Bali - How To Stay Safe And Book A Bali Private Villa Safely

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 Bali - How To Stay Safe And Book A Bali Private Villa Safely

There are many ways to book a villa holiday here on the wonderful serene island of Bali, I will outline the choices and risks throughout this blog.  

An upfront simple rule is to; always use a Jasa Properti registered agent.  Such an agent is there to ensure that you receive what you paid for, their business depends on a quality of service as well as giving you access (a voice) to a third party, other than the villa owner following up any issues that may arise from your villa accommodation.

1. Via an online booking agent - such as Agoda, Booking.com etc..
• These agents encourage bookings through the misconception that their rates are cheaper. They're not some of these agents charge 25% commission to the villa owner just to list their villa on their site.
• None of these agents visit the villas to do an inspection so any villa owner can list here. In fact all of these companies operate outside of Bali from as far away as the UK. Non have staff here on the ground and nor do they care about the Villa accommodation.
• Review process is flawed, many villa owners book 1 nights accommodation through these companies thus ensuring that they are invited to review villa - result well you can guess.
• These operations are great when booking hotels with recognized chains such as the 'Marriot' 'Hilton' etc.
2. Direct to the Villa owner via their glossy website
• Of course to do this you are wide open to mis-selling as you have no access to a third party to ensure that your holiday is as planned and conforms to a basic level of service.
• You have no voice to the relevant authorities as villa owners are not required to register. A point to note you would not buy a car without a warranty as some of these villa holidays are similar in cost.
• Bali as beautiful as it is, it is not your country so the procedures to seek redress are not familiar.
3. Through an agent - unlicensed, similar in appearance to a high street travel company although they ply their trade unofficially online unregulated.



www.budgetvillasinbali.com

• It is a requirement here on Bali that agents register with the department of tourism thus ensuring that they apply a level of quality service. However, this is not easy to enforce with the result that there are many agents with glitzy web-sites who are not accredited.
• These agents are not invited to inspect the more professional properties and therefore carry on their websites the properties that are perhaps more disreputable and are avoided by the professional agent.
4.  The Safe option: Through a licensed agent with a Jasa properti registration as depicted in the picture below.
• These agents inspect and operate a professional business that ensures that the villa owner conforms to a standard of service applicable to a luxury holiday here on the Paradise Isle.
• These agents have a standing both with the authorities as well as with the management company of the villa and the owners, in short they have 'a voice' and are therefore taken seriously.
• Many agents insist that certain criteria is met in order to list on their sites. ie. 'The Leading Villas of Bali' only look for the more exclusive properties. 'Budget Villas in Bali' seek out value villas who do not compromise service etc..
• A Villa agent can lose their accreditation and therefore their livelihood. In my experience these agents are predominantly Balinese, they come from the hospitality industry and are passionate about their business.

I have tried to outline the risks and rewards of a villa holiday here on Bali.  Bali like everywhere has a  human element which is both good and bad, honest and unscrupulous.  Another point to note is that many Bali villas are owned by foreigners who come from all walks of life, few come from the hospitality industry and all are out for a quick buck.  Booked correctly then you are ensured of a wonderful holiday here on the 'Paradise Isle'. Bali is Hindu in its beliefs and as such is a calm relaxed environment, service always comes with a serenity as well as a beaming smile. 

Look forward to seeing you here on Bali. Meanwhile I have lifted a paragraph from a previous blog on this subject:

How do you know a licensed operator, what do you look for?

A registered agency with a registration granted by "Pemerintah KotaDenpasar" (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.

In the meantime take a look at 'The Leading Villas of Bali' range of luxury villas http://www.theleadingvillasofbali.com

 

For other villas look to the pages Booking Villas in Bali http://www.bookingvillasinbali.com

Look also at http://www.thevillas-bali.com

Due their superb pricing this collection will soon be added to: http://www.budgetvillasinbali.com  

To enhance your Asia experience then take a look at http://www.statura.co.uk

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