Dear Jacob

As a reasonably seasoned traveller, I have learned that photographs of holiday accommodation posted on internet sites tend to present a very “glowing” impression of the properties they advertise and that more often than not the reality is disappointing. You can imagine my delight when we arrived at the lovely Villa Olesha which not only lives up to its internet images but far exceeds them.

Your beautiful Balinese property is truly a wonderful oasis. Our party of six felt as though we had a palace all to ourselves – acres of space, beautiful lawns and gardens, large tranquil swimming pool and generous bedrooms and bathrooms. Your staff couldn't have been more obliging and helpful and having Made drive us wherever we wanted to go was a marvellous service.

While we were there, we had friends who were staying in a new, modern villa in the middle of Seminyak but each time we visited, we were always so pleased to get back to the genuine tranquillity of Villa Olesha – just to lounge around the pool (where my boys played endless games of outdoor chess) or having a fabulous relaxing massage at the end of the day – absolute bliss !  We also loved walking the few hundred metres down the road to Echo Beach to have a fresh juice or coffee at one of the bars and watch the surfers ride the swells.

So Jacob, all round we had a truly wonderful time in Bali, made so much better by the experience of staying at Villa Olesha. Thank you for communicating so well with us and for all your help. (Thank you also for allowing me to use your golf clubs – we had a great day at the Nirwana Golf Club – I had my best round off golf for some time ! ) We have arrived back to winter in New Zealand so we can't wait to get back to the balmy Bali weather some time soon.

Kind regards

Terry Gould

Dear Mr & Mrs Mathai and Villa Olesha staff:

Thank you for the fabulous, awesome, epic, memorable, super duper, sick, insane, beautiful and amazing time. We had a very lovely, fantastic and relaxing 8/9 days in Villa Olesha. From the beautiful décor to the diligent and attentive service, our stay here at Villa Olesha will be one not easily forgotten.
We had so much fun here! The weather was perfect. It was not humid at all and the sun felt somewhat therapeutic. Yoman (sp?), the chef cooked us delicious food whenever we needed. Our favorite dishes were the grilled lobster, ratatouille, nasi goring and banana frittes with vanilla ice-cream. They were very worth the price. Additionally, having a driver in Bali made traveling around very convenient. The pool was consistently clean and always looked inviting.

Overall, this villa was a very pleasant surprise and was the perfect place to bring 9 friends closer together. I will definitely be returning sometimes soon.

Here is the word I would use to describe this place: Villa Olesha was a fresh and invigorating experience. Here I had my first body scrub and massage. The swimming pool is a million times better than the pools back in HK.

I must applaud Made for driving around 9 individuals. We are a fun and rowdy bunch, but he managed to take us all to the right places. Thank you so much to the staff and chefs who made the food so enjoyable.

May 21, 2009
Olesha, Bali

Dear Jacob
We settleted in very good here.   My first week I spend in hotel in Ubud with a lot of rain, but nice. At 15 May I came to Olesha and Madé got to the airport to get my son ans a friend who came from Thailand.
The next day my daughter with a friend came from Holland.   Everybody is very exited when they see the house. It truly is a paradise place with the houses and the beautiful garden. And flowers everywhere.
Outside of Bali I have never seen a place with so many flowers. Nearly every day the children go to Kuta to take surf lessons.   In the evening we play big competitions of card game with a lot of noise and cheating.  Madé is always very busy with 'the association of villa owners'.  Yesterday he had big dinner with the governor.  I think he likes that.   Madé  drives us anywhere and the rest of the staff spoils us with their constant serving; very good meals and their incredible kindness.  We had dinner outside the house once in the Beachhouse restaurant, 100 meters from here.  Nice setting with the sea.

On the birthday of my daughter (26 May) I have organised with Made big Balinese party with music, dancing and a video man.  At the end of the holiday we always organise a sports-day around the house with all kinds of silly games.  We will include the staff in the games; that will be fun.

Well Jacob, as you read you understand that we have a very good time in your house.

Of course when I am back in Belgium I will send you a DVD with the photo's.

Are you still in Frankfurt or already in San Fransisco?   Hope you have a good time also.

With greetings, Paul, family and friends


May 27

Dear Jacob,

Can you give me an indication which amount of money I can give as a tip to the staff at the end of our stay here?

Yesterday we celebrated the bithday of my daughter Vera.   In the evening we had a Bali music group with lots of dancers.  The garden was full of decorations and lots of lights.  I have never seen a more
romantique event and location.  The quality of the music and dancers was superb.   Then we had very well cooked fresh lobsters and lots of presents.   As Vera said: this birthday will never be matched again. We truly enjoy every minute of our stay here.  Also I playd golf at Haranda golf.  Very quiet place and cool. Beautiful course.   You have a very nice set of clubs.

