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
My husband and myself stayed at Villa Nakula for 11 nights and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. All staff were excellent and very efficient. Were also very friendly and helpful. Villa was cleaned to a high standard daily. Breakfast of our choice at a time that suited us. Pool and garden were cleaned/checked every day, at the same time as the villa cleaning – very efficient. Mosquito coils were supplied and lit both in the morning and late afternoon. Lots of bug spray was supplied and topped up all the time. Mosquito net on the bed was great – clean, and no holes! TV entertainment system was great – it had an Apple TV so we could even access our own Netflix, Stan and iTunes accounts. The villa was in a great location – easy access in all directions. We rented the villa as a 1 bedroom. Initially stayed in the downstairs bedroom for convenience, and then swapped to upstairs bedroom halfway through our stay because downstairs was a bit small. Upstairs bedroom was magnificent – huge bedroom and bathroom, and lovely cool balcony. Gardens and pool were great, and we had a really nice stay
Stayed February 2017, travelled as a couple
Absolutely loved our stay at Villa Nakula. It was such a pleasure to come back to our little bit of paradise after the hustle and bustle of Bali’s streets. Once you walk through the gate you are greeted with lush, well-kept gardens and a beautifully maintained pool which is just so inviting. The villa itself offers so much room: 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and large kitchen and living room. The main bedroom is massive and the adjoining bathroom and open-air shower are great. The staff at Villa Nakula are extremely helpful and nothing was too much trouble for any of them; they were always wanting to make sure our stay was the very, very best. Thank-you!
A beautiful villa in the heart of Seminyak. We initially booked three nights but extended our stay as we loved the villa so much. The villa has a private pool, a large downstairs kitchen and seating area and the whole villa is modern and well finished. Plenty of space for 6 adults, although only two bathrooms, both ensuites in main bedrooms.. Not an issue for us but may be worth considering. Staff were exceptional – cooked breakfast every day was delicious and they were on hand at any time of day if needed. We had an Indonesian BBQ one evening – the best meal we had in Seminyak by far and good value too. Would highly recommend.
Recently stayed in this villa and would without hesitation recommend it.
Location is just off “eat street” – the “gang” is partially lit but you never feel unsafe as there is security anyway.
The villa itself is large, spacious and airy- well fitted out and the staff really make it special.
Would highly recommend the service we received from villa bugis.
Stayed August 2016, traveled with family
We have just stayed in Villa Nakula for the past two weeks. Although we’ve traveled to Bali many times, this was our first stay in a villa and we absolutely loved it and highly recommend this especially if traveling with older family . We were here with two teenage boys . The villa which is actually three bedroom is very spacious and extremely clean and comfortable . It is also surprisingly quiet considering it is located around a five minute walk to the main restaurant street of Seminyak. The beach is about a ten minute walk away . The staff are all very polite and responsive helping us with special requests like getting our laundry done. We also used the services of the friendly villa driver Wayang a few times who was available on short notice . The villa will particularly appeal to people looking for a relaxed indoor/outdoor lifestyle. We will definitely be back !
We stayed at villa nakula and villa umah kupu kupu. Both very modern clean villas in a great location close to bars, restaurants, shopping and more. Very Friendly staff that go above and beyond to help you with anything and everything Will definitely recommend to friends and family.
The villa was amazing and the staff only too eager to help, we spent much time floating in the pool ( we brought inflatables with us, and it was the best ). We had a brief stay in Ubud, just to break up the holiday a bit, and we did lots and lots of great shopping.
There were so many places to eat out, all within easy walking distance, great location. So we did not require a cook to eat-in, although the staff did offer, again they were so helpful, and they arranged a move to another villa for a late departure – thank you for arranging that as our flight was so late in the evening.
We stayed 4 days in the Villa Nakula and must say that we really enjoy our stay there. Even that at the beginning the villa is really not easy to find and none of the taxi drive knows how to get there, when you get to the location you see, it is not far away from the food street and if you rent a motorbike you can easily get to the beach too just by using small road near the villa.
The villa is very good maintained, it has everything you need, like fridge, water dispenser, microvawe and so on. It has also a great Samsung Smart TV, where you can also watch Youtube or browser in the Internet.
The villa and the pool were very clean and very good maintained in comparison to many other properties.
The stuff was very friendly and helpful. We get a continental breakfast, which was quite simple but ok. Maybe it can be a good improvement to provide a fresh juices instead of the one from the bottle (like it is common in other villas in bali) and add some more components to the breakfast, like yougurt or pastry.
The villa offer a good level of privacy, because it has it own entrance from the street and you always come there like at home. There is no reception or something, but for us that also was not necessary, because we organised our stay and program by ourself and did not have any questions or any particular request.
As I told, it is better to check the adress of the villa before, actually taxi driver can come directly there, if they know the way, otherwise you have to bring you luggage by yourself few hundreds meters.
It also was a nice touch, that they provide a antimoskitto spray in every room for free and some stuff come at the afternoon to light the anti-moskito spiral.
In overall we did enjoy our stay and hope to come again.
Everything went very well and we enjoyed a lot our stay in Bali at Villa Nakula . The villa is very nice, comfortable and well decorated , we loved the traditional roof, the four poster beds, the outdoor shower. We also loved the beautiful garden with the pool : very nice plants and well maintained . All the villa staff was extremely nice and efficient , when an air con was not working they fixed it very rapidly, they organised at our demand some nice massages at the villa .(We have given a nice tip at the end to show our appreciation) . We were sad to fly back yesterday .
