We had booked into the Hard Rock Hotel, which has a prime position on the main Kuta beach. I would have preferred a quieter spot on the island, but our surfing-mad sons had insisted that we stay in Kuta. "This is the boys' holiday," my wife reminded me. "We do everything they want for the first week and then we can take off on a little jaunt ourselves." We had already decided that we would head off to the neighbouring island of Lombok for a few days. It was sure to be very different to Bali.

Within an hour of checking into our adjoining family rooms, the boys had sprinted off down to the beach. We ordered drinks and sat at the poolside overlooking the sea. Kuta beach has a carnival atmosphere and it is easy join in the holiday spirit. "Now we need beach clothes," my wife announced, "Let's go shopping!" If surfing was the boys' hobby, shopping was my wife's passion. I knew I would not be able to wriggle out of this excursion.

After chatting to the concierge, we set off for the Kuta Plaza shopping centre nearby. I had imagined that tourism to Bali would be a little slow at this time, but the streets were clogged with foreigners. Many of them were Australian, but we also heard a surprising number of American, Italians and French accents. Bali has become fashionable again.

Kuta has a number of shopping centres, but the real bargains are to be found in the small markets and street stalls. We ambled along, with my wife managing to bargain for a pair of earrings and a wooden ornament before we even reached the Plaza. It was there that she really got going.

She seemed to be spending a fortune - 100,000 Rupiahs for this, 50,000 Rupiahs for that - but at roughly 10,000 Rupiahs to one US dollar, she was picking up bargains. Soon she had bought us both a holiday wardrobe. To me, everything seemed too bright and more suited to youngsters, but she was not deterred. "Don't be a fuddy-duddy," she cajoled me. My son, Brad, endorsed my fears when I got dressed for dinner: "Jeez, dad, what a hot shirt!"

We had dinner in the hotel's Gamelan restaurants, where we tried some Indonesian specialities from the buffet. My favourite was Pesan be Pasih (grilled fish in banana leaf). It was the last time on the holiday we would dine together as a family. From the next day, Brad and Ben had their own routine; they would get up early to surf, sleep for the early part of the evening and head out at around 11pm for the bars and clubs. They were having a ball.

It gave us time to see other parts of the island. We did a daytrip to Ubud, which lies inland and is known as a centre for the arts, with many little shops and galleries. Set among lush rice paddies and stunning hills, there are also plenty of palaces and temples to see. Some of the island most exclusive hotels can be found here and in nearby Sayan.

One afternoon we hired a taxi outside the hotel and asked the driver to show us the Nusa Dua area, where many of the five-star resorts are. This area is on the southernmost tip of Bali and has some of the finest beaches. On the way back, we stopped off at Jimbaran Bay for a seafood dinner overlooking the ocean.

The trip I enjoyed most was our visit to Pura Besakih, which is known as the Mother Temple of Bali. It is located on the slopes of Gunung Agung volcano and the complex has 30 temples on seven terraces. The main structure consists of three parts, the north painted black for Vishnu, the centre white for Shiva, and the south red for Brahma. You aren't allowed into the inner courtyard, but there's enough to see to justify the steep 2km walk from the parking lot.

Soon it was time for our trip to Lombok. After arranging to meet up with the boys at the airport three days later, we took the short flight from Denpasar to Lombok. We stayed at the Alang-Alang Boutique Beach Resort, which is tucked away at the bottom of a cliff directly on the beach.

Most of our days were spent strolling along the coastline, lounging at the pool or resting in our lovely bungalow. Lombok is a great place to relax. The island is very different to Bali, less tropical with a more rugged terrain. It is dominated by the volcanic Rinjani Mountain, which last erupted in 1901, but it also has stretches of superb natural beach, fascinating local villages, ancient temples and palaces.

The small tourist industry means that it has retained most of its pristine beauty. We only did one excursion – a trip to the nearby Gili Islands. The three small islands, very popular among the yachting fraternity, are famous for their great beaches and coral reefs. The pace of life is unhurried, with the only means of transport the Cidomo, a local pony and cart.

As the last day of our holiday dawned and we prepared for our flight back to Bali, I hoped that our sons would be at the airport on time. They were – but one was missing a surfboard. "I gave it to one of the boys on the beach,” Ben announced. “Can I have a new one for Christmas?” I could only smile. It had been a great holiday all round.