Eat, Play, Love
Between Java and Lombok the Indonesian island of Bali is enchanted and beautiful. It doesn’t teem with golf courses, but there are four layouts here that anyone would want to play.
Tourism is the island’s main industry. Terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005 briefly kept holidaymakers away, but they have now returned in numbers, increased numbers in fact.
There are almost three million annual visitors and the actual population is not much more than that. Consequently, the infrastructure is stretched, the roads endlessly busy. But work goes on apace (or as speedily as it might on tranquil Bali) in preparation for the APEC summit in 2013 for which the island’s communications will be much improved.
Away from any traffic problems Bali is a place of harmony and relaxation. It was the setting for last year’s Julia Roberts’ movie Eat, Pray, Love and the effects of its starring role can be felt in countless new yoga and spiritual retreats all over the island. Bali of course is famous for its sacred rituals, devout rites and ceremonies. Every home has its own shrine. Every town has numerous temples. Offerings to the gods are made daily and can be seen everywhere. Flowers literally litter the streets. And the incense can be thick, the atmosphere heady.
Yet Bali is very much of the world too. Upscale hotels and resorts abound, from Banyan Tree and Bulgari to the newly-opened W Retreat & Spa. And while fabulous food might be found cheaply in local restaurants, one can pay top dollar (or Indonesian Rupiah) to eat in style at the new chic restaurants which have recently appeared and which make Bali, when considered with its existing cuisine, something of a foodie’s favourite. Golf, while not exactly exorbitant, sets one back on average US$150 per round. But most will have few complaints. The courses are all excellent and each one is quite distinctive and memorable.
Carts are pretty much compulsory and compulsory caddies are almost always female – and almost all are pretty. In fact, the only male caddies I met were playing their monthly gratis game at Bali Golf & Country Club. I joined them for the back nine. Unbelievably they played off handicaps of two, three and four and were lovely knowledgeable guys, very gracious in their resounding victory. Like almost all Balinese, the caddies cannot do enough for you and you will find yourself tipping more than you can afford. It’s a good feeling.
Photography by Robin Moyer, Tom Breazeale (New Kata x 2)
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