Bali's latest Designer Villa complex
Space at Bali is a small, true niche resort product of 6 villas, targeting guests looking for an up-market place to stay where privacy and personal service is the philosophy.
You will find more information on our website at http://www.spaceatbali.com/
Space at Bali is hidden in Bali's fashionable Seminyak district within walking distance to some of the best restaurants, shops, bars and night life to be found on the island, and ideal for couples, families and groups of friends. Privacy is a key word in the description of the villas and the quiet atmosphere feels like heaven in Seminyak. Our six designer two bedroom villas have private 12 x 4 meter swimming pools. At the end of the pools is an antique door which connects to the adjacent villa, and opened upon request, the perfect way for larger families and groups of friends to spend their holiday times together.
Posted on 17 Apr 2008 by Steve
Once Serene Never Forgotten
‘Serene’ isn’t perhaps a word you would associate with Seminyak these days - congested roads, flat out construction and poor drainage. ‘Surreal’ might be more appropriate. Yet people still flock to this trendy area of Bali. Ask any villa or hotel operator in the area and they will tell you that they’ve never had it so good with pre high season occupancy percentages running in the 80s & 90s.
“In the aftermath of the financial crisis and terrorist attack, with few tourists about, locally based entrepreneurs invested in new businesses, anticipating Bali’s bounce back. Much of this investment went into hip bars, restaurants and villas…now consumers can’t get enough of it”.
This is how Steve Michie explains the current popularity of Seminyak.
Steve happens to be one of these locally based entrepreneurs I talked about, “I was always confident that Bali would recover within 2 years” he told me over a coffee in Serene Garden Villa, one of his seven private villas. A Kiwi by birth, he enjoyed a successful career in the hotel industry; finally ending up in Bali to launch the Hard Rock Resort in Legian.
So, when Steve went solo in 2000 and left his proper job at the hotel, why did he call his new company ‘Serene Villas’? “Serene is a word that is synonymous with Bali; in its style, its people, its culture and its outlook on life. It’s also the state of Buddha and it seemed to me a perfect word to describe what a luxury villa experience should be about.”
Having acquired a strip of land in Seminyak’s Jalan Drupadi, Steve and his partners set about creating an exclusive villa enclave consisting of three 3-bedroom, two 2-bedroom and two 1-bedroom private villas. “The challenge with this project was to utilise the space in what was quite a narrow plot of land. We had to be very creative about maximizing the flow between indoor and outdoor spaces”. With a width of 25 metres Steve did a great job. Whilst occupying an average space of only 450 square metres, each of the seven villas present a spacious atmosphere; they are also very different. “We tried to create an eclectic modern range of individual villas, not cookie cutter replicas; each property has a different style.”
Serene Garden Villa, where we met, has a warmth about it, which is achieved by the polished wooden floors and soft local fabrics utilised in the upholstery and curtains. “Each villa has a different colour scheme but we ended up using a rich orange colour more than anything else. To me this orange is a trademark colour for Bali, you see it particularly in Hindu cultures” explained Steve, as he pointed to numerous bright orange scatter cushions.
He engaged the Triadi Group to construct Serene Villas, “Triadi are trusted developers and responsible for some of the most spectacular private property on the Island. Having researched many properties during our preparation phase, I found that unless professionally built, homes in the tropics deteriorate very quickly. We wanted to work with a contractor who understood which materials work best and I must say we are very happy with the result.”
The villas were completed in two stages and each villa took about twelve months to complete. “Don’t believe anyone who says you can deliver a turn-key property in under twelve months” Steve insisted, “once you’ve sorted out the IMB (building license), worked around the rain and fixed all the snags, it’s impossible to do a quality job in under a year.”
I asked him whether anything had gone wrong during the construction phase, “Nothing major, but be prepared for the unexpected: insufficient electricity from PLN (Indonesian Electricity Board); drainage and coping with the heavens opening, all things which are easy to underestimate here in Bali.”
What about building materials? Is there anything which you would replace? “We deliberately used alang-alang thatched roofing because it is a material which fitted in with our ‘serene’ concept; its ethnic, cool and creates a castaway holiday feel, but in hindsight, you can achieve the same effect using iron-wood shingle tiles and avoid the main pitfalls of alang-alang; which is that alang-alang doesn’t last for ever and you have to treat it regularly for bugs.”
The single most important piece of advice Steve offers has to do with the longevity of building materials. “Because of the extreme heat and heavy rain it’s important to go with material which doesn’t deteriorate quickly. I can’t tell you how many old and tired looking villas I’ve visited to be told that ‘actually we built it only two years ago!’. You really have to build with low maintenance in mind, avoid materials which require a lot of effort and up-keep.”
Steve’s personal favourite area in the villas is the bathrooms, “we’ve just re-fitted all of the bathrooms because in the past two years new options for bathroom fittings and furnishings appeared on the market which weren’t there in 2002 when we started”. He is referring to the new modern stainless steel taps and rain-drop shower heads which compliment the existing large terrazzo tubs, “guest feedback on our bathtubs is terrific, they love them!”
