Posted by Mia Villa Bali on Tue, Feb 01, 2011
Shopping, fortunately (or unfortunately) for the plastic card, is a practice that everybody loves. No trip to a foreign location is complete without at least a bag full of souvenirs, local delicatessen, clothes, or fun items from the holiday destination. Things aren’t much that different when you come to Bali; you are going to see so many things that you will want for yourself, or take home as gifts to your dear ones; that you won’t even know where to start. If you want to be fully organized, you should reserve at least a whole day from your Bali villa holiday schedule for shopping. Make shopping in Bali an exciting family trip, where you can see new places, traditions and people, while getting in all that shopping.
Sukawati market- for the tight budget
Well, if you are looking to find the best value for your money and the cheapest items anywhere in Bali, you should visit the Sukawati market. Located in Gianyar area, the place is dubbed as being a traditional arts market, were you will find amazing little wooden sculptures, handmade silver jewelry items (ideal for gifts), paintings, or traditional masks to decorate your living room or hallway walls.
In fact, you’ll find almost everything you are looking for. Here you will find traditional Indonesian accessories; the famous silk batiks and sarongs, dresses, or wonderful scarves and even bags. Just make sure you head towards the market a little bit earlier, so that you will have the necessary time to go through everything. Plus, a shopping spree with kids is bound to take a little longer than planned
Ubud - because quality always pays off…
The Ubud area in general is the place to buy high quality items; even in some of the specialized shops you will find them to be a little bit more expensive, but sometimes it is worth buying quality over quantity. At the market too, take your time to negotiate and chose items over the mainstream cheaper products.
North for crafts, South for fun
Around the Legian and Kuta areas you will find a great deal of fun things to buy. Plenty of beach shops for swimwear, fun toys for kids, shoes for yourself and many others. Now in these places you are not going to be able to buy the high quality handmade jewelry or other high quality items you can buy up in the North. But it’s great for small entertaining souvenirs. 
Since the island relatively small, a well organized day of shopping in both areas should be enough. Just walk around, discover the areas, and explore as many little traditional shops as you can. In regular shops you will find fixed price tags (even smaller boutiques on the beachfront will not accept bargaining), however the markets definitely invite for bargaining and you should do so!
Posted by Mia Villa Bali on Wed, Jan 12, 2011
Exquisite Experiences for grown ups and little ones alike
There are so many natural and cultural wonders to see during your Bali holiday that you are going to be perplexed as to which tour to choose first. Individual or guided, each these tours will offer you a full day of majestic experiences on this majestic island. Jut make sure that once you arrive here, or even before you depart, you make yourself a detailed plan with the major sightseeing tours that you want to take.
Rich North Coast Experience
Driving throughout the north coast (including the Pupuan area in the west), will offer you a very rich visual experience:
- Stepped rice terraces
- Coffee and cocoa plantations
- Aromatic cinnamon, vanilla and clove fields
- Vineyards
After you have soaked it all in with your eyes and soul, it is time to soak your body in the Banjar hot springs waters, with healing powers. It is a less than 25 km from the town of Singaraja, and it is definitely a place to visit. 
Next, make a stop at the Git Git waterfalls, a 35 meter tall natural wonder. Located in the heart of a rainforest, where potential visitors are the wild monkeys jumping around, the rich north cost experience is something you will never forget.
Pagoda –style holy temples and Sangeh monkey forest
About 15 km from Denpasar, you can find the sacred Taman Ayun temple (a 20 m high complex of buildings), which has very imposing architecture and is surrounded by fish ponds. Looking at the complex from a distance, it seems like all these beautiful structures are floating on the water. Taman Ayun would literally translate into “beautiful garden”, and here you will truly find heavenly gardens with flowers, statues of the Gods and grand decorative fountains scattered all through the inner yards.
Don’t forget to include in your tour the Tanah Lot temple as well, as here you will experience exotic beauty at its peak. The temple is built on large rock in the sea, and the sunset here is an attraction for thousands of tourists and professional photographers who gather to see the wonder.
Take a little joy to your life by visiting the Sangeh monkey forest as well, where you are going to have a chance to see the sacred 40 meters tall nutmeg trees.
