So I found myself on my way to Bali. A place that, while very pretty, can come up sketchy in the sanitation department and has proven to be not always safe. In need of distance and perspective from the jumble in my head, I tagged along with two talented, young interior designers. While they shopped for tropical furniture and garden elements, I remained in the artist's hill town of Ubud.

It had been almost 10 years since I'd been in Ubud. If it's possible for a place to have nearly doubled in size and still be essentially the same, this place has accomplished that goal. The shops along Monkey Forest Road were spilling over with batiks and baskets, and there were more people maneuvering the treacherous sidewalks that undulate up and down over running ditches.

Ubud, because it's in the hills of south-central Bali, and because I visited during their winter (mid-June through early-August) was not the blistering inferno I remembered. The foreigners were mostly French, Italian and Australian, with a few clusters of Japanese girls buying silver and sandals in the tiny boutiques along Hanoman Road.

A typical Balinese breakfast includes fruit, juice, mie goreng (noodles) and a pot of tea.

This is a room at the Waka Barong Resort, a budget-friendly boutique hotel in Ubud.

Costumed dancers present offerings at the Amandari Hotel, which sponsors their troupe.

The Four Seasons lily pond; villas in upscale Ubud hotels routinely offer private pools, too.

The area around Ubud is drop-dead beautiful. Green is layered upon green. Palms sway above terraced rice paddies and villages seem to always be decorated for one ceremony or another. Slender women in sarongs file along the sides of the road balancing offerings of flowers and fruit on their way to temples.

Ubud has always been known as a "painting village," and today there are art galleries everywhere offering varying degrees of quality. The trick, if you're in the market, is to look, look, look. And then only buy what you really like. Unless you love to throw money away, or just can't live without something, bargain. Don't be fooled. Starting prices in dusty, little stalls along the street can be the same as in the fancy, air-conditioned galleries.

Although it's said that all Balinese are artists, that they make art to please their gods, painting was not traditionally considered a high art until less than 100 years ago. Many credit the arrival in Ubud of European artists Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet in the 1920s, and Arie Smit in the 1950s, for the elevation of the craft, at least in Western eyes.

Spies in particular helped bring wealthy, famous celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and heiress Barbara Hutton to the island, giving it a reputation for being a kind of "heaven on earth." The reality of life for the Balinese was not quite so glowing. Ruled oppressively by the Dutch, and then occupied brutally by the Japanese during World War II, their genuine warmth and gentleness today is amazing. It is rare to hear a harsh word anywhere.

Except for the resort areas around Kuta and Legian, the religious, family and village ties seem to have insulated Balinese from the onslaught of the West and its values. Families still live together in compounds. Their religion, a hybrid Hinduism that has incorporated Bali's ancient beliefs in nature, is practiced daily with fresh offerings and strictly observed holidays and celebrations. Babies are carried, their feet never touching the ground, until they are 3 months old, and children are never spanked. It seems to have created an island of unusually gentle people.

Rice paddies line the drive to Tampaksiring, site of two of Bali's most sacred Hindu temples and the palace of former President Sukarno.

Offerings of food or flowers make a bright splashes of color. Seen at ubiquitous shrines, they placate evil spirits and represent prayers.

Girls participate in a dancing class at the Amandari Hotel outside Ubud. The area is known as a center of the arts, including traditional Balinese dance and textile weaving but also Western-style painting.

In the evening, there is the bing-bong off in the distance of men practicing the gamelan. Your driver tells you he will pick you up later because he has to go to the temple first. When he arrives, there is rice flour rubbed into his forehead and his four-wheel drive vehicle is decorated with coconut baskets of flower offerings.

Speaking of drivers, get one. Do not consider renting a car and driving unless you have a strong death wish. There are no apparent rules of the road, and the narrow thoroughfares are clogged with children, dogs, motorbikes and deep ditches. Outside any hotel you will have young men trying to get you to hire them. This is fine if you just want a lift from one spot to another. But for a half- or full-day hire, get a recommendation from your hotel desk, or from a friend who travels to Bali often.

A knowledgeable driver is a blessing. He will take you places, wait for you, drop you at your hotel with your shopping, or a restaurant, and come back promptly for very little. It is OK to negotiate prices if you are keeping a driver for the day, or your entire stay. It is also courteous to give a driver money for lunch and a small tip.

Every night at some place in town, there is a performance. For the equivalent of $5 or $6, you can watch a dance drama depicting the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, where Rama, his wife Sita and her brother get in and out of a lot of trouble.

On another night, take in the male kecak, or "monkey dance." Originally sacred, it was given a little more flash by Walter Spies for a film he worked on in the late 1920s. It often ends with a boy in a trance riding a wooden horse into a flaming pile of coconut husks. Get those feet up if you're in the front row and he begins kicking the flaming husks in your direction.

An egg painter shows his work in the lobby of the Hotel Oberoi Legian. Legian Beach in Kuta, Bali, is a resort worth a day trip from Ubud.

Eleventh-century candi (burial towers) are seen at Gunung Kawi, on the Pakerisan River.

But back to luxury. What you get on Bali is the the luxury of softness and distance — the pleasure of being away from everything, being pampered, spending your days as you please and letting others do the work. Daily massages and flower-filled baths are guilt-free because they cost so little.

