HAVE you ever considered travelling half way around the world for a week-long break?

Bolton Evening News Sports Editor Peter Mensforth did just that when he spent a sun-soaked week on the beautiful island of Bali

IF you needed any evidence that the world is a shrinking place then flight GA 971 out of Gatwick was a prime example. Flying at 34,000 feet over the Caspian Sea the conversation from the passengers in the row in front summed it up.

"I wonder how Wanderers have gone on?" asked one.

Considering I spend most of my working life following the fortunes of the Whites, my attention was instantly alerted but considering we were flying from a southern airport to a destination not usually top of the list for Bolton holidaymakers, I assumed we were talking Wolverhampton rather than the Reebok variety.

However, that was put right once the conversation turned to Youri Djorkaeff, the win over Manchester United and Sam Allardyce. Small world isn't it?

The couple, Tom and Susan, were from Bolton but managed to break free from their admiration of the Wanderers to talk of their other great love - Bali.

An island not much bigger than Wales and a 17 hour flight away is probably thought of as perhaps just too far, or too expensive. But it is not.

"This is the sixth time we've been to Bali and it gets better every time," was Susan's verdict, "and it's not that much more expensive than going on a package holiday to a good hotel in Spain or Greece."

That can be borne out by flicking through holiday brochures with a two week holiday costing from around £800 per person and take my word for it - it is worth every penny.

So what does that marathon trip and your money get you? It offers you places and scenes that have changed little over the years; allows you to pamper yourself in top hotels fronting magnificent beaches and gives you a peek into a way of life that makes Bali one of the world's most welcoming of hosts.

The cynical tourists may think that the Balinese have acquired their own version of the American 'Have a nice day' syndrome as all the greetings are warm and welcoming, but you quickly realise that the smiles are totally genuine.

There's no threat or hint of danger from a people that know only too well that tourism is their lifeblood and all seem to go out of their way to ensure that you will leave with just one aim - to return as soon as possible.

Most visitors head for the beaches that ring the island with a string of four and five star top quality hotels ready to pamper you during your stay.

I was based at the five star Sheraton Nusa Indah Resort hotel that shares its beach frontage with its sister hotel, the Sheraton Laguna, - featured in many British holiday brochures.

The hotel offers a wide range of recreational facilities with a spa and health club - you can even enjoy a massage on the beach - water sports, floodlit tennis courts and an 18 hole championship golf course.

It is situated on Nusa Dua Beach, around 25 minutes drive from the airport at Denpasar, a resort area in the south of the islands featuring manicured lawns and lovingly tendered tropical gardens surrounding a number of top hotels.

Yet with local laws restricting their height to that of the tallest palm tree you get that sense of privacy. Even so, you don't make the trip to Bali to spend a fortnight on the beach. Head inland and your senses are alerted by a riot of colour. Despite its virtually constant temperature range between 25 and 30c, Bali is lush and green. Tropical rain forests in the north and in particular around the country's highest mountain, the 3142m high extinct volcano of Mount Agung, allow water to percolate down to the coast, irrigating the rice terraces and orchards. Bali is beautiful but it is also wild. Try white water rafting on the 11 kilometre descent of the Ayung River which rushes though tropical rain forests, past breathtaking waterfalls and spectacular jungle scenery. From personal experience I can testify it is exciting, exhilarating and drenched with fun. Then there are watersports most of which are available from your hotel.

The cuisine is truly international and it is possible to sample dishes from different countries every day of the week, from western style fast food outlets to Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Indian cooking. It all adds to a fusion of sounds, tastes and experiences that make Bali a dream destination. It may be on the other side of the globe but it really is a world away from your typical package holiday. It is a heady mixture of experiences that will stay with you forever.

And just to emphasise that it is now becoming affordable to so many more tourists, Garuda Indonesia, the only airline to fly direct to Bali from Britain, is introducing an extra flight this month. Don't let the length of that flight put you off. One sight of the palm-fringed beaches washed by waves of delicate turquoise will instantly erase it from your memory for ever.

Useful websites:

Sheraton Hotels HERE

Garuda Indonesia airlines HERE

Bali Hai Cruises HERE

More information about Bali HERE

Indonesia tourism HERE

Budget accommodation HERE

Interactive Bali HERE

Links to more websites HERE

IN Bali you can sample a desert island life style with some added comforts thrown in

If you want to spend your honeymoon or simply want to chill out when the tourists have gone, then on the sparsely populated Lembongan Island, a one hour's cruise from the mainland, you can stay in thatched roofed beach huts. Looking directly out onto a white sand beach, the huts are based on a traditional rice house but these also have king-size or twin beds, air conditioning and large patio doors opening out onto a verandah on the beach edge.

Guests can also experience the facitities of the Bali Hai Cruises Beach Club, which include a swimming pool, ocean kayaks and surf skis, snorkelling equipment, banana boat and glass bottom boat trips plus a bar and restaurant.

Off shore they can visit Bali Hai's pontoon which has a waterslide and for an extra charge, where you can go scuba diving, deep-sea fishing or parasailing.