Some thoughts from John F:
(from the bloke's point of view!)

There are over 2000 stunning villas in Bali….there’s an increasing range of Villas in Phuket… Ko Samui and thru the Thai Islands..Also…Sri Lanka has some beautiful Home style Villas on their wonderful beaches… So!.....Here’s some excellent reasons to choose a Villa Holiday! (Unless meeting lots of other people round the swimming pool is your thing and you’re determined not to go near the kitchen!)

The first aspect is security…In a changing world the fact that your accommodation is in a separate walled location and you have your own staff (when required) gives a wonderful feeling of relaxation… It’s true today that the modern villa is often much more comfortable than a hotel suite… there’s your own swimming pool… & there’s the advantage of eating with your family & friends in your own garden or lounge…The food is more interesting as you’ll tend to try out local cusine…& cheaper!! Many Bali Villas have rates from approx $US200/450…and that’s with two or three bedrooms… Most hotels & resorts these days are priced from $US 150 upward and that’s for one room! In putting these points I must emphasise that an interesting & well run hotel/resort can make for a great relaxing holiday..Villas come into their own when you’d prefer privacy…your own pool and in particular when it’s a family or group of friends

Some thoughts from Aileen:
(from the woman's point of view!)

• Space - Instead of a bedroom and bathroom, you have added areas for living, lounging and dining, plus a kitchen to prepare your own meal or snack. Usually each bedroom has ensuite bathroom. Tropical gardens and the privacy of your own pool complete the picture.
• Security – in this changing world, once you’re “at home” in your villa, there’s almost no need to leave! Your own staff can prepare in-house meals, arrange spa treatments and look after your every need. Many villas have their own transport links so if you do want to visit your favourite or recommended restaurant, it’s easy to do so.
• Sense of relaxation – if you enjoy the company of your family and/or friends, this is an ideal way to spend a happy holiday together. We do recommend a stay of a min. of 5 nights to really enjoy your villa.
• Price - a room in a 5 star hotel can cost upwards of US$150, whilst you can have a 2 or 3 bedroom villa ranging from US$250 a night, usually including airport transfers and breakfast. Laundry is done at a fraction of the cost of a hotel charge.

(1) Once you choose a villa!
Aileen Collins of Travel Managers Australia arranges the booking. Aileen has won the prestigious Travel Weekly Award for “Best Consultant for Asia” Australia-wide for both 2009 and 2010. She and John Forsyth (husband) have travelled to Bali over 150 times . In fact..John took the first Australian clients to Bali in 1966.

(2) Placing your booking through Aileen and TravelManagers means you are covered by the Travel Compensation Fund and the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (“without an agent you’re on your own”). This gives you a guarantee of professional handling and funds security.

(3) You will always pay the right (best) price for your accommodation and it is our pledge to make absolutely certain that the villa chosen is right for you.

(4) With every Villa booking your “meet & greet” & transfer are included free.

(5) In Bali..all our Villa clients are entitled to travel on the “Bali Bus”... an exclusive service we established years ago... From only $45 a day you can travel the length & breadth of Bali with your family in a comfortable minibus. Great for shopping, exploring the little villages and mountain sights or going to festivals and dances with a driver trained to steer you clear of commission “traps” and who truly understands the Australian approach!

Just to let you know a little more about us, the following is our history and aims. Aileen Collins and myself (yes we are married!) owned the specialist tour operator Sydney-based San Michele Travel (Thailand Travel/Vietnam Travel/Indonesia Travel/India Travel etc) from 1972 and sent some 250,000 clients to Asia during that time. Many are still dealing with us today which seems to indicate we know our job!   We sold the company in 2004 and moved to the Gold Coast, Queensland. Aileen stayed in travel and I started Houseboats Worldwide in lieu of playing golf. The new owners of San Michele didn't really understand Asia & closed the doors in 2007.  

We bought back the bones of San Michele (including the 18,000-strong mail list) and set up Asia Travel Experts Pty Ltd & Villas of Bali & Asia to promote our favourite tours and hotels/villas. Aileen joined TravelManagers Australia – and was voted Best New Travel Manager in 2008 and in their Top Ten Sales Team 2008 and 2009. In addition Aileen won the Travel Weekly Australia-wide award as “Best Consultant for Asia 2009”. She then went on to create a little history by winning the award again for 2010.

We love to keep our knowledge and industry contacts up to date and during 2009 attended ITB Asia in Singapore …Time Indonesia in Lombok and the Vietnam Travel Expo in Saigon as hosted buyers. We also travelled extensively & indepth to Bali/Thailand/Malaysia/Brunei/Sarawak/Vietnam during 2008/2009.  Our policy is to maintain the tag “experts”.  We are constantly on the look-out for Hotels/Resorts & Villas with a difference – those preferring not to deal with large wholesalers & who would like their property given more exposure in Australia.

It's clear Asia still presents huge potential for travel in 2010 and the areas we see developing are Southern India, Sri Lanka, river cruising through Indochina, selected “special” hotels and resorts with a difference and some of the lesser visited Indonesian islands such as Lombok, Flores and Sulawesi. Obviously…there is a huge potential to market Thailand/Laos & Cambodia after the recent problems

In particular…we are having proven success with “Villas of Bali & Asia”…there’s  over 2, 000 luxury villas in Bali & Thailand/Sri Lanka. The current “world climate” makes the security of a villa holiday all the more appealing.They say “you’re never too old” and at 84 years John F is keen to pioneer some new concepts. 

A few years ago we sent prolific travel & food writer Ms Ute Junker to Sri Lanka and the Maldives which brought forth her articles entitled “Driving Miss Lazy” (Sri Lanka & India…)and “Mal-Diving” (Maldives) in Sydney’s major newspapers.  We’ve asked Ute to consider a new approach on travel – quite possibly offering an emphasis on Villa or selected resort holidays in Bali & Thailand in particular, back to Sri Lanka, Maldives & India for an update, and offering more interesting selfdrive holidays throughout Asia…plus the less-visited islands of Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

John & Aileen