FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is Damara?
Damara Bali is a non-profit foundation support a beer life for the children from poor farming families in
Bali. Damara Bali Foundation was established in 2015 and registered as a non-profit Indonesia Foundation
(Yayasan) with the Indonesia Ministry of Law and Human Rights Indonesia No AHU – 0006690.AH 2015.
Who runs Damara?
Damara was founded by I Nengah Swikrama, who grew up in an orphanage and received education thanks to
the support of other people’s generosity. He has worked for over 30 years to assist children living in
orphanages. For the last 8 years before starting Damara he was the Director of Widhya Asih, managing an
organisation that provides homes and education to over 500 children and helps with many community
projects.
How does Damara help?
Our main aims are:
- Direct sponsorship of children who have dropped out/or are at risk of dropping out of school because
their parents are too poor to provide the cost of books, basic school supplies and uniforms. - Help poor farmers to have sustainable capability for generating income to provide for their children
and send them to school.
How is Villa Bugis associated with Damara?
Villa Bugis proudly supports Damara as its primary charity. Damara started with generous contribution from
Villa Bugis, a villa management company in Seminyak, Bali (www.villabugis.com). Villa Bugis have committed to
continue with annual donations and also with coverage of the cost of all administration of the charity to
ensure 100% of donations go directly to those that benefit most.
How many children are currently supported
Damara supports nearly 100 children for the school year 2019-2020, all living in extremely poor villages in
north and east Bali. All these children had already dropped out of school.
How much does it cost to sponsor a child?
The cost is quite small – IDR1,500,000 per year per child – or about AUD$150 per year
How is the donation money managed
Damara works with trusted school administrators who identify the children in need of help. No money is given
directly to the families, but is used for paying for direct expenses for the children to send school. Damara
representative visits regularly to monitor how the children are doing and receive school reports.
How are we matched with the children we sponsor?
Sponsorship is made to those most vulnerable, and in most need, as identified by their school, who’s staff
work very closely with Damara and the community. If you have children, we often try and match those with
similar gender and age group, for reliability.
Are we able to visit the children that we will be sponsoring?
Yes, this is possible after sponsorship has been made – it is a full day trip to and from the rural areas that the
children are living.
What do we receive after sponsorship?
You will receive photos and bio’s of the child you sponsor, it is also possible to communicate via written (and
translated) leers if you wish – as well as 6 monthly school reports and a quarterly newsletter
How do we make a payment?
Please visit www.damara-bali.org/donate-here – all Damara Overheads Finance and Admin services are provided by Villa Bugis. Direct payments can be made into the Damara account, but this is usually costly with fees from overseas, from both ends, not making it worthwhile.
How do we renew each year?
Each year we will contact you to renew your assistance and commitment, and you can then choose to renew the same way as initial payment was made.
DAMARA is a non-profit foundation supporting a better life for the children from poor farming families in Bali.
Damara Bali Foundation was established in 2015 and registered as a non profit Indonesia Foundation (Yayasan) with the Indonesia Ministry of Law and Human Rights No …AHU – 0006690.AH 2015
Nov 12, 2023 – Google Business
As it’s all been said in other posts great spot and great service
Nov 7, 2023 – Google Business
The team, at Villa Bugis, were amazing. The location is quite central in Seminyak, walking distance to BinTang Supermarket and the beach. Quick $4AUD cab ride to Garlic lane and shopping district. The staff go out of their way to cater to your every need. The place is gorgeous, and the breakfasts were amazing. The banana pancakes were the highlight and the friendly staff are unsurpassed. Michael.
May 1, 2023 – Booking.com
Staff is very warm and welcoming, attentive to details and very helpful. Thanks for Nana who cooked breakfast and clean the villas for us everyday. Thanks Wayan for all the arrangement and helpful information.
Oct 6, 2022 at 01:14 pm – Google Business
Nice place and hospitality. 5 min walk to bintang supermarket.
Oct 3, 2022 at 08:01 am – Google Business
Very good place to stay in Bali. Well maintained.
Jan 25, 2020 at 09:25 am – TripAdvisor
We stayed as a group of 13 at Villa Alore Seminyak for 13 nights hiring out bogh sides of the villa to make a large space . Was just fantastic in all areas and the the staff were so helpful and looked after us all . Breakfasts were lovely and the grounds were so well maintained- the staff supplied a birthday cake and were so amazing
Sep 15, 2019 at 11:12 am – TripAdvisor
We stayed in Villa Mango as a family. There was 4 adults and 2 children aged 5 & 2. This Villa was amazing and absolutely perfect for what we needed. 1 of the bedrooms was made up to accommodate the children with 2 single beds. Each room has its own bathroom (outdoor) and the rooms are absolutely amazing! Our stay was nothing but perfect. Staff went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for us and we would definitely recommend these villas and would definitely stay here again. Thank you for making our first family holiday so amazing and perfect.
