Bali named greatest destination on Earth by TripAdvisor

  • HIGHLIGHTS OF BALI. Truly gob smacking scenery: Get out of the main tourist areas, and see Bali's world heritage listed rice terraces, watch a farmer herding his flock of ducks, see a woman perched side saddle on a motorbike on her way to the temple. Take a walk and meet the locals. Photo: Shutterstock
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  • Truly gob smacking scenery: Get out of the main tourist areas, and see Bali's world heritage listed rice terraces, watch a farmer herding his flock of ducks, see a woman perched side saddle on a motorbike on her way to the temple. Take a walk and meet the locals. Photo: Shuttterstock
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  • Truly gob smacking scenery: Get out of the main tourist areas, and see Bali's world heritage listed rice terraces, watch a farmer herding his flock of ducks, see a woman perched side saddle on a motorbike on her way to the temple. Take a walk and meet the locals. Photo: Shutterstock
    of
  • Truly gob smacking scenery: Get out of the main tourist areas, and see Bali's world heritage listed rice terraces, watch a farmer herding his flock of ducks, see a woman perched side saddle on a motorbike on her way to the temple. Take a walk and meet the locals. Photo: AFR
    of
  • Truly gob smacking scenery: Get out of the main tourist areas, and see Bali's world heritage listed rice terraces, watch a farmer herding his flock of ducks, see a woman perched side saddle on a motorbike on her way to the temple. Take a walk and meet the locals. 
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  • The drinks are incredible, and cheap: Bali sure knows how to make a fab cocktail. Some of the best can be found in bars, beach clubs and restaurants in Seminyak and Legian. Beer is also cheap. Photo: iStock
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  • The drinks are incredible, and cheap: Bali sure knows how to make a fab cocktail. Some of the best can be found in bars, beach clubs and restaurants in Seminyak and Legian. Beer is also cheap. Photo: Getty Images
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  • The drinks are incredible, and cheap: Bali sure knows how to make a fab cocktail. Some of the best can be found in bars, beach clubs and restaurants in Seminyak and Legian. Beer is also cheap. Photo: Getty Images
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  • There are a lot of Ketuts: All Balinese share the same four names - Wayan, Made, Nyoman or Ketut - whether they're male or female, and are named by order of birth. If a family has a fifth child, they will start again and call him or her Wayan. Photo: iStock
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  • You will get sick of nasi goreng but you should try it: Balinese cuisine is not world-renowned, but it's tasty and inexpensive. You should at least try the babi guling (suckling pig), nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) and sate lembat. Double-Six Seminyak room service delivers a knockout nasi goreng. Bali's restaurant scene is world class, with some of the most incredible food you'll find anywhere in the world. Photo: iStock
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  • You can't drink the water: Drink bottled water only, and brush your teeth in it too. Bottled water is cheap and many hotels and resorts provide complimentary water. It's advisable not to have ice in your drinks either, unless it's a reputable hotel, restaurant or bar. Better be safe than suffer Bali belly, which unfortunately does happen - particularly to first timers. Photo: iStock
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  • The shopping's amazing, but not the bargain it once was: The markets are fun for first timers, and haggling is expected. However shopping in Bali is now incredibly sophisticated, particularly in Seminyak, Legian, Canggu and Ubud. Amazing boutiques, high-end home ware stores, silver jewellery and antiques can al be found. Many of the items cost what they do back home, so hunt around for sales.  Photo: iStock
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  • The shopping's amazing, but not the bargain it once was: The markets are fun for first timers, and haggling is expected. However shopping in Bali is now incredibly sophisticated, particularly in Seminyak, Legian, Canggu and Ubud. Amazing boutiques, high-end home ware stores, silver jewellery and antiques can al be found. Many of the items cost what they do back home, so hunt around for sales.  Photo: Shutterstock
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  • You'll be there before you know it: There's a reason Bali is so popular with Australians; it's cheap and only takes five-six hours to get there. Except in peak season (July-August and Australian school holidays) when airfares and accommodation prices soar.  Photo: iStock
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  • You don't need to wear a helmet, but you'd be mad not to: Lots of tourists hire motorbikes and drive around without helmets, in shorts and thongs - throwing caution to the wind. Don't do it. Falling off hurts even more when you don't wear protective gear. There's no public transport to speak of but Bluebird taxis are metered, super cheap and clean. Photo: Getty Images
