What to be wary of when booking a holiday villa
Booking a holiday can be a difficult process, special offers that when you climb inside them only appear special i.e. they require you to travel at 2am on a Tuesday and return at 4am on a Wednesday 9 days later etc. Hotels that have all inclusive packages that look great in the brochure, upon arrival you get vouchers for a 3rd rate canteen whilst surrounding you with 1st class restaurants. Even in the Caribbean with their all inclusive drinks offers, for at their resorts they place the bar in a distant location and often the bars are few and far between and when you do find their bars they have so few staff that it is like visiting an International rugby match at one of the worlds stadiums, as the bar is 20 people wide and 5 people deep and just one bar tender. You get the picture I am sure.
By way of avoiding these situations many people are booking private villas where they are not in a scrum for drinks, where their dinner is of a good standard and that they are not up at 4am to make sure they get sun beds around the pool. Holidays are what they say on the label a time to holiday or relax from the rigors of your everyday life. So to ensure that they are a true holiday then book a private villa with its own pool and a bar that you bring with you from duty free or stock locally from the nearby Minimart, making a cocktail on tap exactly when you want it, crisps or nuts to savoir as you maximize your time around your pool under your gazebo.
One area that has embraced the villa concept is that of Bali, Bali has 100's of private villas for holiday rental. Most of these villas come with staff and are situated close to all the beaches as well as all the amenities that you will need for a luxury holiday in the sun. The villa market in Bali is a competitive market and as such competition has driven style, elegance, safety as well as all the furnishings and linen to match a holiday fit for royalty, they are simply stunning properties.
The Balinese culture is primarily Hindu which makes them a serene race of people who believe in Karma. Karma leads their way of life such that they believe they should lead a good life as they are sure to be favoured at a time of their passing etc. This attitude to life ideally suits them to the hospitality industry as this approach to tourism has made Bali such a unique and sought after holiday location. Bali is often referred to as Australia's Hawaii or the Paradise Island.
However, booking a villa in Bali is not as straight forward as you might think, but if you get it right and it is easy to get it right, then you will have the best holiday ever.
i) Remember Bali's villas are owned by private individuals and as we all know humanity comes with a good and a bad side so you need to be aware as to what you are booking and from whom you are booking your villa from, I will explain this in more detail later in the article.
ii) Global, large and faceless website companies are moving in on the villa market and they are positioning villas as though they are holiday rooms in some hotel. These operators whether it be hotel rooms or holiday villas, they do not inspect, view or refer any property that they list, they also do not control the reviews that are put on their sites, I will explain this later, this practice is all very well when you are booking a Marriott, Hyatt or even staying 1 or 2 nights in Mildred's B&B €" I will explain later in the article why you should use a reputable agent in Bali and I will explain how to determine who is reputable and how you spot a back street one man band who has a glossy web address.
First should you want to book a villa or even a hotel room through these global companies, be-aware reviews on these global websites are often manufactured by the owners. An owner can book a room or villa at a low night in their week, say a Sunday, or during low season in their villa. Understand this; the hotel or villa operator set the price on these sites so a reduction in their rate followed by them booking a room or villa means they limit the commission that they pay to the global web-site room/villa listing site. Why would they do this? Simple really, they get an email as if they were a bona-fide guest asking them to review their accommodation, bingo a small price to pay for a glowing review of their own establishment.
The villa owners come from all walks of life but the dominant owners can be property developers who see a quick buck to develop villas for this burgeoning market. A property developer has no clue as to what the hospitality market needs so are often non responsive to the protestations of their incumbent guests, making the smallest of issue magnify in the minds of the guests such that they can spoil their holiday.
To add to the complexity, and don't worry, all will be revealed as to how you seek the maximum protection just follow a few rules and you will have just the best holiday, Bali is, as I am sure like many destinations brimming with unlicensed agents offering villas. These agents often push properties that the licensed agents have dismissed as the property does not conform to hospitality standards.
Solution:
1) There is nothing wrong with a property being owned by a developer, a lawyer, a butcher, a baker, a candle stick maker (you get the picture). As long as their villa has been passed to a management company to operate it on a day to day basis. The management companies are invariably from the hospitality industry and know what linen to provide how often to change the bedding, towels etc, they know that if you order a fruit basket they are to provide that basket at a time that you asked for it, They know when to clean the rooms and when to give you peace and quiet. They make sure that the TV's are tuned and that the remote is clean, they know when to remove lime from the shower head or polish the taps, to provide mineral water and so it goes on€¦ Rule number 1. Make sure your villa is managed properly and by those in the know.
2) Never go to an unlicensed agent. Licensed agents have spent good money to establish a reputable business, to register their company. These agents on the whole rely on word of mouth to build their reputations. They're pursued by the villa management companies to offer their properties so an entry on the licensed agents books comes with a guarantee of a certain standard. The reputable agent will inspect the villas prior to the arrival of any of their guests. Complaints are encouraged to be directed to the agent and if the villa management are in anyway non-responsive then these villas are removed from their listings.
Which means that unlicensed operators pick these villas up and then market them €" be aware these are second tier properties. These second tier properties also find their way onto these global hotel booking web-sites as they to do not do an inspection of the property.
