The union is safe in our collective hands

I feel very sad about the union and its potential split.  Not because of the historic bonds or any romantic nostalgia. More from the troubles and the modern day crusades, for want of a better word, that we face as a collective.

It seems to me as an expat living outside of the UK that we seem to be tearing ourselves apart for what is to create fifdoms based on egos. 

It was Col. Gaddafi who said Europe will become Islamic without a shot being fired. Look at the numbers in 25 years the scots nor the english will control their kingdoms.  We are in the decline look at the stats.

Guys sort out your issues find a solution and ban together to protect our culture! Or soon we will not have one!

We need stronger bonds not to weaken us as a whole.

Villa Puteri comes to the pages of Booking Villas in Bali

Post by Booking Villas in Bali.

Umalas Bali Villas Puteri

Location: Umalas Bali

 

Villa Puteri is a modern luxurious and comfortable perfect for a villas holiday in Bali.  There are 3 bedrooms although the villa is available as a 2 bedroom option. Each bedroom has air conditioning, all are with en-suite bathroom and private closet.

The villa has its own private swimming pool, sun-tanning deck, gardens and ponds.  There is a private garage for a car and a several motorcycles, staff quarter, security guards and butler service. The location is in Umalas, 10-minutes drive to Seminyak and 15-minutes walk to the nearest restaurants. Our staff are long standing with us and dedicated to provide excellent care and attention to the guests of Puteri Villa.

Also available by way of an additional service a private cook, baby sitter.

 

• 10 x 6m swimming pool
• TV room with flat screen LCD, DVD, Satellite channels
• DVD, CD & Book collections
• Stereo/iPod docking x 2
• Wireless Internet connection
• Fridge/freezer
• Oven/Hobs
• Microwave
• Mini Bar
• Dining (seats 6)
• Hairdryer
• Safety deposit boxes in all bedrooms
• Maid’s quarter
• Air conditioning and Ceiling fans
• Car parking
• Bed linen, Bathroom and Swimming Pool Towels
• Toiletries
• Baby Cot and High Chair upon request

Bedrooms:  per night

Low

High

Peak

2 bedrooms	US$190	US$275	US$300
3 bedrooms	US$220	US$300	US$330

We hope to see you here in Bali the home of holidays on a tropical paradise booking Villas in Bali

Diving Bali

Post by Booking Villas in Bali.

 

Bali's famous dive wreck the good ship Liberty

It has to be said that the good ship Liberty is by far the most popular diving wreck around Bali.  It is situated just off shore in Tulamben.  

The Liberty was a cargo ship built by the US  Federal Shipbuilding Company in Kearny, New Jersey at the request of the US navy.  She was delivered 19 June 1918 and the US navy took control of her on the 7th October 1918.  She was immediately put to service under the command of  Lieutenant Commander Charles Longbottom.. 

Her first sailing was to deliver horses and rails to France setting sail from New York 24th October arriving in Brest France on the 8th of November..  At the behest of the US navy she made several more trips delivering supplies to the US forces.  Sometime during the late months of 1919 she was relieved of her naval duties and placed into the merchant fleet plying her trade throughout the world.  

During the early part of WWII she was again requisitioned as a naval supply vessel.  It was during a supply route from Australia heading to the Philippines loaded with a cargo of railway parts and rubber passing through the straits of Lombok that she met her end.  A Japanese submarine I-166 class fired a fatal torpedo causing the ship to rupture and take on water.  The ship was being chaperoned by several US naval warships but it was unable to be saved.  The US naval ships attempted to tow her to the northern part of Bali and dock her in Singa Raja.  This was not to be as the Liberty was heavily listing and had and continued to take on to much water.  A decision was made to ram her onto the beach at Talamben, where the crew disembarked. 

The Liberty design is a 1037 cargo ship and should not to be confused by the Liberty class cargo ships that were built during the 2nd world war.

The ship is 120 Meters long and remained on the beach at Tulamben until 1963..  Up until then she provided a great source of materials, iron etc to the local villagers, she also provided a deep water fishing platform as the waters towards her stern are very deep indeed.