With his background in the hospitality business it is not surprising that Steve operates Serene Villas just like a five star hotel. “We are aiming to emulate the service element of a luxury hotel by offering chefs, concierge service and personalised amenities. In addition to high levels of service of course we are also a self catering environment, so guests get an option not available in the big chain hotels.”
A night at Serene Villas is very reasonable, just US$50 per person when 6 adults share a three bedroom villa in the low season, going up to US$84 per person in the peak season.
Steve wanted to tell me about some of the other concierge services available at the villas, but you’re just going to have to book a Serene Villa to find out what they are because he kicked me out! His group from Australia had just checked in and they wanted to start their holiday.
At least I was ejected serenely.
Posted on 09 Apr 2008 by Steve
Bali back in favor with the Aussies
Last year, 204,473 Australians visited Bali, up from 137,000 in 2006. Only the Japanese outstrip us in their enthusiasm for the beautiful island.
If that kind of growth continues, then 2008 will beat the 2004 record of 267,500.
But while Australian tourists have confidence in Bali, our Government does not and this is causing angst among a group of Australians involved in the tourism industry there.
The Little Bali Hotel and Resort Company argues it is time for the Government to reconsider its grade-four warning for Bali, especially in the light of DFAT's downgrade of its Kenya warning from a grade four "reconsider your need to travel" advisory to a grade three "[exercise a] high degree of caution" recommendation.
The group's founding member, Adrian Forsyth, says much work and resources have gone into keeping Bali's key tourist areas safe.
"Local authorities regularly sweep all local residential areas to ensure that all people living in the area have the right to be there and police posts and vehicle inspection points have been erected on many streets entering the Kuta/Legian areas," says Forsyth, who manages the Bali Garden Hotel in Tuban and the Samsara Hotel and Spa in Kuta.
"The Australian Government attitude continues to amaze us all," he says.
"Just last December, Bali hosted the United Nations conference on climate change, which involved government ministers and heads of state from around the world - including the new Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
"If it is safe enough for the PM to come here, why does DFAT continue to warn Australians against travelling to Bali?"
... and flavour
One Australian doing her bit to lure tourists to Bali and beyond is Maeve O'Meara. The energetic writer, television presenter and founder of Gourmet Safaris has added a Bali "girls-only" trip to her company's schedule this year.
"It is such an incredible destination," says O'Meara. The inaugural Bali Gorgeous Safari, from May 18 to 23, will be at the Warwick Ibah Resort in Ubud, owned by expat Asri Kerthyasa, who has lived in Bali for 30 years after marrying a Balinese prince.
O'Meara, who operates numerous gourmet trips around Sydney as well as taking international trips for both men and women, decided three years ago there was a gap in the market for female-only tours.
Vietnam was her first destination. It struck a chord, she says, as five-star resorts, shopping and spa treatments tend to appeal to women.
"In that time we have had only one man on these trips; brave soul that he was.
"And while he enjoyed it, we all agreed it was best to keep the Gorgeous Safaris exclusively female. Men tend not to want to try the 15th shoe shop looking for that perfect pair of shoes."
Kay O'Sullivan
March 29, 2008
Posted on 01 Apr 2008 by Steve
A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPACE IN BALI
Bali’s probably got one villa too many but there’s always space for another one – especially if it’s different enough from the rest.
Space at Bali – yes, it’s called that and you will know why the minute you step in one – is a collection of six villas, lovingly built and individually designed by a group of friends, all of whom are Europeans who have lived in Asia a long time.
Space at Bali stands out from the rest not only because its villas have more space than most we’ve seen but they blend Balinese with Moroccan design features.
One of the owners, Laurent Kuenzle, says, “We called it Space at Bali because we want our guests to make the space their own and you will find that every space tells its own story.”
Each villa comes with two bedrooms, a swimming pool you can actually swim in, and not just plunge in, a kitchen, a lounge and living room area – throw into the mix, private butler service – and you’ve got a perfect retreat made for couples, friends and families.
Another good thing about it – it’s located in the Seminyak area so you’re within striking distance of the best bars, restaurants and shopping area on Bali.
Soft opened in February, Space will be fully opened by June. Check www.spaceatbali.com for more details.
Posted on 27 Mar 2008 by Steve
Made in Bali
The first thing Gil Cowen sees when she looks out of her Balinese villa each morning are rice fields and palm trees as far as the eye can see.
But it's not just the lush landscape or proximity to one of the world's best surf breaks that lured Cowen to the village of Canggu three years ago.
As the owner of Australian leather accessories company Mogil, Cowen also sees Bali as an ideal manufacturing base for her handbags, belts and shoes.
"The labour is very cheap here compared to Australia," admits Cowen, who owns a factory where she employs 200 full-time staff.
