This legendary Indonesian island has traditionally served as a refuge for Hindu nobles, priests, and intellectuals. It is famous for exotic locations, mystical culture, tropical climate, extravagant gardens and the high quality of service. The ocean, the mountains, busy tourist centers and quiet hideaways ensure that whatever the type of vacation you are after, Bali will have something to suit

Sailing the high seas with a salty breeze blowing and misty mountains in the distance is all part of the thrill of cruising in Bali. Day trips to Nusa Lembongan, twilight dinner cruises on the harbor and extensive touring are all great options. For lazy days sunning and shopping, head to the southern peninsula, where each town has a different character and focus.

To experience island culture, try Ubud, where you can catch daily dance and music performances, explore museums and art galleries, hike to mountain temples, and visit villages that still do things the old-fashioned way. A relaxed mountain retreat, Ubud has been home to a community of Indonesian and foreign artists since the 1920's. This oversized village still retains a rather Bohemian atmosphere. When you've finished strolling through all the fine art galleries, the longest river on Bali, the Ayung, provides fine white water rafting in a totally natural environment. There are also important historic and cultural sites in the surrounding area. Ubud offers fine dining, a limited but vibrant nightlife and a monkey forest.

You should place as many of these must-see stops in Bali on your itinerary as you can: Pura Besakih, the island's holiest temple; Tanah Lot, the sacred temple of the southwest coast; Pura Uluwatu, the Bukit Peninsula's most famous shrine; the long shopping strip from Seminyak to Kuta; and Ubud, the center of cultural learning. Those with more time can peruse the historical sights of eastern Bali, such as the palaces of Gelgel and Semarapura, as well as the natural wonders of Gunung Agung, Gunung Batur, and the other volcanoes and lakes at Bali's core.

For those that want to stay wet, Bali has world class scuba diving, snorkeling and wonderful day trips out to Nusa Penida for beach sports and coral viewing

Jimbaran and The Bukit
Bali's Bukit Peninsula has wild cliff tops, reef-fringed surfing beaches and incredible sunsets.

Canggu and Tabanan
The winding road to Canggu leads through dramatic rice terraces to a wild black sand beach. Views over exquisite rice fields provide unparalleled peace and tranquility.

North Bali
The big draw of Lovina in the north is its close proximity to Bali Barat National Park's Menjangan Island, which offers some of the best diving in Bali. Waka Shorea is set on a shore of pristine beauty, and can only be reached by boat.

East Bali
Candidasa is the most popular resort town in eastern Bali. The area surrounding Candidasa boasts some breathtaking scenery, including the vistas around Iseh that inspired many of the German artist, Walter Spies, most famous work. An elaborate royal water palace and the traditional Bali Aga village of Tenganan are also worth visiting.

Nusa Lembongan
Nusa Lembongan is the stuff of dreams Ð quiet bays with powdery white sand beaches lapped by aquamarine waters, a colorful underwater world for snorkeling or diving, and some challenging reef breaks for surfers.

West Bali National Park
The West Bali National Park covers 77,000 hectares of wooded slopes, savannah, rainforest, monsoon forest, mangrove swamp and coastal flats, and is the only remaining natural habitat of the endangered jalak putih, the Bali Starling. It is also home to 200 species of plants, rusa deer, kancil, barking deer, long-tailed macaques, civets, monkeys, wild boars, and the last of the island's wild banteng from which the

Extensive reefs also surround the mainland, and both sea and shore birds are abundant, the most conspicuous being brown boobies and lesser frigate birds. Two species of tern nest in large numbers on the sandbanks at the entrance of Teluk Lumpur (Mud Bay) while the boobies and frigates roost on Pulau Burung further to the east. Hawksbill turtles and 10-meter-long toothless whale sharks have also been sighted along the reserve's north coast, and whales and dolphins migrate via Selat Bali between Java and Bali.

WEATHER
Bali's low-lying regions are uniformly hot and humid year-round. Temperatures can reach 90¡F (32¡C) soon after midday, and they drop no lower than 70¡F (21¡C) at night. The weather at higher altitudes is up to 20¡F (11¡C) cooler. The best months to visit are April-May and September-October, when crowds are lighter and you're not so likely to get drenched: The west monsoon, from November through March, brings heavy rains. It can drizzle for several days in a row or pour half the day, with only occasional dry spells. Since most of Bali's attractions are under the open sky-temples and other architecture, beaches, and outdoor festivals-the monsoon can very literally dampen your enjoyment.

OTHER THINGS TO SEE

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
The Temple of the Lake Goddess at Bratan, in northern Bali, is one of Bali's most visited and most spiritually important temples. Dedicated to Dewi Danu, the goddess of the waters, it is the focus of numerous ceremonies and pilgrimages to ensure supplies of water.

