Going For Golf Villas in Indonesia

If you’re into nightlife, shopping and eating out in fancy restaurants, then Kembang Desa Villas are not for you, but if you love the great outdoors, the sight and sound of the ocean, the mountains and rural local life, you will love them… we certainly do; they are among our favourite villas in Bali.

Returning to the villa after a long walk along the beach one evening, a delicious meal awaited us – nothing gourmet, just honest, well-prepared food. The cook produces meals from a tasty repertoire of Balinese / Indonesian / International dishes that hit the spot. We were also delighted by the villa’s collection of hundreds of digital movies – all without the evil scratch demon that can ruin the last five minutes of the most-engrossing films!

Make sure you wake up early in the morning when the air and sky are at their most calm and be rewarded with a mountain vista that will leave you speechless. We felt so privileged to stay in this magnificent location, not many visitors get to venture this far, so it really is a rare pleasure and an experience that will stay with us forever.

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TBA

Bedrooms 13

Sleeps 26

Kembang Desa Villas - Villa Ocean (4BR)

If you’re into nightlife, shopping and eating out in fancy restaurants, then Villa Ocean at Kembang Desa is not the villa for you, but if you love the great outdoors, the sight and sound of the ocean, the mountains and rural local life, you will love this place… we certainly do. Kembang Desa Villas are among our absolute favourite villas in Bali.

Returning to the villa after a long walk along the beach one evening, a delicious meal awaited us – nothing gourmet, just honest, well-prepared food. The cook produces meals from a tasty repertoire of Balinese / Indonesian / International dishes that hit the spot. We were also delighted by the villa’s collection of hundreds of digital movies – all without the evil scratch demon that can ruin the last five minutes of the most-engrossing films!

Make sure you wake up early in the morning when the air and sky are at their most calm and be rewarded with a mountain vista that will leave you speechless. We felt so privileged to stay in this magnificent location, not many visitors get to venture this far, so it really is a rare pleasure and an experience that will stay with us forever.

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TBA

Bedrooms 4

Sleeps 8

Kembang Desa Villas - Villa Sunset (6BR)

Of the four dwellings at Kembang Desa Villas this is the granddaddy family villa of them all and will definitely please the needs of any group, big or small. The views facing the ocean and the land are (almost) indescribably sublime with the power of the ocean to the front and the fecund bounty of the green rice bowl behind. We went for a long walk down the beach in the late afternoon and checked out temples and rock pools and a most glorious sunset.

When we got back to the villa a delicious meal awaited – nothing gourmet, just honest, well-prepared food. The cook produces meals from a tasty repertoire of Balinese / Indonesian / International dishes that hit the spot. The villa also has a collection of hundreds of digital movies – all without the evil scratch demon that can ruin the last five minutes of the most-engrossing films!

Make sure you wake up early in the morning when the air and sky are at their most calm and be rewarded with a mountain vista that will leave you speechless.

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TBA

Bedrooms 6

Sleeps 12

Villa Kipi

We found Villa Kipi to be a modern, practical villa in an excellent close-to-the-beach location. We thought that the size of the rooms and the number of indoor and outdoor living and dining areas was delightfully generous for a four-bedroom property, and even if it was filled with a group of eight guests there would still be plenty of spots for individuals to lose themselves.

This is quite a grown-up villa – possibly best suited to a group of adults - but would also work well for a family despite not being specifically family-friendly. For example, the outdoor area features an extended timber deck around the pool in place of a lawn so even though it is large there’s not a true garden for kids to run around in.

The colonial-style furnishings are lovely; the bathrooms are stylish, light and airy, and a TV in each bedroom ensures yet more privacy for folks who want to escape from their companions. Our favourite room was the open-air lounge on the upper level. We also enjoyed our time at the beach (albeit rather a scruffy section of the beach) without hawkers, touts, or overcrowding spoiling the party. And it was just a three-minute walk back to the villa for a shower and a laze beside the pool. Brilliant! At sunset we returned to the beach for a few beers at a small and popular open-air bar.