Rates are usually the same across all the providers; whether it is a purported site that only says that they offer Late rates, one villa manager here on Bali said to me €they put higher rates on theses sites so late comers pay more€, or whether you 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.
Happy holidays in Bali €" if you need advise or some guidance then I can be reached through the comments section.
For my knowledge of the Asian market as a place to do business refer to: http://www.statura.co.uk
For exclusive
By way of avoiding these situations many people are booking private villas where they are not in a scrum for drinks, where their dinner is of a good standard and that they are not up at 4am to make sure they get sun beds around the pool. Holidays are what they say on the label a time to holiday or relax from the rigors of your everyday life. So to ensure that they are a true holiday then book a private villa with its own pool and a bar that you bring with you from duty free or stock locally from the nearby Minimart, making a cocktail on tap exactly when you want it, crisps or nuts to savoir as you maximize your time around your pool under your gazebo.
One area that has embraced the villa concept is that of Bali, Bali has 100's of private villas for holiday rental. Most of these villas come with staff and are situated close to all the beaches as well as all the amenities that you will need for a luxury holiday in the sun. The villa market in Bali is a competitive market and as such competition has driven style, elegance, safety as well as all the furnishings and linen to match a holiday fit for royalty, they are simply stunning properties.
The Balinese culture is primarily Hindu which makes them a serene race of people who believe in Karma. Karma leads their way of life such that they believe they should lead a good life as they are sure to be favoured at a time of their passing etc. This attitude to life ideally suits them to the hospitality industry as this approach to tourism has made Bali such a unique and sought after holiday location. Bali is often referred to as Australia's Hawaii or the Paradise Island.
However, booking a villa in Bali is not as straight forward as you might think, but if you get it right and it is easy to get it right, then you will have the best holiday ever.
i) Remember Bali's villas are owned by private individuals and as we all know humanity comes with a good and a bad side so you need to be aware as to what you are booking and from whom you are booking your villa from, I will explain this in more detail later in the article.
ii) Global, large and faceless website companies are moving in on the villa market and they are positioning villas as though they are holiday rooms in some hotel. These operators whether it be hotel rooms or holiday villas, they do not inspect, view or refer any property that they list, they also do not control the reviews that are put on their sites, I will explain this later, this practice is all very well when you are booking a Marriott, Hyatt or even staying 1 or 2 nights in Mildred's B&B €" I will explain later in the article why you should use a reputable agent in Bali and I will explain how to determine who is reputable and how you spot a back street one man band who has a glossy web address.
First should you want to book a villa or even a hotel room through these global companies, be-aware reviews on these global websites are often manufactured by the owners. An owner can book a room or villa at a low night in their week, say a Sunday, or during low season in their villa. Understand this; the hotel or villa operator set the price on these sites so a reduction in their rate followed by them booking a room or villa means they limit the commission that they pay to the global web-site room/villa listing site. Why would they do this? Simple really, they get an email as if they were a bona-fide guest asking them to review their accommodation, bingo a small price to pay for a glowing review of their own establishment.
The villa owners come from all walks of life but the dominant owners can be property developers who see a quick buck to develop villas for this burgeoning market. A property developer has no clue as to what the hospitality market needs so are often non responsive to the protestations of their incumbent guests, making the smallest of issue magnify in the minds of the guests such that they can spoil their holiday.
To add to the complexity, and don't worry, all will be revealed as to how you seek the maximum protection just follow a few rules and you will have just the best holiday, Bali is, as I am sure like many destinations brimming with unlicensed agents offering villas. These agents often push properties that the licensed agents have dismissed as the property does not conform to hospitality standards.
Solution:
1) There is nothing wrong with a property being owned by a developer, a lawyer, a butcher, a baker, a candle stick maker (you get the picture). As long as their villa has been passed to a management company to operate it on a day to day basis. The management companies are invariably from the hospitality industry and know what linen to provide how often to change the bedding, towels etc, they know that if you order a fruit basket they are to provide that basket at a time that you asked for it, They know when to clean the rooms and when to give you peace and quiet. They make sure that the TV's are tuned and that the remote is clean, they know when to remove lime from the shower head or polish the taps, to provide mineral water and so it goes on€¦ Rule number 1. Make sure your villa is managed properly and by those in the know.
2) Never go to an unlicensed agent. Licensed agents have spent good money to establish a reputable business, to register their company. These agents on the whole rely on word of mouth to build their reputations. They're pursued by the villa management companies to offer their properties so an entry on the licensed agents books comes with a guarantee of a certain standard. The reputable agent will inspect the villas prior to the arrival of any of their guests. Complaints are encouraged to be directed to the agent and if the villa management are in anyway non-responsive then these villas are removed from their listings.
Which means that unlicensed operators pick these villas up and then market them €" be aware these are second tier properties. These second tier properties also find their way onto these global hotel booking web-sites as they to do not do an inspection of the property.
Rates are usually the same across all the providers; whether it is a purported site that only says that they offer Late rates, one villa manager here on Bali said to me €they put higher rates on theses sites so late comers pay more€, or whether you 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.
Happy holidays in Bali €" if you need advise or some guidance then I can be reached through the comments section.
For my knowledge of the Asian market as a place to do business refer to: http://www.statura.co.uk
For exclusive
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