About 25 minutes’ drive from Raffles Bali, Museum Pasifika is the first museum of its kind in this part of the world, proudly housing more than 600 artworks by 200 artists from 25 nations. Artists include Walter Spies (Germany), Miguel Covarrubias (Mexico), Raden Saleh (Indonesia), Affandi (Indonesia), Hendra Gunawan (Indonesia), Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur (Belgium), Paul Gauguin (France), and Auguste Rodin (France). The museum was designed by leading Balinese architect Popo Danes in 2006, and today holds regular exhibitions, as well as carrying out restoration projects on damaged artworks. Take your time – there’s a café overlooking a beautifully landscaped garden where you can recharge your batteries.

Raffles Bali covers some 23 hectares, only 40% of which has been built upon. The rest is a sanctuary for native flora and home to more than 100 plant species. The tour, which takes a couple of hours (a hat is advisable), will guide you through enchanting landscapes and serene spaces peppered with African tulip trees, Balinese frangipani, heliconia, orange jasmine and red cotton ginger; banana trees, Java plum and passion fruit; lemongrass, Kefir lime and lemon basil; and much, much more. Look out for remarkable fauna too, such as the vibrant blue kingfisher and oriental magpie-robin.  

No trip to Bali is complete without witnessing this amazing statue, at 121 metres one of the tallest statues in the world and 28 metres taller than the Statue of Liberty. Designed by Balinese sculptor Nyoman Nuarta, the statue took 28 years to conceptualise and was finally completed in 2018. It depicts Lord Wisnu (Vishnu), one of the three main gods in Balinese Hinduism, riding the mythical bird of Garuda, symbolising protection, courage and national identity. There are daily cultural performances from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm, plus Garuda Sineloka Mini Cinema, which shows animated films about Indonesian folklore and mythology. The observation deck is also worth a visit for the stunning view of the Southern Bali coastline.