I loved Bali, 8 years ago now, where did the time go? We are headed there on November 12th on our way to Australia as my husband has never been and I talk so much about it. We stayed most of our time in Ubud and I think you will be in Legian.

It depends on your interests but I think Ubud is a must to visit, it is cooler and less crowded, no beach but lots of dance performances notably the Legong at the palace, art, shopping and all around the magnificent rice terraces. Lots of restaurants and cuisine to choose from. Enjoyed the Bali Bird Park lovely gardens and of course exotic birds.

The Barong performance in Batubalon, or you may be lucky enough to see a village performance. Temple Ulun Danu, up in the mountains at Bedugul, we stayed overnight to see it a dawn sans other visitors and it was magical.

Hot springs at Banjar Diving along the coast at Amed. And lots more. I think the key is to hire a good driver guide with an air conditioned car, the right one can make your trip really special. They know where the village festivals and cremations are and will take you there. A cremation is a wonderful spectacle and I would take the chance to see one if possible. Processions to temples are an every day occurrence and very colourful.

As you are only there for 5 days you won't be able to see everything we did in three weeks but hopefully a visit to our site will help you make your mind up about how best to spend the time. An excellent site for info about Bali is: http://www.balitravelforum.com/index.html If you post there you should be able to get opinions on your hotel from people who have stayed there recently and recommendations for a driver/guide.

Congratulations on your win, have a wonderful time. When are you going? Maybe a GTG? Oh. just remembered the first week in November (approx) is the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan and is a very busy time around Legian and Kuta areas. Try to avoid as the traffic will be horrific and make it will be very difficult to get around the island.

Regards Sue Waterloo ON http://www.wright-photo.com