Pura Tanah Lot
The stunning evening panorama of rocky shores and scarlet sunsets at the southwestern curve of the island supposedly inspired Danghyang Nirartha to build this beautiful seaside temple, one of the island's six most sacred. Its name means "Temple of the Earth (tanah) and Sea (lot)"

Pura Kehen
This 12th-century temple dedicated to Shiva is considered one of Bali's most beautiful: it rises up the mountainside and culminates in an 11-tier shrine. You step through an ornate entrance and into a courtyard with a giant holy banyan tree and a bell tower

Pura Gunung Kawi
This is the famed Temple on the Mountain of the Poet, which celebrates the Hindu god Siva. These 11th-century temple shrines and royal tombs are chiseled out of the hills.

Pura Besakih
Known as the Mother Temple of Bali, Pura Besakih in eastern Bali is the island's holiest temple -- the one sight you shouldn't miss. On the slopes of Gunung Agung volcano, the complex has 30 temples on seven terraces.

Goa Gajah
Bedulu's Elephant Cave is one of the southern region's most famous tourist sights. In addition to the caves hand-tunneled through the face of the mountain, the complex above the Petanu River includes temples, statues, pavilions, and three bathing pools.

Gunung Batur
You can climb the 5,632-ft Gunung Batur (Mt. Batur) volcano or just admire its majesty from afar.

Museum Neka
It's fitting that Indonesia's largest privately owned art museum stands atop the Campuhan hill overlooking the heart of Bali's artistic community in Ubud.

Taman Burung
(Bali Bird Park) This park holds one of Southeast Asia's largest and most diverse bird collections. The tropical gardens provide a natural environment for more than 1,000 members of some 250 species, including birds from Africa, Australia, South America, and Asia.

Tirta Empul
Beyond the outskirts of Tampaksiring -- best visited as a day trip from nearby Ubud -- the road forks. To the right is the famous temple at Tirta Empul, where people from all over Bali come to bathe in the holy spring

Trunyan
The village of Trunyan in northern Bali, near Gunung Batur volcano, is a major tourist attraction because of the ancient practices it still observes: instead of cremating or burying the deceased, the people of Trunyan leave the dead out in the open air to decay.

EVENTS

Apart from the usual western calendar, the Balinese also use two local calendars, the Hindu saka and the wuku. The wuku calendar, which is used to determine festival dates, uses 10 different types of weeks between one and 10 days long, all running simultaneously! The intersection of the various weeks determines auspicious days. It's impossible to work it out yourself: when you arrive in Bali, go to a tourist office and ask which festivals and celebrations are coming up. Try to get to at least one.

The Galungan Festival, Bali's major feast, is held throughout the island and is an annual event in the wuku year. During this 10-day period all the gods come down to earth for the festivities and barongs (mythical lion-dog creatures) prance from temple to temple and village to village. The last and most important day of the festival is Kuningan. Galungan takes place in June in 2003 and January in 2004.

Nyepi is the major festival of the saka year - it's the last day of the year, and usually falls towards the end of March or the beginning of April. The day before is set aside as a day of purification across the island. The night before, evil spirits are noisily chased away with cymbals, gongs, drums and flaming torches. On Nyepi itself, everyone stays quietly at home, making no noise, using no lights and doing no cooking. The idea is that when evil spirits descend, they are fooled into thinking that Bali is uninhabited and leave the island in peace for another year.

BEST RESTAURANTS

Though many restaurants provide excellent food, even top service and a refined locale, real fine dining restaurants, with the utmost attention to detail, are a rarity in Bali However we draw your attention to these selected venues:

TeraZO
Located in Ubud on quiet Suweta Street, just a stone's throw from the center of town, TeraZo restaurant and bar is a must-visit while in town. TeraZo offers exquisite food and wine from across the globe. Enjoy the open-air ambience and a spectacular collection of vintage Indonesian and European posters while dining on pan-Asian and international dishes from the freshest local and imported ingredients. The aquarium on the premises, and fish of the day specials, ensure the seafood is the freshest in town.

Start your meal with Garlic Prawn Tartelette or try their Double baked Goat Cheese Souffle or a Spicy Thai Beef Salad. Main courses include Moroccan Lamb Shank over Couscous, Tenderloin Steak with Potato Gallette and Thyme infused with Shiraz Jus, or Pappardelle with Shiitake and oyster mushrooms, along with a daily fresh fish special.

Save room for the spectacular desserts: the Temple of Chocolate, a fine chocolate dŽgustation featuring the finest European dark chocolate, a daily Fruit Crisp, and an authentic Creme Brulee.

Drinks? Lychee martinis, wicked minty Mojitos, an extensive wine list, and 18 wines by the glass.

RAJA'S
Good food and an extensive wine list at Raja's at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel. As an added bonus, its cuisine is pure Balinese! Not like your every day warung-style meals, but carefully researched old village and family recipes, converted by modern professional kitchen techniques and quality ingredients to present something really out of the ordinary.