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What would have been your first impressions of Bali if you had discovered its magic nearly 30 years ago?

Russell Henry, Managing Director of BaliVillaEscapes.com first visited the Island of the Gods in 1980 & through the course of nearly 30 years has seen Bali evolve from the very sedate, tranquil & peaceful existence of the past to the thriving tropical urban experience it is today.

Like many who have adopted Bali as their ideal escape destination Russell’s first travel experience was to book a flight & accommodation package with a Travel Agent. The agent advised which Kuta hotel was the right fit for him, which wasn’t very hard as there were only a handful in existence at the time & they were all dotted along the beachfront from the airport to Jalan Melasti where the bitumen ended.

The story of his 4 hour taxi ride from Ngurah Rai airport to Kartika Plaza (now Kartika Plaza Discovery in Tuban) on that first visit is truly hilarious & best told over a few cold Bintangs but it was through this initial “hiccup” that he discovered the polite & helpful nature that is ever present in the beautiful Balinese people.

He continued to use the services of Travel Agents for his regular visits to Bali & at their advice would always try one of the new hotels or resorts that had been developed in Kuta, Sanur or Nusa Dua.

In 2005, & upon the advice of some good friends, Russell decided to try something different when visiting Bali. Some friends had recently stayed at a private villa in Seminyak & had been very impressed with the whole experience. His friends & their children, like Russell, had been long time visitor to Bali but really felt that they had only now begun to “connect” with its people & the island’s unique & fascinating culture whilst staying at the villa.

They & their children found themselves interacting “more intimately” with the attentive friendly staff of the villa. What amazed them most was how the children would rush to help do the breakfast dishes with Ebu (Mother) Ayu, something that would never happen at home, simply to hear her tell stories about mystical gods, spirits & demons that are entwined in her Hindu religion. The delighted children would then spend the day trying to find little wooden carvings of the deity’s or creatures described by Ebu in her stories in the multitude of markets & stalls in Bali’s shopping districts. This allowed the polite & eager stall owners to further add to or embellish the mystical stories, much to the delight of the children.

After visiting Bali every year for eleven years as a family they had never experienced such insight, knowledge & wonder of the Balinese people & their culture than what they had learned in the six days they spent in the villa in Seminyak.

With his friends experience in mind, Russell’s following trip to Bali was undertaken with three good friends. The guys had travelled to Bali together before staying at reasonably priced hotels & for the cost of a few extra dollars per night each decided to book a fantastic four bedroom villa in Seminyak via the internet.

On arrival at the airport the friendly smiling staff was there to collect them & ferry them to the Villa. On arrival they were presented with refreshing welcoming drinks & delicious snacks around the pool while the staff melted away into the bedrooms to unpack their suitcases. While they sipped their drinks by the sparkling pool, a sumptuous menu was provided to them & they were able to select what they wished prepared for that evening’s dinner. 

The men were in awe of what was happening to them. Within an hour of arrival they found themselves relaxing & soaking in the atmosphere of the tranquil private oasis. In that short space of time the feeling of the four friends was united, their villa holiday in Bali had started wonderfully.

The design of the villa itself was exceptional for a group of people to share. Two wings of huge tastefully decorated bedrooms each with its own luxury ensuite were situated either side of the central open air pavilion which contained the huge kitchen, spacious living area & a massive 14 seat dining table. The pavilion enjoyed an elevated aspect to lush green gardens & resort style pool & quickly became the focal point of all activity. Whether it was enjoying a relaxed meal, entertaining a group of friends or reading quietly, the villa design seem to be able to cater for the different types of activities or moods of its guests.

Reluctantly after 10 days the guys were due to head back to the reality of their lives at home but took the time to reflect on the total villa holiday experience while enjoying a round of farewell drinks around the pool.

The overwhelming consensus from all was that the amazingly relaxed & hassle free villa environment had provided the opportunity for the four friends to relate & communicate. They all felt that they had found a stronger “connection” with each other.

Russell & his friends continue to use villa accommodation for their regular visits with their families or together with friends ever since their initial experience, as are the many thousands of visitors from all around the world who visit Bali each month. Growing numbers of these visitors are now choosing to abandon the “sterile & confirming” hotel environment & now experiencing the relaxed villa lifestyle for themselves.

Russell’s passion & advocacy for Bali as a truly great holiday destination & villas as the ideal holiday accommodation has now become a full blown “addiction”.

He has recently relocated to the island & launched a dedicated online Bali villa reservation website, BaliVillaEscapes.com, that assists travellers to search for quality villa accommodation in Bali. The website contains a wide selection of villas located across the island with full detailed descriptions on villa facilities, inclusions, loads of images to view & “Google” maps to give you the location of your chosen villa.

Additionally many of the villa establishments make available discounted “last minute” rates of up to 60% on their rates or terrific added value packages for you to take advantage of. A major benefit to regular visitors who visit Bali in the busy peak seasons of June through to August as well as the Christmas holiday season can now book up to 2 years in advance.