Enjoy Bali
It's not the number of tours you choose to take, what's important is that you make sure you get a little bit of everything, and make your holiday a rich experience:
- Sports tours with the entire family
- A day of fun in one of the many theme parks with your kids
- Dine at least once in a genuine restaurant serving traditional food
- Visiting at least two or three sacred temples
- See both the silver white beaches and the black volcanic sandy beaches
- Visit the handicraft villages (handmade silver jewelry, wood crafting, etc.)
Posted by Mia Villa Bali on Sun, Jan 09, 2011
Exquisite Experiences for grown ups and little ones alike
Bali is an exotic destination, where you will find activities suitable for the entire family. The tours around the island are very well drawn up, and they include many interesting spots to visit, activities like sports, food experiences, exclusive shopping tours, so that you will not get bored even for one minute. This is what is great about Bali: that you live each minute that you spend on the island.
Traditional Indonesian villages, a gorgeous lake and an almighty volcano
If you want such a sightseeing rich tour, then you should choose the Kintanami area for touring. Usually, you will start your journey by visiting three or four little villages filled with genuine art: watching street dance performances, visiting the “capital” of handmade silver jewelry which is Celuk, or if you love to see busy hands at work, genuine locals who are masters of wood carving creations, then you can do that when you go through the village of Mas.
Next, a road trip through Ubud city, where you will be amazed by the magnificent beauty of the rice terraces, after which you arrive at Kintanami. Here, you will have in front of you a splendid experience: a view upon the Lake Batur and the almighty volcano, a scene which offers a dreamy atmosphere. On your way back from the tour you can make a stop at the cave of the elephants (or Goa Gajah) which is a historic cave; centuries ago, this was the most famous gathering place for yogis in Bali.
Wild monkeys, rich golden threads and holy temples.
A Bedugul tour will take you through all these splendid experiences. You will visit the Sangeh monkey forest, where you will definitely catch a glimpse of the huge nutmeg trees that sometimes can be as tall as 130 feet. Sangeh is a true wonder-place and a destination that your kids will simply adore.
Next stop will usually be at the sacred Ulun Banu temple (Beratan Lake area), where you can have a few moments of sacred inner peace. On your way back, there are many tiny interesting villages to go through and of course don’t forget to admire the traditional Indonesian textiles which use golden thread weaving methods (the silk and gold sarongs).
East is culture rich
You can take a tour of Eastern Bali -bear in mind that the island in itself is not that big, and you can actually get to all the important spots within one day by taking such a tour. The Eastern side will offer you a rich cultural trip, where you are advised to visit the largest and most important sacred place in Bali – the Mother Temple of Besakih. You will feel like you have stepped on the holiest place on earth. It is a must see Indonesian cultural spot.
Then, you should definitely visit Klungkung Palace (the Kertha Gosa Pavilion – hall of justice), where you are going to be amazed by the ceiling paintings. It is a very interesting and rewarding cultural experience, and you are going to learn new things 
pertaining to the Balinese culture and tradition. On your way back, shake up the atmosphere a little bit and only if you admire bats, visit the bat cave of Goa Lawah - a most thrilling adventure!
The Mia Villa Team
Posted by Mia Villa Bali on Sun, Dec 12, 2010
Ubud, dubbed as the best place in Asia by a famous traveler magazine is a small village located in the center of
Bali. What does this small village, just 300 meters above sea level have, to be described as the best place in Asia?
The holistic environment in the village
The environment of Ubud is peaceful, yet exhilarating. The sloped rivers and breathtaking fields make it one of the perfect holiday spots in the world. Together with the great Balinese weather, there is something for everyone during your Bali family holiday.
Places of Interest – Monkeys and Markets
Make sure you get a good night’s sleep, since you’ll have plenty to do in Ubud:
- Get up early in the morning and go to the Morning Market. This is where the people of Ubud gather together every morning to get the products that they will need for the day. With loads of fresh tropical fruits and any other groceries that the locals buy, you will find just about everything. This is definitely a thing to enjoy if you wake up early in the morning as the market closes as early as 6.30 AM.
- Then take a trip to the Monkey Forest where you can meet around 300 unique, and almost extinct, macaque monkeys. While you enjoy watching them jumping through large banyan tress, you will be amazed at the statues and pictures in the forest.
- In the evenings, enjoy traditional Balinese music, such as Balinese Gamelan featuring Bamboo Xylophones and Bronze Gongs or Kecak. You can also pay a visit to the local clubs to watch traditional Balinese dances, such as Jogged Bumbung, Gamelan Gong Kebar or Legong.