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  • Bali's beaches are nothing on ours: It shouldn't really come as a surprise given Australia has some of the best beaches on the planet, but the first time you take a dip can be disappointing. The water at many popular beaches is generally not clear, and you mightn't see anything of note while snorkelling. There are exceptions.  Photo: Alamy
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  • Bali's beaches are nothing on ours: It shouldn't really come as a surprise given Australia has some of the best beaches on the planet, but the first time you take a dip can be disappointing. The water at many popular beaches is generally not clear, and you mightn't see anything of note while snorkelling. There are exceptions.  Photo: Shutterstock
    of
  • Bali's beaches are nothing on ours: It shouldn't really come as a surprise given Australia has some of the best beaches on the planet, but the first time you take a dip can be disappointing. The water at many popular beaches is generally not clear, and you mightn't see anything of note while snorkelling. There are exceptions.  Photo: Louise Kennerley
    of
  • Bali's beaches are nothing on ours: It shouldn't really come as a surprise given Australia has some of the best beaches on the planet, but the first time you take a dip can be disappointing. The water at many popular beaches is generally not clear, and you mightn't see anything of note while snorkelling. There are exceptions.  Photo: iStock
    of
  • Bali's beaches are nothing on ours: It shouldn't really come as a surprise given Australia has some of the best beaches on the planet, but the first time you take a dip can be disappointing. The water at many popular beaches is generally not clear, and you mightn't see anything of note while snorkelling. There are exceptions.  Photo: Luis Enrique Ascui
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  • Kuta is really that bad, but it's not the real Bali: Kuta is seedy, tasteless and full of tourists who find that sort of thing appealing, but don't judge the whole of Bali on it. It'd be like visiting Surfers Paradise during schoolies, and writing off the whole of Australia.  Photo: Getty Images
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  • Kuta is really that bad, but it's not the real Bali: Kuta is seedy, tasteless and full of tourists who find that sort of thing appealing, but don't judge the whole of Bali on it. It'd be like visiting Surfers Paradise during schoolies, and writing off the whole of Australia.  Photo: Nic Walker
    of
  • Kuta is really that bad, but it's not the real Bali: Kuta is seedy, tasteless and full of tourists who find that sort of thing appealing, but don't judge the whole of Bali on it. It'd be like visiting Surfers Paradise during schoolies, and writing off the whole of Australia.  Photo: Getty Images
    of
  • Kuta is really that bad, but it's not the real Bali: Kuta is seedy, tasteless and full of tourists who find that sort of thing appealing, but don't judge the whole of Bali on it. It'd be like visiting Surfers Paradise during schoolies, and writing off the whole of Australia.  Photo: Getty Images
    of
  • Kuta is really that bad, but it's not the real Bali: Kuta is seedy, tasteless and full of tourists who find that sort of thing appealing, but don't judge the whole of Bali on it. It'd be like visiting Surfers Paradise during schoolies, and writing off the whole of Australia.  Photo: Getty Images
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  • Culture is everywhere you look: The true Bali, with its rituals, festivals and ancient culture, is everywhere you look. The Balinese carry out their religious obligations with pride and everyone takes part from the youngest child, through to grandparents, all dressed immaculately for the temple. Photo: Getty Images
    of
  • Culture is everywhere you look: The true Bali, with its rituals, festivals and ancient culture, is everywhere you look. The Balinese carry out their religious obligations with pride and everyone takes part from the youngest child, through to grandparents, all dressed immaculately for the temple. Photo: Getty Images
    of
  • Culture is everywhere you look: The true Bali, with its rituals, festivals and ancient culture, is everywhere you look. The Balinese carry out their religious obligations with pride and everyone takes part from the youngest child, through to grandparents, all dressed immaculately for the temple. Photo: iStock
    of
  • Culture is everywhere you look: The true Bali, with its rituals, festivals and ancient culture, is everywhere you look. The Balinese carry out their religious obligations with pride and everyone takes part from the youngest child, through to grandparents, all dressed immaculately for the temple. Photo: Shutterstock
    of
  • Culture is everywhere you look: The true Bali, with its rituals, festivals and ancient culture, is everywhere you look. The Balinese carry out their religious obligations with pride and everyone takes part from the youngest child, through to grandparents, all dressed immaculately for the temple. Pictured, a Balinese man kicks up the fire during the "Mesabatan Api" ritual ahead of Nyepi Day in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Getty Images
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With its white and black sand beaches, emerald rice terraces and some of the world's best spa hotels, Bali has been crowned the world's favourite destination.

