PRIVATE VILLAS Closer to Legian, Mia Villa (http://www.miavilla.com/) is located in the gentle, rolling hills of Umalas - just 20 minutes drive away from the airport and five minutes to shops and restaurants. A babbling brook borders spacious, tropical gardens framing a 15-metre swimming pool. And each of the four master bedrooms - two in the main villa and another two in separate free-standing villas - has a private ensuite outdoor bathroom with garden. A chill-out area on the second floor of the main building offers excellent views of the surrounding rice paddies and personal attention from a professionally trained team of eight - including a chef and kitchen team - completes the experience, available from just US$300 per night. Email: info@miavilla.com. For a wide selection, check out these reputable agencies...
Bali is one destination you can return to time and time again and have a different experience with each visit. Whether you're keen to sample a luxurious private villa, an intimate boutique hotel or journey off the beaten track, here's our roundup of the best places in Bali to rest your head - and rejuvenate your spirit.
Staying in your own stylish pad with a household of staff at your beck and call is nothing short of heaven. Personal chefs cater for your every gastronomic whim, while the housekeeper and gardener ensure your surroundings are ever-ready for a Kodak moment. There's usually a car and driver on standby, so flitting off for some retail therapy, cultural exploration or an evening meal at one of Bali's top restaurants is a cinch. Add babysitting services, spa treatments and a spectacular view and you'll never want to come home.
Located in Seseh - a quiet, traditional seaside village close to the mystic temple of Tanah Lot - Kemah Tinggi (http://www.kemahtinggi.com/) provides exceptional five-star service by an extended staff of 12, offering a delicious menu, bar service, massages and childcare. This level of attention, coupled with contemporary styling, a stunning setting and four luxurious master suites, lends this exclusive villa a "wow" factor that is tropical chic at its very best. Inclusions such as private transfers, a la carte breakfasts, daily laundry, a chauffeured car, Bose stereos and luxurious Ploh pillows are equally impressive. And Kemah Tinggi's clever design renders it an idyllic hideaway for couples, as well as the perfect private venue for reunions with friends. A concierge service makes shopping, surf or golf breaks easy, whilst a wireless internet connection allows fretful execs to keep an eye on the office. Best of all, the space, layout and child-friendly facilities make this well-equipped villa the ultimate destination for family holidays, with everything from sterilisers to stair gates and a pool fence at hand. Each enquiry is personally handled by the Singapore-based owner who helps to ensure Kemah Tinggi becomes an addictive experience for those who appreciate luxury, attention to detail and the belief that expectations should be exceeded whenever possible. Readers of The Finder booking a minimum of three nights will receive a complimentary late checkout - subject to availability, two 60-minute massages per adult and sunset champagne and canapés on the night of your choice. Low season bookings for 2008 can be secured at 2007 rates until September 30 for bookings of a minimum of five nights and discounts may be available for under-occupancy or extended stays.
Villa Frangipani is built on the side of a small valley of rolling green rice terraces. A tranquil river winds its way through the foot of the mature garden, enveloped by tall trees to ensure total privacy. Ideal for families with children and visiting relatives, this charming villa offers four bedrooms sleeping nine people, a large natural stone swimming pool, spacious living areas and a charming separate guest bungalow with its own verandah. Villa Frangipani is US$400 to US$500 per night and is inclusive of airport transfers, daily breakfast, laundry and housekeeping and eight fulltime staff - including an experienced chef and onsite villa manager. Email: stefania@singnet.com.sg.
Bali Dream Villas (http://www.balidreamvillas.com/) three and four-bedroom villas are unique as they offer total privacy from one another but are within two minutes walking distance so they can be rented together for relaxing extended-family vacations, or individually for smaller groups. They even come complete with infant and toddlers' equipment. Special rates from US$259 are currently available for a three-bedroom villa with pool, inclusive of tax, transfers, chef and daily car with driver. Email: acmitch@attglobal.net.
Nearby Albia Villa (http://www.albiavilla.com/) is a new luxury villa popular with both young professionals and families with children. Sleeping six to eight people in four bedrooms - each with an ensuite bathroom, this is a particularly child-friendly villa with a safe area in the private swimming pool which is ideal for little ones, plus baby cots, child-sized beds, high-chairs, and child-friendly crockery and cutlery - all provided free of charge. Again, fully staffed by a team of eight you really don't have to lift a finger. Quiet surrounds belie the shopping and restaurant action just 10 minutes away and the villa is equipped wit a plasma TV and full satellite selection, WI FI internet access and a modern, western kitchen from US$225 per night. Email: info@albiavilla.com.
