Off the beaten track in Bali

Our first stop in Bali was the palm-fringed paradise of Candidasa, where the cool, calm haven of the Alila Manggis resort proved the perfect place to recover from a hectic few days in Singapore, a three-hour flight away.

Candidasa is an area on the unspoilt east coast of the island. Its distance from the main airport in the southern city of Denpasar - it's a two hour drive - makes it a great place to escape the crowds while its proximity to the harbour village of Padang Bai – a laidback diving mecca - makes it an ideal base for those planning on exploring the Gili islands or heading on to Lombok.

Luckily, the majority of these travellers stay close to the centre of Padang Bai, where the harbour is located, and Alila Manggis, which is just a twenty minute drive away, remains a relatively undiscovered gem.

It's also the kind of place where chilling out and getting active are equally encouraged.

The hotel pool is huge and where, each afternoon, hotel staff serve up that bastion of Britishness: afternoon tea, complete with homemade biscuits and slices of cake.

Those prone to restlessness can hire one of the hotel's bicycles and embark on a self-guided tour of the surrounding area. However a word of warning: this area of Bali is particularly hilly (budding geologists can even trek up a volcano or two) and it's also worth keeping an eye out for the stray dogs and cows which meander aimlessly across the roads.

Luckily for us, we happened to bump into the driver – Mustica - who'd dropped off us at the hotel hours before. He invited us into his home where we restored our energy levels with glasses of thick, black Javanese coffee and wolfed down the (frighteningly spicy) curry his wife whipped up, before Mustica proudly showed us around the home he’d built for his family. 

The vast majority of the Balinese are Hindu, and Balinese houses traditionally have their own shines as well as sets of bamboo wind chimes which can also be used to summon help from neighbours in emergencies. 

Mustica's hospitality sums up the Balinese people, who pay careful reverence to a number of customs.  In Bali, it's polite to ask lots of questions: if you ever visit, don't be surprised if the person you've just met immediately fires off a volley of inquiries relating to your job, family and relationship status - it's just their way of being polite. 

Pointing with your foot is just about the rudest thing you can do, and it's also best to avoid patting young children on the head (it's considered their most sacred body part) while shoes should always be removed before entering a home.

Our next stop was the south-western tip of the island and a two hour drive from Candidasa.  Luckily, taxis are relatively cheap in Bali but many of the hotels offer complimentary transfers and if your next stop is a significant distance away, they're definitely worth taking advantage of.

The newly-opened Anantara Uluwatu is one of the area’s more spectacular resorts, with accommodation arranged in neat, white washed rows of villas (some with their own infinity pools) which slope down to the piece de resistance: a vast infinity pool overlooking a spectacular beach. 

It's the perfect base for those who wish to explore the tourist hub of Kuta, which is just a 30 minute a drive away, without having to stay there.

It's also just a few miles from the Uluwatu temple, otherwise known as the monkey temple. Visitors are advised to keep a firm grip on anything shiny because the local primates' penchant for anything sparkly means sunglasses, wedding rings and even earrings are all fair game - I spoke to one visitor who told me how a monkey had stolen her designer sunglasses before brazenly snapping them in two while she looked on in horror.

The temple is one of Bali's more famous religious sites, partly due to its spectacular location - it's built into the side of a cliff overlooking the sea.

This southern chunk of Bali attracts surfers from all over the world and the waves here are huge, especially in Kuta, a modern, hectic tourist town where you'll find Pizza Huts, Hard Rock Cafes and huge, gleaming hotels jostling for space alongside fragrant street food stalls and souvenir shops.

We'd heard that the town centre had the highest concentration of surf shops anywhere in the world and we weren’t disappointed.  The majority can be found off Kuta Square where the surprisingly low prices make it all too easy to do some serious damage to the credit card.

Located just a few metres away, Legion Beach is widely regarded as one of the world's best surf spots, and, with its armies of lifeguards and swarms of tourists, feels more like Miami. Just a short walk from the beach is an equally popular but much more sombre stop off.

The Bali bombing memorial is located on the site of the destroyed Paddy's Pub on Legion Street: a huge slab of marble bearing the names of those who died here just over ten years ago.

In many ways, the location of this quiet, sombre reflection spot a few hundred metres from Kuta beach, with its beach bars, hawkers and hammocks, perfectly represents how Bali has bounced back from the depths of despair.

If you ever get the chance to visit, do – and say hello to Mustica, but steer clear of his wife’s curry.

One night in a superior room at Alila Manggis costs from £112 including breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea and taxes and charges (based on two sharing)  For reservations visit www.alilahotels.com or email manggis@alilahotels.com.  

One night in a luxury room at Anantara Uluwatu costs from £154 including breakfast (based on two sharing). For reservations visit www.balianantarauluwatu.com.

Malaysia Airlines flies from London Heathrow to Bali via Kuala Lumpur from just £782 per person including taxes and charges. For reservations visit www.malaysiaairlines.com or call 0871 423 9090.