Mention Sydney, Australia and the first attractions that come to mind are the Opera House , the Harbour Bridge , Taronga Zoo , and The Rocks.

But locals and regular visitors will tell you that there is so much more to this vibrant city than these iconic landmarks. However, finding this other side of Sydney isn’t always easy unless you know where to look.

These 5 secret places will get you started…

1. Open up a Pandora’s box of plague and pestilence at the Museum of Human Diseases at the University of New South Wales. With more than 2,000 cadaver parts on display, this museum isn’t for everyone, especially if you have a weak stomach. But I’d guaranteed even the most bored teenager will find this museum fascinating.

Location: Ground Floor of the Samuels Building, Upper Sydney Campus area, University of New South Wales.

Hours: 3.00 -5.00 weekdays

2. Go nuclear with the Lucas Heights Nuclear Reactor tour on the first Saturday of every month. Ideal for fans of The Simpsons, this tour will teach you all about neutron scattering and neutron beams. Booking in advance (plus providing ID) is a must at this security sensitive site.

Location: New Illawarra Rd, Lucas Heights
Hours: tours first Sat of month 10 am and 2pm,

3. Be an urban Robinson Crusoe and get lost on Store Beach . Sydney has more than it’s share of beautiful beaches but to lose the crowds, head for Manly, rent a kayak and paddle your way to Store Beach. With no roads and no paths, the only way to get there is by sea which all but guarantees a pristine stretch of deserted beach.

Location: Manly, Sydney

4. Count money at the Museum of Australian Currency Notes. Discover fun facts, trace the history of Australian coins and banknotes, and learn about forgeries at this small museum maintained by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Location: Ground Floor, 65 Martin Place, Sydney
Hours: 10.00 am and 4.00 pm Monday to Friday

5. Reflect and relax at the Paddington Reservoir Gardens . This two chambered reservoir was originally built in1866 and played a key element in Sydney’s water supply. But after being decommissioned in 1899, the area fell into disrepair, becoming home to feral cats and graffiti artists. Restored in 2009, the Paddington Reservoir Gardens give the appearance of a Romanesque sunken garden, complete with lake and hanging garden canopy and frescoes and murals lining the walls.

Location: Cnr Oxford Street and Oatley Road, Paddington

But the best kept secret has to be the recently opened Sydney Harbor YHA . Located right in the heart of The Rocks, this hostel has million dollar views without the million dollar price tag. Prices range from A$37 to A$154 a night depending on the room.

To discover more secret Sydney places, pick up a copy of Frommer’s Sydney Free & Dirt Cheap by Lee Atkinson when it’s released in May.

Jennifer speaks Indonesian which made our travels that much more pleasant. While it is true that most locals spoke some English, it made such a difference in their response to the use of their own language. I can highly recommend Jennifer who guided us through Bali, answered our questions, explained customs, and showed us through markets and temples.

Most enjoyable for me was that I got to meet local people and got a glimpse of their personal lives. Thanks to Jennifer, I was all confidence by the time they all headed back to Honolulu and I stayed behind to enjoy Bali on my own for the rest of the month.

If you’d like to know more about Jennifer’s Bahagia travel tours go to www.bahagiatravel.com

See her current tours on offer here

Today Singaraja bears all the marks of an an old colonial city with wide tree-lined streets and Dutch colonial architecture. In addition to Dutch influences, Singaraja has also been visited by many other naval powers, as is evident from the many Arab and Chinese influences in Singaraja’s old dock district. Singaraja is home to a rare Chinese Buddhist temple, of which only a handful exist in Bali.


In addition to being one of Bali’s most multicultural cities, Singaraja is an educational centre with two university campuses and is also home to some excellent warungs and restaurants and a traditional market-place seldom visited by Westerners. Another major attraction in Singaraja is the Gedong Kirtya Museum and Library, which hosts ancient Balinese manuscripts and sacred texts on leaves of the lontar palm and a treasure trove of books from the Dutch colonial era.

