Spend an exotic holiday in Asia


Bali Villa Rental Tips & Tricks

If like me, you have been bitten by theto pay for are the cost of the ingredients
'Holiday Villa Bug', you will already knowwhich are purchased for you, typically at the
that no hotel can match the privacy andlocal market/supermarket prices, with no
luxury of a good Villa Holiday. The greatmark-up. So, financials of eating at your
news is that today there are even more villaown villa becomes just like eating at home,
rental options out there than ever before.but without lifting a finger, and at
Not to mention the fact that if you know howsubstantially  lower  Bali  prices.
to choose the right holiday rental villa you
will be saving a lot of money in comparisonSome villas claim to offer a Chef service,
to the same level of service in a comparablebut charge restaurant/hotel prices for each
quality  hotel.dish that the chef prepares for you. I
prefer to avoid these, as I can always pop
It seems that no where in the world has seenout  to  a  restaurant if I so wished anyway.
as big an explosion of luxury fully serviced
holiday villas, as the island of Bali inSo, check to make sure that the Chef is part
Indonesia.of your villa team, and that you will not be
charged incrementally for food on a per item
OK, I happen to be blessed with a great linebasis.
of work, as a Travel Writer, and have been
lucky enough to stay in some of the bestYour  Villa  Manager
tropical resorts around the world, especially
in Asia. But still for me, nothing comparesA professional Villa Manager makes a huge
to the peace, luxury and delights (not todifference to your enjoyment of your holiday.
mention the cost effectiveness) of staying inEven if you have been to Bali many times
a  good  serviced  villa  in  Bali.before, a good Villa Manager can be a much
valued life-line, a great source of shopping
So,  what  makes  a  'good  holiday  villa'?tips, and a problem solver. A good villa
manager can provide a wealth of directions
Like everyone else, I have learned how toadvice, from where to eat, to which river to
choose the perfect villa through luck, somechoose for your white-water rafting adventure
mistakes  and  sheer  experience.in which season, or where the cheapest golf
courses are, to which temples to visit to see
Here are my top tips for choosing the rightwhich  local  ceremonies.
villa  in  Bali  for  your next Bali holiday.
Needless to say, they should also be managing
Location-Location-Locationthe villa team, and making sure that the
quality of service and cleanliness are never
This sounds obvious, but it is not alwayscompromised.
easy to make the right location decision when
we are sat at home, far away from our holidayBefore I book a villa in Bali, I always check
destination.to see what the Villa Manager arrangement is
like, and that there is a full time Villa
Like every other world-class holidayManager on site at the villa I am planning to
destination, Bali offers a range of options,rent. Typically, for good villas, you can
from 'central' locations, to those whichexpect to have your own dedicated Villa
offer  'absolute  tranquility'.Manager, or have a Villa Manager who is
working at 2-3 adjacent villas. However, if
I personally like a balance between the two.a Villa Manager is expected to look after
On a Bali villa holiday, the last thing one5-6+ villas, then you are most likely not
needs is to be sooo central that you feelgoing to see him for more than a few minutes
like you are an extension of a night club'sa day, only during his courtesy visits (at
base unit till wee hours of the morning. Onbest), so you loose out on the real benefits
the other hand, I really don't want to beof  having  the  inside-track.
more than 15-20 minutes away from where the
restaurants, shops and the action is. I likeVilla  Quality  &  Upkeep
my villa to be certainly quiet, preferably
amongst rice fields, but at the same timeBe very, very weary of any rental villas
accessible (within 30 minutes of the airport,which can not provide you with more than at
and  a  few  minutes  from  the  action).least 20 recent photos of the property.
These photos should show you not only the
The great thing is that Bali caters for alloutside of the buildings, but also the living
of  these  tastes.dining areas, as well as insides of bedrooms.
Those seeking a central location, with aIf you are not provided with a sufficient
lively night life may want to look intonumber of photos giving you a clear idea of
Legian and Seminyak, (I exclude Kuta areathe property, then it is quite likely that
from this list, as there are hardly anythere is something substantially wrong with
proper rental villas left in this bustlingthe property, such as a building overlooking
tourist  centre).it, an abattoir next door, or at the least
peeling paintwork or missing fixtures
Those who don't mind a bit of a trek, andfurniture.
don't want to go out and about much during
their holiday, may opt for areas such asRemember, not all villas are created equal.
Uluwatu  or  Canggu  and  beyond.But additionally, not all villas are kept and
maintained equally well. It is your right to
For me the perfect choice is Kerobokan andrequest and see these photos of the property.
Umalas areas. Quiet rural environment,
surrounded by rice terraces and realMod-Cons
villagers going about their real daily
routines (instead of trying to push you aOK, you are planning to stay on a tiny
handicraft (Kuta) or pull you into aisland, in the middle of the tropics. What
restaurant you really couldn't care formod-cons should you expect? From own
(Seminyak)).experience, I would suggest that even in the
middle of the tropics, good Bali villas
Quality and Availability of Service Nowshould be able to provide at least the
this is an area where villas differ from eachfollowing  mod-cons:
other immensely. In Bali most villas
proclaim to be 'fully serviced'. However,Air-conditioning  in  all  bedrooms
how 'fully' and how 'serviced' range from the
most  basic  to  being  totally  pampered.Clean, Western style kitchen -fully equipped
with a fridge, microwave, electric kettle,
A good villa should provide a guest to totaland a coffee maker, as well as sufficient
staff ratio of nearly 1 to 1, or at least 1.5crockery  and  cutlery
to 1. So, if you are a group of 8 you should
be looking at, at least, 5-6 full time staff,Safe deposit box - at least one for your
or for a group of 4 at least 3-4 full timeprivate villa use, and preferably one in each
staff. Sounds ostentatiously high? Itbedroom
really isn't once you consider the effort it
takes to keep a holiday villa, its gardens,TV/Satellite/DVD Player - as there will
and  the  pool  in  a  tip-top  shape.always be someone who wants to catch the
news,  or children who will need entertaining
Of course, quantity is never the only answer.
The staff needs to be full-time andTelephone - whilst many of us live attached
fully-trained at a professional level. Thereto our mobile/cellular phones, it is
are too many villas out there, which are runimportant that there is a permanent phone
by 'part-time' managers and staff whoconnection at the villa, in case of
actually have other full time jobs elsewhere!emergencies
Your  Own  ChefEn-suite bathrooms - if you are looking at
going as a family or a group of friends, you
One of the great pleasures of traveling to areally don't want to spend your holiday in
foreign destination is to experiment with andBali queuing for the next available slot at
experience the local cuisine. And whatshared  facilities!
better place to experience this, than in the
comfort  of  your  own  villa!Enjoying a fully staffed and serviced villa
with your own Chef may seem like an
So, make sure that your villa comes with itsun-attainable dream in most other parts of
own Chef. Once you have tasted the delightsthe world. However, renting a Villa in Bali
of enjoying home cooking in your own villa,is by far one of the most cost effective ways
you will probably not want to venture out toof enjoying this beautiful island and the
restaurants at all. The best thing is,company  of  its  hospitable  people.
having your own private villa Chef in Bali,
is  substantially  cheaper  than  eating out.Now armed with this check-list you are ready
to plan you next dream holiday in a Villa in
However, make sure to check how the ChefBali. Like me, you will probably never
arrangement  works.want  to  leave,  and  go  back  to  reality!
Ideally, the Chef cost should be included inMany happy returns...
your rental rate. In this case all you have



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