A key difference between the Penang vs Bali vacations was in the type of accommodation we’d stayed in. There are some very nifty high-rise condo apartment loft units in Penang and with magnificent panoramic sea views that I really liked – and situated just outside George Town and away from the crowds. The apartment units were available for rent on Airbnb, quite modern and very urban. The stay, accommodation-wise, would had been very comfortable from an amenities point of view, and much like home @ Minton. As for Bali, we we were again looking for villa-type stays. We stayed at Tepi Sawah Villas during our 2008 trip – nice to see that they’re still operating too and as highly regarded as before – and enjoyed the serenity offered by its location and also hospitality, even if the rooms themselves could use some refurbishment and upgrading.
There is a huge number of villas for rent on Bali island, and bookable in several ways: Tripadvisor, Airbnb and the usual suite of booking sites like Agoda and Booking.com. Ling was especially interested in a beach or sea-facing villa. But private villas of this type were very hard to find within our price-bracket, and notwithstanding that, also situated in the more chaotic areas of the island, like Kuta. For beach-facing properties, most visitors would be going for hotels and resorts instead – accommodation types we wanted to avoid this time round. Size-wise, the villas were typically the size of a small holiday bungalow, with a number of them privately owned by both locals, and others by Europeans who do not reside in the country but have these holiday properties managed by locals in their employ. The villa personnel will also prepare simple breakfasts and other meals if guests wish, maintain the general property’s cleanliness, gardening, and also making arrangements with local drivers for day tours and the like.
Interestingly, not all of these villas are built and furnished in the traditional Balinese fashions – which routinely feature heavy use of bamboo, stone, statues, and religious ornamentation. Some of the villa-type properties were distinctly modern and virtually identical to modern day city homes.
My location preference for villa-type accommodations was really not to be anywhere near the hordes of tourists – and also if possible, a place that would be situated in or near rice padi fields – and hopefully also not too far from the places we were also listing to visit. Similar to what we enjoyed at Tepi Sawah – which was itself situated in Ubud, the cultural and relatively quieter but still accessible part of the island.
After the very positive experience with Airbnb rentals during our Western Australia trip last year, we decided to go with Airbnb rentals again. And our wish list and consideration criteria:
Situated beside or in rice padi fields
Specific amenities: a private pool that’s large enough for (limited) swimming, a washing machine, TV (for the kids – otherwise the parents would need to dream up of sufficient activities to occupy our two monkeys!), living area
Accessibility, overall cleanliness, and positive feedback from previous guests
I short-listed about three dozen Airbnb villas for Ling to look at over the course of a week, and there was one property that she kept going back to that checked nearly all requirements – excepting the washer. The property didn’t have one, but a quick check with the home owner resolved that: we can get the housekeeper to assist with laundry, presumably with fees – which was fine. A number of other villas situated in Ubud are also of the villa cluster concept: smaller in the overall floor-area, offering a shared pool albeit much larger, and also a few more amenities – including Spas and also restaurants.
So, flight and accommodation checked. Itinerary planning to come in the next weeks!
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