Situated in Bali’s north shore, Singaraja is a mere 11 kilometres from Lovina Beach, the major tourist base in all of North Bali. The ancient Balinese capital of Singaraja, locally called Lion City, is just one of the many attractions in close proximity to Lovina. Lovina Beach is home to some of the finest hotels and tourist accommodations in north Bali, as well as the site of Lovina Beach Resort, the area’s only five-star beachfront resort.
endowed with superb nature beauty and provides tourists wonderful opportunity to enjoy the enduring charm of serene and scenic backwater stretches. With nature beauty, picturesque landscapes and amiable climate, Alleppey has been a very popular destination of Kerala honeymoon tour. Here couples have wonderful opportunity to enjoy backwater cruises with luxury houseboat stay.

Sambals are Balinese relishes made from red chilli, which are served with coconut rice. The food you’ll enjoy on Bali holidays is a regional take on Indonesian cuisine, with simple and tasty dishes like fried rice (nasi goreng) or fried chicken, Indonesian style. Look out for the rosy glaze of Balinese roast pork during your meals.

Called Babi Guling, this is probably the most popular dish of the Balinese people. It is prepared with chilli, coriander, garlic and lime leaves or lemon grass, and it’s spit-roasted until the meat is tender. Sometimes in Bali, pork is steamed in banana leaves; in either recipe and you are likely to see the see the pork presented on the table as a whole, shiny red pig. Green Bali Bali is a lush green island of rich forests and tropical gardens. In the forests around Ubud you can spot the playful monkeys, and there are elephants on the island too. One green haven often visited on Bali holidays are the waterfalls at Gitgit. Here, you can see clear water falling between the trees, hammering down from a height of forty metres as you float in the deep plunge pool below.

Taman Burung is another attraction; the gardens are home to hundreds of bird species, including the rare and endangered Mynah bird. There are also magnificent colours to see at the Bali butterfly park, the largest butterfly sanctuary in Asia. But you won’t have to travel far from your sun lounger to appreciate the verdant natural character of the island because the hotels in Bali have sophisticated, tropical and well-tended gardens, many with lively with hot pink and purple blossoms.

Yellow Bali As well as the hot equatorial sun and the golden sandy beaches, yellow is the shade of the intricate decorative costumes worn by Bali’s dancers during graceful oriental performances of fan and butterfly dances. The island has a number of diverse traditional performances: some are graceful ceremonial dances; others tell stories with masked characters representing mythical demons. Some shows are slapstick and comical, where the characters interact with the audience.

You can enjoy dance shows daily on Bali holidays, and the town of Ubud is especially famous for this. Blue Bali The colour that brings most pleasure on Bali holidays is the beautiful blue of the ocean. Looking out from the beach, the clear water takes on a bright turquoise colour under the clear blue skies. Exploring the ocean will introduce you to an array of tropical fish with the variety of colours of a rainbow. You can take PADI Scuba diving courses in the warm ocean waters, made available by hotels in Bali such as the Legian Beach Hotel or The Oberoi Bali. All these colours combine to make a Bali holiday a vivid and rich experience.

This gives the music a distinctly soulful feel, as the very heart of the melody lies in religious worship. If you want to experience the interesting, traditional music of Bali, a holiday there offers the opportunity to be entertained by the village orchestras, or ‘gamelan,’ as they are locally called. A gamelan is made up of a number of band members, ranging from only a few to several dozen.

The central focus of the gamelan is on percussion, and most of the instrumentalists play instruments such as the xylophone, glockenspiel, metallophones and gongs. But the gamelan is made up of other instruments too, with woodwind and strings incorporated into the compositions. Bela Bartok and Balinese Music The famous composer Bela Bartok took an interest in collecting folk music from around Europe, and he was interested in incorporating other musical traditions into western compositions.

On hearing a gamelan perform, he was inspired to incorporate Balinese music into his own works, and he wanted to bring this musical form to western audiences. His Bali holiday inspired the composition of his piece No. 109, which was entitled ‘From the Island of Bali.’ Through Bartok, Balinese music became better known throughout Western Europe, and an interest was sparked in western music lovers. This has inspired many to take holidays to Bali, where the combination of staying in a Bali luxury hotel, and enjoying the spiritual performances of the gamelans, results in an exceptional experience.