In 1963 the Mount Agung Volcano erupted sending lava streams down its slopes towards Tulamben.  At the same time a large earthquake was felt as a result of the eruption causing the Liberty break her back and to slip into the sea where she remains today.

The Liberty is now a world famous dive site accommodating vast number of divers with ease due to its size.  The Liberty also provides an ecological benefit to marine life in this area.  However, much of this benefit has been eroded by the tourism attraction that she has become.  Often divers are careless with how they treat the coral that has built up around the hull, it's also fair to say that the bubbles emitted from their tanks and regulators from inside the hull is causing further corrosion.  

A perfect way to dive the Liberty is to book a Villa through the pages of Booking Villas in Bali.  Our staff will be on hand to facilitate such excursion or to provide advice and guidance on how to make the best of your holiday here on the paradise Isle of Bali.

The stunning weather cycle just made for tourism on the tropical paradise of Bali

Post by Nigel Saywell-Lee.

Tropical Tundra green and lush, tropical climate bright and beautiful here on the Paradise Isle.

Mid year weather, Bali is an Island of contrasts.  December, January humid hot and very stuffy that's if you're inland. Which if you live here you generally are inland and of course attempting to do business in some form or other invariably with sweat dripping from your furrowed brow.

However, for you the intrepid holidaymaker the timing could not be better although watch out for the rains in January and February, the sunshine is bright and intense.  A climate made for the tan seekers or snow birds escaping Europe or the northern hemisphere.

June, July is just fantastic, again for those that live within the island as the sun is bright the air is less humid and the coastal area has a refreshing breeze.  

So to put all of this into a nutshell, anytime of year is great for a holiday on Bali the paradise Isle, save that of January and February of course when the rains adorn the tropical tundra.  It just depends on the intensity that you're looking for, of course with a pool and the Indian ocean on hand then July or December it makes no difference.

The country is in the grips of a presidential election and it seems to be taking its toll on the currency this in turn makes Bali an even better option as your dollars go much, much further.

Enjoy and of course book a villa holiday with Booking Villas in Bali or through the Leading Villas of Bali if you're looking to invest here then depending on your budget the CV Bali Puri Gelis a property development company have some prime examples of excellent quality built homes for sell.

35 seconds of just the tropics - listen relax and enjoy

Post by Booking Villas in Bali.

Mindfulness and meditation straight from the tropics

Post by Nigel Saywell-Lee.

Villa Jepun Bali Seminyak 2 Bedroom Holiday rental

Post by Booking Villas in Bali.

Seminyak Bali Villas Jepun

This is an excellent value villa for just a small nightly fee you have the splendour of such a quirky, clean Balinese styled villa.  Situated in Seminyak close by beaches, bars, world class restaurants and of course an abundance of boutiques.

This is a 2 bedroom property, minimalist in design elegant and smart throughout.  Both bedrooms are air conditioned as is the living space, kitchen is well eqiuipped.  Gardens feature a beautiful pool and well stocked gardens.

This is an excellent addition to the Booking Villas in Bali pages of Villas.  This offers great value. 

Bali Villas, perfect holiday or a nightmare in the making

Post by Booking Villas in Bali.

Exclusive Bali Villa Holiday's are the best or are they?

A Bona-fide Licence for a Bali Private Villa Agent

If you visit this blog and appreciate the information please can you Google + 1 

so that others can appreciate the safety advice, many thanks.

http://theleadingvillasofbali.com
http://budgetvillasinbali.com
http://bookingvillasinbali.com
http://rumah-di-bali.com

Bali Private Villas - Booking a holiday can be a difficult and emotive process, holiday companies advertise special offers to entice you to make a booking through them, these offers often appear to be unbelievable, but when you try to book them they add many mandatory extras such as; Luggage allowances; these are so low in their weight allowance that you have to pay for an additional amount in order to carry what you require for a good holiday. On the plane if you want an isle seats, or if you are traveling as a family or just a couple and would like seats together this can again be an extra charge.  Time of departure may also be at ridiculous times etc, or the airline requires you to stay away from home for a minimum period of 16 days etc. By the time that you add all of the extras then these “special deals” are really not special.