The Villa Bugis staff took us on a cultural Bali journey sharing photos and stories from their villages. The staff are beautiful and bend over backwards to make sure your comfortable. Nothing is a problem. I recommend this vacation to anyone wanting a safe and quiet location.
We absolutely loved staying in Villa Nakula. The villa is not only beautiful but very comfortable and suitable for our young family. Our one year old loved exploring the villa and swimming in the pool. The villa is well set up if you have a child that still has day naps. We only used the upstairs main bedroom, which is huge and decorated really nicely. We would put our little one to sleep in the cot in the main bedroom during the day and then hang out downstairs in the living area and around the pool, and still be close enough to hear when she woke up. The staff are excellent and very attentive. We had to hire a high chair for our little one for use while staying in the villa which was an easy process and fairly cheap, however it would be an added bonus if the villa included one. Overall we loved this villa and will definitely stay again!
the customer service was excellent. The staff were very helpful and eagre to please with management double checking with us throughut the stay.
This villa is located only a 3 minute walk to eat street in Seminyak but for those not fmiliar with the way things are in Bali, they could be put off by the accessway through to the restaurants and shops. Its is a narrow lane which does require some attention as it has lots of pot holes so you do need to watch your walk. There is virtually no lighting in that ane at night so could be a hazard. However the property did provide a torch and sometimes the security guards would shine their torch to light the way. We did not feel in the slightest bit concerned for our personal safety, its just the uneven walking surface that is of concern. The villa itself was fantastic, secure, all the services advertised were provided, breakfast cooked every day in the villa for us, attention by staff every day to bringing mosquito coils and lighting them. This was our 2nd stay in Bali using Vlla Bugis. we would go again but am beginning to look at other options as they are not cheap. Last year we were a group of 8 in a 4 bedroom villa and that was financially okay but 2 people paying for a villa 2 bedroom villa on your own is abit expensive.There are others literally opposite that are cheaper and for just 1 bedroom but some of the reviews were less than favourable. These are operated by a different company. The pool was great, the air con worked in the bedroom and we will return. Really liked the helpful staff. Plenty of facilities on the main street such as almost every restaurant type that you could wish for, there was a medical centre, there are a couple of supermarkets, a sprinkling of market type shops plus lots of the regular shops. Massage place just 4 minutes from the villa 80000Rupiah for a 1 hour foot massage.
My family and friends stayed in Villa Nakula and Villa Arjuna which are right next to each other which was great being a group of 10. The villas are beautifully maintained, spacious and an oasis from the outside world. The upstairs bedroom is very roomy, has a lovely balcony and large ensuite bathroom. The other bedroom is located downstairs and overlooks the pool and living area and has its own bathroom. Each villa has its own pool which is a must in the Bali heat. The staff was wonderful, always checking with us if we needed anything and only a phone call away if we needed them. Located right in Seminyak only a minutes walk to “Eat Street” which has lots of restaurants, bars, shops, and little supermarkets with ATMS. Only a short walk to the beach and very close to Seminyak Markets. Taxis are everywhere so easy to move around. Potato Head and Ku De Ta are only a short walk away. I highly recommend these villas.
It’s the little things that make all the difference
What is it that brings you to a villa, and yet what are the things that bring you back? At Nakula Villa we were pleasantly surprised by all the little touches that made this stay so special, from the nespresso coffee machine and surround sound music system, to the red samurai armour tucked below the stairs. The owners really try to make this villa a one of a kind. Naturally, the staff were all lovely, attentive and part of a much larger hospitality group, and it was so nice to wake up every morning by the cook busily preparing our pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Not to mention the villa is slap bang in the middle of Seminyak where you’re in walking distance to all the great restaurants and shops, from Potato head and Kudeta to the rambunctious Favela just around the corner. We had a fantastic time staying here and we’ll be back for sure.
We have just returned from a long weekend in Bali. Great service, great bedrooms, lots of peace, quiet and ample space. The staff were very helpful and the location of Villa Bugis is ideal for Seminyak. The villa was just off the main stretch but you felt far enough away to enjoy some peace and quite with only the sound of the wildlife.
Thanks again
Fantastic staff..! Would highly Recommend staying at Villa Nakula.
Staff : were excellent, very friendly, cleaned villa very well and cooked a delicious breakfast.
Accomodaltion : clean, spacious and well equiped. This villa was lovely with the open area downstairs which was perfect for relaxing at night time. The outdoor shower was a treat and the fans and air conditioning provided relief from the heat. The garden was well maintained and made the area around the pool even more enjoyable.
Thank you so much for the service. We are very pleased to have stayed at villa nakula. Wonderful, helpful, & friendly staff, great breakfast, great safety.
Stayed at villa nakula ,was a great villa,great size rooms,extremely clean,great pool,could not fault the staff in any way,they were awesome,great location ,would highly recommend for a family.
We find Villa Bugis villas excellent, cannot find any others to compare. We have stayed in Bima, An Tn and now Nakula. We have Mahkota booked for next year. All the staff are wonderful and very willing to help you. Kadek our housekeeper was extremely good, kept the villa very clean and tidy and made excellent breakfasts and she was very friendly. Everybody in Villa Bugis company are very willing to help in any way. Thankyou for another wonderful stay in a villa in Bali. Cant wait to come back and stay at Villa Mahkota.
Arrival Transport and check in assistant is verry good. Puckup was already waiting for us, very friendly, safe and experienced driver.
Check-in assistant very kind, very polite, very helpful.
Cleanliness is excellent, super. The Pool is great, the garden is marvellous. We really enjoyed it and certainly come back. Activities was perfectly organized, seafood bbq was 5 star. Ketut is absolutely great, fantastic, helpful.