Colin McPhee and Bali’s Tabuh-Tabuhan: Toccata Colin McPhee’s chance encounter with a Balinese gamelan in New York sparked his interest in Bali, and his subsequent Bali holiday led him to dedicate a significant amount of time to exploring Balinese music. He lived there for a long period of time and even wrote a book detailing his life in Bali. He has also compiled a Bali holiday guide, detailing everything from hotels in Bali to its vibrant traditional music. While living in Bali, McPhee conducted an ethno-musicological study of the local music, and went on to complete his Tabuh-tabuhan: Toccata, a composition for which he received the Pulitzer Prize.

This unique Balinese work is divided into three movements: Ostinatos, Nocturne and Finale. To perform this work McPhee assembled his own gamelan, which was made up of two pianos and percussion instruments. The work is unique in that it fuses Balinese and western music together, with Balinese motifs in a typically western symphonic work. You will likely recognise these tunes at some point on your Bali holiday, in the music resounding from the temples and in the local village gamelan performances

Countries of destination and the nearest golf course and visit there will give you the opportunity to enjoy the many fine courses long before the ARfD golfers can fall in the next few years. As the number of holidays Bali focusing on golf, many companies offer specialist golf packages that allow you to sample the best rates with a discount as part of your journey.

Listed below are a few of the top golf courses you must play on and some of the luxury hotels in Bali that will provide a perfect base for your trip. Where to Play Golfers on Bali holidays have several championship quality courses to choose from. The Bali Golf and Country Club designed by Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright, has been voted as one of the top five golf courses in Asia by Fortune magazine. The course begins in amidst lakes and coconut trees, concluding with several holes on Nusa Beach itself. The mixture of tropical vegetation, hilly landscapes and stunning views of the Indian Ocean make it a joy to play on. The Bali Golf and Country Club is perhaps bettered only by the Nirwana Bali Golf Club. Established in 1997, it is rated by some as the best course in Indonesia.

The course is strikingly beautiful, with the three cliff top holes overlooking the ocean being particular highlights. If you are taking a Bali holiday and are a golf fan, this is the course you really don’t want to miss out on. Built into a volcanic crater, the Bali Handara Kosaido golf course is one of the oldest courses on the island. The intricate green offers a interesting challenge to even the keenest golfer, and the surrounding mountains provide the perfect backdrop for a fine day’s golf. Where to Stay There are a number of excellent golf hotels in Bali.

Le Meridien Nirwana Golf Resort and Spa is a tough one to beat, featuring the outstanding Nirwana Bali Golf Club on its grounds. For a combination of luxury accommodation and convenient access to a course, it is probably the best choice. The superb Four Seasons Ubud is another great choice, located less than an hour from Nirwana and widely regarded as one of the best hotels in Bali. Finally, the Nikko Bali Resort and Spa is located in Nusa Dua, very close to the Bali Golf and Country Club. With excellent courses, five star hotels and some truly unforgettable scenery, Bali is an ideal choice for golfers looking to explore somewhere a little different on their next golf holiday abroad

The smile on the faces of local people can not help but inspire the chance to take in all them. The staff is a joy as they welcome you in hotels in Bali is clear, and they will do everything in their power to make your stay a wonderful experience. Luxurious accommodation, if your idea of a dream trip to Bali absolutely nothing to do, then you’re in luck! Luxury hotels in Bali offer quiet retreats in a lush tropical environment with everything at your fingertips defined.

Enjoy the decadence of your own private pool and Jacuzzi as you gaze out over lush, landscaped gardens. A butler or maid service will deliver your breakfast and a fresh fruit basket every morning, and your room will be sweet with the aroma of tropical flowers. Most hotels in Bali are built to the traditional Balinese design – their airy, open construction is devised to catch the sea breeze as it wafts lazily past. Nothing is hurried, and time seems to stand still as you are enveloped in the serenity of your Bali holiday.

Spas and Massages The Balinese are highly attuned to the human senses and quite possibly invented the notion of bliss! Their hospitality revolves around the concept of pleasure through touch, scent, sight and sound. No detail is spared in their effort to make you feel relaxed on your Bali holiday, and a day spent in a luxury spa is the ultimate in pampering. You will be massaged, scrubbed, steamed, perfumed and oiled, and you’ll leave floating on an orchid scented cloud! If you prefer to let your luxury come to you, why not enjoy a massage on your private patio, amidst the sounds and scents of your own tropical haven.