Hope everything goes well there.

See you Jacob, Paul


Dear Jacob,  back in Belgium after this special event of Olesha.

The holiday was like a fast dream that went by.  It will be hard to match the event next year.  The last day we organized a sports day around the house and included part of the staff.  Lots of laughter and lots of gin-tonic.
Well Jacob, once again thank you for renting us your house.  A friend of the children has promised to make one DVD of all the photo's and films.  I will send one to your house in France.

Have a good time in Frisco.

With warm greetings, Paul and family.

Dearest Made -

we have arrived home safely in Denmark after overnight stay in Perth. we are all so missing you and the villa olesha staff.
Thank you for an unforgettable experience for our family. this was our first family holiday in 6 years, and will be impossible to replicate, but i hope we will find the time and finances to come again soon. i am annoyed at myself that i forgot to give you staff tips to distribute.
i exchanged dollars to do so but was so distraught to say goodbye at the airport that i completely forgot to pass these on to you. i will send this with some photos very soon. i hope the new guests enjoy themselves even half as much as we did although i feel sure that no-one else will be such a good match with u as we were. u have created a beautiful, sincere team of people at villa olesha who collectively make villa olesha a paradise for your visitors. i hope u can explain to them that we are so appreciative of their efforts in making our time in bali so special. we will never never forget them, and we know we will be seeing you again made, in whatever way is possible. we will keep in touch. with love from the Thompson family and friends

jacob and anne, tres tres merci beaucoup, words cannot express our joy at villa olesha nor our sadness in leaving. Thank you for sharing your treasures - this place and these people - with us. Unforgettable...karen, warren, tahnee, aimee, and our guests bohdan, kiandra, lynley and jedda


Dear olesha Staa & Owneres;

We have had the most wonderful time here. The staff have been helpful and efficient but in addition to this they are kind, friendly and have made us feel so welcome. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful place with us. I can offer no improvements to what we have experienced.

Karen Thompson


Beautiful Villa, Beautiful place, beautiful staff!! Thank you so much for letting us stay. I am sad to go!! I have had an awesome time and hope to come back again.!! Thank you again!!!

Kiandra McDonnell (Australia)


Hello,

This villa is the nicest place I’ve ever stayed in my whole life and the nicest staff ever. We have made friends with everyone. This is the best villa. I’m sad to leave tomorrow. I will DEFINITELY come back here. I will start saving when we get back to Denmark ( Australia).

With love,

Aimee Thompson (15)


Wayan’s cooking- fantastic. Nyoman was so helpful and attentive, always with a smile. And the grounds beautifully kept, love all the flowers and trees. Made kept us safe in the bustling traffic and it was wonderful to listen to his stories of Bali life. Your villa was a place of peace and relaxation amidst the bustle of Bali.
Great staff. Lovely set-out villa with plenty of room for all.
Thank you Jacob & Anne for sharing.

Warren Thompson.


Hello, and just 24 hours later….

We are back, our next villa stay in Ubud is a poor substitute for the love and affection we feel for Villa Olesha & her staff.
As tomorrow is my 50th birthday, I decided I want to come straight back here. Ubud was Ok but I couldn’t imagine not to be here for my birthday.
Thank you to Jacob, Anne & of course our rescuer Made for making this possible.

Love always,

Karen Thompson & family & friends.

Thompson Family and friends (4 adults and 4 children) from Australia: 9th to 21st February 09

Thank you for sharing your villa with us. One week of pure magic blessed with great weather and surrounded with gentle, polite and always supportive staff.
After being a 12- year Asia Pacific expat family we thought we have seen it all or at least utmost; but Olesha is something special.
The serenity of this place is enormous and there are so many details to discover. Your paintings are nice, the landscaping of the premises…all is really special and last but not least Wayan the chef rocksJ food was awesome!!
Thank you, have a great healthy and happy 2009. God bless you!

