Spend an exotic holiday in Asia


Bali Villa Rental Tips & Tricks

If like me, you have been bitten by thecase all you have to pay for are the
'Holiday Villa Bug', you will alreadycost of the ingredients which are
know that no hotel can match the privacypurchased for you, typically at the
and luxury of a good Villa Holiday. Thelocal market/supermarket prices, with no
great news is that today there are evenmark-up. So, financials of eating at
more villa rental options out there thanyour own villa becomes just like eating
ever before. Not to mention the factat home, but without lifting a finger,
that if you know how to choose the rightand at substantially lower Bali prices.
holiday rental villa you will be savingSome villas claim to offer a Chef
a lot of money in comparison to the sameservice, but charge restaurant/hotel
level of service in a comparable qualityprices for each dish that the chef
hotel.prepares for you. I prefer to avoid
It seems that no where in the world hasthese, as I can always pop out to a
seen as big an explosion of luxury fullyrestaurant if I so wished anyway.
serviced holiday villas, as the islandSo, check to make sure that the Chef is
of Bali in Indonesia.part of your villa team, and that you
OK, I happen to be blessed with a greatwill not be charged incrementally for
line of work, as a Travel Writer, andfood on a per item basis.
have been lucky enough to stay in someYour Villa Manager
of the best tropical resorts around theA professional Villa Manager makes a
world, especially in Asia. But stillhuge difference to your enjoyment of
for me, nothing compares to the peace,your holiday. Even if you have been to
luxury and delights (not to mention theBali many times before, a good Villa
cost effectiveness) of staying in a goodManager can be a much valued life-line,
serviced villa in Bali.a great source of shopping tips, and a
So, what makes a 'good holiday villa'?problem solver. A good villa manager
Like everyone else, I have learned howcan provide a wealth of directions
to choose the perfect villa throughadvice, from where to eat, to which
luck, some mistakes and sheerriver to choose for your white-water
experience.rafting adventure in which season, or
Here are my top tips for choosing thewhere the cheapest golf courses are, to
right villa in Bali for your next Baliwhich temples to visit to see which
holiday.local ceremonies.
Location-Location-LocationNeedless to say, they should also be
This sounds obvious, but it is notmanaging the villa team, and making sure
always easy to make the right locationthat the quality of service and
decision when we are sat at home, farcleanliness are never compromised.
away from our holiday destination.Before I book a villa in Bali, I always
Like every other world-class holidaycheck to see what the Villa Manager
destination, Bali offers a range ofarrangement is like, and that there is a
options, from 'central' locations, tofull time Villa Manager on site at the
those which offer 'absolutevilla I am planning to rent. Typically,
tranquility'.for good villas, you can expect to have
I personally like a balance between theyour own dedicated Villa Manager, or
two. On a Bali villa holiday, the lasthave a Villa Manager who is working at
thing one needs is to be sooo central2-3 adjacent villas. However, if a
that you feel like you are an extensionVilla Manager is expected to look after
of a night club's base unit till wee5-6+ villas, then you are most likely
hours of the morning. On the othernot going to see him for more than a few
hand, I really don't want to be moreminutes a day, only during his courtesy
than 15-20 minutes away from where thevisits (at best), so you loose out on
restaurants, shops and the action is. Ithe real benefits of having the
like my villa to be certainly quiet,inside-track.
preferably amongst rice fields, but atVilla Quality & Upkeep
the same time accessible (within 30Be very, very weary of any rental villas
minutes of the airport, and a fewwhich can not provide you with more than
minutes from the action).at least 20 recent photos of the
The great thing is that Bali caters forproperty. These photos should show you
all of these tastes.not only the outside of the buildings,
Those seeking a central location, with abut also the living/dining areas, as
lively night life may want to look intowell as insides of bedrooms.
Legian and Seminyak, (I exclude KutaIf you are not provided with a
area from this list, as there are hardlysufficient number of photos giving you a
any proper rental villas left in thisclear idea of the property, then it is
bustling tourist centre).quite likely that there is something
Those who don't mind a bit of a trek,substantially wrong with the property,
and don't want to go out and about muchsuch as a building overlooking it, an
during their holiday, may opt for areasabattoir next door, or at the least
such as Uluwatu or Canggu and beyond.peeling paintwork or missing fixtures
For me the perfect choice is Kerobokanfurniture.
and Umalas areas. Quiet ruralRemember, not all villas are created
environment, surrounded by rice terracesequal. But additionally, not all villas
and real villagers going about theirare kept and maintained equally well.
real daily routines (instead of tryingIt is your right to request and see
to push you a handicraft (Kuta) or pullthese photos of the property.
you into a restaurant you reallyMod-Cons
couldn't care for (Seminyak)).OK, you are planning to stay on a tiny
Quality and Availability of Serviceisland, in the middle of the tropics.
Now this is an area where villas differWhat mod-cons should you expect? From
from each other immensely. In Bali mostown experience, I would suggest that
villas proclaim to be 'fully serviced'.even in the middle of the tropics, good
However, how 'fully' and how 'serviced'Bali villas should be able to provide at
range from the most basic to beingleast the following mod-cons:
totally pampered.Air-conditioning in all bedrooms
A good villa should provide a guest toClean, Western style kitchen -fully
total staff ratio of nearly 1 to 1, orequipped with a fridge, microwave,
at least 1.5 to 1. So, if you are aelectric kettle, and a coffee maker, as
group of 8 you should be looking at, atwell as sufficient crockery and cutlery
least, 5-6 full time staff, or for aSafe deposit box - at least one for your
group of 4 at least 3-4 full time staff.private villa use, and preferably one in
Sounds ostentatiously high? It reallyeach bedroom
isn't once you consider the effort itTV/Satellite/DVD Player - as there will
takes to keep a holiday villa, itsalways be someone who wants to catch the
gardens, and the pool in a tip-topnews, or children who will need
shape.entertaining
Of course, quantity is never the onlyTelephone - whilst many of us live
answer. The staff needs to be full-timeattached to our mobile/cellular phones,
and fully-trained at a professionalit is important that there is a
level. There are too many villas outpermanent phone connection at the villa,
there, which are run by 'part-time'in case of emergencies
managers and staff who actually haveEn-suite bathrooms - if you are looking
other full time jobs elsewhere!at going as a family or a group of
Your Own Cheffriends, you really don't want to spend
One of the great pleasures of travelingyour holiday in Bali queuing for the
to a foreign destination is tonext available slot at shared
experiment with and experience the localfacilities!
cuisine. And what better place toEnjoying a fully staffed and serviced
experience this, than in the comfort ofvilla with your own Chef may seem like
your own villa!an un-attainable dream in most other
So, make sure that your villa comes withparts of the world. However, renting a
its own Chef. Once you have tasted theVilla in Bali is by far one of the most
delights of enjoying home cooking incost effective ways of enjoying this
your own villa, you will probably notbeautiful island and the company of its
want to venture out to restaurants athospitable people.
all. The best thing is, having your ownNow armed with this check-list you are
private villa Chef in Bali, isready to plan you next dream holiday in
substantially cheaper than eating out.a Villa in Bali. Like me, you will
However, make sure to check how the Chefprobably never want to leave, and go
arrangement works.back to reality!
Ideally, the Chef cost should beMany happy returns...
included in your rental rate. In this



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