My first trip to Bali: Indonesia at its best and its worst Part III

I went to Bali for 7 days in January this year. Happily, I didn't get as many negative recommendations as you before I left.  Actually, there is some truth in what everyone has already but I spent time writing about my first Bali experience which you can find on my Travels with Sunbuns blog:
 http://sunbuns.blogspot.com
 (remove any extra spaces)

 Search the key word: Bali in the upper left hand search box.  There is one more that comes from what guys said in a now-disappeared forum on this topic.

I stayed in Seminyak  at Villa Layang Bulan, a clothing optional boutique hotel,  but the gay bars (with flashy drag shows and dancing half-naked Bali boys. It's worth a trip.  Laki Uma is another not too far away - I didn't make it there but it is also clothing optional with a special 'activities' for daytime guests who pay a separate entrance.

  Watch out for being ripped off my massage boys who promise a lot but fail to deliver, although they try to insist on collecting the agreed upon price - without the happy ending ... literally.

I agree that staying somewhere like Ubud would be a much more wholesome and culturally uplifting experience.. but that is NOT the only reason some of go to Bali.

In January, a couple of Seminyak gay bars had either closed down, come up new (str8) management, or had just gone into repair work.  Potato Head Cafe is now virtually straight only.

Tanalot Temple on the west coast not too far from Seminyak (an hour or so drive) is the attached photo.   Plan to stay until sunset at Tanalot,  that's when hundreds (if not thousands) gather to see the sunset, which can also been seen from the cafes / outdoors restaurants above the water-side temple.

There are a couple of monkey parks where tribes of free-roaming macaques beg for food.  It's mandatory to also take in a nighttime kechak performance - there are a couple of them in Ubud and else where.  The holiest temple is a bit of pain to reach but the trip there can be via the coast or Ubud.  Entering the temple has a 'required' free donation.. my advice is just pay them 10-20$ and be over the hassle.

 
Finally,  I combined scuba diving with tourist excursions -- be sure to negotiate prices for complete tour packages -- or hire a driver and make booking on the fly. It'll probably work out to be the same cost.