Mister Zimi Villa
Umalas
This fabulous, bright and stylish kid-friendly pad has 3 fabulous bedrooms and can take 6 guests. There are 2 bathrooms, as well as ALL the kit & caboodle for little tots including a and more. The villa is perfect for a family with young kids from bubs and toddler to young school kids with enough room for another small family, or perhaps friends or grandparents? There's a glass fenced pool, cots, car seats, high chairs, kids room, pram, toys, games, kids DVDs and more.
There aren't cafes, warungs and boutique shops at your doorstep, so it may be a bit far away from everything for some families. A friend stayed here recently with her two young kids at my suggestion, so I have grilled her on every little detail to help put together this review.
From approx $175+ US per night
*check with the airbnb site as this price was at the time of writing the review and as you know things change depending on the season
4.5/5 with 51 reviews on Airbnb
*at the time of this review
Photo credits: Mister Zimi Airbnb
The lowdown
Located in the quiet area of Umalas, not too far from the glitz and glam of Seminyak, the Mister Zimi Villa is the part-time family home of talented Zoe and Jimi Paul (and kids) who are responsible for the vibrant fashion label Mister Zimi. Their villa is totally groovy and fun and is filled with splashes of colour and rich textiles that make their fashion label so unique. I love the Danish inspired lounge chairs upholstered in the Mister Zimi black and white Zulu fabric. But, gorgeous aesthetics aside it's well-designed for families with littlies.
Your family will be well cared for by Komang and her husband Kadek, who are the lovely staff at the villa. Komang comes highly recommended by Zoe for babysitting, so if you want to head out for a date night, it can be organised. Kadek and Komang can also suggest local haunts to grab a decent coffee or a bite to eat, good restaurants for takeaway, and they can help you organise transport, shop for supplies and even arrange in-house massages. Sounds kind of awesome hey, and for the price, this designer pad seems pretty good value.
Stuff for kids
High chair & 2 cots (including 1 port cot)
Toys, books, DVDs & games
Amazing glass pool fence (but the gate is questionable)
Bumbo seat & kids crockery
Kiddy locks on some cupboards
All on one level with enclosed lawn/garden for frolicking
Driver with car seat available
Mountain buggy pram
The neighbourhood
Popular amongst expats living in Bali, Umalas is nestled in alongside Petitenget which is known for its’ boutique shops and chic eateries and it is just inland from the Batubelig and Berewa beaches. It’s a quiet and peaceful place and the villa is located on a quiet street. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride from Seminyak (if the traffic is good). There are some nice places to eat in Umalas but if you are walking with little kids they are a bit of a hike. My friend who stayed there recently said that in hindsight she should have organised a driver (with car seats) for the time they were there so that they could get around easily.
Why it rocks for families
Zoe and Jimi have decked it out with heaps of useful stuff for their own kids which you get to use when you stay there, so, YAY, there are no extra costs for you to hire kiddy equipment for your holiday, and there is no need to lug all that gear from home. There are so many pluses about the Mister Zimi Villa for families with tiny tots. The layout of the villa works well for families. It’s all on one level, which means no stairs & no balconies to worry about if you have a climbing toddler.
The living room area has bi-fold doors which can be closed and locked to the outside, i.e., the bedrooms don’t open straight onto an open air living space as is the case with many villas in Bali. In my experience, this makes it a bit more comforting to parents knowing that you lock up the house at night if your kids are in a separate bedroom to you.
There is a designated whimsical kids bedroom room complete with toys, games, a cot, a single bed and a vibrant, funky Mexican mural which is right next to the master bedroom which is good if you have tiny tots. The third bedroom is on the other side of the lounge which is great if you have older kids or the grandparents or a friend staying with you. There is an also spare porta cot available as well if there is more than one bub and this can be put wherever works for your group.
The kitchen is stocked with everything you could possibly need for preparing toddler snacks, making up baby food or preparing a smashing family dinner. I also love the fact that there is a lovely enclosed lawn and garden area which you look out onto from the living room and deck so your little tykes can play safely, and you can keep an eye on them from the comfort of the couch.
Other important stuff
Fully decked out open kitchen/living area
Air-con (in the lounge room now)
Daily housekeeping
Washing machine
Safe drinking water provided
Wifi & cable TV in living room
Minimart close by
Massages can be arranged
No breakfast but you get a breakfast "welcome pack" when you arrive
Airport transfers (with car seat) can be arranged
Need to know
The nice cafes like Nook etc in Umalas, are also a bit of a hike if you have little kids. I think the main issue with this place is the location being in Umalas if you don't really have a sense of the lay of the land around Seminyak. If you want to be right in the action and in walking distance to the beach, the Mister Zimi Villa may be a bit far away from it all for you. If you stay here, you will need to be prepared to catch taxis to get around (or pre-organise a driver) and remember there can be traffic at certain times of the day if you want to go to Seminyak or other places.
The bathrooms are lovely, but they have an open section which anyone could easily climb into if they really wanted to, so you need to remember to close and lock the bathroom doors when you head out.
Local tips
A number of little eateries have popped up in Umalas recently. Nook is my pick for the place to eat locally, its cool, has stunning scenery and reasonably priced Indonesian food. Monsieur Spoon has arguably has the best croissants on the island. There is also a mini-mart close by, but for bigger shops and baby supplies head to the Bintang Supermarket in Seminyak.
For more inspiration on where to stay in Seminyak you can also check out my Facebook Page. Just type Seminyak in the "search this page" section.
WISH LIST REVIEW. Mr Zimi is on the Growing up Troppo wishlist, i.e. I haven't stayed here. But, a close friend of mine has at my suggestion from all the research I had done. Ive grilled her about every little detail and I have meticulously researched this pad including delving into the Airbnb site + all the reviews (many times), the Facebook page for villa, and reading lots of other independent reviews from elsewhere, as well as emails with Zoe (a while ago).
It is really important that the info on Growing up Troppo is as accurate and honest as possible. If I have gotten anything wrong, or you think my info is not accurate, please let me know. I'd love any feedback, both the good and bad if you have stayed here with kids. I’m not getting any freebies or paid to write this.If you have stayed at the Mister Zimi Villa with your family or have any insights about this villa, I would LOVE to hear from you.