Back to Nature one of Ubud's finest villas by: The Leading Villas of Bali

All to often resort hotels and holiday companies have offers of all inclusive packages (room, breakfast, evening meal and sometimes, as can be the case in the Caribbean, free drink.  All of this will look to be good value in the glossy brochure, but when you arrive at the resort you are given sets of meal vouchers for a 3rd rate canteen. A canteen which is surrounded by 1st class restaurants, which you can of course use, but you have to pay extra by redeeming your vouchers and lo and behold your voucher is suddenly almost worthless. In the Caribbean some resort hotels have all inclusive drinks offers, often the bars are few and far between that when you do find their bars they have employed so few staff that it is like visiting an International rugby match at one of the worlds stadiums, the customers waiting to be served could number 20 people wide and 5 people deep, whilst there is only one bar tender on duty.

In order to avoid disappointing holidays many people are opting to book private villas for their exclusive use.  A place where they are not in a scrum when ordering a refreshing drink, where they can prepare their dinner or choose to go to a quality local beach restaurant.  A private villa will have its own pool with pool side beds, ample shade so it will not be necessary to climb out of bed at 4am to make sure you get a sun bed in a good location around a crowded hotel pool. Holidays should always be a true definition of the word holiday, to take a break, to relax from the rigors of your everyday life.

Bali does not come more relaxed than this Ubud Villa by: The Leading Villas of Bali 

The only real way to be sure of a true holiday, a place where you can truly relax is to book a private villa.  Here you have your own pool, a bar that you bring with you perhaps from duty free or stock locally from the nearby Minimart. You can make a cocktail as and when you want and not cheat on the mix, your own crisps or nuts to savoir as you maximize your time around your own pool under your own gazebo.

One place that has embraced the private villa rental concept is that of Bali.  Bali has 100s of private villas for holiday rental.  Most of these private villas come with their own staff, they're positioned close to all the beaches, places of interest, they are close to boutique shops artisan areas and world class restaurants. Bali’s villas have everything close at hand that you will need for a luxury holiday in the sun. The villa market in Bali is a competitive market and competition has driven style, elegance, safety, it has provided all the furnishings and linen to match a holiday that's fit for royalty. These villas are simply stunning in appearance as they are elegant and stylish, but above all they’re comfortable to stay in for the duration of your holiday.

Tropical living

The Balinese culture is primarily based on Hinduism, this make the Balinese of a serene and calm disposition. The peoples core belief is that of karma, karma leads their way of life as it influences their every action and behaviour, they believe they should always try to lead a good life as it is their belief that they will be favoured at a time of their passing. This attitude to life ideally suits them to the hospitality industry as karma has taught them to be relaxed with themselves and with others. It is this attitude together with the fantastic climate that 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 it at first can appear. But if booked correctly and it really is easy to book correctly, you will have the best holiday ever.

Can you be anywhere quieter: 
The Leading Villas of Bali

There are a few things to remember:

1. 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. I will explain this in more detail later in this article.

2. Global, large faceless website companies that market hotel rooms from a drop down menu are now providing holiday rental villas. These companies due to the Internet are global but run on minimum staff, their staff are predominantly sales or IT orientated, they invariably sit in some provincial town in the middle of England.  These companies are positioning villas as though they are hotel rooms in a city centre hotel. 

Remember these companies with their global brand only provide a web site for owners of villas to show their villas to their market.  These companies invariably do not inspect any hotel nor do they inspect any villa property that they market, they do not reference nor even know the location of any property that they list. The website company compounds the issue even further by not controlling the accuracy of the review process, content that they publish on their sites, I will explain this in  more detail later in this article. Booking through these sites is OK when you are booking a Marriott, Hyatt or even staying 1 or 2 nights in Mildred's B&B, because some other third party professional body will have graded these hotels and B&B establishments, they will have been star rated.  There is no such system in place for rental villa properties here on Bali. 

