In October, 2002, a terrorist attack in the southern tourist town of Kuta took the lives of many young people out to enjoy themselves in Paddy's Bar / The Sari Club. Since that time, foreign governments have issued travel advisories relating to safety / the risk of future attacks generally in Bali. More recently, a further bombing at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta shows that risks still exist.

Although we agree with good advice, we are sad that the warnings are not simply specified for the main tourist areas, and in particular the large western owned hotels / popular bars / clubs that young tourists frequent. As these (along with embassies) clearly remain the greatest / real risk. We believe the facts make "resorts" like ours as safe as anywhere else in the world, probably safer.

We would like to point out, that our villas are nowhere near the main tourist areas, nor are they along the route that anyone would take to get to those areas from Java. If any disaffected radical was in our area, quite simply they would be very lost! No-one could consider us a target though, even if we were not in the remote north. That is because there is nothing but coconut palms and mango trees around us. In short, we would be a waste of their "valuable" time / resources.

We are also at the end of a one way (to the beach) road. As this road curves, you can not see the villas until you are virtually at the bottom of the road. The road itself has a number of local's houses and a popular warung (restaurant / meeting place) along the top. So there tends to always be people around (Rural Bali is very close knit, and locals watch anything and anyone different).

But we have still taken precautions, as have the village. First, the staff and locals have been told to take the registration number of any vehicle, and to report it to the police if they are at all suspicious. We have also put a sign "Tutup" (Indonesian for "closed") on our road side stone sign. Plus there is now a "Hati Hati. Ada Proyek, Jalan Rusak!" (Warning. Project. Road Closed) sign and barrier before you get to / can see the villas. This is done on the basis any radical who is lost but decides to scout for tourist related sites anyway is not likely to be a rocket scientist!

As well as extra security staff, we also have installed motion detecting flood lights around / pointing outside the grounds (sensitized just enough so a bird does not trigger them off), and along the access road (sensitized enough so that even a bird will trigger them off).

We have taken these security measures "just because", and also for general security to protect our staff and guests from anyone with bad intentions (including sneak thieves). But we would point out that we simply do not have these sort of problems where we are. The village we are in is a very traditional, Hindu Balinese village. Robberies, etc. are virtually unheard of. We honestly believe you have more chance of having a coconut fall on your head then encounter any undesirables at Agung Bali Nirwana. And we crop all the coconut palms when they flower (except for 3 shorter palms, which are not over public / grounds areas - left so guests can see coconuts growing), so there are no coconuts to fall your head while you are on our grounds anyway!

We are also a haven against the oppression of "hawkers" (people trying to sell you things wherever you go) and the sense of despair (from the aftermath of the terrorist attack) prevalent in the south. We do not get hawkers. And the village is unaffected by commercial problems seen elsewhere. As it was always a rural, fruit growing area, non dependent on the tourism industry. So there are no sorrowful looking shop keepers here. People are the same they have been for a long time. Happy, honest, warm and as Balinese as you can get.