursday night salsa dancing classes and demonstrations. The Wine and Cigar Bar at Pala is just that – a huge wine list from all over the world as well as a good range of Cuban cigars and humidors. The Koki Pub is a slice of England in Southeast Asia with bar food, pool table, and sports cable television.

The nightlife in Nusa Dua has a James Bond feel with elegant cocktail bars like the Octopus Club on the third floor of the Hilton Hotel offering pricey drinks and live pianists. Quinn’s at the Sheraton Lagoon is known for its superb live music acts while the Salsa club at the Grand Hyatt has a glamourous deck overlooking the ocean.

By far the largest and busiest bar and pub complex in Bali is Kuta beach itself, where thousands gather for every sunset of the year, to down some bottles of Bintang, the local beer, and watch the sun go down. Apart from this open air ad-hoc wonder, there are plenty of Irish themed pubs, Australian-owned pubs and other recognisable pubs and bars in Bali. It goes without saying that Bali’s tourist central of Kuta is where most of the pubs and bars in Bali are to be found but there are some venues in Nusa Dua and Ubud.

Exile Bar and Funky Monkey are two of the most popular bars in Ubud, but visitors to Bali shouldn’t travel to this sleepy, artistic hill town expecting rocking nightlife. Most places close around midnight. Likewise, Nusa Dua bars shut around midnight though the cocktail bars and piano bars of some of the luxury resorts in Nusa Dua operate much later into the morning. The Trophy Pub is Nusa Dua’s most popular, and one of its oldest, pubs.

At Kuta, open air bars like Casablanca attract a mixed crowd of very drunk Aussies and jaded observers. The Bounty Shop is an enormous club in the shape and style of an old pirate boat, and it is packed to the gills on weekend nights. M-Bar-Go specialises in premier DJs and great dance music.  The venerable Mama’s in Kuta is one of the last places to close, so it fills up in the wee hours as other places empty out. Many people swear it is still rocking on after dawn, though the official hours state the opposite.

More elegant Kuta bars and pubs include Kori and TJs. the open street bar at Nero Bali and the nearby La Luciola and the Living Room attract an older, slightly better-heeled crowd and also contain their own acclaimed restaurants. Made’s Warning is a very popular mixed venue where the restaurant tables are packed away for dancing somewhere around 23:00 seven nights a week.

Pricey drinks are served to the beautiful people at Ku De Ta, Bali’s most exclusive nightclub. It is located opposite the Oberoi hotel and its decks and terraces afford visitors splendid sunset views. The Hulu Cafe is not the only gay bar in Bali but this is how it advertises itself and its outrageous drag shows which start at 23:00 seven nights a week. The nearby Bali Beach Shack provides stiff competition.

The evergreen Hard Rock Cafe looms large over the Kuta scene – literally as it is one of the only mutli-storey buildings in the area. The thumping rock music and huge crowds here dominate the aural scene for blocks, too, though there is a quieter section towards the rear of the Hard Rock Cafe in Kuta.