Treasure Island: With beautiful beaches, mountains sculpted into lush green rice terraces, rainforests alive with wild orchids and monkeys hanging from the trees, more than 1500 bird species, thousands of Hindu temples, and sacred rivers, lakes and volcanoes, Bali is a spectacular and spiritual island paradise. Just off the eastern tip of Java, though distant from the riots and unrest that have plagued Jakarta, Timor and elsewhere in Indonesia, Bali remains safe and serene, and blanketed in green, thanks to the fertile volcanic soil resulting from eruptions of two active volcanoes. The island's physical beauty is matched by its fascinating culture. You can visit villages devoted to specific crafts, including basket making, weaving and stone carving, and attend music, dance and shadow play performances at hotels, museums and temples. The Balinese are also very spiritual and at any time of year, you'll encounter temple processions with hundreds of colorfully costumed people carrying tall fringed umbrellas, and see sarong-clad women walking through rice fields carrying offerings on their heads to the village temple. Offerings of flowers, rice, fruit and incense are left everywhere--atop statues and walls, in doorways, even on car dashboards--left with prayers for a balance between good and evil. And wherever you stay--luxurious four-star resort, small hotel, private villa or a simple guesthouse that rents for a few dollars per night--you'll find locally woven fabrics a focus of decor, and offerings and other rituals part of daily life.

Where to Stay: Bali can be quite affordable, and even the luxury resorts offer good value. Four Seasons Bali's two resorts are among the top choices for a honeymoon or special romantic getaway. On Bali's southern coast, Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay has 147 private villas that feature carved Indonesian furniture, Balinese artwork and textiles, plunge pools, freestanding bathtubs, private gardens with outdoor showers, and open-air living areas, terraced on 35 acres of tropical gardens that slope down to a sandy beach. The resort has four restaurants, plus great in-villa dining options, but you'll also want to try some of the inexpensive fish restaurants along Jimbaran Beach. The spa offers some great his-and-hers treatments that can be done either in the spa or on your villa patio. From Jimbaran, you can do the usual tourist shopping in nearby Kuta and Sanur, or have the concierge arrange some island outings with a private driver for the day. One hour away is the Four Seasons Resort Sayan, which has 18 suites and 28 villas spread throughout rice terraces above the Ayung River in Bali's central highlands near Ubud, the island's cultural center. Sayan offers a serene homecoming after a day spent combing the art shops and galleries of Ubud. The two resorts are a contrast in size and architecture, but have the same quiet elegance and pampered approach to caring for guests. Four Seasons has a number of packages (breakfast included): Romance in Bali, and the Sayan spa and Balance and Harmony packages. So which resort do you choose? You don't have to if you book the Ocean and River Experience, which allows you to split your time between the two resorts.

Embracing the Culture:Though the beauty and serenity of Bali call out for someone to enjoy it with, I went by myself and happily never felt alone, that is until I woke up one morning at 3 a.m. to a strange and terrifying noise. Over and over again, I heard some muffled words that sounded something like f*!% you, f*!% you. Frightened, I dialed the hotel operator and told her, "Someone's in my room. Come quickly." Help arrived immediately. A gentle young man who inspected the villa emerged from the bathroom with a smile and said, "You have a gecko. They can be very noisy." After that I remembered to close the shuttered wood doors to my patio at Four Seasons Sayan, and the rest of my stay was incredibly peaceful. After breakfast overlooking the private plunge pool and rice paddies beyond, it was hard to drag myself away, but each morning I took the hotel shuttle into Ubud to the Agung Rai Museum of Art for a weaving class.

