Kuta Bay

Including the beach sites of Kuta and Legian, this area has been a major drawcard for more than 25 years, offering cheap accommodation, Western food, great shopping, surf, sunsets and riotous nightlife. However, the events of October 2002, when 200 people were killed after the bombing of the Sari and Paddy's nightclubs, put a severe dent in tourist numbers.

Things are slowly recovering - the Sari nighclub re-opened in July 2003 - and tourist numbers are picking up, but the jury is still out on whether Kuta will ever be the same again. Some would say that's no bad thing - Kuta has long been disparaged for its rampant development, lowbrow nightlife and crass commercialism.

That said, Kuta is not pretty but it's not dull either. It's still the best beach on Bali, with the only surf which breaks over sand instead of coral. Lots of cheap accommodation is available and there's a huge choice of places to eat.

Shops and hawkers offer everything from fake flimflammery - laid out in boxes that open like jaws as you approach - to genuine antiques offered with a considerably softer sell. Even the tourists themselves have become a tourist attraction, with visitors coming from Java to ogle the topless bathers, and from other resorts to tut-tut at the tackiness of it all.

Despite all the excesses, away from the traffic-clogged streets Kuta is still a village: a place of quiet compounds and narrow alleys, where devotional offerings are placed in front of houses and neighbours emerge in the coolness of the evening to gossip in the street.

Behind the beaches, labyrinthine roads and alleys lead back to the most amazing clutch of hotels, restaurants, bars, food stalls and shops. The renowned Poppies Gang, running directly back from Kuta Beach, is where most of the quieter, inexpensive hostels and restaurants are located. Cheap beachfront accommodation is available in Legian; the lanes running parallel to the beach are the best places to start trawling for a decent bed.