This was our first trip to Bali and it was truly one of our best trips.
The Villa and its grounds are simply beautiful; well appointed in every manner.  The staff does an excellent job of maintaining the facilities. It is quite obvious that they put their hearts and souls and their entire beings into their work. It was very sincerely appreciated by all of the members of our families. All the twelve that were here felt much the same.
On a holiday, rest and relaxation are usually what most strive to attain, and this holiday was no exception to our families. This beautiful villa and is environs certainly contributed towards attaining good rest and relaxation. But we received even more while we were here. We received the Balinese people! Or I should say the Balinese people received us!
The first Balinese people we encountered was the staff. Their kindness, courtesy and respect for us, all mankind and nature gave us a fuller experience of rest and relaxation. It became spiritual.
Within a few hours of being at Villa Olesha, we all gained a stronger appreciation for the beauty of a flower; for the smell of fresh fruit. We gained a greater appreciation for all of what many believe are the smaller things in life. Here we recognized that they are really larger – they are important!
Words cannot fully express our experience.

They tend to minimize what we felt and experienced. So rather than trying to elaborate with them more, suffice it to say that we were moved in our hearts and souls by the Balinese, especially your wonderful staff, to a much greater appreciation of nature, respect, mankind and all God’s creation.

Signed.

We would like to thank you for sharing your beautiful villa with us. This has been our first trip to Bali….but definitely not the last. Olesha exudes a sense of calm and serenity, which is what we learned Bali is really all about.

My family and I had a wonderful time in your beautiful villa. We really wish we could spend more time to relax, enjoy and explore your wonderful island paradise. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The grounds are beautiful.  The five kids ( 4 – 13)  and six adults had enough space to spread out, swim, relax and play. (Linda)
- Thank you so much for your hospitality. The villa is beautiful and your staff was extremely courteous, helpful and friendly. We especially enjoyed your gorgeous pool. Many thanks to Made for driving us all over the island. (Children)
-  This has been a great experience. I hope to return to your beautiful villa someday, perhaps for my honeymoon. As an architect, I really appreciate the amazing place that graces this lot. I would love to meet the designer and congratulate him on such a fine work. (Robert Huang)

Villa Olesha, just a wonderful luxurious Balinese experience.
Staff are very friendly, yet give plenty of privacy and are always on hand if you need anything.
The food, most delicious, as we enjoyed  a large variety for both breakfast / afternoon snacks and dinner including  Balinese feast and I celebrated my birthday. Lunch was the only time we ate out during our stay with great restaurants a short drive away.
Location and position, nestled in amongst the rice fields gives a relaxed country feel, yet only a short walk to the great surf beach.
With our driver “Made” at hand, we enjoyed the best of both worlds – bristling markets, designer shops, sightseeing with total tranquility of Villa Olesha.
The grounds, rooms and ll amenities would only be described as your very own Balinese Paradise experience and you must indulge to experience the perfect family holiday! Thank you

Jacob,

I just wanted to email you and let you know we had a fantastic time at your Bali Villa.  Villa Olesha is breath-takingly beautiful and your staff is one of a kind.  We have ZERO complaints, everything was perfect!  We actually want to come back this summer.  Mr. Made said you will be staying there for 6 months starting this summer so I was wondering when exactly you were coming so we could plan our trip before you get there.

Lynn Velez


Also written in the visitors’ book:

It is so hard to express to you how much we enjoyed our visit here at Villa Olesha.
First of all, your house is extremely beautiful, the time and energy put into building and decorating this fantastic villa has “shined” through. Your staff is “first class”. , the food was amazing and their attention to details incredible. The grounds are so well manicured and we just sat and dazed at them for hours.
This holiday was very special for us. We flew our family from the United States to vacation with us. We are American and currently live in China. So we decided to stay at Villa Olesha for this year’s Chinese New Year. We have three kids: a 4 yr, 2 yr and a 2-month old. This trip was so special because our family, from the States, were able to meet our new-born baby-girl for the first time.
We also invited another family from China to vacation with us, who have two kids. Your house was perfect for all of us. The kids enjoyed it as much as the adults. The short walk to the beach was perfect and we played there everyday.
This trip was perfect and we just wanted to thank you for letting us enjoy your beautiful home. We will be back. Hopefully we can meet in person one day.

With much love,

The Velez family (signed by all)


PS,

We would like to thank you for the privilege of sharing your lovely Villa with us. Villa Olesha is by far the most extraordinary paradise we have experienced. Your staff First Class. We do want you to know that they made us feel pampered and special. Thank you so much. We will be back.

Our  love.

Kate and Andrea Velez

Lynn VELEZ,  American family of 9 including an elderly grand-mother and three infants; 3 to 10th  Feb. 2008

We  had a very enjoyable time here, mainly myself as I stayed longer. Your garden is a dream. Pak Made, your Manager, took very good care of us all.

Flowers and plants are so wonderful wherever you look around. Your staff; Wayan, Gede, Nyoman and Coman had been helpful and nice. Wayan cooks delicious food. Gede helping her also made the lunches and dinners extremely enjoyable, along iwht the help of Nyoman and Coman.

