Bali Hotels : Sometimes all it takes is a Dream Villa

By: Robert Thomson
One of the tropical destinations of choice in Asia was and is Bali the tiny island in Indonesia. Charming with its originality of culture and the kind friendliness of its people this tropical island attracts visitors from around the globe looking for that special dream vacation. This current year we see travellers from the emerging economies of China and India contribute to the ever increasing arrival numbers in Bali. The latest wave of visitors are looking increasingly for that special touch in hotels to spend the resting hours while staying on the island. The upper end of their interest are villa style accommodations located either within Bali hotels or several dedicated luxury villas.The resulting building boom in Bali resorts is especially visible in form of small to tiny hotels that sometimes consist of as few as 5 or as many as 50 private villas, many of them with their own private pools. Seclusion in that environment gives privacy and peace of mind and truly reflects and provides a different experience than just having a typical hotel room. Hotel rooms are usually located in a building of long alleys of rooms, villas are very individually placed and structured. Interesting developments of the last few years are the Downtown Villas with just 9 luxury villas, The Elysian with 26 villas in that same stylish pool concept that thinks of pools as part of the "indoor experience" while actually it's more that your living room is partly in the tropical open air environment. Then there is also the Sentosa Private Villas and Spa with 32 elegantly appointed villas that even consist of 5 bedroom villas located also in the heart of the Balinese 'villa center' of Seminyak. This beach attracts everyone that is 'hip' or are willing to become so for a while.Other worthwhile objects of interest are the Jamahal Private Resort & Spa and the Gangsa, both with just 10 or 11 villas that offer the finer things in life such as spa treatments and gourmet kitchens. The new contemporary Bali style of architecture is often a very stylish mixture of authentic local concepts and their materials, colors and tones with the best that western influence and comfort has to offer. The resulting concept is never less than stunning and instantly likeable and convincing.That trend set in Bali was and still is leading world wide in development by bringing true natural ambiente and modern high-tech appliances together, and put design touches and art on top of that. It's very much a modern utopia that actually became reality here on the island. Why anybody would want to save money on a special trip like that and stay instead in a hotel that also could resemble any other hotel located in NYC, London or Amsterdam style wise is beyond excuse. You really would miss one of the best opportunities in life to see something completely different than most people ever are able to find in a city.Of course there is one major point that can trouble the fun even before it starts: Many Bali Villas have such a low quantity of rooms that they basically cannot afford to accept reservations without commitment by people that change plans later on in the year. So full pre-payment even several months before arrival is generally required to secure any of these villas. This and tough cancellation policies makes it a bit uneasy to accept in people's changing plans and schedules. Easier terms have the established villas and villa resorts that also accept last-minute bookings without any problems. Some of these are the Bagus Jati, one of the most interesting villa resorts in Ubud the center of cultural Bali. Or also the Elysian if it has to be 'the beach' location. How did all that local villa development come to life? It all started basically with The Oberoi Bali in Legian, that secured a big space directly on the beach ahead of the mainstream and generously layed out its gardens with private Villas and luxury Lanais. Right next to all the in-restaurants and its beach folks that are around until late clubbing through the night.Secluded in the southern Jimbaran tip is the Ritz Carlton Bali that defined the essence of a dream vacation in style in actual reality. Not only fantastic villas on cliffs also some more affordable deluxe rooms and suites that set a standard that many Bali hotels try to recreate since then. This resort is still the original in the 'Ritz experience' however and shows every willing student of style and life how original Bali style natural luxury should and indeed can look like.