Bali has long been a dream destination. I first learned about it in a school geography project and more recently the revival and popularity through Eat Pray Love: the book (and movie) has arguably led to what Bali is known for in the present day – wellness, spiritual healing, beautiful beaches and nature.

It’s been my must-visit destination for a long time, especially due to its influence on my world - interior design.

The Indonesian island of Bali is 100 miles long and although hugely popular still seems to have the mystique of an enchanted garden.

Living close to nature and enrobed in beautiful historic art, this region was originally Hindu. Islam then arrived, and Bali became the centre and start of Hindi Javanese Balinese culture - overflowing with art, dance and music.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of India and Asia and this being my 60th birthday, was my choice of where to celebrate.

Bali is great to visit all year round. The monsoon season (mid-December to March) brings, unsurprisingly, rain. In May, when we travelled the temperature was a hot 32 degrees during the day with balmy evenings.

Flying over 26 hours with connections via Singapore, we landed at Denpasar Airport. We took a taxi which would normally take no more that 25 minutes but, in the evening, driving through the lively tourist streets we arrived at our hotel an hour later.

Swimming with sea turtlesSwimming with sea turtles (Image: free) We checked in to the Alila Seminyak. The style is contemporary but with hints of historic Balinese architecture. We spent 5 days relaxing beach-side and enjoying the hotel's great food, pools and sundowners at the Beach Bar; with a different DJ or singer by the beach each evening. We ate out most nights in nearby restaurants, our favourites being Bambu, La Lucciola for dinner and Amici for drinks, and a short taxi drive away to Shelter in Changgu. We were overwhelmed by the friendly unpretentious service everywhere we went.

An early start on day 5 saw us take an hour’s drive to Ubud to explore ancient cultures, rice terraces and unusual coffee brewing.

We checked into the beautiful and peaceful Como Uma Ubud, a wellness escape with private gardens looking onto rice terraces. An effortless and classic resort where Balinese meets West colonial style hotel.

First stop, a lunchtime appointment, then a deep tissue massage, filling an afternoon perfectly whilst some rain clouds keep the gardens tropical. Dinner at Hujan Locale is recommended.

The early breakfast at Como Uma set us up for the day and a morning of sightseeing, visiting Tegalalang Rice Terrace, temple touring, waterfall wandering with a great local guide.

There really is a feeling of tranquillity here. Our guide took us to his local temple where children were being trained in Keliki, an ancient intricate hand painting art.

A popular and unusual extra highlight of the day after seeking out all things natural, was drinking a ‘Catpooccino!’ A surprisingly delicious coffee made by ‘recycling’ the coffee beans undigested by the local Luwak cat.

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We moved on to Uluwatu and hung out with the surfers at many of the beach restaurants and clubs, reliving our Ibiza sunset days and enjoyed kicking back at Kelly’s at Bingin Beach and Sundays.

In the evening, we were wowed by the magnificence of the Kecek & Fire dance Balinese Show and dinner at Masons - we loved it so much we ate there twice.

During our trip we used local taxis and scooters, and booked via the Gojek and Grab apps. A quick tip is to pop on a helmet and enjoy, it was great fun.

Indonesian food looks good but for me lacks the bite and flavour bursts of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and India but is still beautifully and lovingly cooked.

We left the best resort till last to celebrate my 60th, staying at the Alila Villas Uluwatu. This was, hands down, the best hotel we have ever stayed at. The stunning architecture of limestone and volcanic rock is softened by bubbling infinity pools and natural indigenous planting. Effortlessly and elegantly dressed in Balinese style.

The service is second to none where we were welcomed and greeted like old friends. I am such a fan of the Alila brand and staying at any of their hotels enhances any trip with its charm and style.

A spacious open plan series of areas all partitioned with glass and sliding screens allowing the outside views in and the seamless blend of Balinese materials and style to reflect throughout the area.

Rattan, bamboo, limestone, volcanic rock all blend perfectly and due to architectural geometric angular surface and construction in design, the atmosphere charmingly changes as the sun moves across and over the clear blue skies.

It’s crazy not to visit Lombok when visiting Bali as is a way of getting the vibe of traditional Bali of maybe 30 years ago.

We stayed at Hotel Tugu Lombok and our 4 days at this peaceful paradise was enhanced by authentic, traditional and locally hand-built beach villas, each with its own character full interior, with their own infinity pool.

We hired a boat to take us to the Gili Islands and stayed for 2 nights on Gili Air at Vyaana Resort. We spent our time relaxing on the white sandy beaches, cycling around the island and swimming with turtles – it was barefoot luxury.

John Amabile is a Scottish interior designer, media content writer, TV presenter and event host, who has worked on TV makeover shows