Travellers who use the TripAdvisor website have praised an island that for many embodies exoticism, dripping in lush vegetation and soaked with a spirituality that is as easy to stumble upon as the delicate offerings of petals placed on its pavements each morning.

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Shrines featuring grimacing demon queens sit in the shadow of the island's mystical volcanoes, while golden beaches in the south are pounded by surf that attracts Australian tourists.

It was the first time that Trip Advisor had taken islands into account when compiling its Traveller's Choice ratings.

See also: 20 things that will surprise first-time visitors to Bali

Price may have a lot to do with Bali's popularity also, with Britons able to benefit from a high standard of food and accommodation for their money. The average nightly rate of all Bali's hotels bookable on TripAdvisor was $A108.​​

London was the second most popular destination with TripAdvisor users. The favourites were determined by an algorithm that judges the quality and quantity of users' reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions in the past 12 months. It also considers traveller booking interest.

Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor for Business and Chairman of London & Partners, welcomed the result. "London has the best selection of food, theatre, cultural events, museums and galleries anywhere in the world and we are welcoming more visitors than ever to enjoy the diversity of our great city," he said.

"With new blockbuster exhibitions and shows opening, plus Harry Potter's 20th anniversary and the 'IAAF World Championships London 2017 and World Para Athletics Championships' in the capital this year, we hope to further cement the city's global status as one of the best places that there is to visit," he added.

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See also: Bali: The top 20 things to do beyond Kuta

European cities fared well in the list of destinations most popular with travellers, with six making the top ten. After London came Paris, which is reassuring for the city's tourism sector following the spate of terrorist attacks in 2015, then Rome. Crete was sixth in the list of favourites, followed by Barcelona and Prague, which ranked ninth.

In terms of UK destinations, Cumbria had much to celebrate, with Windermere and Keswick both in the top ten UK spots. Edinburgh came second after London, with the north of England managing to have more destinations in the UK top ten than the south.

Edinburgh, Windermere, Liverpool, Keswick, York and Glasgow take second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place respectively. While to the south of the UK and Channel Isles, London, Jersey, Isle of Wight and Bath come in first, third, ninth and tenth respectively.​

See also: Bali: The top 20 things to do beyond Kuta

Top 10 destinations around the world

1. Bali, Indonesia

2. London, United Kingdom

3. Paris, France

4. Rome, Italy

5. New York City, US

6. Crete, Greece

7. Barcelona, Spain

8. Siem Reap, Cambodia

9. Prague, Czech Republic

10. Phuket, Thailand

Which destination do you think is best? Leave a comment or vote in our poll below.

Top 10 destinations in Australia

1.      Sydney, New South Wales 

2.      Melbourne, Victoria

3.      Lord Howe Island, Lord Howe Island

4.      Gold Coast , Queensland 

5.      Magnetic Island, Queensland

6.      Noosa, Queensland

7.      Margaret River, Western Australia

8.      Port Douglas, Queensland

9.      Exmouth, Western Australia

10.   Airlie Beach, Queensland

The Telegraph, London

See also: Best countries to visit in 2017

See also: Ten countries you (probably) haven't visited - but should

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