Denpasar & South Bali: Why go

Bustling Denpasar and the sloping hills of the south are temporarily home to the majority of Bali's millions of annual tourists. They are lured by the region's abundant white sand beaches, boutique shopping and fantastic eateries – from the Sulawesi-style point and eat diners, to cafés good enough to give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money.

In the fishing bays, there are a hundred tiny fresh fish restaurants, where barracuda, snapper and lobster are barbecued over oil drums filled with coconut shells.

If you fancy a bungee jump, a pub crawl or a cheap massage, Kuta’s the place to find it. But it’s also where you’ll get an exploding cherry sunset, so it’s not to be dismissed out of hand.