May 08, 2019 at 05:12 pm – Facebook
Amazing stay in villa alore in first week of may 2019. Everything from the buildings, landscape, staff and food. They helped us with tours as well. Would happily recommend villa Bugis to anyone
Mar 03, 2019 at 07:12 am – Booking.com
Incredible. Amazing accommodation, great location, excellent staff. We’ll be back. Picked up at the airport. Welcomed by Arianta with coconut milk on arrival. 10 of us, 8 adults and 2 infants.Stayed in Villa Alore and had both 3bedroom units. Location excellent, close to shops, restaurants and spas. Staff outstanding, rooms and facilities amazing. Had a beautiful cooked breakfast each morning. Also had an Indonesian ‘In Villa Dining’ dinner for our wedding anniversary which was fantastic and about A$20 a head. We are planning next years trip already. Honestly can’t fault it. We got the pools fenced for piece of mind (2 infants). nothing was an issue. Highly recommend staying here. A great place for families.
Jan 16, 2019 at 10:22 am – TripAdvisor
We had an extremely large group of 62 people which consisted of families and friends and we took over 6 of the many Villas being Olive, Mahkota, Santi, Alore 1 and Alore 2 and a few stayed elsewhere. We could not fault any of the villas as they were all luxurious and extremely well laid out.
We had chefs, gardeners, maintenance, security, cleaners, assistants and supervisors daily who tended to your every need. Nothing was too hard or a chore and the staff all went out of their way to assist and were all beautiful people. They can organize shopping, laundry, bike rental, doctors, SIM cards, drivers, taxis, day trips etc.
All Villas we chose were next door to each other and villa Alore 1 & 2 can connect to each other. Location is perfect down a quiet lane way so away from any noise and traffic and with the Main Street of Seminyak one end with Bintang Supermarket the first shop to reach and the other end coming out directly opposite a mini hospital/medical center on the same street as Frankenstein’s. A gate down the lane way lead a third direction and you pop out directly at the beach and among bars and restaurants.
I would most definitely recommend these villas, location and staff and will most definitely be returning.
Thank you for making our trip a safe, enjoyable and relaxed one and a special thank you to Rei, Wyann, Gede Merta and Gede Arianta for everything!
Awesome villa & Surrounding pool area. Friendly & accommodating staff & great location for beach, bars, restaurants & shopping. Villa was difficult to find to first time especially by car & a little secluded but once you knew where it was it was very secure & easy walking access.
The location is great very close to Bintang Supermarket and all that Seminyak has on offer. We rented both Villas as we had a group of 12 and it was fantastic. Staff were also fantastic especially Ketut, who nothing was too much bother! Would highly recommend this villa for a large group getaway.
I stayed with a group of 15 adults and children. They opened the adjourning villa to provide 6 bedrooms for us.
In all, it was an amazing stay that I had tried to book for my 2016 vacation (but dates not available).
Positive experiences:
1. The pool was amazing
We had plenty of sun so water wasn’t so cold.
(As there was tremendous amount of sunshine, it does get hot so we had requested the staff to provide an extra fan in the living room, which they did).
2. Great service and amenities
– Very helpful service by the staff and we were able to contact the manager on any issues encountered. They were also prompt in trying to resolve the issues
– Prices for laundry and in-villa spa treatments very affordable
– Villa had a dining guide that listed nearby restaurants which delivered food, which we utilised quite a bit
– Staff was helpful and accommodating to shift the bedding for the needs of the children in our group
3. Complimentary 2-way airport transfer
– Helpful for our big group which villa provided 2 vehicles
We loved our short stay in Villa Alore. The property is centrally located in Seminyak with easy access to shops and restaurants yet the hustle and bustle seems far away when you’re at the villa. Large swimming pool – spacious property ideal for a larger family. Staff was very friendly and capable – we loved the banana pancakes they served us for breakfast! I highly recommend for people who enjoy peace and tranquility but still want to have easy access to Seminyak shops, restaurants and the wonderful beach.
We enjoyed our time at Villa Alore and loved that the property could be opened up to the adjoining villa to then accommodate larger families or groups with two pools. The location is central Seminyak and a 5 minute walk along the gang brings you out onto one of the main streets. Security was always present and staff very attentive. Beds & pillows were very comfortable with mosquito nets in all rooms. A well appointed pool setting. The typical sized taxi’s & transfer vehicles are fine to access Gang Keraton but a larger vehicle will have trouble.
i travelled with my entire family (17 people) and stayed at villa Alore (Villa Bugis). the rooms were fabulous and the poolsand gardens were wonderfuk to hang out in during the warm weather. i would highly recommend Villa Alore for large group bookings.
