After the white and thin sand of the beaches of Lombok, I arrive at the dark and stony beaches of Amed, on the east coast of Bali. In common they have the clear waters and the amazing aquatic life, with amazing colorful fishes and the less colorful but also impressive corals.
Rocky and dark, the beaches around Amed maybe don’t look very attractive at the first look, but the surrounding landscape is impressive with the Mount Angun, the highest point of the Bali island, at a very short distance, and with the Mount Batur behind, most of the times with the top surrounded by clouds, but that turns into a magic image at the sunset.
But this rocky shore, although it doesn’t offer a nice place for long walks along the sea, has the advantage of keeping the water clear and totally transparent, creating the perfect conditions for observing the corals, the fishes, the starfishes… most of them with bright and intense color, almost unreal.
Amed is definitively a dive spot, and this quiet village, not much more than a few houses along the road, with most of the accommodations along the seashore. The road winding along the coast to the south, where there are many more beaches, most of them still keeping the fishing as the core activity but where the number of resort and expensive accommodation is increasing.
But the quietness of the beach, in this time of the year between the end of the monsoon and the start of the high season, offer an almost empty beach, with warm and still waters and the show offer underwater by the aquatic life, easy to reach and with a lot of beauty… an unexpected surprise in this less travel coast of Bali!!!
Where to sleep in Amed:
Several options for all the budgets in Amed, where is easy to avoid the expensive resorts. Stay in Amed, even if you need to walk 10 minutes to the beach, make it easier to reach local food and some supermarkets and grocery shops.
- Bucu Homestay (nearby BLD Diver shop). This place is not easy to find but you can go to the Pacha bar (an reggae bar on the main road) and there you’ll find the owner I Wayan of this family homestay. I Wayan can also give a lot of information and help you to plan your trip, as by shuttle services as by public transport, or even to arrange a boat trip to Gilis in fast boat. In low season a room with fan costs 100.000 Rp at Bucu Homestay (pronounce buchu), including breakfast that is served at Pacha Bar. The owner can also arrange a scooter for 50.000 Rp/day.
http://www.amedbucu.com/
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- Behind Pacha Bar (located on the main road) also have bungalows in a very nice traditional construction and with a mezzanine (150.000 Rp for a double but where there’s space for four people) and a very good dorm (100.000 Rp) with a/c, locker, solid bunk beds and quite same privacy, just next to the Pacha Bar.
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Where to eat in Amed:
There are many options along the road from Amed to Jemeluk, but for this, you need a scooter, and any of this places stands up from the tourist-orientated menu.
But in Amed you can still find tasty local food with a local price.
- Warung Man Pel (on the main road a bit after the bridge on the right side)… my favorite food! Usually is for take-away but there’s one table and you can eat there. Is open early in the morning but close before 11 a.m. Sometimes it opens again in the afternoon around 5 p.m…. sometimes don’t. A meal cost 10.000 Rp. Enak!!!
- Warung Happy (on the main road nearby Sudi Homestay)… an old lady cooking the standard Indonesia menu. The portions are big and the food is spicy. The meals cost around 20.000 Rp.
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How to move around in Amed:
By foot you can go to the beach but is better to walk further south from the village, away from the fishing area to have a cleaner place. On foot you can reach many restaurants and small groceries shops with the basic things.
Everywhere else you need a scooter.
What to do in Amed:
- Snorkeling is defectively the best if you are not in the diving scene. I found a nice pace for snorkeling in front of the BarAcuda bar, where you can get the snorkeling set for 000 Rp a day, or just ask for a discount if you just want it for one hour. You don’t need to go far to reach the corals.
- Rent a scooter and drive along the coast, to south until Aas. You have nice views and can stop in one of the many beaches that you’ll find along the way. Is a ride of 15 kilometers that is not amazing but is nice to do.
- Swim at the warm and quiet waters. The beach just in front of Amed isn’t clean, but you walk about 1.5 kilometers and you’ll find a nice place to swim, almost empty nearby Kembali Beach Bungalows and Diver’s Café Amed. Walking along the road, parallel to the shore, isn’t easy to find the entrance to the beach, as the construction didn’t leave much space to reach the shore, but you can cross the resorts and hotel area without problem.
