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