Click, clack, cluck, click, clack, cluck, sounded the loom as Rupiana, one of my teachers demonstrated how to weave the colorful ikat cloth that is part of the texture of Balinese life. Barefooted, she stepped on the right foot pedal and then on the left, firing a shuttle of thread along a wooden track to the other side of the loom. Within minutes she had finished dozens of rows and she motioned that it was my turn. Click, swoosh. My confidence plummeted as the shuttle went flying like a missile out of control. This was going to be harder than I thought. My teachers Rupiana and Susanti helped me weave a colorful piece of ikat, just enough to make my own sarong. They didn't speak much English, but somehow we connected beyond the basics of weaving. I discovered that textiles are an important part of Balinese culture, with different patterns and styles of cloth being used for various life celebrations, including birth, marriage, death and other rites of passage.

Beyond learning weaving techniques and traditions, I also absorbed a larger view of Balinese culture at Agung Rai. I watched beautiful little girls performing delicate traditional dance movements, the picture of feminity as they imitated their teacher's footwork, and hand and finger movements. A dozen small boys sat cross-legged on the floor, pounding wooden mallets on a large bronze xylophone. And in some of the garden pavilions, craftsmen taught woodcarving, puppet making and painting, as graceful young Balinese women made their rounds, placing floral offerings around the museum grounds. After three days, I finished weaving my multi-colored sarong and left with a new appreciation for the art of weaving and the serenity of Balinese culture.

The Love Quotient: The romance meter registers high at both Four Seasons Bali resorts. Villas with outdoor showers, private plunge pools, dreamy curtained beds, open-air living areas and great dining by room service are among the reasons many couples never leave the villas during their stay.

Back to School: Don't limit your interest in art and local culture to what you discover on the streets of Ubud, the cultural center of Bali. The Agung Rai Museum of Art offers workshops in weaving, puppet making, wood carving, Balinese healing, Hinduism, painting and mask making.

Bring Bali Home: Purchase two inexpensive batik or ikat sarongs in the open-air market and have a tailor in Ubud stitch them into a kimono-style robe for only $4. Another item for your shopping list: ata basketry--baskets, trays, boxes, purses, coasters and placemats--made from vines harvested from Mt. Agung, Bali's highest mountain.

Elephant Walk: Take a guided rainforest trek riding on the back of a giant padyderm and help support the endangered Indonesian elephants, of which there are fewer than 1000 surviving in the wilds of Sumatra. The $39 fee goes to support breeding, education and relocation efforts.

Good Karma: Plan a trip to Bali during a full moon, the best time for the karma-purification ceremony. The sunset ceremony includes a cleansing of hands, feet, face and mouth, body immersion in the ocean, prayer and meditation lead by a priest, offerings of flowers, fruit and incense to purify the mind and body, and a white string tied around your wrist to symbolize a quest for balance, harmony and understanding.

It Takes a Village: Make a point of visiting the craft villages of Bali, where it seems as if the entire population is focused on creating a specific art. You'll find stone carvings in Batubalan, silver jewelry in Celuk , bamboo furniture in Bona, beautiful textiles in Tenganan and Sideman, masks in Singapadu and puppets in Sukawati.

Let's Get Cooking: Learn to prepare traditional Balinese dishes at both Four Seasons resorts and the Serai Hotel in East Bali. The chefs take guests on early morning shopping outings to fishing villages and outdoor markets for ingredients. Classes are followed by an informal lunch with the chef. Heinz von Holzen teaches cooking at his Bumbu Bali restaurant in Nusa Dua. And in Ubud, you can get hands-on instruction in Balinese cookery at Casa Luna Restaurant three days a week.

Saying I Do: If you're thinking of tying the knot in Bali, avoid Jerry Hall's mistake and make sure it's legal. Bali Weddings International handles weddings and vow renewals for foreigners.

Stealing Beauty: Try out the local secret of the lular treatment, a skin-smoothing ritual that Indonesian brides traditionally followed for 40 days before the wedding. After a coconut oil massage and body exfoliation scrub of turmeric, rice powder, ginger and sandalwood, your body will be coated with yogurt. Men enjoy this pampering as well, which is followed by a shower and long hot soak in a tub, and a jamu herbal drink for detoxification.