BaliOn (http://www.balion.com/) has more than 30 "homes away from home" located all throughout Bali - from Lovina and Seminyak to Nusa Dua. Each property has its own unique character and there's something for every budget - from modest bungalows for as little as US$80 per week for four, to luxury resort-style villas ranging from US$400 to US$1,500 per week. Rumah Shalimar in Pentai Seseh is a compound of three individual homes surrounded by rice fields. Overlooking the ocean, it's the perfect location for private parties and weddings. Meanwhile, Rumah Marakarita in Seminyak is ideal for one or two families and is walking distance to the beach and Jalan Oberoi's famous bars and restaurants. Tel: 9067 6697, Email: mjthijs@hotmail.com.
Exotic Hideaways (http://www.exotic-hideaways.com/) manage more than 80 private villas - all fully staffed with a cook, housekeeper, gardener, pool attendant and security. Choose from villas with beachfront, golf course, or rice paddy views - all fully equipped with satellite television, DVD/CD players, landscaped gardens, private swimming pools or plunge pools and villa staff. Accommodating two to 12 people, villas within close proximity can also be reserved for large groups. Airport transfers are included and all staff speak English and are well informed about local attractions. Reservations of five nights or longer receive a complimentary bottle of wine and fresh tropical fruit basket upon arrival, if you mention The Finder upon booking.
BOUTIQUE HOTELS
Avoid concrete monoliths at all costs and stay at one of Bali's charming boutique properties. Offering the usual hotel conveniences - but with an intimate ambience and personal touch - staff will remember what you like to drink, there's a chance to mingle poolside with like-minded jetsetters, or you can simply retreat to your private sala for a lazy afternoon nap.
Aveson Travel also suggests a stay at Kupu Kupu Barong (http://www.kupubarong.com/) - Ubud's first luxury hotel, which was fully renovated in December 2004. Surrounded by three hectares of tropical gardens, this boutique resort overlooks the spectacular valley of the Ayung River and each of the 23 traditional Balinese villas features a private terrace with stunning views of the surrounding rice paddies and rainforest. A personal butler is on call to look after your every need and all villas feature full entertainment systems and spacious bathrooms - many also have a private plunge pool. The resort itself offers two swimming pools and a restaurant with breathtaking views of the valley, serving South-East Asian cuisine with French influences. Aveson Travel offers various packages including Wings Of Love (US$750) - two nights in an Ayung River Pool Villa inclusive of daily breakfast, one dinner, four-hour spa treatment for two, welcome cocktail and fruit platter, daily afternoon tea and complimentary shuttle to Ubud.
Close by, another discreet and stylish option is Kayumanis Nusa Dua (http://www.kayumanis.com/), which also frowns upon guests under 16 years of age and offers individual villas sleeping two to six people, furnished in Balinese, Javanese, Oriental, Palembang and Primitive or Modern styles. Each spacious villa comes with its own swimming pool and a personal butler and the compound's facilities include a spa, two restaurants, in-villa dining and access to a private beach. Exotic Retreat packages at US$720 per couple include two nights in a private pool villa with 24-hour butler service, daily breakfast, one dinner, two-hour spa package, 30-minute back and shoulder massage, airport transfers, daily fruit, cookies and afternoon tea, plus limousine service within Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa and Jimbaran. 
ECO-LUXE
You may be keen to get back to nature and explore some active pursuits, but that doesn't mean you have to pitch a tent - well not by yourself at least. Bali's diverse topography offers mountain ranges, verdant jungle, layered paddy fields, clear waters teeming with marine life, volcanic beaches and wild surf.
Atrium Eco Travel (http://www.atriumecotravel.com/) is offering a four-day, three-night holiday at Waka Shorea (http://www.wakashorea.com/) at just $695 per person, inclusive of return airfares with Singapore Airlines, daily breakfast, private return transfers, one day's snorkelling and a Balinese massage. Located on a peninsular off Bali's far eastern tip, Waka Shorea is made from recycled materials and is secluded within the jungle, far removed from the typical tourist areas of South Bali. The fascinating three-hour drive from the airport offers a glimpse of traditional villages, stunning temples and long, black sandy beaches seldom seen by other tourists. Arriving at a private jetty, you'll take a half-hour boat ride across a spectacular bay, leaving Bali's mountainous heart behind while heading towards the volcanic cones of East Java, sometimes with a dolphin guiding your way. Nature is all around - from the coral reef visible through the clear shallow waters in front of the resort, to the monkeys running across the spa's roof and the huge geckos living in the trees surrounding the pool. Book an escorted nature walk through the nearby rainforest or a SCUBA dive at Menjangan Island.
GETTING THERE
Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/), Qantas (http://www.qantas.com.sg/), JetStar Airways, (http://www.jetstar.com.sg/), Tiger Airways (http://www.tigerairways.com/) and Garuda Indonesia (http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/) all fly direct to Bali.
WHEN TO GO
Bali's climate is a tropical 30°C all year round. May to August is the best time to visit, when temperatures are slightly cooler and the rains are lightest. The wet season is from October to March and the dry season runs from April to September, but it can rain at any time of the year and even during the wet season showers pass quickly.
Posted May 07
