When to come: seasons and holy days.

Bali lies about eight degrees south of the equator, and its year turns less on temperature than on rain. Broadly, the dry months run from about April to October and the rains from about November to March, at their heaviest from December to February — though each year the seasons turn a few weeks earlier or later.

The dry months, and the rains.

The dry months bring the longest runs of clear days. In the wet months, a house whose living pavilions have no fourth wall turns a downpour into something to watch from under the roof.

Galungan and Kuningan.

Galungan comes round every 210 days, by the Balinese pawukon calendar. It celebrates the victory of dharma over adharma and marks the time when the ancestral spirits are said to visit; ten days later, Kuningan sees them home. At Galungan, penjor — tall bamboo poles hung with offerings — line the roads.

Nyepi, the Day of Silence.

Once a year, for the Saka new year, the island stops. From 6 AM until 6 AM the next morning there is no travel, no work and no light; Ngurah Rai Airport is closed for the day, and visitors keep the same silence as everyone else — no one goes out onto the streets or the beaches.

The evening before, the villages parade ogoh-ogoh — painted figures of demons built from bamboo, papier-mâché and cloth — and the night is made deliberately loud, to drive the demons out before the quiet begins.

At Ocean Palm the day is spent within the walls — the pool, the garden and the pavilions, kept quiet and lit low. Speak to your concierge before the day about meals and anything else you will want once the island goes still.

Dates follow the national holiday decree for 2027 and the Balinese calendar; your concierge can confirm the village ceremonies nearer the time.