An aromatherapy massage session with a soak in a flower-filled tub was just $25, plus tip. A room service meal can be as little as $5. Same-day service on a week's worth of laundry was $7. Really stylish sarongs were $10, a cute pair of sandals $7; and you can bargain to pay less.

Unless you are in a really high-end hotel, there are no televisions in most hotel rooms. When there are, they only catch local stations and maybe some C-grade HBO. News junkies can stop worrying about "who-has-killed-whom" back home and relax.

I asked Putu, my driver, why I didn't appear to make him crazy with all my changes in plans.

"It's all right. You should just be happy. It's better you do what you want to do," he answered.

Is there anything more luxurious than being that balanced and peaceful? It beats fluffy towels any day.

Kaui Philpotts is a Honolulu writer and former Advertiser food editor.

• • •

If you go ...

UBUD AND VICINITY: In the central highlands of Bali, Ubud makes an excellent jumping-off point for experiencing the culture, visiting other locales or basking in the luxury of Bali's famous spa treatments. It's just a day trip away from anywhere in Bali. Ubud is known for its gracious hotels, shopping, art and performing arts, and for being a place to enjoy a long walk or drive into the countryside to see such sights as the Yeh Pulu bas reliefs representing Balinese village life, the classic temple of Pura Pentaran Sasih and the city's two museums, Museum Neka and Museum Puri Lukisan. The popular Monkey Forest makes a great day excursion. See monkeys in their habitat; there's also a nearby woodcarving village. The Elephant Safari Park in Pesanggaran comes highly recommended: You can ride an elephant and even bathe with one.

AIRPORT: Denpasar-Bali International Airport is about an hour south of Ubud on the southern tip of the island, near the city of Denpasar.

WEATHER: Bali is hot and humid through much of the year. The wet season is from October to April. The daily short rains actually may make it cooler, but experts suggest that if you travel during the rainy season, pick a hotel where you're willing to linger — one with a spa, cable TV or indoor activities — as you may have to curtail day trips.

CUSTOMS: Never pat anyone on the head or tower over anyone who is seated. Give and receive items, especially food, only with the right hand and never point with the left (considered impure).

HEALTH AND SAFETY: No particular cautions. Tetanus, polio and hepatitis shots are recommended for Asia travel. However, if anything life-threatening happens while on Bali, get thee out of there and on to Singapore. Consider signing up for Medjet Assist before you leave, (800) 963-3538. They will fly you to the hospital of your choice; fees vary from $69 for a 7-day membership to $195 for a year, and cover hospital-bed-to-hospital-bed transport anywhere a jet can land. Otherwise, plan to shell out upwards of $35,000 on the spot.

EXCHANGE RATE: $1 equals about 9,088 rupiah. Money changers and banks are widely available; ATMs can be scarce. Hotels generally expect credit-card payment.

GETTING AROUND: Better hotels offer hotel pickup, or there are buses. You can see central Ubud on foot. For other sites, hire a car and guide for about $40 to $50 a day (including tip); a motorbike for about $5 a day or a bicycle for $1.

WHERE TO STAY: Ubud offers everything from backpacker-friendly hostels to five-star luxury hotels. A well-appointed room with breakfast can be had for as little as $50 a night; luxury villas with verandas, gardens and sometimes private pools begin as low as $175 a night if you shop around for Internet deals.

• Casa Luna Guesthouse. An old favorite guesthouse run by Ketut Suardana and his wife, Janet de Neefe. Rooms start at approximately $25 per night and up (pay in rupiah). Jalan Bisma, Ubud; www.casalunabali.com.

• Waka Barong. Balinese-owned bungalows in the center of town. Standard rooms include sunken tubs and courtyards, begin at $145 per night. A 2-bedroom, 2-bath villa with a private pool is $363 per night. Monkey Forest Road, Ubud; www.barongresort.com.

• Amandari, Ubud. It doesn't get more luxurious than this resort in a village near Ubud. All suites run from $650 a night to $3,600 for a 3-bedroom villa with butler service and private pool. (62 361) 975-333; www.amanresorts.com.

• Four Seasons Resort Bali, Sayan. Super-modern and dramatic all-suite hotel along the Ayung River near Ubud. Quiet, pricey and perfect if you really want to get away from everything. Rooms are $450 per night and up. (62 361) 977-577; www.fourseasons.com/sayan.

TAKE CLASSES:

• Casa Luna Cooking School. Classes in Balinese cuisine offered weekday mornings. Also, all-day Palm Sugar and Sea Salt Tour to East Bali on Sundays. Includes lunch at a warung (small local restaurant), refreshments and amenities. Approximately $28 per person (pay in rupiah). www.casalunabali.com.

• Threads of Life. Jean Howe and William Ingram's shop selling museum-quality ikats (tie-dyed, hand-woven fabrics) and batiks aims to help restore an art form and empower the women who weave them. Classes range from two hours to all day. They cover uses of antique textiles and hands-on creative workshops. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Jalan Kajeng 24, Ubud; www.threadsoflife.com.

WHERE TO EAT:

• Mozaic, Jalan Raya Sanggingan, Ubud. Chef/owner Chris Salans worked with David Bouley in New York City and Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in Napa, Calif., before opening this gem of a restaurant outside Ubud. Not-to-be-missed cuisine in a garden setting. There's a very nice homeware shop attached to the restaurant. (62 361) 975-768; www.mozaic-bali.com.