Dining options in Bali are pretty much limitless. Grab a burger and fries at the Hard Rock Cafe, or hang out at Burger King or KFC in Kuta. Or, dine in high style at a French restaurant decked out in indoor ponds and lotus blossoms with food prepared by European chefs at a hidden laneway in Ubud. Better still, grab anything from the hawker trolleys, night markets or the vendors that prowl the beaches – nasi goreng is the popular tasty favourite but there are plenty of local Hindu and Muslim dishes to try from all over Indonesia.

Cheap restaurants in Bali are plentiful and western food in Bali is common. You don’t have to worry about getting sick or having to eat anything exotic if you don’t want to as most of the major fast food chains operate out of Bali and the western style restaurants are extremely hygenic and the food is fresh.

If you want to sample more authentic cuisine in Bali, though, you can do that too with countless local restaurants and vendors serving up rice dishes, sambals, and delicious fruits like jackfruit and durian. Try an avocado shake or even do a local cooking course while you’re in Bali, and then you’ll have something to impress your friends and family when you get home.

The island of Bali offers a wide range of nightlife options with dance clubs and gay clubs side by side with sleek restaurants and elegant cocktail bars. You can dress up or have your bare toes in the sand while you drink and mingle – this is part of Bali’s great nightlife variety.

The great weather in Bali right now has brought the tourists and the busiest clubs, naturally, are all located in Kuta. All the dining options and bars are around this area of town. For the biggest crowds, head straight for the Hard Rock Café and its twenty-four-hour pool or check out the popular M-Bar-Go or Sky Garden. Nightlife runs all night here, bubt doesn’t start until late – anything before midnight isn’t worth bothering with. Ku De Ta near the Oberoi Hotel is enduringly popular with locals, expats and tourists alike. Keep your eyes open for notices about full moon parties and other one off events in Bali but beware of the island’s notorious drug laws.

In Seminyak, Syndicate, Bacio and Double Six get going much later at night and are the biggest discos in Bali. You can dance and drink the night away in any of these and nearby gay discos like Q Bar are also part of this strip.

Even sleepy Ubud has something to offer – look for Putra Bar and Magic Bar or the clubs and bars opposite the monkey forest that run all night long.

A very popular option is breezing the night away at a casual beer bar, and you should have no trouble finding plenty of those in Bali.

Beautiful Bali

One of Asia’s most popular destinations continues to draw the crowd, with its fantastic beaches, excellent hospitality, lovely landscapes, intriguing temples, tropical gardens and exotic Balinese culture. Whether you’re coming for a party or some peace and quiet, the island offers all that and more, both in the mountains and beside the sea.

This Bali guide and blog is the pre-cursor to a full travel guide to the island, featuring dozens of pages and images to help you plan your trip and get the most from your visit. From spas to surfing, food to festivals we have it covered here with our expert travel writers. It’s part of a larger series on Southeast Asia travel destinations.

Bali has recovered from it’s terrible bombing and offers a safe and relaxed destination that epitomises the best of tropical Pacific islands. Come on in to this site to see it for yourself before you’ve left home. Before planning your trip consider saving money on flights, travel deals and hotels with discount vouchers offered by some sites.