Discover Benoa, a superb seaside resort

The Pasifika Museum was created to share Asian art with the general public. The first of its kind in the world, the Pasifika Museum brings together works of art from the Pacific region as well as Southeast Asia, focusing on the Indonesian archipelago and the island of Bali, which lies at the crossroads of these two worlds.

Located in the Nusa Dua complex in Bali, the Pasifika Museum is built on a 12,000 square metre site and comprises eight pavilions and eleven exhibition halls. It exhibits over 600 works of art created by 200 artists from 25 different countries.

You'll find a wide range of different artists. The museum is divided into four different sections. In the first, you'll find 50 Indonesian masters (from Raden Saleh in Lempad, Affandi & Hendra in Kobot). The second section is devoted to 100 works by European artists who worked in Indonesia (Walter Spies, Miguel Covarrubias, Jean Le Mayeur, Willem Hoffker, Rudolf Bonnet, Arie Smit, Charles Sayers and Theo Meier).

There will also be legendary artists such as Paul Gauguin, during his Tahitian period, and Henri Rousseau, Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin, Jean-Baptiste Carpeau, Marvina Hoffmann and Bernard Buffet, all of whom produced works in Asian styles in Japan, China, India and Polynesia. Finally, you'll have the chance to discover a section devoted to Indochinese art, with a collection from the Hanoi School of Fine Arts.

Towards Benoa, you'll find more or less the same products as in Nusa Dua, but at much better prices. Of course, handicrafts come first, even if you have to know how to sort out masks, blowguns, fabrics...

We recommend a visit to the Mertha Segara Samuh Art Market, the perfect place to buy souvenirs from Bali. Located between Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa, it stands along the main street Jalan Pratama, close to the beach. Here you'll find local art shops selling postcards and posters of Bali, batik clothing, keyrings and tote bags. It's always a good idea to haggle for a bargain at local art markets such as Mertha Segara Samuh.

As well as shopping in Kuta, why not take a jet-ski ride on the crystal-clear waters?

There are many excursions on offer. In particular, to Tanah Lot temple (sunset), Bedugul temple and the north-east of the island (full day), the centre of the island, Mount Batur and Ubud (full day) or the east of the island and Besakih temple (full day). Thrill-seekers will find it easy to book rafting trips down the Ayung River.