Fine Wining and Dining Bali offers a cosmopolitan mix of restaurants and bars but, on your Bali holiday, you do not even need to leave your room if you don’t want to! You can start the evening at sunset with a tropical fruit cocktail, served by the butler on the private patio of your Bali hotel. Then the endless possibilities of your dining experience can be enjoyed in one of the many five star restaurants or in your own private five star retreat.

Whatever you choose – from fresh seafood, authentic spicy curries or crisp crunchy local vegetables, to a dynamic fusion dish – you can guarantee it will be a highlight of your Bali holiday; and you can be assured it will be served up with that ubiquitous Balinese smile. A holiday in Bali offers the perfect ‘get away from it all’ escape. Once you discover the secret, magical, restoring delights of the island, it will keep enticing you back – for the pampering, for the serenity, for the food and for the luxury. With a capital ‘L

The year round swell off the deep southern oceans of the Antarctic, means that Bali has a non stop supply of surf. The swell flattens out once it reaches the reefs and creates the perfect conditions for a true surfing Nirvana. There are around twenty top class breaks around the island to choose from, and surfers of all ages and experience are generously catered for by Mother Nature! A Bali holiday between April and October offers the best conditions for surfing, although unfortunately everyone else is heading there between these times too, and it can become quite busy on the line-up at some of the more popular breaks.

BEGINNER’S BREAKS Unlike the rest of Indonesia which is heavily reefed, Bali has a lot of smaller breaks more suited to the beginner or intermediate. Kuta is probably Bali’s most famous beach and there’s a great surf tradition of ‘anything goes’! The sandy bottom and waist deep water means that anyone from six to ninety six can get out on their board and give it a try. Whether it’s hanging ten, toes on the nose or total wipe-out – you can ride the fun waves at Kuta without fear of shredding any body parts on an exposed reef!

There are lots of surf schools and board hire shops, so if you have never surfed before – Kuta is the perfect place to start! A lot of the hotels in Bali are close to the easy riding Kuta and Legian beach surf areas, and when the sun goes down you can come straight out of the break, and head for a cocktail! You can outdo each other with tales of gnarly waves and killer surf, and then party on with the legendary Kuta nightlife. For the budding grommets and Gidgets, it’s only a few steps from bed where they can dream Bali holiday surfing adventure!

SERIOUS SURFING Veteran surfers will be heading over to the pounding breaks at Padang Padang or Uluwatu on their Bali holiday. Padang Padang has an awesome ‘killer’ wave and this world class spot should only be attempted by the most experienced surfer! It is one of the most dangerous waves in Bali to face up to, as the coral reef is almost entirely exposed. But even if you can only dream of conquering the wave, it’s still worth coming along to watch the brave make their assault. Uluwatu with its famous entry cave is probably the busiest of all the surf breaks in Bali. You clamber down the dramatic cliffs and through the cave which leads out onto the beach.

The waves at Uluwatu are fast and long, and the view from the break is breathtaking – but in the monsoon season the waves here can reach a terrifying fifteen feet so this location is definitely not for the feint hearted! As well as a constant swell at Uluwatu there is also a constant crowd – so be warned, if you do chance your luck against the giant waves, you’ll have an audience! The island’s popularity as a surfing destination has increased so much, the hotels in Bali and the more popular beaches are heaving in high season. But the hidden beauty of this tiny surfing Mecca is that if you’ve got a bit of time, and a slightly adventurous streak, you just might find yourself surfing a break on a deserted beach with only the fish to see you fall

Bali is also ideal for golf holidays, where avid golfers can combine beautiful scenery and beaches with their favourite past time. Here are some of the best hotels in Bali to choose, that all have golf courses nearby. Nikko Bali Resort and Spa This hotel in Bali must surely be in one of the most scenic regions of the island.

Situated in the southern Nusa Dua area, you can enjoy breathtaking views over the Indian Ocean and Bali beaches from your position at the top of a 40 metre cliff. Lounge around at the hotel pool, soak up the sunshine and admire your surroundings, and when you’ve had enough of doing absolutely nothing in the sublime Bali sunshine, you can treat yourself to a spa treatment to rejuvenate. As the Nikko Bali is close to the beach, you can enjoy spending many a day on the fine white sands while staying at this 5 star Bali hotel.