Villa Alore is an excellent villa for large groups. It can be 2 x 3 bedroom villas or 1 x 6 bedroom villa. We were travelling with 9 people and 1 baby so booked the 6 bedroom villa option. It is great as you have 2 pools, 2 kitchens and living areas. The staff are amazing, they attended to all our needs and cooked us a delicious BBQ on our last night. They were helpful without being over bearing. Location is good and central to everything, however is down very narrow lane-ways and on some occasions out transport (mini van) could not get access to the villa. I would definitely recommend this villa to others, a very enjoyable stay was had by all.
Villa Alore ticks all the boxes for a sweet villa holiday. It has the big pool, the main open living/dining area, a bar(!), AND it can be attached the villa next door if you have a large crew! The staff were lovely and welcomed us in and gave us advice on where to eat down the road at the famous Bintang supermarket. It is hidden down some of the gangs in the back of Seminyak so was nice and quiet (once you found it!) and you had the lovely local feel as you walked past the smiles from the shops in the houses on the way to the main strip.
For those first-timers to Bali or first-timers to villas, you understand that your money can go so much further when you gather a few friends/family together or you see a sale price and then you get your own private holiday resort like Villa Amore!
A big thank you to the Villa Bugis staff, you were extremely friendly and always happy to help. We had an excellent 10 days staying in Villa Alore!
We had 13 people stay including 6 kids ranging from 1yrs to 7yrs.
Both villas with the interconnecting door outside created a large space to accommodate everyones needs.
The location was perfect in the heart of seminyak and easy to walk to various streets with everything u needed. But not as expensive as the other end of seminyak. U could push a stroller along the lane way to the Main Street and get straight to bintang supermarket in under 5minutes.
Close to some great yoga places and eateries.
The beds were comfortable and the villas were very clean.
The staff were accomodating and even brought in two cakes for birthdays we were celebrating during our stay.
The pool was safe for children and there was plenty of room
Between the living space and bedrooms to the edge of the pool so it was not a safety issue with kids.
Mosquito nets in all rooms.
They provided porta cots with nets for the babies and moved around the beds so we could have young kids in the rooms with parents.
The rooms were able to fit the large queen size bed and another large single bed with enough room to get down one side. And the mosquito net fitted over both the beds.
Overall it was a great stay and a great price to accomodate so many people.
Had an enjoyable 5 days 4 nights stay in Villa Alore. Many thanks to the staff for making it wonderful, cheers!!!
We had a fantastic holiday with all the family, staff we great and location was excellent. The pool was magical all you could want for a large family get together.
We had a fantastic stay with a group of 13 spread across Villa Alore and another Villa (Rama) which was less than a 1 min walk away. The staff were ace, super friendly and very keen to please. The breakfast was lovely and we had a bbq in the villa on 2 nights which was really tasty. Thanks for everything. My 30th birthday was a really memorable one and the people made it (friends and the staff that looked after us). I would highly recommend for anyone wanting to stay in Seminyak. Thanks again. Darryl
We left booking our accommodation over New Year until 6 weeks out, this made it tough to find exactly what we wanted. Villa Bugis staff went out of their way to come up with a solution – staying in two of their villas over the time we had in Bali. We stayed at Villa Alore for the last 5 days of our trip and we were very impressed. The location is good being only a 3-4 minute walk to Bintang Supermarket and 5-6 minute walk to good bars/restaurants. We walked to the beach and it took around 15 minutes. It is really more on the border of Legian, not in the heart of Seminyak, so if you want to spend a lot of time in the heart of Seminyak be prepared to catch taxis or do what we did and book a personal driver, it is more expensive than a taxi but it is reliable and picks you up straight from your villa, perfect on hot nights when your dressed up and going somewhere nice and don’t want to wreck your hair and makeup! The villa staff were excellent, breakfast served in villa every morning was to a high standard and no request was too difficult. It was always served on time and to our specification, then the staff would clean our rooms, provide fresh towels and ask if there is anything else they can do for us – too good! Then another staff member comes to the villa and cleans the pool and sweeps up any debry from around the yard. Villas kept spotless at all times. In the evenings villa staff would spray bug spray in our rooms and light coils around the villa to protect us from insects. No request was too much trouble, we had staff organise restaurant bookings, pick up shopping and groceries for us, they even organised an in villa doctor visit when one of us got sick – the doctor was of a very high standard. For our first trip to Bali this service was invaluable as whenever we got stuck the villa staff were there to help us out. They really made the trip so much better than it would’ve been if we had stayed at a hotel or resort. The villa itself is very nicely presented and quite modern in comparison to other villas we looked at. The central pool was a little on the small side but it did the job. Three bedrooms are all private with queen beds and private ensuites. The kitchen/meals/living area were all open plan and looked over the pool and gardens. The villa was kept very clean and as free from insects and wild life as possible in Bali in the wet season. We would stay again.
