Local coffee.  [Photo provided to China Daily]

At night, I watched shooting stars uncork like bottles of champagne above the faint glow from Lombok to the east. But I enjoyed the champagne more.

The next day I took a trip to Ubud, the island's spiritual and artistic heart. Ubud sounds like the Balinese word for medicine and, like Nyepi, it is a tonic for the soul.

Must-see stops include Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple, with its 13 holy showers; the kopi luwak production base overlooking Tegalalang rice terrace; and a meal at Bebek Teba Sari restaurant on a floating pavilion.

Closer to the Conrad, the kecak dance at Uluwatu Temple is something else entirely - unless you've seen frenzied tribes dance on burning straw from an auditorium perched on a cliff's edge before.

If you have a few days to spare, take a two-hour boat ride to the neighboring Gili Islands for some authentic beach fun with backpackers.

"There's always this debate," Girard says.

"Too much tourism, is it going to destroy the culture? I don't think so. They preserve it too well."