Well that's the other reason Tom but I was keeping quiet about that

OK I gotta just pick up on a couple of points.

*"what is preferred, a UV filter to protect the lens, or a lens hood?"
*Personal choice -  I will present one scenario and you decide. 
You are photographing standing on some rocks and decide to move position. The camera (on it's neck strap of course) slips round your neck and is headed for an impact with a rock. We all think we will be more careful and it won't happen, but it does ! 
This impact is not going to be flat on the end of the lens, but a more likely spot of just on the front edge where there is no glass. 
With a filter the filter smashes and shards of glass go straight to where the actual lens glass is. The thickness and solid rim of the filter absorb very little energy on impact it will mostly pass down into the lens barrel and the camera body. 
With a lens hood on the same impact deforms the shape of the hood and it snaps off its bayonet fitting detaching from the lens. Lots of energy is absorbed in the hood and does not pass down into the barrel of the lens or camera body.  

*"the hood is really only good for light from directly above, because of the design of the petal hood I find it pretty useless for flare from the sides."

*Not so - a petal lens hood is the most efficient design there is. because the image you're capturing is not round but rectangular through a round lens. The petal hood allows the hood to be longer  while not causing vignetting in the corners.  If the hood were round it would have to be much shorter, if it were rectangular, which is as efficient as a petal hood, it would not be so convenient in use and practicality. 

*"a UV filter is a MUST"
*Why?

Most night photography I have done is in urban spaces where there are lots of stray lights around so I would use a lens hood for night photography in this case. I agree if you had one light source from behind the camera then you may be able to dispense with the hood for flare purposes but not for lens protection purposes. 

"I try and notice any flares and use my free hand to block the offending light source"
A rare skill indeed - there are some cases where I would use some other form of shade - hand, hat, card etc but these are in specialist fields of advanced photography and the original poster said they were a newcomer. 

*"on wide angle lens the hood can create problems"
*I'm same as Rich on this one. I have not encountered any problems and I use an ultra wide angle lens in landscape and architectural photography. 

As you said: Iloco -   Different strokes for different folks.
 

And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve.

Edward Lear
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html