As an Australian, I feel ambivalent about Bali. No doubt, the "island of the gods" is beautiful and its culture is charming, plus it's difficult to dislike a place that has surf every day and an average annual temperature of 28 degrees Celsius.
But if you're staying around the most popular areas of Kuta and Seminyak, and own an accent that identifies you as a native of the land Down Under, you'll find that the reputation of your countrymen precedes you. Locals will drop their Balinese twang in favour of a forced Aussie accent, complete with a "mate" suffix added to the end of every sentence, and assume you're there for a Bintang-beer-fuelled bender at questionable nightspots.
During a recent visit, I can't say I was sad to be leaving this overly built-up part of southern Bali - but luckily there was still one night left on the island for a recharge before returning to Hong Kong.
The place that beckoned was the Alila Manggis, a recently refurbished 18-year-old resort at Buitan, on the southeastern coast of Bali. During the 90-minute drive from the main tourist area, the chaos and clutter of Kuta and its surrounding areas give way to views of emerald-green rice paddies sitting at the feet of thickly forested mountains capped by clouds. The dusty stalls selling Bintang singlets and cheap jewellery are eventually replaced by rustic homes featuring elements of Balinese temple architecture, hiding behind swathes of banana palms, frangipani trees and bright pink bougainvillea.
By this time, you'll pretty much have arrived in gorgeous Buitan, an area known locally as the "soul of Bali", and you'll notice that life moves noticeably slower here. The boutique resort Alila Manggis prides itself on its design as a Balinese-style beach house, as well as the extensive range of activities on offer to guests.
Its 55 superior and deluxe rooms are in three double-storey blocks surrounding a shimmering pool, where you'll probably be spending a lot of time, considering that Bali's notorious erosion has transformed the resort's former beach into a pebble-strewn shadow of its former self. Still, the waves lapping against the front of the resort are about the only sound you'll be hearing at this tranquil resort apart from the twitter of birds, and the silence is almost deafening after the sensory assault that is Seminyak and Kuta.