Why would you stay in a hotel in Bali when you can stay in a villa!! Villa Alore is in a great part of Seminyak down a quiet laneway behind the bintang supermarket. There are two villa’s both with 3 bedrooms and if you have a big group (like we did) you can open up the doors between the villas and have one enormous villa!!
The staff are beautiful, they come and cook you breakfast each morning, and clean your rooms etc. You honestly wouldn’t have to leave this villa if you didn’t want to- you can arrange for the staff to cook you all meals! But don’t forget, Bali has some amazing restaurants!!
A great villa, with exceptional staff, plenty of room to move even with 12 people and great location. Nothing was too hard for the staff, on the morning of my daughters wedding they did a great display of towels on the end of the bed of two swans kissing then on my birthday delivered cake. We had 8 adults and 6 kids and we all felt we had our own space with 2 lounge areas and two pools the kids loved it, we loved it.
We had a fantastic stay, the staff were tremendous, the Villa so spacious that even with 8 adults & 6 children we still had our own space. All visitors that came over were impressed with the villa ssize and layout … loved it, thank you Villa Bugis
We stayed at alore for 4 nights and had a great time ! Staff were amazing, villas are clean and comfortable. Will definitely return :) thanks Kew and team you guys rock !
Just completed a 7 night stay at Villa Alore with a group of 9, Utilising both villas to make a 6br villa. Staff prior to and throughout our stay were fantastic, helping with all our enquires no matter how big or small, working around our schedules for breakfast and cleaning etc, arranging in villa massages etc and completing all our pre arrival grocery shopping – a special mention to Q and Gun for making the big things easy and the admin staff Diah and Wiwik who answered our relentless pre arrival enquiries. Whilst secluded behind Bintang supermarket, the villa had easy and safe access to JL Legian and Jl Dhyanapura and most convenient of all had a small convenience with beer, soft drink and petrol supplies literally at the back door – and cheaper than the supermarket! The villa and it’s furnishings were great, great pool and overall facilities – a 10/10 when you consider the approx $125 per night per room with all rooms full and a great villa we can easily recommended!
Had a wonderful stay for a week earlier this month in the Villa Alore complex as a group of 12 family/friends. The villas are truly luxurious, the staff really friendly/helpful & the communal daily breakfasts were looked forward to by all. The location is hidden down a series of easily negotiated laneways & very quiet/secure. The swimming pools (one for each adjoining villa) were enjoyed by all our group & our grandchildren especially.
Having travelled extensively overseas & this being the 1st time to Bali we really enjoyed our stay at Villa Bugis & would recommend these villas as an ideal place to stay in Seminyak.
Stayed at Villa Alore for my first time to Bali with a largish group – about 12pax with adults and children.
Great location and pretty much central to all the local street shopping, spas and supermakets you could want in Seminyak – although the villa itself is located in a maze of back alleys, surprisingly easy to navigate and by the 2nd day we were walking around the place like we’d been there before.
Staff made the check-in process painless and housekeeping was done without fuss on a daily basis. Breakfasts were scheduled according to out preference time/style (would recommend the American Breakfast).
Security is also a no-Brainer as there is a guard post located at the back door to the property – came in handy especially when we needed to orientate ourselves, ask for directions.
The property’s configuration makes it ideal if you have multiple families/groups as it still allows for some privacy between the various guest rooms. Kids will love the pool (mine were there every morning as soon as they woke up)!
Wouldn’t hesitate to book again when we travel back!!
We have returned from our second stay with Villa Bugis, this time in Villa Alore. We do not have one complaint right from the booking with Wiwik and Lana through to the wonderful staff looking after us in our villa. We thought Villa Mahkota was good last year and that nothing could beat it but Alore was wonderful. Thank you again and we are counting down the weeks until next year.
“Villa Alore”
Very attentive and helpful and friendly staff. Beautifully presented and well kept villa.
When activities/transport/breakfast are organised, staff are very prompt and punctual.
We have realy enjoyed our stay in this very lovely villa.
Thank you for helping to make my 40th birthday very memorable.
Villa alore is Very good, staff was very helpful and accomodating, villa was lovely.
Had a wonderful stay at villa alore. The staff were fantastic and very helpful and friendly. Thank you.