If you are tempted to book a villa or even a hotel room through these global web-sites companies and you have read the reviews be-aware, some reviews on these sites are often manufactured by the owners themselves. An owner or manager of a villa has access to the admin of these websites they set the price, they can lower a price then follow that action with a reservation for 1 night effectively booking their own room or villa.  The owner or manger lowers the price to limit the commission that they pay to the website operator. 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.

Managers and owners will also cultivate certain guests, coaching them throughout their stay in order that the guest feels duty bound to give a glowing review of their villa which is then published in the public domain.  It is worth remembering that in the absence of a third party audit on a villa the only conceivable way to grade an establishment is from the published reviews, one mans rubbish is another mans treasure.

A little piece of Heavon you will feel right at home

 

I am of the firm belief that you should not trust your holiday to those who do not know about the villa or the location that you are going to.  Holidays are precious and are becoming critical to our well being in this dynamic world that we live.  Always use a licensed agent here on Bali to book a villa, invariably the price is the same and in some instance the price can be cheaper. I will explain how to determine which agents on the ground in Bali are reputable and how you can spot a back street one man band who has a glossy web address but no license to trade granted by the government of Indonesia.

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 rental in this burgeoning market. A property developer has no clue as to what the hospitality market needs, so they 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 minute problems can spoil a family's holiday.

 

I will cover as to how you seek the maximum protection by just following a few rules and you will have the best relaxing holiday possible, To add to the complexity Bali is, as I am sure it is the same with many destinations, brimming with unlicensed agents offering villas for rent. These agents often push properties that the licensed agents have dismissed as the property does not conform to basic hospitality standards, the villa is in the middle of a building site or it is so far off a main road that you need a chiropractor to be available for when you arrive.

Solution:

This place is so peaceful, so fitting for when you unwind

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 contracted out to a management company for this company to operate the villa 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.  The management team know that if you order a fruit basket that they are to provide that basket at a time that you asked for it, they will know when to clean the rooms and when to give you peace and quiet. The management 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 and that they know they are to provide mineral water.

The management will know that they can not cut corners when it comes to basic services such as; the supply of electric or water.  They will have contracts in place with the utility providers, they will pay based on used units as determined by meters, they will not pay by a pre-paid arrangement, as they will not take the risk that the supply will be cut during a period when it is most needed i.e. in the middle of a hot night shutting down the AC’s to the bedrooms (as is often the case). Important always make sure your villa is managed properly and by those in the know.

A Natural Tub

The basic rule to follow from all that I have said above is:  Never go to an unlicensed agent to book your villa, licensed agents have spent good money to establish a reputable business, to register their company and to understand the mechanics of the villas that they offer. These agents on the whole rely on their reputation, on word of mouth to build their businesses; they have a good mix of regular clients as well as new clients. They're pursued by the villa management companies to offer their villa properties so an entry on the licensed agent's website comes with a guarantee of a certain standard. The reputable agent will inspect the villas regularly but importantly they inspect 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; the unlicensed agents take these villas and publish on their websites for the un-suspecting public to see, these are second tier properties. These second tier properties also find their way onto the global hotel booking web-sites, as I have said these sites do not provide staff to audit these properties as they only provide a brand which gives access to the web.  The unlicensed agent rather than investing in a reputable business will establish many websites to market these villas, in some cases they have over a 100 websites, they have no interest if the electric goes off in the middle of the night, they have no interest if the owner is responsive to the guests needs or not.  As the demand for villas is big here in Bali if one website loses reputation then another of their sites will grow.

It is worth knowing that rates for villas are usually the same across all the providers of luxury villas.  However, one villa owner recently said to me that when he offers his villas on these global web-site windows, he increases the price as their brand already implies ‘late deals’ giving the impression the rate is already low,  he relies on their customers loyalty to this global brand.

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.

All in all a great addition to 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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