The staff at Villa Kipi are helpful and cheery and while they aren’t the most highly trained of professionals, they know how to make your holiday fun. There is a superb selection of home-cooked delights on the suggestion menu, and breakfast is really good too, especially with the sound of the crashing surf just over the way.

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TBA

Bedrooms 4

Sleeps 8

Our
Rating 7.5

The Lotus Residence

When holidaying at The Lotus Residence, you just won’t want to leave the premises. We didn’t. We didn’t need to! Everything you could possibly need for relaxation and fun are right here; swimming pools, jacuzzi, plunge pool, a yoga/pilates studio, a choice of sitting, dining and chilling spots, a fascinating working rice field within the grounds, a gorgeous spa at the bottom of the garden, and space – lots of it.

The spa was our second port of call after a dip in the swimming pool, and we spent a delightful couple of hours there having a massage, a sauna and a rain-rinsed soak in the jacuzzi. There’s an icy plunge pool for the adventurous (or foolhardy, which, according to one of us, worked in perfect tandem with the sauna. The other one of us disagreed!

And while the kitchen might not grace the pages of Vogue Interiors (it’s built for staff use but contains every appliance and condiment you could need), we’re sure that if Gordon Ramsey turned up he’d clap his hands and say, “We can work with this. Let’s get cracking.” The meals produced here – the villa operates a priced menu, but special requests are catered for – is stupendous!

If you should feel the urge to escape from this jungle paradise, there’s a fabulous golf course as well as some remote beaches within a 20-minute drive. The sea can be a bit treacherous, however - only for strong swimmers.

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TBA

Bedrooms 6

Sleeps 12

Our
Rating 8.8

Mandalay Hideaway

How many times have you been bamboozled to the point of screaming blue murder with the mass of remote controls presented before you in a strange new place? No problems here. The thoughtful owners of this villa have written out instructions for each and every appliance (Apple TV, DVD, Blu-Ray, Indovision satellite channels, PlayStation and the sound system) in intricate detail, laminated them and given them a leather bound folder along with a library of every movie and DVD in the house to make new-media-stress a non-starter. What a joy! The staff (concierge, personal butlers, chef) are all professionally trained and as discrete as you instruct them to be. All we had to do was push the service button in the balé (and in every room) and there they were, smiling and ready to please. Think twice about having a treatment in the spa room, however; massages here are so good that you run the risk of calling the therapist back every single day for more, threatening to put a dent in your wallet. The beauty of the rice terraces, coconut palms, river and (on clear mornings and evenings) the mountains, were what got us the most though; they seemed so close you could almost reach out and touch them.

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TBA

Bedrooms 2

Sleeps 4

Villa Mata Air

Our
Rating 7.8 Guest Rating 8.2

Villa Mata Air occupies an incredibly peaceful and picturesque spot, where the only sounds come from birdsong and flowing water. There are plenty of spaces for quiet contemplation, like the riverside deck, cushion-filled bale, and hidden temple gardens. The design is attractive, contemporary and comfortable, but it’s really the enchanted setting that seals the deal at Mata Air. I am hardly a tree buff, but found myself deeply enamoured with the lush, leafy giants wrapped in webs of ropey vines that perfectly framed the pool and created the most tropical of vistas. The neat design of pavilions and manicured lawns contrast well with the wilder riverside aspects, where untamed foliage creates a ‘back to nature’ setting. The riverside studio pavilion is a fabulous addition; as a bedroom it makes for a private romantic hide away, alternatively, as an additional lounge area, it’s a great place to relax and enjoy the views and the sounds of the gurgling river. The complimentary driver was great when we were in the mood for a change of pace, even if it was just a meal down at Echo Beach.

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TBA

Bedrooms 3

Sleeps 6

Villa Mata Air