Bali’s villas are ranked as some of the best holiday rental villas when compared to anywhere in the world. They have a unique style, an elegance, to stay in one it is just pure indulgence. Many villas have water as a central feature. From the moment that you step into the villa grounds you are greeted with a water feature to calm your very being soothing your spirit. Invariably you will pass over a stepped threshold, under an ornate wooden Balinese arch, you will most likely push gently through double teak doors that have become synonymous with Bali’s entrances and portals blended with a bygone era. As you enter the grounds you will sense a calmness, a serenity, water will gently flow all around you emanating from a statue or flowing over a Buddha carved on a wall. Water will surround your every step, white or cream stepping stones will lead you into the property fully. Lawns will be manicured, pools will blend within the terraces, views will be protected either from within or across to the shores of Bali. A villa can often be nestled amongst the Balinese rice fields, fields which give an abundance of green shades and hues. Once you have traversed the stepping stones, making your approach across the man made stream and over manicured lawns you will enter a perfectly styled living area, a well maintained open pavilion. Laid out in front of you will be the stylish seating area, neatly arranged and ready for a family to sink into, to relax. Contemporary artworks, sculptures, invariably from the artisan areas of Ubud, will adorn the walls and floors of this luxury villa. In this open pavilion, living space, you will have all of the luxury items that you expect to see in a luxury private villa, a villa that you will call home for the duration of your holiday. To accompany all of the gadgets your personal living space will undoubtedly have; flat screen TV’s, DVD players, satellite channels, WIFI to encompass your total area available to you, making keeping in touch, if you must, a pleasure to do so; you will have art works, sculptures, it will have sumptuous soft furnishings, books and magazines will be appropriately displayed, so as not to appear like a doctor’s waiting room, information will be prepared to inform you of the location, culture, facilities etc.. Often a welcome pack of grocery’s will have been shopped for, making your orientation of Bali during your first hours as relaxed and as pleasant as possible. Often these villas are built on one level, bedrooms will front to a private and lavish pool. The bedrooms are in all cases suitably stylishly with contemporary furnishings. In many cases four poster beds together with lavish duvets, brilliant white sheets, contrasting bed throws and plump sumptuous pillows will dress the bed waiting for you. Bathrooms are always all en-suite and in most cases they feature a tropically planted outdoor, albeit secluded area. Large rain showers will sit over cobbles that are exposed to the elements. Bathtubs carved out of granite again mixed with the tropical rain forest that surrounds them. Most likely you will experience all of the fragrances, shampoos, body creams that you could expect to have from a high calibre establishment. Once established in your luxury villa, you will find Bali’s climate to be conducive to holidaying, to be relaxing. This lush tropical climate enjoys both the burning sun as well as a gentle sea breeze that will lift the air such that it will feel pleasant, making Bali feel light and airy. As with any tropical location you will be awash with colour from the many flowers that this area produces, not least the Frangipani flower which is as much a part of Bali as Hinduism is. The Hindu faith is a dominant and well respected religion here on Bali, as it drives their every action and behaviour. For Hindu’s they must on a daily basis make an offering to the gods and this will done across the whole of Bali, at many temples, driveways, places of work, kitchens and even on the stove. This is to ensure that the Balinese are blessed in all of their activities throughout that day. The blessing, and I am not an expert, will consist primarily of flowers a small biscuit, an Incense stick that will gently smoulder, all of this is then neatly presented on a tray made from a banana leaf, this would then be offered to the gods, with a gentle sprinkle of symbolic pure water. A small prayer would be said to ask for guidance and support throughout the day. That prayer would be waved to its intended source with a gentle swipe from the back of the hand. Bali has many attractions as well as activities, for the adventurous, the explorer, the conservationist as well as an abundance of unique, quality facilities for those who wish to just relax and soak up the rays whilst here on this paradise Island. When booking a villa holiday on Bali always follow a basic rule; Never go to an unlicensed agent, licensed agents have spent good money to establish a reputable business, to gain a registration from the government which monitors there behaviour. These agents rely on word of mouth to build their reputations. And they're pursued by the villa management companies encouraging them to offer their properties, an entry on the licensed agent’s website comes with a guarantee of a certain standard. The professional registered agent will inspect the villas regularly. An important step is that they will inspect the villa prior to the arrival of any of their guests. Complaints when necessary are encouraged to be directed to the agent and if the villa management are in anyway non-responsive then these villas are removed from the professional agents listings. Which means; unlicensed agents of which there are many, pick these villas for their websites then market them - these are second tier properties. These second tier properties also find their way onto global hotel booking web-sites, these sites do not do an inspection of the property. I recently heard of a case where the electric was off during the middle of a hot night, causing the AC to switch off. The electric contract was via a prepaid arrangement. Most probably rates are the same across all the providers of luxury villas. However, I experienced from one villa management company that they increase rates for these sites as they believe the brand is already there giving the appearance of “late deal” rates, the perception is that the rate is low so for them they market higher so late comers pay more". If you do risk an unlicensed agent or whether you go to a licensed operator, the rates are often the same. How do you know a licensed operator, what do you look for? A registered agency with a registration granted by "Pemerintah Kota Denpasar" (Government, area: Kota, Denpasar) and that they have a "Dinas Perijinan" registration number, furthermore that their registration identifies them as a "Jasa properti" provider (permitted to provide a property service). If it is not on their website then ask to see evidence of their registration. Follow this simple rule and you will have a great holiday here. For an example of a licensed operator refer to 'The Villas Bali' For an example of a licensed operator refer to 'The Leading Villas of Bali' For another example of a licensed operator refer to Booking Villas in Bali.COM For another example of a licensed operator refer to Budget Villas in Bali.COM For expert knowledge of the Asian market refer to statura.co.uk For an in-depth review of many Bali experiences refer to http://theleadingvillasofbali.blogspot.com
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