And for the avid golfers, the Nusa Dua Golf and Country Club is just 5 minutes away, making this luxurious hotel somewhat of a golfers paradise. The Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay This superb 5 star Bali hotel is situated on the island’s southern tip. One of the central attractions of this hotel is the beautiful landscaped gardens, affording 35 acres of pretty scenery for you to enjoy leisurely strolls and lazy afternoons in the sunshine. In the heat of mid day, you can lounge in your plunge pool, fully appreciating your location as you gaze out over the Indian Ocean. Whilst affording the ultimate in luxury accommodation for your Bali holiday, the resort also encapsulates the spirit of Jimbaran Bay. The accommodation is structured such that guests stay in series of 20 thatched roof villas, all neatly positioned around a village square. Each ‘village’ has its own chief, who will assist guests and help to make their stay as memorable as possible. With beautiful views over the terraced hillside, you can enjoy a peaceful experience in this spiritual region. And for golf fans who would love nothing more than to play their favourite sport in such an idyllic setting, the Bali Golf and Country Club is just 20 minutes away.

The Four Seasons at Sayan, Ubud Another Four Seasons Resort, you can expect excellent accommodation at this Bali hotel. Situated in the magnificent Ayung Valley, you can enjoy 180 degree views from the hotel grounds – a perfect location to spend some quiet time whilst taking in the breathtaking views. The design of the gardens is simply beautiful with wooden bridges leading over pretty ponds surrounded by beautiful flowers in this lush, tropical setting. The interior continues with the intricate design, with Indonesian furnishings and fabrics setting the theme of the hotel rooms. And just 60 minutes away is the Nirwana Bali Golf Course, expertly designed by Greg Norman, where Bali holidaymakers can enjoy golfing in the beautiful Bali countryside

Puri Lukisan The name literally translates to ‘Art Palace’ and if you are an art lover, on your Bali holidays, you’ll want to spend some time walking around this museum. The idea was spearheaded around 40 years ago by a group of artists and patrons from the Ubud Royal Palace. The idea was to create a secular institution for art, which, in turn, would help legitimise the practice on the island. Puri Lukisan is set in a peaceful garden surrounded by beautiful statues and serene lily ponds. As all the paintings in the gallery are arranged in chronological order this also makes viewing them a lot more pleasurable. Komenka Gallery Komenka showcases art from young Indonesian artists and can be easily distinguished from Ubud’s other art galleries by its strikingly simple architecture.

Whilst downstairs is currently taken up by a group collective, upstairs is devoted to the work of Made Djirna, a young Balinese artist whose work is particularly memorable for representing the position and activities of women in Bali. Agung Rai Museum of Art Agung Rai has been an avid art-collector since he was a very small child, so as you can imagine his lifetime collection needs a fairly spacious museum. As galleries go, the place is huge and, although its main focus is on art, it also contains one of Ubud’s best restaurants. However, the museum offers a lot more then just divine food and contemporary Balinese art.

It also boasts a gamelan orchestra, regular dance performances and a hip Italian café bordered by rows of neatly rolling rice fields. Café Tutmak This funky café showcases the work of one newly emerging artist at a time. Each exhibition lasts between one and six months and runs alongside a permanent exhibition by the installation artist, Lotte Hannetz. Lotte’s famous installation is a number of full-size dangling chairs, swinging overhead in the breeze.

The piece is actually a subtle jibe at Indonesian’s excruciating sense of the relative level of things, and also refers to a common Balinese joke about the number of mobiles and windcharms bought by visitors on their Bali holidays. Ibah Gallery The Ibah Gallery is located a little on the outskirts of Ubud, and is the showcase for the “Bali Kangin-Kauh Group” a collective of incredibly talented artists.

One of the artists, an Englishman, has worked on various album covers for the band, Pink Floyd, and has a resumé that also includes work on the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ film. However, the work in this gallery is contemporary Balinese and mainly concentrates on painting the many forms of energy that surround the human form. Nyoman Sumertha Fine Art Gallery If you enjoy the work of Claude Monet, then you’ll definitely want to visit this highly respected art gallery on you Bali holidays. The gallery focuses on the work of Jason Monet, a larger than life character, who is alleged to be a descendant of Claude. N.B: Galleries mentioned are likely to change without prior notice