It's no threat to China, but Bali's recent manufacturing boom has enticed several Australian fashion designers to set up their manufacturing base and often their homes on the Indonesian island. Whereas Chinese factories crank out high-volume clothing orders (thousands of each item), the Balinese manufacturers specialise in smaller orders, attracting the boutique labels interested in small runs.
"We've definitely seen more and more Australian designers coming here to manufacture. Some of them live here full time and others will spend maybe three months at a time here," says Cowen, who also manufactures leather accessories for other Australian and international fashion brands, including UK retail giants Selfridges and Urban Outfitters.
"There's a nice little community of Aussie fashion designers here now. We all tend to stick together. In fact, it's not just Australians, there are designers here from all over the world, from Europe and the UK, the Middle East, America and Canada. It's becoming a real hot spot for boutique clothing production."
Other Australian designers living and working in Bali include Nicholas Morley and his fashion designer partner Alice McCall; Melbourne designer Ebony Eagles from Ebony Eve; pro-surfer turned fashion designer Mic Eaton from streetwear label, Material Boy; Sydney designer Jessie White from Shakuhachi, and Kerry Grima - one of the very first Australian designers to move to Bali 19 years ago.
Many more - including Courtney Saxon and Jade Schilling from Melbourne accessories label Luxe and Sydney designer Natalie Cohen from Cohen et Sabine - share their time between Australia and their manufacturing base in Bali. Then there are others, such as Bettina Liano and Sportsgirl, that outsource some of their manufacturing to Bali.
"They (the Australian designers) start coming here for two weeks at a time to oversee production, then the next trip they'll come for a month, and then the next time they'll stay for three months and then eventually they just take out a house here," says Sean Cosgrove, the Melburnian behind children's label Littlehorn. Cosgrove, who also runs a cafe, The Corner Store, in Seminyak, says Bali was his first choice when he decided to move his two-year-old business offshore in 2004 to cut costs back.
Bali's just "a lot more inviting" than China, says Cosgrove, who runs a small sample workroom in Kerobokan with 10 full-time staff. He outsources most of his production to factories in nearby Denpasar. "You're not locked into these huge minimum orders like you are in China. The other big attraction is the artisan component. They are just so skilled when it comes to beading and crafts and jewellery or carvings for castings."
Meanwhile, Cosgrove's cafe has become a hangout for other Aussie fashion expats. "Because I've got the shop and cafe, I see them all and there are more and more coming all the time. Everyone sits in there on their laptops all day doing their work out of the cafe."
So popular has Bali become among Australian designers that Melbourne designer Georgia Hall, who lives in Bali and produces her State of Georgia label there, is planning to open her own factory to cater to the increased demand.
"I've been here for almost six years now and it's the busiest I've seen it. I plan to set up a small production factory so I can start doing production runs for other Australian companies because there is such a huge demand for it."
Hall says she's no sweatshop boss. "I love my staff and I treat them really, really well," she insists. "I give them above-award wages and if you give, then you get from these people, and that's what I love."
But the way she talks about her staff wouldn't be acceptable in an Australian factory: "They're like young children, they learn so quickly, and if you're kind, then they'll be even kinder back."
Hall employs 15 people directly - including a patternmaker, an accountant and a team of runners - and also outsources some of her handiwork to village craftspeople.
"I'll bargain with them to get a price and then we'll agree to it and I use these contracts, which are very important to Balinese and to me. They're called the 6000 stamp and you pick it up from the post office and it's a legally binding little stamp, so if they see this stamp, then they have to sign it, and if they don't do it, then they believe they'll be in trouble. So I use them a little bit to get a job done."
Fair trade practices are already well-established in Bali - its largest fair trade organisation, Mitra Bali, has been operating since the 1940s, brokering prices and working conditions for local craftspeople. And while wages are still low by Western standards, the local industry's reputation - all happy, grateful employees working in the sunshine - also attracts designers keen to be seen to do the right thing at a time when ethics can be a selling point.
Ali Charisma, a local fashion designer and chairman of the Bali Fashion Designers Association, says the influx of foreigners has improved the quality of manufacturing on the island.
"Because there are a lot of expats here now, the quality is a lot better than before. We have come to learn that our clients want better quality. Also, because a lot of expats have their own factories in Bali now, they have trained their employees, so the skills are getting better," says Charisma, who also manufacturers for Australian and other international fashion companies from his 120-man factory.
"We used to have much more clothing factories here in the late 1990s. The factories were a lot bigger, it was more mass produced and the quality was not so good. These days we specialise in smaller boutique factories with better quality."
And while the Australian clothing industry may grumble about the rush for offshore manufacturing, many Bali-based Australian designers believe they are making a valuable contribution to the local Balinese community.
"When we started, being honest, (helping the Balinese) wasn't a consideration," admits Cowen. "But as we've grown, our growth has allowed us to control a lot more." Cowen says she tried to introduce superannuation but "that was a bit of a hard one to get workers to understand". Instead, her company offers training and computer courses and catering and medical benefits. "I really feel that our staff do benefit from us being here," she says.
Posted on 07 Feb 2008 by Steve
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