Laura32

I love Bali!!!. I went there as a little girl and since then I cannot help it to go back as much as I can. This year of September I will be there for one month and I am planning to rent a private villa for me and my family. Does anyone has experience with this or mayby some suggestions? Please let me know....

Kathie

Have you done a search here yet? There have been a number of recent threads about renting villas in Bali, and there have been some good suggestions of resources.

susncrg

I was thinking of doing the same and looked at www.vrbo.com to look at villas rented by owner. There were several listed, but I haven't checked any of them out.

Cicerone

I agree that vrbo.com is generally a good place to find rental houses. I have had good success with them in Europe and the US.

I have rented a house twice in Seminyak and thought it was very nice. See
http://www.laksmanavillas.com/villajemma/index.html. This is a compound of several villas of varying sizes and prices. I have rented Villa Jemma with friends on two occasions in the last 18 months or so. Each of the 5 or so villas which comprise the compound is set in its own garden and has a good-size pool, the furnishings, etc are in good shape and nicely done. There is a full kitchen that is well fitted-out. They can provide a cook for meals if you want or you can self cater. The prices for meals does by the cook are actually quite reasonable, and it is so lovely to come back from the beach and have lunch made for you!! There are also several good restaurants nearby, including GadoGado, as well as KuDeTa which is a good place for sunsets, or the really lovely and good Living Room. There is a good spa (Bodyworks) practically outside the front door. The one drawback I personally found to this place was that it had no views and was not on the water, but I can’t say anything negative about the villa itself or the service. It is a very short walk to the beach, which is a pretty, long wide beach, there is a strong undertow on the current, but if your children are not young I think it would be fine.

rhkkmk

i too looked at villa jemma but we ended up with villa kipis, owned by some very agreeable ozzies.....i have had e mail back and forth with them and they seem very pleasant to do business with...

there seem to be thousands of rentals all over bali....personally i only want to go with one that comes recommended by someone i trust....in this case it is other fodorites...

4 of us will share this villa for 5 days....its steps to the beach and right in seminyak....near to the oberoi...

shop and reshop before deciding...

marmot

Choices of rental villas in Bali are wide and diverse. They all look great on-line. The best advice is to always find a real human being who has actually stayed there who can testify that the location and services are as described.

First you should decide where you want to be. There are villas for rent all over Bali and for a month's time you may want to experience more than one environment.

Second, you should be very clear on what is included -- car, driver, cook, housemaid, baby sitter. Most villa owners rely on management companies to provide services for their guests and, again, the quality of service can be variable.

Third, ask a lot of questions about the location. Check maps and photos. Time and distance can be loosely described in Bali. If you have young children be aware that water features like pools and ponds are not child-proof and many care-takers can't swim themselves. Bali is a great place for kids, but you have to be vigilant.

My personal preference for location is the Petitenget area of Seminyak -- a quiet neighborhood that is generally a 5 to 10 minute walk to the beach and good access to shops and restaurants.