I’ve blogged about the island of the gods, also known as Bali, before and in particular about the magical hotel I stayed at. What’s more, I stayed in what I consider to be the most beautiful and eclectic part of the island, Ubud. Granted, it’s heaving with tourists, but so is most of Bali and while I would also highly recommend travelling to the Eastern part of Bali called Sideman, which is probably the closest you’ll get to authentic, rural, village life, far away from all the tourist traps, you cannot beat Ubud for ambiance. Not only that, Ubud is right up in the hills, offering a cool breeze in the heat and lots of lush rice fields. It is not near the beach though.

Ubud is also an eclectic, hippish mix of art, culture, temples, shops and cafes. It’s where you can feast your eyes on beautiful paintings, handmade silver jewellery, artisan woodcraft and fantastic and often organic and healthy fare. My favourite cafe in the area is called Kafe. Simples really. It’s located near the bustling Jalan Monkey forest, where you can shop til you drop but are adviced not to wear anything too shiny as, what’s in a name, there are lots of cheeky monkey’s about ready to steal your shiny ring or sunglasses in a heartbeat.

Kafe is really lively, with fresh, wholesome eco-friendly food, great coffee and juices and on occassion live music too. All in all, a great place to unwind from all the shopping, or temple hopping you may have done in the blistering heat.