Hope we can meet again, next time we come to Bali.

Signed.

Pedro and Anna Maria (Spain) May 07

What a wonderful time we have had in your glorious villa. Three wonderful weeks, one relaxing holiday. My whole family has had a great time – my husband Robert and 13 year old Robbie surfed a great deal of the time in Canggu beach. My daughters Francesca and Allegra engaged the pool area and the gardens. We have been to bali 6 times and this is the longest we have spent on the island – a very good choice. Your staff are wonderful. They are an excellent choice and fit for the villa. We will come again.

Australians have had a difficult time in Bali lately. OLESHA restored all our love for Bali and her people. We will be back.

Signed.

The Sadnick family from Australia (Robert, Francesca,Allegra, Robbie & Adrian)   
 Dec 06 – Jan 07

Dear Jacob and Anne:

Thank you for the wonderful time we had. It was like living in paradise.

We enjoyed the delicious food you cooked everyday. Your staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Unfortunately time went by so fast.

The Stark family from Germany ( Brigit, Franz & Christina)   20th April 2006

Dear Jacob and Anne,

We came to Bali and Villa Olesha to celebrate Christmas and New Year with extreme excitement. What we found and experienced far exceeded our expectations, beautiful, serene, surreal, friendly, loving, fun are only a few words to describe what we felt. You have a treasure here and the staff you selcted created a memorably idyllic holiday for all 7 of us.

Made Sudi is irreplaceable. A gem of a gem. Extremely helpful, kind, patient, and professional. We have found a friend in him. Thank you for arranging Wayan, the cook. We overate, but loved every morsel tasted. Fantastic! The remaining staff were all wonderful and offered impeccable service. Thank you!

We do plan a rturn trip perhaps in dry season.

Villa OLESHA is the best !!!

Thank you all. Peace always.

Signed by all.

PS. By the way… the property is so beautiful!! Every intricate detail compliments the surroundings. We all took full advantage of everything on the land.

New Year’s eve was especially fun down at the Beach House on Echo Beach. After a delicious dinner from Wayan, this has been a truly memorable experience and we hate to leave, we need another month or two.

Thank you again, we will see you all soon.

Aleksija

Bali, one of the most beautiful places on earth! Being the first time here in Bali, the entire Roppel family; my wife Marion and our boys Florian, Tobias and Nicolas as well as my brother Guido and his wife Ruth, know that this first encounter will not be the last. Without naming concrete plans, we know that we will be back on this beautiful island, where the kitchen and the hospitality of the local people is not comparable with anywhere else in the world.

The villa Olesha is outstanding in its layout and we enjoyed the harmony between the property, houses and nature. The tasty and fine wonderful decoration makes it a respectful home, away from home.

We have been traveling all over the island for sight-seeing and scuba diving and either on the surface or under water we have been impressed with the beauty of the nature and the variety of the plants and the species. We will treasure the impressions of this special vacation in our mind and hearts for ever.

Signed. (all members of the family)

ROPPEL family, Zurich (Switzerland)  August 2005

Hi, Jacob,

As a family, we found your villa very suitable with a big pool and large garden area for kids to roam around. It is also safe for the kids to walk around (my kids are 6 & 4 years old). The tree house is a special treat to the kids. As a whole we like it very much & do plan to come back or recommend to other family.

Service is good, cook is great & we eat most of the time in the villa instead of outing.

See you in future

Signed; July 05

Andy LAU (Hongkong) and Family ( 5 adults, 2 children and 1 baby)

What a beautiful house! We have had a fantastic holiday in Bali. The staff have been very efficient  and have looked after us very well. They played game after game with our boys. Every day Gary would find a new place to relax on all the different day-beds you have. I learnt here to cook “Balinese” style with Wayan who showed great patience with me and Alex (my eldest son).

This is the first holiday where Gary and I have totally relaxed. We were quite happy to stay in the house, which is very unusual for us. We did enjoy seeing UBUD and the volcano and some Balinese dancers too. Canggu beach is good and so close and has a good bar/restaurant.

Our only recommendation would be to have plastic glasses for use by the pool – especially when children are running around – no broken glasses. (Note: this very good  suggestion has now been applied by the owner).

Thank you for a fantastic holiday in Bali. We were looked after very well. Mr. Made, the Manager, drove us everywhere too.

We look forward to coming back to stay in Olesha again.

Signed.

Renee Dugan, Gary Dugan

Dugan Family, Keston UK  (22/07/05)