Heston Blumenthal's Bali: My Kind of Town The smell of tuberose flowers. When I last arrived at my hotel someone hung a necklace on me made from it. Doing what I do, I couldn't help but put some in my mouth - the bloke who'd given it to me looked shocked! It was so perfumed and there was no bitterness. I'm absolutely going to try to put it into a dish. What's the first thing you do when you return? Go to the gym or run on the beach, then chill out. At one resort, the Alila Villas Soori (0062 361 894 6388; alilahotels.com/soori) on the south-west coast, the beach has black sand that sparkles in the sun like shimmering diamonds. I do yoga or meditation, and go to the spa. I had the most relaxing treatment in Bali where a therapist held a lantern over me that dripped hot oil on my forehead. I completely zoned out. The Uluwatu coast Where's the best place to stay? Alila Villas Uluwatu (361 848 2166; alilahotels.com/uluwatu), perched on a cliff overlooking the sea on the island's Bukit Peninsula on the south coast, is so serene. I meditated there as the waves crashed below - it was cathartic. And Alila Villas Soori, We had a butler there called Justian, who was incredible. I told him he should start a school for butler service. I'd also recommend COMO Shambhala (361 978888; comoshambhala.com), a wellness retreat in Ubud where I did a four-day detox, because it's beautiful. What is your favourite place for lunch? Soori. I had the most memorable meal there. The chef took a whole chicken, marinated it and wrapped it in a banana leaf, and made a salt crust pastry with black volcanic sand. We ate right on the beach and I'll remember it forever. And for dinner? Rondji (361 975 502; rondjirestaurantubud.com) in Ubud, serving French and Indonesian food, has a good reputation, and so does Mozaic (361 975 768; mozaic-bali.com), which has tasting menus and a lovely palm-fringed alfresco dining room. The clifftop restaurant at Uluwatu, where we tried the Balinese suckling pig, is also fabulous. Where would you meet friends for a drink? I'd go to a wine bar called Sip (361 730 810; sip-bali.com), which has a decent cellar selection, or Ku De Ta (361 736 969; kudeta.net) on the Seminyak beachfront is popular for sunset cocktails. Where would you send a first-time visitor? If you're near Uluwatu, visit Pura Luhur Uluwatu (uluwatu.org/uluwatu.shtml), a sea temple built in the 11th century to protect Bali from evil spirits. And do see the bats! At one end of the beach at Soori there is a cave from which, just before sunset, thousands of them fly out. Also go white water rafting in Ubud. Pura Luhur Uluwatu What advice would you give to them? When driving in Bali, everything on the map takes much longer to get to than you think because the roads are very slow - so if you figure somewhere will be 15 minutes away, you should really allow an hour-and-a-half. What should I bring home? Balinese furniture but the shipping costs could make it an expensive purchase. Or more easily, some Balinese coffee and a chilli sambal, or other condiment, which make great gifts. Anywhere that's not your kind of town? Bizarrely - for someone in my job - I don't like the heat so if I go somewhere too hot and humid I get very uncomfortable. I filmed in Delhi and when we arrived at 2am it was 38 degrees Celsius. The next day it was 48; I melted. I certainly wouldn't go back. Unless it was in winter. Heston Blumenthal's latest book, 'Historic Heston," is published by Bloomsbury (£125). He also curates the inaugural Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience in Courmayeur, Italy from February 2-5, 2014. For more information, see momentumski.com Bali: where to go in pictures Bali: ten years after the terror Bali: readers' tips and recommendations Indonesia's islands: travel guide